How To Do Conversion Tracking for Your Digital Marketing Campaign

How To Do Conversion Tracking for Your Digital Marketing Campaign

In the domain of “marketing analytics”, there is a huge demand for tracking conversions at all levels – from mobile app to website and e-commerce. 

Conversion can be defined as the process of turning an interested visitor into a paying customer.

For websites, it refers to when a user performs a particular action on your website (such as buying a product or signing up for a newsletter). 

What’s Conversion Tracking?

Conversion tracking is the process of measuring how your marketing campaigns are impacting your business. You can track conversions through analytics tools such as Google Analytics or custom scripts written in JavaScript. 

It helps to understand how users interact with your site and what specific elements they’re interacting with. 

How Does Conversion Tracking Work?

To track conversions, you install a conversion tracking code on your website. This is an invisible piece of code that gets executed every time users interact with any of your website’s elements, particularly buttons and links.

Why is it Important to Track Conversions?

When people visit your site, they don’t always convert. At least, not right away. Sometimes a user has to be exposed to your brand/ product multiple times before they take action. However, most marketers and advertising professionals just focus on getting as many visitors as possible to their website without worrying about how effective those visits are in terms of conversions.

What Are UTM Parameters?

UTM parameters are the three tracking codes that you can append to your online ad URLs. They tell Google Analytics what website you’re on and what campaign a specific visitor is coming from. The codes also allow you to track outbound links in your emails, landing pages, or even offline events like trade shows.

How Do UTM Parameters Work?

Google Analytics uses the information in your UTMs to track organic search results, paid search ads, and referral traffic. It forwards the info like campaign names, ad spendings, and ROI back to your Google Analytics account. Once you have a Google Analytics account set up, you can view it right inside Google Analytics.

What Do UTM Parameters Look Like?

Here’s a standard example of the format: utm_source=keyword&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=abc

7 Key Benefits of Conversion Tracking

  1. Identify the Top Organic & Paid Search Keywords that are Yielding Leads and Sales for Your Website: If your company has an eCommerce site, you can use UTMs to track traffic from various keywords like “women’s black dress” or “men’s brown shoes.” You can then compare how much each keyword is driving sales to maximize your return on investment.
  2. Learn Which Ads are Driving the Most Leads and Sales: If you’re doing search engine marketing, UTMs can tell you which keywords are most successful at driving leads or sales for your company’s website. This is important because it helps you focus your ad spend on what’s working vs. what’s not working.
  3. Track Outbound Links in Emails and Landing Pages: You can use Google Analytics UTM parameters to track sales leads from your email marketing campaigns. This is a great way to make sure you’re getting an accurate count of all your leads, but it’s also helpful if you want to analyze the specific content and layout of your emails. For example, if your marketing emails are driving a lot of sales, you can examine the content and layout of each email to see what’s working best for conversions.
  4. Measure ROI from Trade Shows, Conferences & Offline Events: Companies that participate in industry conferences or tradeshows often want to quantify their return on investment. Conversion tracking is crucial because it allows you to see how much traffic you got from all your event marketing efforts and whether they resulted in sales.
  5. Track Leads on Your Website: You can use UTM parameters to track leads from other websites like blog posts, landing pages, or homepage links. This way, you can see how each resource is contributing to your overall leads, sales and conversion rate.
  6. Uncover Key Factors that Influence Conversions: UTM parameters can tell you which links or ad campaigns are resulting in the highest amount of conversions for your website. You can then use this information to improve each aspect of the service (or product) you’re selling with your ad campaigns.
  7. Streamline Your Marketing & Sales Operations: You can use UTM parameters to make your marketing-to-sales process more efficient since you’ll have a better understanding about which sales tactics are driving most of your leads and sales click-throughs. This should help you know where to concentrate your efforts once you’re back in the office.

When Do You Need Conversion Tracking?

Google Analytics can automatically track conversions for most eCommerce platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, and Big Commerce. However, if you’re not using one of these platforms or you’d just like to get a better understanding of your organic search results then you need Google Analytics to track your conversions using UTM parameters.

Conversion Tracking Tools

Here are 10 conversion tracking tools every marketer needs to have:

#1. Google Analytics Goals, Funnels & Ecommerce

Google Analytics is a powerful tool for tracking Web traffic. But did you know that it can also help with website optimization as well? You can set up funnels for conversion tracking to see how many people are converting to specific user actions on your site. Google Analytics also makes it easier than ever to set up Ecommerce tracking.

