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.

Custom milestones are tools that allow publishers to convert business strategies and tactics into actionable steps. They work similarly to mile markers on a road, helping you track progress and understand how far you’ve come. By choosing a focus area and setting a desired outcome based on current statistics, you can start tracking your progress as you implement changes on 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:
   • For eligible publishers, navigate to the Ezoic dashboard.
   • Hover over the Levels box and select "Levels Dashboard".
   • From there, click on "Accomplishments" in the left menu and then select the "Custom Milestones" tab.
3. Setup Process:
   • Click the "Create New Milestone" button to initiate setup.
   • 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 optionally 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 (pink), Completed (green), or view all milestones.
   • For overall timeframes, completed milestones will be marked off once achieved. You can archive them by clicking "Archive Milestone".
   • For monthly timeframes, milestones will restart at the beginning of each month. Options include updating the goal, viewing monthly progress history by clicking "See Monthly History", or archiving the milestone.

Managing Milestones:

• Editing:
  • 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.

Utilizing Recommendations:

• For milestones in progress, a clickable link at the bottom left of the card will take you to Recommendations. The table will be filtered to show specific changes you can make to positively impact your milestone and overall website performance.
• From the Recommendations list, you can choose "Fix All" to let Ezoic handle the tasks or select "Fix" or "Assist" to manually update tasks or receive help from an Ezoic team member.

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.

By following these best practices, you can make the most out of your custom milestones, driving meaningful improvements and achieving your business objectives more efficiently.