The Match Types in Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a statistical service that tallies visitor information on your website. It has many tools that help you track information such as visits, referrals, clicks and advertising. You can also set up goal URLs using one of three match types. These types track the URLs in the browsers of visitors to your website.
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Head Match
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The head match type matches any part of a goal URL that shows up in a visitor's browser. For example, if the head match value is "/shoppingcart/payment.php" and the visitor's URL is "/shoppingcart/payment.php?customer=12345" then this type matches the goal URL. This type of match is useful if you use a unique identifier such as this customer identification value, as you do not have to match these identifiers in the goal URL.
Exact Match
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The exact match type expands on on the value of a head match. However, the goal URL field looks for exact matches of the goal page in the visitor's browser, not partial matches. For example, if the URL is "/shoppingcart/payment.php?customer=12345" then the goal must match the entire length of the URL, including the passed "customer" value. This match type can help you track goal URLs for sites that use identifiers such as a date.
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Regular Expression
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The regular expression match type is more advanced than the other two. Regular expressions are special characters that further customize the goal URL or track multiple goals at once. For example, if you host a sports site that segments different sports into different sections of the site, you can set up one goal using a regular expression that uses the generic sports URL and then let Google Analytics report display all of the subfolders, such as baseball, basketball and football. The report also keeps information about which of these contribute the most to the goal.
Considerations
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When creating goal URLs with a match type, you do not need to include the domain name as Google Analytics ignores this. However, if you do not input the goal URL correctly when creating a goal, Google Analytics will not track the goal correctly, no matter which match type you use. This includes white space or using a regular expression in a head or exact match type. When you create a goal, make sure you use the correct match type. If you are unsure which one you should use, select the head match type.
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