Google Analytics - Goal Funnel Steps

Question

Is there a way to test the url you're entering in a step, to see if Google Analytics will recognize it?

What I'd like to do is provide some web page or some web service with a URL, and get a pass or fail. It passes if Google Analytics recognizes a page hit to the url.

Let me give some context.

We've been having issues with our goal funnel steps in Google Analytics. The instructions on adding steps say not to use the domain.

e.g.

DO NOT use : http://www.mysite.com/step1.html

INSTEAD use: /step1.html

Our custom CRM uses friendly urls and as a result GA is having a hard time picking up on them. So we've experimented with changing around url we've placed in the step, however we've got to wait a day to see if the new url we've provided is going to work! Hence why we're looking for something quicker.

Answer 1

What I'd like to do is provide some web page or some web service with a URL, and get a pass or fail. It passes if Google Analytics recognizes a page hit to the url.

This would be a waste of time for someone to make, so you won't find it; it's a waste of time to make it because all that anyone needs to do to see if the page is being tracked by google analytics or not is to look at their 'content -> top content' report to see if the page is listed or not.

One can also go to the page with Firefox, and using the Firebug addon on can see if a call for the _utf.gif image is made, or not, and confirm that the ga account id's are correct, which would mean that GA is receiving the data, but this does not tell you if the data is making it past your ga profile filters. The only way to determine that the page is tracked and that the tracked page view is available in your profile is to check your content reports.

Answer 2

OK- so what you're doing is futzing around with the friendly URLs to see what's being tracked (so you can distinguish one URL from another), but you don't want to have to wait?

There are a few Firefox plugins which report on on-page GA (WASP & Observepoint), but the Firebug Net panel is as good as anything.

The other option is to pass a 'virtual URL' to GA in the _trackPageview, rather than depend on the friendly URL - maybe something like this

_trackPageview("/goal1/step1")

although I'd attempt to have the virtual URL (it's really just the path) named more like the actual steps in the process.