Conversion: what it is, how it is measured, and why it matters in marketing
In any marketing strategy, a conversion is the transformation of a visitor or contact into a user who takes a specific action, consistent with the goals of the business. Depending on the business and the type of site, a conversion can be completing a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource or contacting for information request. It is therefore a concept that refers to concrete and measurable actions, thanks to which we can concretely determine the success or failure of our campaigns: in fact, the analysis of conversions and the flow that enabled these actions can help us achieve marketing goals and improve the effectiveness of future efforts. So let’s delve into what conversions are, but more importantly how to measure them accurately and implement strategies to optimize them, to maximize both the results of acquisition and retention campaigns .
What is a conversion in marketing
When we talk about conversions in marketing we refer to a specific action that a user takes after interacting with one of our activities, online or offline.
Giving a single or standard definition of what is meant by “conversion” is not possible, because it depends strictly on the goals of our campaign or website. For example, an e-commerce generally aims for conversions related to the sale of products, but a conversion can also be a filling out of a form, a subscription to a newsletter or simply clicking on an ad.
The key feature of conversion is that it is a measurable and quantifiable action ; thus, we can concretely monitor user behavior to assess whether our strategy is working as desired. It is not enough for a potential customer to visit our site: what really makes a difference to the business is for the user to take that action for which we have attracted them, leading them to take the next step within our funnel.
In practice, the concept of “conversion marketing” revolves around these dynamics: not every interaction translates directly into sales or final conversions , but the entire optimization process must be geared toward getting the user to take one or more actions that bring value to our business.
What conversion means in web and digital marketing
In the context of web and digital marketing, conversion is specifically the final step in the process by which a user takes a predefined action on the site, app or digital platform, which leads to a desired outcome for the business and transforms (converts, precisely) the user into a customer or lead.
The type of conversion varies depending on the nature of the site, and examples as mentioned are purchasing a product, signing up for a service, registering as a user or even just viewing a particular page or landing page.
The term “conversion” is used because it refers precisely to the path by which a person goes from being a mere visitor to becoming a customer or potential customer, realizing a company’s desired goal and converting his or her interest into a concrete action.
Through conversion analysis, it is possible to understand which campaigns are generating the most results and which actions users take most often, and in this way it is possible to obtain the information needed to achieve marketing goals and improve the effectiveness of future campaigns.
Conversion Rate is the percentage of people who took this action, while CRO or Conversion Rate Optimization is called the set of conversion rate optimization strategies that can help us get more conversions and grow the business.
What are conversions: types and examples
It is not enough to generate traffic to a website or increase page views: the success of a strategy is achieved when we really direct people to concrete actions that can generate value for our business.
But, as mentioned, not all conversions operate at the same level, and they can take many different forms, varying according to the specific marketing objectives of the site, platform or app on which it occurs.
At a general level, to simplify and better understand the customer journey and optimize the user experience to maximize results we distinguish between two main categories: macro conversions and micro conversions, both of which are essential to optimizing the user journey within the site or platform.
In this view, macro-conversions are the main goals of the site or mobile application, the end results we want our users to achieve. For example, if we run an online store, a macro-conversion might be the purchase of a product; if we run a blog, a macro-conversion might be newsletter sign-ups.
In contrast, we call micro-conversions the smaller actions that users take along the way to a macro-conversion, which may include such operations as viewing a particular page, clicking on a link, adding a product to a shopping cart, or spending some time on the site.
Micro-conversions are important because they provide valuable information about user behavior: for example, if we notice that many users add products to the cart but then do not complete the purchase, there may be a problem with the checkout process. By analyzing and optimizing micro-conversions, we may be able to improve the user experience and increase the likelihood of macro-conversions.
The distinction between macro-conversions and micro-conversions
Going deeper in this analysis, we can consider macro conversions as the very essence of a company’s strategic goals. They represent the most coveted end goal, the one for which we build funnels, prepare advertising campaigns and optimize our content. When a user performs a macro conversion, we are talking about an action that directly affects the company’s bottom line or contributes significantly to business growth. The specific nature of the macro-conversion varies depending on the type of business, but some of the most common include:
- Product or service sales: for e-commerce, the sale of a product is the main objective and goal of each campaign.
- Signing up for a service or subscription: in the case of SaaS or subscription media platforms, signup or subscription is the desired outcome of a long series of interactions.
- Form completion for lead generation: B2B companies aiming to acquire qualified leads use forms as a tool to generate leads. A macro conversion, in this case, could be the completion of a request for a quote or demo.
- Appointment booking : For professionals or companies in the service industry, booking through the site is a valuable conversion.
Each macro conversion is a distinctive sign of business achievement, implying that the user has recognized the value of the offer and is willing to commit (financially or with personal data) to take advantage of it.
Although macro conversions are our main goal, achieving them often depends on pushing the user to take a set of intermediate steps. This is where micro conversions come in, which do not lead to an immediate financial return, but are critical to building the path that will guide the user to a macro conversion. Each micro-conversion is nothing more than a step along the customer journey, which is that journey the user takes before he or she wants to spend time or money on one of our products or services.
Examples of micro conversions include:
- Adding a product to cart: users do not always decide to buy immediately. Adding to cart is a positive signal that indicates a level of interest that could translate into a future purchase.
- Starting a registration process without completing it: users do not always get to the end of the sign-up phase, but simply starting the process shows an initial intent to convert.
- Signing up for a newsletter: although a newsletter does not bring an immediate financial benefit, it allows you to maintain contact with the user and progressively nurture interest.
- Downloading a free content, such as a PDF, whitepaper or eBook: this content is useful for obtaining qualified leads (e.g. B2B), but does not involve a direct transaction.
- Interaction with multimedia content: watching a promotional video, sharing a blog post or clicking on a specific call-to-action is a signal of interest that prepares the user for a purchase.