#2. Hootsuite & Buffer

If you’re looking to promote your content on social media, then make sure it gets the broadest reach possible. For this reason, many businesses use social media management tools like HootSuite and Buffer to schedule posts in advance or distribute them en masse. They also have conversion tracking tools built-in so you can see how many people are clicking on your links and ultimately converting to sales or leads.

#3. Google AdWords

If you’re running ads through Google, this is one tool you must use! It has a built-in conversion tracking system that can tell you which keywords are bringing you new sales or leads.

#4. Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager is a tool that allows website owners to create and manage tags. These tags are invisible to your readers, but they provide valuable information to you about how people interact with your site and can help you track conversions.

ALSO READ  What Is Order History? How to View and Keep Track of Purchases

#5. Heatmap Tools

Heatmap tools can be used to analyze the user experience on your website. When you use a heatmap tool, it will show you where people spend their time and how long they stay on different pages of your site. This is useful for conversion tracking because it helps you spot potential problems with your web design or content that might prevent sales or lead conversions.

#6. Crazy Egg

Similar to heatmap tools, Crazy Egg uses click-based analytics to show you where on the page people stop and exit your website. This is also known as “bounce rate” and if your bounce rate is high, it means that some part of your content or design isn’t keeping up with what readers are looking for. This feedback can help you improve your conversion process over time.

#7. HotJar

HotJar is a tool that’s designed to provide website owners with more insight into what their readers are doing when they come to their site. You not only get heatmaps and click analytics, but also the ability to collect user recordings and surveys for conversion tracking.

#8. Formisimo

Formisimo is an excellent tool for conversion tracking because it can help you see how leads and sales are coming through your various forms on the site. It comes with several useful reporting features, including heatmap analytics to point out where people may be getting stuck while filling out your form. This can make it easier to improve your conversion rate over time.

#9. Lead Forensics

If you want to understand exactly how your Web traffic is converting, this conversion tracking tool will be a huge help! It allows you to see where in the sales pipeline people are dropping out and what actions they’re taking before they purchase or convert. This can help you spot potential problems with your sales or lead generation strategies.

#10. Crazy Egg Intelligence

This tool was specifically designed for marketers, rather than website owners. It can be used to create conversion funnels that are specific to the actions you want users to take on your site (for example, subscribing to an email newsletter). Tracking visitors from specific sources (like Google Ad Words) is also possible with this tool.

#11. DataHero

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive analytics package that has built-in conversion tracking, check out Data Hero! It can be used to track your website’s traffic and even monitor other business metrics, such as leads and sales funnel analysis.

#12. Lander

Another SaaS tool that has built-in conversion tracking. Lander allows you to create lead forms and landing pages using its cloud-based service. This is particularly good for businesses that are just getting started with their online marketing initiatives. The reason being, it’s easy to use and provides a lot of value at a low price point.

7 Conversion Metrics to Track in a PPC Campaign

Here are the seven metrics to track in your PPC campaign: 

1# Click-through rate: This is the click-through rate of your ads. It measures how many times people click on your ad, compared to the total number of times it was shown. The higher your CTR, the more appealing and effective your ad copy is in generating leads. 

2# Cost per Click (CPC):  This is the average amount you pay for each click on your ad. Based on this metric, you can determine whether your bid is too high or too low to get people interested.  

3# Conversion rate:  This is the number of conversions divided by the total number of clicks (conversions + non-conversions). The more conversions, the better your ads are at driving leads.  

4# Cost per conversion:  This is the average amount you spend to acquire a lead. It can be used as an indicator of how well your landing page works in convincing visitors to turn into customers.  

5# Average revenue per visitor (ARPU):  This metric shows how much money you earn with every visit you get. You can compare this figure with that of your competitors’ websites and decide on whether to upsell or down-sell a particular product.  

6# Conversion value:  This is the total amount spent by all customers who have converted during one month. This metric identifies the most valuable traffic source you are getting. 

7# Email address:  This is the most important metric to track, as it shows whether your marketing strategy is working or not. The number of email addresses collected during a campaign tells you how well you have managed to convince visitors to turn into customers.  

What Are Conversion Goals? 

