Marketing Glossary
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Marketing conversion

What is a marketing conversion?

A marketing conversion is an action that is completed by a user on a website or other online platform that indicates a level of interest in a product or service. Marketing conversions are typically used to measure the effectiveness of a marketing campaign or to track the success of a website or other online platform.

There are many different types of marketing conversions, and the specific conversion that is tracked will depend on the goals of the marketing campaign or website. Some common examples of marketing conversions include:

  • Signing up for a newsletter
  • Filling out a contact form
  • Downloading a whitepaper
  • Making a purchase
  • Adding an item to a shopping cart
  • Watching a video

Marketing conversions are typically tracked using tools such as Google Analytics or by using conversion tracking code on the website or landing page. This allows marketers to see how many conversions were completed, as well as other information such as the source of the traffic and the location of the users.

By tracking marketing conversions, businesses and marketers can gain insights into what is working and what is not, and can make adjustments to their marketing campaigns and website to improve their performance.

Why are marketing conversions important?

Marketing conversions are important because they help businesses and marketers to measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and website. By tracking conversions, businesses can see which marketing efforts are resulting in the desired actions from users, and can focus their resources on those efforts that are most successful.

For example, if a business is running a marketing campaign to generate leads, they may track conversions such as newsletter sign-ups or contact form submissions as indicators of the campaign's success. By tracking these conversions, the business can see how many leads they are generating, and can adjust their marketing efforts accordingly.

In addition, tracking marketing conversions can help businesses to understand the needs and behavior of their target audience, and can provide insights into what motivates users to take certain actions. This can be valuable information for developing future marketing strategies and improving the overall user experience.

How can I track my marketing conversions?

There are a few different ways to track marketing conversions:

  1. Use a web analytics tool: Tools such as Google Analytics allow you to track conversions on your website. To do this, you will need to set up goals in Google Analytics and add tracking code to the pages on your website where the conversions occur.
  2. Use conversion tracking code: You can also track conversions by adding tracking code to the pages on your website where the conversions occur. This code will typically be provided by the platform or service that you are using to track the conversions (such as an email marketing service or an ad network).
  3. Use a third-party tracking service: There are also a number of third-party services that can help you track conversions on your website. These services typically work by adding a piece of code to your website, and they can offer additional features such as the ability to track conversions across multiple devices or platforms.
  4. Use offline tracking: If you are running an offline marketing campaign (such as a direct mail campaign), you can track conversions by using unique promo codes or tracking phone numbers. This can help you to see how many conversions were generated as a result of your campaign.

To track marketing conversions effectively, it is important to have a clear understanding of what you are trying to track and to set up your tracking system accordingly. You should also consider the specific needs and goals of your marketing campaign or website, and choose a tracking method that will best meet those needs.

Brief history of marketing conversion tracking

Tracking marketing conversions has been a key part of marketing efforts since the early days of advertising. In the past, businesses used a variety of methods to track the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns, including using promo codes, tracking phone numbers, and analyzing sales data.

With the rise of the internet and the increasing use of online marketing channels, tracking marketing conversions has become more sophisticated. Tools such as web analytics and conversion tracking code have made it easier for businesses to track conversions on their websites, and to get detailed insights into the behavior of their users.

In recent years, privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States have had an impact on the way that businesses can track marketing conversions.

These laws place limits on the types of data that businesses can collect about their users, and require businesses to be transparent about the data that they do collect. As a result, businesses must be careful about the way that they track conversions and must ensure that they are in compliance with these laws.

One of the main ways that these laws have impacted conversion tracking is through the use of cookies. Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored on a user's device and are used to track their activity on a website. Under GDPR and CCPA, businesses must obtain explicit consent from users before they can use cookies to track their activity.

To comply with these laws, businesses must be transparent about the way that they use cookies and must provide users with clear information about how their data will be used. They must also provide users with the option to opt-out of tracking if they prefer.

Related Terms

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

Conversion Rate

Conversion Path

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)