Micro-conversions act as indicators of user behavior, providing valuable feedback on which steps in the conversion path work effectively and which ones may have problems. Imagine, for example, an e-commerce site where many users add items to the shopping cart but very few complete purchases: this micro-conversion alerts us to the possibility of friction or obstacles in the next step of the conversion funnel. At that point, we might intervene to understand what is holding the user back, whether it is a pricing issue, unclear shipping costs, or suboptimal user experience .
The importance of monitoring both conversion categories
One cannot expect to focus only on macro conversions while neglecting micro ones. While it is true that the sale is what counts at the end of the month, micro conversions are crucial to building trust with our target audience. Believing that every visitor is ready to commit money from the first contact could lead us to overlook the essential role of progressive conversion: trust is built in small steps, and tracking these steps allows us to constantly optimize both the content and interface of the site.
Measuring micro conversions not only provides useful insights into how users interact with our marketing funnel, but also allows us to make more accurate predictions about how many of these interactions will actually lead to macro conversions. This approach is especially used in conversion marketing, where the sales funnel is fractionated into different stages and actions, each of which contributes to achieving the end goal.
Conversion examples in digital marketing
However, let us return to the types of conversions in the online landscape. For example, a company that sells products online might have as its goal to increase sales, and in this case the conversion might be the conclusion of the purchase of (at least) one product by a user, converted into a customer. Another company might have as its goal to increase the number of newsletter subscribers: in this case, the conversion might be a user signing up for the newsletter, which converts to a lead.
The most frequent types of online conversion include:
- Purchase of a product or service. This is the most obvious example of conversion. When a website visitor or app user purchases a product or service, a conversion has occurred.
- Newsletter subscription. If a website visitor signs up for a newsletter, this is considered a conversion: the user has in fact expressed an active interest in the brand and has agreed to receive further communications.
- Downloading reports, white papers or eBooks. If we offer downloadable content such as white papers or eBooks, downloading these materials is a conversion. This is because the user has shown an interest in the proposed content and provided their contact information to receive it.
- Filling out a contact form. If a site visitor fills out a contact form, this is considered a conversion. This is because the user has expressed an interest in the brand and provided his or her contact information for further communication.
- Booking an appointment or event. If we offer consulting services or events, booking an appointment or event is a conversion. This is because the user has expressed an interest in the services or events and has made a commitment to attend.
- Registration of a user account. If a site visitor or app user registers a user account, it is considered a conversion. This is because the user has expressed an interest in the brand and has agreed to create a closer connection with us.
- Displaying a key page. In some cases, simply viewing a particular page on the site can be considered a conversion. For example, if we have a page detailing services, we might consider it a conversion if a visitor views that page.
Websites and conversion: how to achieve business goals
Extrapolating, we can therefore say that each website has its own specific conversions, adapted to the type of audience and the proposed offer: whether it is a business site, a blog, an e-commerce or a content hub, each type of web page should have concrete conversion goals around which to build the structure of the site itself. In essence, when a user visits our site, we have a limited window of time to turn that interaction into something useful, and the ability to do so is what distinguishes a well-planned web marketing conversion strategy from a generic online presence.
To make it worthwhile, it is not enough for a user to arrive through a Google search or by clicking on an ad: what matters is how quickly we can get him or her to the conversion we need, which can be a purchase, a registration or any other action relevant to our business. The more the audience we encounter is properly targeted, the more likely we are to be faced with a conversion action.
A crucial example in the context of conversion in web marketing is e-commerce. Here, every visitor who enters the site represents a potential sales opportunity, but not every visitor will complete a transaction. This is why it is crucial to have a clear strategy that takes into account concrete data about conversions: how many people add products to the shopping cart? How many actually complete payment? How many pages do they land on before making the final decision? Any data can provide valuable insights into how to improve overall site performance.
But we must not forget other forms of web conversion that are not directly related to sales. A business site or blog might target lead generation through form completion, community growth through newsletter subscriptions, or increased visibility of proprietary content through social sharing.
Web marketing and conversions are closely intertwined, as every digital activity aims to turn user behavior into measurable initiatives, whether we are talking about leads, sales or other relevant metrics. The key lies in studying and optimizing each interaction to achieve concrete results, maximizing the effectiveness of the strategies implemented.
Types of sites: types and strategies for conversions
In each business model, conversions have a unique meaning and must be designed ad hoc to meet specific business objectives and different user behaviors. Optimizing conversions means understanding exactly how each visitor interacts with the site or platform and taking him or her through a custom-designed conversion funnel, which enables maximum value to be obtained from each contact.
Basically, in web marketing any well-structured site must identify and target clear and measurable conversions : a wide variety of data and user behaviors can provide us with valuable insights on how to refine our activity, leading additional users to take the desired action as soon as possible.
- E-commerce conversions
In the world of e-commerce, conversions are the central parameter around which everything revolves. Unlike other websites that may aim for different types of milestones, ecommerce businesses have a very specific and always quantifiable goal: to improve the conversion rate related to sales. However, reducing the concept of e-commerce conversions to sales alone would be limiting: in fact, every action that brings a user closer to a sale-such asplacing a product in a shopping cart, creating an account , oradding an item to favorites-indirectly contributes to these final conversions.
A truly high-performing e-commerce is able to optimize every interaction the user has with the site, turning general visits into potential sales and, in the best case scenario, into loyal customers. From this perspective, the user experience plays a key role. A smooth and simple buying process, intuitive navigation and easily accessible dynamic shopping carts contribute greatly to improving conversion rates. In contrast, flaws in the UX can easily sabotage our sales results: an unoptimized checkout, slow page load times or ineffective internal search often lead to the “abandoned cart”-the invisible enemy of every site that sells online because it means lost sales opportunities.
Implementing improvements such as streamlined shopping processes, dynamic shopping carts that are always visible, and tools for recovering abandoned carts (such as sending reminder emails) is essential to maximizing sales conversions.
- Conversions in physical and online stores
Although we often focus on online conversions, physical stores face the same challenge: converting visitors into paying customers. Even in physical stores, the conversion rate is calculated by comparing the number of people who enter the store with the number who complete a purchase. Strategies to improve conversions in physical stores are based on elements such as the quality of the in-store experience, the layout of products, or the preparedness of staff who can provide quick and qualified advice.
