Conversion
desired actionA conversion is the moment a visitor takes the desired action: buys, leaves contact details, books a time or subscribes to the newsletter. It is marketing’s base unit, around which measurement, optimisation and budgeting are built.
Good to know
Conversions split into primary and intermediate goals: a macro conversion is the business objective, such as a sale or a quote request, a micro conversion a waypoint, such as a pricing view or a guide download. Micros predict macros and give something to optimise even where sales are rare.
The definition steers the whole machine: ad algorithms hunt for more of whatever is marked a conversion. A loose definition fills reports with meaningless events, which is why only actions with real business value qualify.
IN PRACTICE
Conversions by type
Macro conversions
A sale, a quote request, a booking. Rare but valuable: the business is steered by these.
Micro conversions
Add to cart, pricing view, guide download. Frequent and predictive: the path is optimised by these.
Offline conversions
Calls, store visits and deals a salesperson closes. Imported into measurement so channels’ true value shows.
PITFALLS
Two conversion mistakes
Anything counts as a conversion
When a scroll counts as a conversion, reports improve and decisions worsen. A conversion is an event you would pay for.
Only the last step is measured
If only the sale is recorded, the path’s leaks stay dark. Micro conversions reveal where the journey breaks.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Frequently asked questions
What should be defined as a conversion?+
An action with a direct line to revenue: a sale, a quote request, a booking. Supporting actions such as downloads are marked as micro conversions separately.
How many conversion goals can there be?+
One primary per campaign for optimisation, several for measurement. The algorithm gets confused when fed many goals of different value at once.
What does a conversion cost?+
That is CPA: ad spend divided by conversions. The acceptable level is derived from the conversion’s value, not industry averages.
How do calls become conversions?+
With call tracking or a clickable number event. In B2B services the call is often the most valuable conversion, and leaving it unmeasured skews the channel comparison.
What is an assisted conversion?+
A conversion whose path included a channel that was not last. Assists show the true value of awareness channels.
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Maintained by the VSCY editorial team · Updated 6 Aug 2026 · Part of the marketing glossary (99 terms)