Every conversion tracking process begins with you setting up a conversion goal. So, to define, a goal is the ultimate action that you would want to see your visitors take when they land on your website. It equates to what you would consider a successful website or landing page visit.

It’s basically when someone does something on your site other than just arriving at it from an organic or paid search – like when people view certain pages in your account or sign up for a mailing list, or download a white paper.

Google Ads Conversion Tracking

Google Analytics Goals can be used to track how effective your Google advertising efforts are.

Google Analytics Goals

Google Analytics goals are triggered by many kinds of users’ activities on a site.  These goals are very versatile and can be used for all kinds of insights. Some of these goals include:

  • Was on your site/page x number of times
  • Viewed x number of pages
  • Clicked a button/link/email/phone number
  • Clicked to complete a form (ex: Subscribe, Register)
  • Completed an action using a form (ex: submitted a form)
  • Scrolled to the bottom of the page
  • Bounced from the site/page/form after viewing x pages
  • Reached a certain point on your site
  • Viewed specific content on a page or set of pages 
  • Completed an action using Flash/JavaScript, such as playing games, watching a video, or releasing a virtual pet
  • Clicked on an Ad from Google

All these are considered conversions. And can be tracked, using either Google Analytics or Google Ads.

ALSO READ  How to Promote Your Content Through Email Outreach

Simple Goal Setup in Google Analytics

We suggest you set up a destination goal with a funnel. You’ll need a thank you page for this. 

Here’s a simple run-down of the steps for setting it up:

  • You can start by logging into the Google Analytics account that you’ll be using to track your goals. 
  • In the bottom-left corner, click on the gear button (admin).
  • Now go ahead and click on “Goals” (in the view section).
  • Next, click on “New Goal.”
  • Scroll down and check the “custom” button. Hit on “continue” once done. 
  • Go ahead and name the Goal, after which you want to select a Goal ID and Goal Set. 
  • For the goal type, choose “destination” before hitting “continue.”
  • Under destination, select “begins with,” after which you want to select the slash page that you’ll be using as the destination.

For example, instead of using www.mywebsite.com/thank-you.html, use /thank-you.html. 

  • You have the option of assigning a monetary value to this goal. Note: this is optional. 
  • Turn your Funnel on, and add the landing page that the user must first visit before landing on your thank you page. 

You can test the goal by clicking on “verify this goal,” after which you want to hit on “save” and that’s pretty much like it.

You have successfully set up your conversion goal on Google Analytics. 

Setting up Your Goal on Google Ads

After setting up your goal on Google Analytics, the next thing you want to do is import it to Google Ads for easy monitoring. 

Follow these simple steps to import the goal:

  • You can start by making sure you’re signed in on both Google Ads and Analytics.
  • Be sure to sign in to Google Analytics (GA) using your admin account, with edit permission for Analytics property. 
  • Navigate to the admin section of your GA dashboard and find the Analytics property to link to.
  • Now go under properties and select “Google Ads Linking”
  • Click on +New Link Group and select your Google Adwords account before clicking on continue.
  • Next, enter your link group title, and turn on All website data before clicking on “link accounts.”
  • Click on done and that’s it. 
  •  Now, open another tab and log into your Google Ads account. 
  • Make sure the account is set to auto-tagging. 
  • Next, navigate to “Tools and Settings.”
  • Under “Measure,” go ahead and select “Conversions.” 
  • Click the + button and select “import”
  • Next, choose Google Analytics before hitting “Continue”
  • Check the boxes for the goals to import and hit “Import” followed by Continue
  • Click on done and that’s it. 

How to Track Conversions on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a built-in conversion tracking system.  It only works in certain situations, but when it does work, it’s more accurate than even Google Analytics.

Here are the three main ways you can use LinkedIn conversion tracking on your website:

1# When people click an email link for a lead magnet (like an eBook) and then immediately convert into a subscriber by joining your email list, viewing a webinar or signing up for your premium membership.

2# When people click on your LinkedIn ad and then immediately convert into a subscriber by joining your email list, viewing a webinar or signing up for your premium membership.

3# When someone uses their email address from one of your marketing campaigns (like in an offer where they use their email to download an eBook) and you want them to be counted as a conversion.

LinkedIn counts when people use their personal email addresses (like [email protected]) and then converts by clicking on your LinkedIn link or ad.  For example, if someone downloads your eBook using their personal email address and they then clicks on a link in your LinkedIn ad, they will get added as a conversion.