In addition, the integration of offline and online, known as omnichanneling, has proven to be an effective tactic for improving conversions on both fronts. Options such as Click & Collect-where the user orders online and picks up in store-increase not only sales, but also customer satisfaction, driving further acquisitions.
Implementing tracking tools to understand the flow of customers within the physical store, or offering customized loyalty systems for both the physical store and online, is a strategy for retaining the customer in the decision phase or incentivizing a later return.
- Conversions in lead generation sites
For companies operating on lead generation models , conversions are not directly about selling products, but rather about capturing user data for future business purposes. A conversion on a lead generation site could therefore be measured when a user fills out a form, requests a quote, or signs up to attend a webinar or obtain downloadable content (such as whitepapers or eBooks).
The goal is to build a base of qualified leads, usable for future nurturing actions, which could then lead to sales or contracts. Conversion logic for lead generation sites focuses heavily on effective call-to-actions, short and clear forms, and an automated follow-up to keep the interaction with the user alive after they complete the first step.
Monitoring early micro-conversions , such as downloading an eBook, is crucial to understanding what next steps to implement to turn a simple lead into an actual customer. A landing page optimized for lead generation should aim to reduce user friction and maximize the data collected.
- Conversions in online content and media platforms
Platforms that focus on digital content distribution , such as online newspapers, blogs, and streaming or news platforms, have very different conversion logics than direct product sales. In this case, the conversion may be registering for a newsletter or subscribing, for example, to access exclusive content behind paywalls ( freemium model ).
For such platforms, improving conversions means understanding what appeals most to audiences and how to keep them engaged over time. Paywall models are particularly relevant for newspapers and publishing platforms, which can offer visitors a “freemium” experience, allowing access to only a portion of the content for free, while premium content is reserved for paying users. Monitoring user behavior, i.e., how many articles they read before converting to subscribers, is essential to optimize the monetization strategy.
- Conversions in SaaS services and digital applications.
SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms and digital applications have multi-level conversions. In most cases, people start by creating a free account or try the service for a limited time through a free trial. The real conversion occurs, however, when they decide to move to paid plans, such as in the upgrade phase to a premium or pro version.
This type of conversion is critical in freemium business models, where establishing a long-term relationship with the user and nurturing their initial satisfaction becomes key to a successful growth strategy. Incentivizing the user with premium features and paid add-ons turns out to be essential for building user loyalty over time.
Optimizing the trial means monitoring which software features the user takes advantage of most and taking action to optimize targeted messages that highlight the additional benefits of upgrading to the full paid subscription.
- Social media conversions and advertising campaigns
Social media conversions are not just limited to the direct purchase of a product. Actions we consider to be micro-conversions include likes, shares and comments on promotional posts, all activities that feed the acquisition funnel.
Another typical conversion on social might be clicking on a direct CTA within an advertising campaign, which takes the user to a dedicated landing page. Event or webinar registrations via social media are another form of conversion that should not be underestimated, as they allow you to reach users in contexts where they are most receptive.
Tracking interactions and clicks generated by advertising posts allows marketers to determine engagement gain and feed the funnel more effectively, optimizing ad spend for CHANNELS and TARGETS that bring the best performance.
- Conversions in the gaming and app world
It is also interesting to talk about the sector of apps and digital games, where conversions often occur through freemium models and in-app purchases. Indeed, many of these apps offer free downloads but monetize through additional subscriptions, purchases of digital items or access to exclusive content.
The success of these conversions relies on the ability to engage and build user loyalty , leveraging gamification techniques to make the interaction more engaging and profitable. In many cases, the real payoff for app developers comes from subsequent conversions: the user starts with free features, but is gradually encouraged to unlock additional premium features with recurring payments.
By monitoring in-game interactions and incentivizing conversion points, such as through upgrade messages or real-time offers, a steady stream of digital revenue can be maintained .
Why conversions are central to any marketing strategy
In all marketing initiatives, whether we are talking about SEO, SEA PPC, email marketing or social campaigns, conversions are the criteria by which we measure the success or failure of a strategy.
It is easy to see why this concept is so central: conversion is the only way to directly link marketing activity toreal impact on business. Without a clear conversion goal, our actions risk wasting resources and not producing concrete results. Whether we aim to sell a product, acquire new leads or simply raise awareness of a brand, every tactic deployed should aim to increase these measurable results.
To fully understand the importance of conversions in conversion marketing , we must think of marketing as a process based on user engagement. Generating traffic is not enough in the competitive environment: what really matters is converting visitors into users who actively interact with our content, who by trusting us decide to buy or take actions that will lead, over time, to an ongoing relationship with our brand.
The significance of conversion in marketing goes even further, because it allows us to guide and predict the behavior of our audience: every move is designed to push the user toward a decision, whether through the persuasive power of content, the clarity of UX or the personalization of an advertising campaign based on previous data and behavior.
It becomes crucial here to introduce the concept of the conversion funnel, which as we know represents the ideal path each user takes before reaching the final conversion-which can be a sale, a lead or a subscription. The art of conversion funnel optimization is to ensure that along the various stages of the funnel (initial awareness, growing interest and final decision) the number of users who abandon is minimized. This translates into greater efficiency in our campaigns: every single action is optimized not only to attract attention, but to drive the user step by step toward that final conversion that generates real value for the business.
This logic of marketing as a connection between traffic and conversions extends into every area, from Facebook Ads to Google Ads to more structured SEO strategies. In each case, what really matters in the end is how many people move from the passive user stage to the active, ready-to-act stage.
The importance of conversions in digital business
Imagine having a physical store and seeing a constant stream of people coming in, looking around, but then leaving without buying anything: this scenario, which would be a nightmare for any merchant, is what many websites experience every day, because they fail to convert users.
