Custom milestones are a powerful tool designed to help you translate your business strategies into actionable steps. Much like mile markers on a journey, these milestones enable you to track your progress and make informed decisions about your website's improvements. In this article, we will explore how you can set up and utilize custom milestones within your Ezoic dashboard. You'll learn the benefits of creating milestones, who can access this feature, and the step-by-step process to get started. By the end of this guide, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to set measurable goals that can enhance your site's performance and revenue potential.

Setting milestones gives you the opportunity to identify not only what you want to improve, but how you are changing along the way to either decide to pivot or continue with your strategy plan. By tracking milestone events, you are setting yourself up for success to make goals achievable and raise visibility for what matters the most to you and your website.

These milestones are integrated with Ezoic Recommendations, which can be found in your EzoicAds dashboard. These recommendations assist in achieving your milestones and optimizing your website's overall performance, thereby increasing your potential revenue. 

Creating Custom Milestones:

1. Access:

Custom Milestones are currently available only to U.S. publishers in Levels 1–VIP within their Levels Dashboard.

2. Starting Point:

• Navigate to the Ezoic dashboard.
• Hover over the Levels box and select "Level Dashboard".

• From there, click on "Accomplishments" in the left menu and then select the "Custom Milestones" tab.

3. Setup Process:

• Step 1: Select the area you want to improve/track (categories include Revenue, Site, or Video, with subcategories such as Total Video Revenue).

• Step 2: Follow guided prompts to select a timeframe (overall or monthly), choose the site from your list of domains, input the desired value to achieve, and name the milestone for easy reference (e.g., Total Video Revenue Goal $50).

• Click "Save" to activate the milestone, which will then appear on the milestone dashboard with a progress circle.

4. Tracking and Completion:

• Use filter buttons to display milestones that are In Progress, Completed, or Total to view all milestones.

• If the milestone was on an overall timeframe, the milestone will be marked off as complete when it is achieved. Click the filter button "Completed" to show just finished milestones.
• For monthly timeframes, milestones will restart at the beginning of each month.

Managing Milestones:

• To edit the milestone, click the pencil icon associated with the milestone to make edits.

• To delete the milestone, click "Delete" in the bottom left corner during edit mode and confirm the deletion.

By effectively using custom milestones, publishers can monitor their progress, make data-driven adjustments, and ultimately achieve their business goals.

To optimize the use of custom milestones and achieve the best results, consider the following best practices and tips:

1. Select Relevant Areas of Focus: When setting up milestones, choose categories that align closely with your business goals and areas that need improvement. This ensures that your efforts are targeted and effective.
2. Set Clear, Achievable Goals: Define specific, measurable outcomes for each milestone. Avoid setting overly ambitious goals that may be unattainable in the short term. Instead, aim for incremental progress that can be consistently tracked and celebrated.
3. Regularly Monitor Progress: Frequently check the progress of your milestones using the milestone dashboard. Utilize the filters to view milestones that are in progress, completed, or to get an overall view. This allows you to stay on top of your goals and make adjustments as needed.
4. Be Flexible and Adaptive: Don't be afraid to pivot your strategy if a particular milestone isn't producing the desired results. Regular tracking will provide insights into what is working and what isn't, enabling you to refine your approach.