Track file downloads

Note. The goal is created automatically if the Automatic goals option is enabled in the tag settings.You can manage this goal just like other automatic goals.

If your site contains a price list, license agreement, or other files, you can track how often users download them.

To do this, set a special goal in Yandex Metrica. You can create this kind of goal:
  • For any file on the site. This goal will work for the most popular file types:

    • Document
    • Text
    • Executable file
    • Presentation
    • Applications
    • Compressed file
    • Video
    • Audio

    Supported extensions:

    • 3GP
    • 7Z
    • AAC
    • AVI
    • APK
    • CSV
    • DJVU
    • DOCX
    • EXE
    • FLAC
    • FLV
    • GZ
    • KEY
    • MIDI
    • MKA
    • MKV
    • MP3
    • MP4
    • MPEG
    • MOV
    • MSI
    • OGG
    • PDF
    • PKG
    • PPS
    • PPT
    • PPTX
    • RAR
    • RTF
    • TXT
    • WAV
    • WMA
    • WMV
    • wmf
    • XLSX
    • ZIP
  • For a specific file. In this case, specify the name of the file with or without an extension. For example, file or file.pdf. Yandex Metrica searches for it in links.

    You can specify any extension, even if it is not supported.

The goal is achieved when the user clicks on the link to the file. To view goal statistics, use the Conversions report and add the goal to other Yandex Metrica reports.

To create a goal manually:
  1. In Yandex Metrica, go to the Goals page in the left menu.
  2. Click Add goal.
  3. In the Name field, enter a name for the goal to create.
  4. Select the File downloads goal type.
  5. Select the files to create a goal for. If you chose Specific file, manually enter the name of the file with or without an extension in the field. For example, file or file.pdf. Make sure the spelling matches.
  6. Click Add goal. The created goal will appear in the list of goals. Yandex Metrica will start collecting statistics on it within a few minutes.
  7. You can check whether the goal is working in the Conversions report. Data should appear in it. To check, perform a target action on the site. If Don't count my sessions is set as a filter, check the goals on the site in the browser's private mode (for example, Incognito mode in Yandex Browser).

Restrictions

  • This type of goal can't be used in Multi-step goals.
  • The service registers a user that completes the same goal on the same tag no more than once per second.
  • During a single user session, the service can register up to 400 completions of all the goals created for a tag.
  • If you edit a tag or goal, previously collected information doesn't change.
  • If you delete a goal, information collected for it, is no longer available in reports.

Select a question to find a solution.

Goals in Yandex Metrica work the same way for any source. Perhaps there aren't any users who have completed the goal from this source yet.


This might happen for the following reasons:
  • The goal condition in Yandex Metrica doesn't cover all the possibilities. For example, the goal is set as going to the order confirmation page, but the site also allows instant checkout without visiting this page.
  • The site user has a browser plugin that blocks the Yandex Metrica tag, so this user isn't counted.
  • The user has an antivirus system with strict privacy settings.
  • The user has a slow internet connection, so the Yandex Metrica tag didn't load on the target page.