Conversions are therefore crucial to the success of any digital business, because they give value to the traffic our pages get: as mentioned, they identify the moment when we turn website visitors into customers and generate revenue for our business.
In addition, these actions also have meaning and value for the customers themselves: when a person makes a conversion on a site, they are saying that they find value in what they are offered, they are choosing to engage with the brand in a meaningful way. And that is a powerful signal that we are indeed doing something right.
It all starts with data, however. Measuring and optimizing conversions is a process that requires ongoing analysis, with A/B testing, UX improvement and data monitoring to try to refine the online user journey, taking advantage of all the opportunities created by the various micro-conversions to achieve ultimate success.
In many cases, analyzing website conversions can show exactly where the possible obstacles are in the funnel. Why, for example, should we have a high number of users viewing product cards but a low rate of purchase completion? It could be a problem with navigation, image quality, or lack of trust – factors that, with the right interventions, can be solved to improve conversions.
How to measure conversions: mix of art and science
Now that we know, at least on a general level, what they are and what the most common conversions are, it is time to launch into the practical part of analysis.
Measuring conversions is not only possible, in fact, but it is a fundamental aspect of any digital marketing strategy, because it allows us to possible valuable information about user behavior and the effectiveness of the campaigns we are investing in, providing us with concrete data to understand which activities are working best and which, on the other hand, are not bringing the desired results.
Using various tools, starting with Google Analytics, it is possible to track conversions and understand where they are coming from, which pages on the site are most effective in generating conversions, and which marketing channels are bringing the best results.
The information thus obtained will in fact serve us to improve the user experience and to achieve business goals: for example, if we notice that a particular web page generates a lot of conversions, we might decide to invest more in ads that lead to that page, to further strengthen it, possibly by reallocating resources previously allocated to other pages that did not get positive responses instead.
But measuring conversions is not just a matter of numbers, because it also relies on some interpretation and theart of applying insights strategically: if, for example, we notice that conversions come mainly from one marketing channel, it might be tempting to concentrate all resources on that channel but this may not be the best choice, because in reality the other channels might still bring high-quality visitors to the site who, however, do not convert immediately, but who might do so in the future-because they may be at another stage of the funnel.
Calculating the conversion rate
Conversion rate is a direct measure of our ability to turn traffic into useful actions for our business, and it is a metric on which to base strategic decisions to optimize our campaigns.
Understanding how conversion rate is calculated is one of the most important skills for anyone involved in digital marketing, and defining conversion rate correctly allows us to recognize strengths and weaknesses, and to improve our offerings in a systematic way.
The meaning of conversion rate can be summarized in a very simple, but extremely indicative formula:
Conversion Rate = Total Number of Visitors/Number of Conversions× 100
Basically, the conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take the desired action (such as buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form) out of the total number of people accessing the site or landing page in question. This figure becomes the key metric for evaluating the success of any conversion marketing strategy.
Conversion rate calculation examples
Understanding how conversion rate is calculated offers valuable insights into what does and does not work within the path to purchase or interaction. By monitoring this indicator correctly, companies can make decisions about which stages of the funnel to optimize, thus providing more efficient user experiences.
To provide some very general examples:
- E-commerce. Imagine an online store that attracts 000 visitors per month and generates 200 purchases. The e-commerce conversion rate calculation would be: 10,000/200×100=2% This means that 2% of the site visitors made a purchase. Such a result could be considered good in most industries, but success also depends greatly on the type of goods sold and conversion expectations calibrated to specific industry benchmarks.
- News/media site. A news site with 000 monthly visitors that manages to gather 500 subscribers to its newsletter through a prominent CTA on each article would have a conversion rate of 20,000/500×100=2.5%. Such a result would indicate that the site is doing a good job in encouraging readers to sign up to receive updates.
- SaaS (Software as a Service). If a SaaS platform attracts 000 monthly visitors and gets 250 subscriptions to the free monthly plan to test the service, the conversion rate is calculated to be 5,000/250×100=5% A good initial conversion rate for a SaaS, but what really matters will be the conversion rate relative to those who will switch from the free tool to the paid plan, making monitoring the various stages of the funnel essential.
Measuring conversion rate is therefore a key lever for future optimizations: testing different messages, layouts or approaches to CTAs can literally improve the company’s bottom line, leading to lower cost conversions and higher ROI.
What is relative conversion rate and why is it important
We just mentioned it as a relevant element in really understanding whether a campaign is bringing results: the concept of relative conversion rate comes into play to help us contextualize results against specific intents and compare data across different initiatives, because usually in marketing campaigns it is not enough to just want to improve conversion rate in general.
Relative conversion rate is a metric that is used to compare conversion performance across different campaigns, acquisition channels, or target groups. Instead of looking only at the total number of conversions generated, this value focuses on how and where we are converting best, determining which variables impact results the most.
For example, suppose we are running two ad campaigns: one on Google Ads and one on Facebook Ads. Both campaigns each attract 10,000 visitors to the same site. If the campaign on Google Ads generates 300 conversions, while the one on Facebook Ads generates 150:
- The absolute conversion rate on Google Ads is: 10,000/300×100=3%.
- While on Facebook Ads is: 10,000/150×100=1.5%
This comparison immediately shows us that the campaign on Google Ads performs twice as well as the one on Facebook Ads in terms of conversion rate. By analyzing these relative conversion rates, we can decide to allocate a larger portion of our advertising budget to Google Ads, or we can explore the reasons why the Facebook campaign is not converting as well: is it an issue related to content creativity? Is the audience not targeted correctly? Is the conversion path not smooth?
Relative conversion rate is a powerful tool within the conversion funnel optimization discourse, because it gives us more insight into which segments or channels are performing better in driving users to conversions. This allows us to optimize our efforts, both in terms of budget and message, by focusing on the channels and targets that prove to be most effective.
It is also important to monitor relative conversion rates during different stages of the funnel. For example, we may have excellent conversion at the top of the funnel (awareness or acquisition), but a slump at the bottom (decision or purchase). Understanding these differences allows us to intervene at specific critical points in the path to purchase, improving the user experience and ensuring that more people get to the final conversion.
The tools to track and analyze conversions
To improve the conversion performance of our website and campaigns, it is essential to use advanced tools that help us track data and optimize the user journey.
Accurate understanding of conversion rates comes through the use of such tools to optimize conversions, which can provide detailed information about user behavior from first interactions to final conversion.
The simplest method is to use a web analytics tool, which serve precisely to track website traffic and identify the pages that generate the most conversions.
The immediate reference is certainly Google Analytics, which performs precisely these operations and is one of the best (certainly the most widely used) tools in the segment. Especially in recent times, however, a number of critical issues related to the use of this tool have emerged, such as the difficulties in approaching it with the new standard version (GA4), the impossibility of analyzing websites that are private or that are accessible only to a selected group of users, or the tracking limited only to websites that use Google Analytics tags (and thus incompatibility with other web analytics tags ).
Therefore, various alternatives for tracking and analyzing conversions, traffic, and behavior of online audiences are gaining ground, such as:
- Matomo
Formerly known as Piwik, is a free and open source web analytics platform that offers a comprehensive alternative to Google Analytics, suitable for professionals and organizations of all sizes. Matomo can be hosted on its own server or on a third-party server. Its functionality and features include web traffic analysis, conversion tracking, performance reporting, user behavior analysis, A/B testing, data anonymization (through cookie-free tracking and adherence to users’ Do Not Track settings).
Basically, Matomo is considered an excellent choice for companies that want an alternative to Google Analytics that is more respectful of user privacy, as well as being an ideal solution for companies that want to host their own web analytics tool. One of Matomo’s main strengths is its flexibility: being open source, it can be customized to meet specific needs and can be self-hosted, thus allowing full control over the data.
Among the most common criticisms, however, is some difficulty in approaching the tool, especially for beginners.
- Adobe Analytics
Adobe Analytics is an enterprise-grade web analytics solution that offers deep data analysis, developed by the giant Adobe. Known for its powerful segmentation features, it is more flexible than Google Analytics, allows data to be split into specific groups for more detailed analysis, and also offers data prediction and modeling capabilities, which can help you work on future trends. In addition to being usable for a fee, however, this tool is also more complex to use than competing tools, making it challenging especially for beginners or professionals with reduced skills.
- Kissmetrics
Kissmetrics is an analytics tool, for a fee, that focuses on tracking individual user behaviors: thus, it allows you to see exactly how users interact with the site and what paths they follow toward conversion. Kissmetrics also offers email marketing and automation features, which can help engage and convert users. Again, the limitation is in the complexity of use.
- Mixpanel
Mixpanel is an analytics tool, for a fee, that focuses on tracking events, not page views: therefore, it tracks the actions users take on the website, such as clicking a button or filling out a form, and this can provide a more detailed view of user behavior and conversions. For example, it allows you to see not only how many people visit a particular page, but also what they do when they get there. In addition, Mixpanel also offers segmentation features , dividing users into specific groups for more detailed analysis, and in-app notification and messaging features, which can help engage and convert users.
- Amplitude
Amplitude is a product analytics platform, for a fee, that helps companies understand user behavior, indicated especially for companies that rely on digital products, such as mobile apps or software as a service (SaaS). It offers a range of features to track users through their entire journey, from when they become customers to when they become active users, showing what features they use, how they interact with the product, and what actions lead to user retention. It also has advanced segmentation features that allow users to be divided into specific groups for more detailed analysis.
- Hotjar
Hotjar is a platform, for a fee, that offers both traditional web analytics and user feedback and can be used to track user behavior and identify areas for website improvement. Specifically, Hotjar allows users to see how users interact with a site and its pages through heatmaps, click maps, session recordings, and surveys, which can help understand why users behave a certain way and how to improve the user experience to increase conversions.
- Crazy Egg
Crazy Egg is a web analytics tool, for a fee, that offers heatmaps, scroll maps and other visualizations to help understand how users interact with the website; it also offers an A/B testing editor, which allows you to test different versions of a page to see which one generates the most conversions.
As can be seen, each of these tools has its strengths and partial weaknesses: some are better suited for analyzing site traffic, while others are better suited for analyzing conversions or people behavior; some are better suited for smaller companies, while others are better suited for larger companies.
Choosing the best tool for analyzing conversions and site traffic therefore depends on the specific needs of the company, and the key is to choose the tool (or tools) that best fits our goals, skills, and digital marketing strategy, carefully evaluating the features, functionality, and strengths/weaknesses of each tool before making a decision.
- SEO tools
SEO tools can also play a key role in conversion optimization, considering that a significant portion of traffic may come from search engines. For example,SEOZoom helps us monitor keyword performance and understand how organic traffic is contributing to conversions. If we identify that certain keywords perform better in terms of conversions than others, we can optimize content for those specific keywords, directing more qualified traffic to the main pages of the site.
This type of optimization is not just limited to generating traffic, but goes further: monitoring how organic traffic affects micro-conversions (such as reading content or subscribing to newsletters) allows us to further refine our SEO strategy to maximize ROI.
Conversion tags: the importance of accurate tracking
A key element in properly tracking website conversions is the accurate implementation of conversion tags.
While in fact analytics tools can be used to measure a variety of activities, including web traffic, user behavior and traffic sources, there is another more specific way to study conversions, which is to use so-called conversion tags or conversion pixels.
These are small snippets of code that are added to the website or mobile application to track a range of activities that users perform, including purchases, newsletter sign-ups, file downloads and page views. When a user takes a specific action, such as completing a purchase or filling out a form, the conversion tag sends a signal to an analytics or advertising platform to record the event.
Conversion tags can be added to any page on the website, and it is important to place these pixels precisely on the key pages for our strategy, those whose conversions we want to measure. For example, if we want to precisely count the number of purchases that occur on the site, we can add conversion tags to the checkout page.
However, these little snippets are more widely used in digital marketing to measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns: for example, if we are running a Google Ads campaign, we can use a conversion tag to track how many people click on ads and then actually complete a purchase on the site.
There are different types of conversion tags (and basically every social media outlet has its own specific pixel), which can be read by the analytics tools mentioned earlier or through corresponding software; some of the most common and widely used include:
- GoogleTag: The Google tag (gtag.js) is a single tag that we can add to the website to use a variety of Google products and services: instead of managing multiple tags for different Google product accounts, we can now use the Google tag throughout the website and link the tag to multiple destinations, which will show useful data to measure the effectiveness of the website and ads. The Google tag is currently only accessible and configurable from Google Ads and Google Analytics 4.
- Meta Pixel. This code snippet is to be placed on the website to better evaluate the effectiveness of advertising on Meta platforms-namely Facebook and Instagram-and understand the actions people perform on the site, such as visiting a page or adding an item to a shopping cart. More specifically, it allows us to track customers who performed an action after seeing an ad on Facebook and Instagram, and this can also help with retargeting.
- LinkedIn Insight Tag. This tag allows you to track conversions that occur after someone has seen or clicked on an ad on LinkedIn.
- X Pixel. The X pixel (i.e., the former Twitter) allows advertisers to place a piece of code on the Web site to send conversion data to X and thus derive data to measure return on ad spend by tracking the actions people take after viewing or interacting with ads on X.
Precise tracking of conversions through tags is critical for setting up data-driven campaigns. If, for example, we notice that a campaign on Google Ads drives many users to complete a registration process, we might decide to replicate that type of campaign in the future, perhaps allocating a larger budget based on cost per conversion.
The versatility of conversion tags is not limited to tracking macro conversions (e.g., purchases), but also extends to micro-conversions that are important to the user journey, such as visiting a certain page,adding an item to the cart , or clicking on a specific CTA. In this way we can gain insights into each stage of the funnel, improving both the awareness and decision phases.
An additional benefit of using conversion tags is that we can use this information for remarketing campaigns. With the data we collect, we can segment audiences in a timely manner and show targeted ads to users who have taken a certain action (but have not completed the purchase, for example). This type of advanced targeting allows us to further optimize the advertising budget, maximizing the return on our digital activities.
However, conversion tags have several limitations and critical issues. For example, being blocked by some browsers or firewalls, and sometimes they can be prone to technical errors and difficult to implement (especially when we are trying to track specific or personalized events). Factor not to be underestimated, they can slow down page load time if not implemented properly.
Another challenge is data privacy: with increasing concerns about data privacy and the introduction of regulations such as GDPR, it is important to make sure that conversion tags comply with privacy laws.
Finally, conversion tags can sometimes provide inaccurate data. For example, if a user clicks on an ad but then completes a purchase on a different device, the conversion tag may not be able to track the event correctly. This is known as the cross-device attribution problem.
Quick tips for measuring conversions
Being able to properly manage settings for tracking user actions and mastering data analysis software is therefore not a “basic” task, but it is still a strategic activity if we want to aim for online success and provide a satisfying experience for our visitors.
In particular, measuring conversions is an ongoing process that allows companies to improve their performance and achieve their marketing goals, and there are at least four general and generic tips that we can stick to:
- Define the goals to be achieved with marketing campaigns.
- Choose the right tools to measure conversions.
- Analyze the data and identify the pages that lead to higher conversions.
- Optimize marketing campaigns based on the results obtained.
Conversions and SEO: how to increase sales and leads
In addition to being a decisive element in understanding and evaluating the ROI of marketing activities, conversions are closely related to SEO, which on the other hand has among its basic objectives the increase in quality traffic to the website, which in turn should lead to an increase in conversions.
If we limit ourselves exclusively to bringing users to our pages without focusing on how to get them to a conversion, traffic loses much of its value.
And so, optimizing SEO for conversions is not just about search engine visibility, but includes a range of tactics designed to increase shares and sales by taking full advantage of the potential of organic ranking improvements to bring the user along the funnel to the final conversion
In this sense, SEO can help improve conversions in several ways: if a page appears in the top positions in search results, it will more likely get clicks from interested users, which will increase organic traffic. More specifically, however, if we work strategically on optimizing content in relation to and in response to search intent, we can intercept the right users at the right time, that is, improve the quality of traffic and attract visitors who are already genuinely interested in the products or services offered, and thus ready for action and conversion.
Reversing the perspective, conversions-and the work of analyzing user activity-can strengthen and influence SEO in less direct ways. First, it allows us to focus on improving the user experience, which is something that can influence rankings; also, completing a conversion that starts with a click in SERPs can send Google a signal that the website is of high quality and relevant to that search.
Measure and optimize: the data-driven approach to SEO
Optimizing conversions through SEO is not just about landing users on the site, but taking them on a studied path to action, making the most of every optimization opportunity to generate sales and leads.
The first step in optimizing SEO for conversions is to properly understand users’ search intent . Not all keywords generate the same type of traffic: some attract visitors who are in the early stage of the conversion funnel (i.e., awareness), while others are more related to the decision-making stage (i.e., bottom of the funnel). Understanding the role of keywords along these stages allows us to target functional queries to conclude conversion.
To increase conversions through SEO, it may therefore be appropriate to focus efforts on long-tail keywords and transactional queries, which indicate a clear intention to take an action , such as making a purchase or filling out a form. For example, if we run a shoe e-commerce, a long-tail keyword such as “Nike running shoes for men for sale” will be much more likely to convert than a generic one such as “running shoes”. The former indicates a user who clearly has the intent to buy, while the latter garners an audience that is still undecided.
A key determinant of successful conversions through SEO is on-page optimization. It is not enough to rank among the top search results, but it is essential that the user experience once they enter the site is smooth, fast and intuitive. Winning SEO optimization is concerned not only with attracting traffic through the right keywords, but also focuses on essential elements for conversion rate optimization, such as:
- Page speed. A site that takes too long to load leads to high abandonment rates, negating SEO efforts. By improving site performance through tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or by optimizing Core Web Vitals we can bring more users through to the conversion stage.
- Mobile-first UX. In today’s landscape, much of the traffic from search engines comes from mobile devices. A site that is optimally optimized for mobile, with clear CTAs and easy-to-click links, dramatically improves the conversion rate.
- Content structure with effective CTAs: SEO-optimized content should not only aim for organic visibility, but should contain well-defined call-to-actions that guide the user through their journey. Having visible and attractive registration forms, purchase buttons or FAQ sections helps reduce ambiguity and facilitates interactions, optimizing the likelihood of conversion.
Content marketing and conversion funnel: capturing intent at every stage
A crucial aspect of SEO for conversions is the ability to create content that addresses the user’s need at each stage of the conversion funnel; creating a content strategy that aligns articles, guides, and resources at different stages of the customer journey is critical to increasing sales and leads.
In an ideal process, at the initial stages of their journey, users are looking for general information or answers to their questions. In this context, our SEO-optimized content should focus on blog posts, guides, and in-depth articles that answer these queries and placed high in the funnel. The goal here is not immediately to sell, but to educate the user and position ourselves as an authoritative voice in our industry.
The closer the lead gets to conversion, the more they focus on finding solutions. This is the stage where landing pages, case studies, comparisons, reviews , and testimonials take on crucial value in making the user’s decision. Optimizing this type of content for search engines brings more qualified traffic, reducing the steps to the final decision.
Finally, SEO also plays a key role in thelast stage of the funnel, where the user decides to take the final action. Optimized product pages and a streamlined checkout are essential elements in reducing abandonment rates and improving micro-conversions (such as adding a product to a shopping cart).
The SEO optimization cycle does not end with the implementation of tactics, however; you need to regularly monitor organic traffic data and, more importantly, link it to actual conversions. Using tools such as Google Analytics or Search Console allows us to see which keywords and pages are generating the best conversion performance. We may find, for example, that a page with a lot of traffic is not converting because it lacks a clear call to action , or because its layout makes the sign-up or purchase process complex.
The secret to increasing sales and leads through SEO lies not just in bringing thousands of visitors to the site. It lies, rather, in knowing how to identify and monitor their behavior, correct friction points, and constantly refine content and UX. Only in this way can we get a concrete ROI from our SEO efforts.
How to improve conversions: the weight of site performance
Considering SEO to be a holistic subject that is about overall site improvement, then, there are also the technical aspects to take care of that can have concrete and noticeable effect on conversions.
In particular, a valuable and interesting insight by Lina Hansson focuses on the value of speed, demonstrating how page performance optimization interventions can turn into increased conversions.
In her bio on X, Hansson describes herself as a “ Conversion Specialist at Google, focused on mobile CRO and site speed” – the ideal skills to launch into a practical explanation of why sites and SEO professionals should pay attention to speed metrics, with a series of examples calculating the relative mobile conversion rate , conversion rate related to mobile.
As mentioned before, the relative conversion rate is a useful metric, and in our specific case it quantifies the effects of website optimization interventions excluding external factors such as marketing campaigns, which can distort results. This metric can be influenced by some of the site’s own characteristics, such as speed and usability, but also by external factors such as the aforementioned marketing campaigns, seasonal events, and the mix of marketing channels and tools.
The relationship between site speed and conversions
According to Googler, site speed affects conversions, and this factor is most evident for browsing from mobile devices.Hansson’s advice is to not only look at the conversion rate from mobile, but to analyze the relative conversion rate for mobile devices (Rel mCvr), which is calculated by dividing the conversion rate from mobile devices by the desktop conversion rate.
Such an approach reduces the disruption from external factors, which tend to affect both desktop and mobile, and makes it easier to see whether any increases in mobile site effectiveness actually result from speed improvements.
How to do conversion rate analysis
The expert also describes a standard process for analyzing the conversion rate using Google Analytics and Excel calculation tools (or Google Sheets), importing Ecommerce Conversion Rate values from mobile and desktop onto spreadsheets, dividing the results to get, as we said before, the Relative Mobile Conversion Rate. By inserting a graph, moreover, it is possible to visually study the trends of the factors of the speed optimization interventions , the average page load time and the economic returns generated by mobile users during the period under consideration.
The next step is crucial: Hansson explains how to calculate the returns the site would have achieved without improvements. One must divide the actual return by the current Rel mCvR, and then multiply by the value of Rel mCvR in the period before the speed optimization. Subtracting the revenue the company earned from what it would have earned without improvements in Rel mCvR gives the weight of the speed interventions, i.e., the superior performance generated by a site that has become faster and more mobile friendly.
Ultimately, Lina Hansson’s guide offers a number of useful pointers for those seeking to improve their site’s conversions, starting with technical interventions to optimize performance and speed. The Relative Mobile Conversion Rate is a valid and inexpensive way to estimate the concrete impact of speed optimization and the effects on revenue, without having to perform, for example, server-side or slow-down testing. Quantifying the relationship between performance and revenue can help document the value of development projects, the benefits of which may not be immediately clear to non-technical stakeholders.
Conversions and funnels: how to draft and optimize a conversion funnel
The conversion funnel is a key strategic model for guiding users through a journey from brand discovery to the final decision to convert into customers. Each step in this funnel has a direct impact not only on the acquisition of potential customers, but more importantly on the ability to increase conversions in a consistent and measurable way.
On web.dev there is also another useful resource dedicated to the relationship between site performance and conversions, which allows us to go beyond determining the real impact of speed on user actions: in fact, Martin Schierle ‘s contribution goes on the technical side and clarifies how site performance can have an effect and improve people’s conversions, specifically presenting the conversion funnel, which we also show here in graphic form.
In short, the process starts withdiscovery(discover), goes throughengagement, reaches conversion and finally proceeds to re-engage: Schierle’s guide (who is Mobile Solutions Consultant at Google) addresses the different ways in which a website must optimize performance to achieve maximum conversions at the end of the funnel.
- The Discovery Phase – Discover
Typically, new users discover a Web site through organic search (and thus returns central to Google ranking), sharing via social, links from other sites or paid campaigns. Some important discovery mechanisms are directly affected by website performance. Website crawlers may have difficulty indexing sites that are slow to load or have long client-side rendering and use Javascript.
The Googler reminds us that speed can be a direct ranking factor, such as on web search, ad campaigns, or social networks, and urges us not to overlook the fact that new users discovering the website for the first time receive anuncached first load, which is basically the worst possible experience! This can be especially frustrating if you spend money to get the user to the Web site and the process breaks down because of a long first load.
Schierle offers a suggestion to avoid this inconvenience and make the first load more effective: first of all, you have to use the tools to check these parameters made available (also) by Google such as PageSpeed, because performance is an SEO factor and, from a human point of view, if already the first load is slow, the user may never wait for the next loading or stay on the site to look at the products we propose.
In general, website loading times are associated with a positive bounce rate, which in turn is often correlated with good conversions, which is why action needs to be taken on these aspects of on-page SEO.
- The Engagement Phase – Engagement
We have succeeded, the first step is accomplished: users have discovered the site and reached our pages. Now the second phase, engagement, begins: we need to engage them with quality on-page content, checking all the parameters of session duration, time on page, pages per session and user flows, then using the Google Search Console tools to have this data at hand.
In addition to the various user experience optimization practices, the key to engagement success is to provide a smooth, fast and responsive experience: if optimizing a site for discovery means working for first loading, in engagement it is crucial to offer fast navigation and fast repeat loads. Specifically, one must control at what step flow users stop, correlating this parameter to the speed metrics for these navigations.
- The conversions phase
This brings us to the crucial stage of the funnel, the one that can determine the success and survival of a website, especially if eCommerce: conversion. Generally, site conversions are the consequence of good work in the discovery phase and excellent engagement, but we still need to point out a few things.
In standard user expectations, hero images load quickly, call-to-action buttons are rendered and labeled quickly, the page is responsive, and there are no layout jumps. A user won’t buy anything if they can’t click the “Buy Now” button because of a busy CPU or a jumping or unlabeled button. Schierle recommends measuring and tracking action time toward a conversion or subgoal, such as the average time it takes buyers from landing on your site, to viewing a product, to completing payment.
- The re-engagement phase – Re-engagement
According to some studies, only 2 percent of users convert on the first visit: it is critical that the other 98 percent come back and re-engage through content.
Modern Web sites have several ways to accomplish these re-engagement tasks, such as through email messages, custom display ads in remarketing or notifications. For the Googler, the process works best if the flow from re-engagement to the Web site is as smooth as possible; unfortunately, it is not always successful because, for example, mail apps often open links in their in-app webview, slowing page loading and making logins more complex through different caches and cookie storage.
Thus, the advice is to optimize the site for fast repeat loads and make UX flows more natural to increase the chances of re-engagement.
Tips for working on the conversion funnel
Martin Schierle ‘s article is useful for us to set some key concepts for maximizing the chances of conversion on the site and positively completing the purchase funnel.
Each step of this funnel needs to be optimized for website speed to minimize bounce rate and abandonments, and for each step there are different things to optimize, different pitfalls and culprits.
Analyzing the stages in more detail still – referring, however, to the designations Awareness, Engagement (or Consideration) and Decision – we must be aware that each of these steps within the funnel may require different strategies, even the ultimate goal remains the same: to guide the user toward the desired action, which could be purchasing a product, signing up for a newsletter or downloading valuable content. Each stage of the funnel supports the user in their progressive desire to interact with the brand, and each step must be carefully planned and optimized to improve the transition from one stage to the next.
During the Awareness stage , the audience is beginning to discover our brand and our products or services. This is the initial stage of the conversion process, and the main goal is to capture the user’s attention by addressing topics that answer their questions or stimulate their interest. In this context, SEO and content marketing play a key role. Through strategic keyword research that addresses the user’s information needs, we can position our content to attract quality traffic.
Improving the awareness stage requires adopting content that informs and educates the user, such as useful blog posts, guides, and videos, providing the first answers to relevant questions. At this stage, we should not expect immediate conversions; rather, our goal is to establish an initial meaningful connection that the user will be more likely to remember in subsequent stages.
When the user moves to the Engagement (or Consideration) stage, he is in a different position: he is comparing options and evaluating which offer best fits his needs. His interest in the brand has matured, but there are still obstacles or doubts to be resolved. This is where more focused and persuasive communication comes into play, with content that delves into the differential value of our product or service over the competition.
In this context, tools such as targeted landing pages or email marketing play a critical role. The more we can provide the user with useful, tangible information-such as case studies, comparisons or free demos-the easier it will be to push them toward a decision.
Optimizing this stage means capitalizing on targeted personalization and advanced automation of communications that dialogue with the user’s growing interest, reducing his or her need to explore other alternatives.
At this point, the user is ready to take the decisive action. The Decision phase has the ultimate goal of transforming the intention into a conversion, which can be a purchase, registration or sending a contact request. This is the moment when the customer evaluates all the elements exposed in the previous stages and decides whether our product or service is the right choice.
In this part of the funnel , any friction must be minimized. All steps that might slow the user down, such as a complex checkout procedure or unclear information, must be resolved. Targeted incentives such as temporary offers, special discounts or the possibility of having to pay in multiple installments can increase the conversion rate and push the user to make a decision more quickly.
The importance of funnel optimization
The art of conversion funnel optimization never ends because a funnel is not a static tool: optimization requires not only careful design of each step, but also constant monitoring and the ability to make quick, targeted changes where necessary. By testing different value propositions, improving the clarity of CTAs, and quickly adjusting content to respond to observed behaviors over time, long-term results can be maximized.
In fact, each small incremental adjustment along the funnel can have a significant impact on the overall conversion rate. It is through constant data analysis that we can iterate and improve each element of the funnel, making the user journey ever shorter, more direct, and more effective.