LinkedIn does NOT count when people use a business email address (like [email protected]) and then converts by clicking on your LinkedIn link or ad.  For example, if someone downloads your eBook using their company email address and they then click on a link in your LinkedIn ad, they will NOT get added as a conversion.

LinkedIn also does not count when people who are already LinkedIn members click on your LinkedIn ads and then convert into subscribers (they have to use their personal email address).  They only count new users from the above scenarios when conversions happen within 24 hours of one another.

One more thing you should know is that the conversion tracking has to be done on your website. It can’t be done on LinkedIn (that’s why I suggest putting a link to connect with you in every ad – so visitors can opt-in right away).

When people connect with you via their email address (either on your website or within an ad), they should be automatically added as a conversion.  This is what we’ve set up on our website:

The one thing you can’t do is create an email list in LinkedIn and then count conversions that way because they don’t allow it.

I’d recommend creating a Gated Lead Magnet as your first lead magnet (something for free), and only giving it to people who connect with you on LinkedIn.  You can then use that lead magnet as an upsell when they sign up for your premium membership.

Understanding LinkedIn Conversion Metrics

1# Conversions – the number of times a user performs a certain action, such as sharing a post, clicking on an external link or installing your app.

2# Click Conversions:  the number of times users click on links in your posts.

3# View Conversions: The percentage of impressions that resulted in a conversion. 

4# Conversion rate: The percentage of total users who complete a conversion. 

5# Cost Per Conversion: The cost of advertising divided by the number of conversions.

6# Total Conversion Value: The total amount of money you have collected from all conversions.

7# Total Conversions:  The total number of times that your post resulted in a user performing a conversion.

8# Subscribers Gained: the percentage of subscribers who responded to your subscription request after viewing your post.

9# Return on Ad Spent:   The amount of revenue you get from each dollar spent on LinkedIn advertising.

10# Reach:  LinkedIn’s definition is ‘the number of unique people who viewed at least one piece of content in your campaign.’ But, often advertisers will use it as a synonym for impressions.

ALSO READ  10 Strategies for Tech Sales Leaders to Stay Agile in a Shifting Landscape

How to Add Linkedin Conversion Tracking

LinkedIn Insight Tag, also known as Conversion Tracking Pixel, allows you to track conversions on LinkedIn. The tag can be used via a tool such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics to view the activity of the logged-in and un-logged in users who visit your website after performing certain actions on LinkedIn.

How to Install the Insight Tag:

  • You can start by logging into your LinkedIn ads account.
  • On the menu, click on “Account Assets”  ~> “Insight Tag”
  • Next, click on “Install Insight Tag.” You’ll be directed to a page where you’ll be asked to choose whether you’re going to install the tag yourself, hire a developer or use a tag manager. 

We’d like to assume you’re planning to install the tag yourself. So, we suggest you choose the first option to expand it, after which you are to copy the JavaScript code provided by clicking on it. Save it on notepad. 

Click on agree and continue and that’s it. 

You can no go ahead and paste the code to the header section of your website or any webpage you want to track. 

After successfully installing the Insight tag, the next thing you want to do is find out if it’s working. 

All you need to do is head back to your LinkedIn ads management account and click on the ad. Again, click on “Account Asset” and go to “Insight Tag.”

You should be able to see a list of all the websites where the tag is sending the signal from. 

After confirming that it’s firing the signals from your website, the next thing you’d want to do is to track the conversion. 

Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide on how to go about it: 

  • Again, go to your LinkedIn ads account, and click on your ad’s account. 
  • Next, go to “Account Assets” ~> “Conversion.”
  • Click on Create a Conversion and proceed to name it. 
  • Enter your conversion settings as prompted.
  • If the campaign was already created then check the box for “select campaigns to track” and then proceed to select them. 
  • Define the conversion by checking the “use my site-wide Insight Tag.” Next, enter your destination URL equating to your goal (such as the “thank you page). 
  • Click on “Create” once done and that’s it. You should be able to track your LinkedIn ad conversion. 

How to Track Conversion on Facebook

Here, I will walk you through the process of setting up conversion tracking so that you can see what people do on your website after they click on your Facebook ad.

Without tracking your conversion, the only option you’re left with is to guess. 

Let’s say after running the ad, your conversion went up by 20%. But how can you tell if the conversions were a result of you running the ad?

With conversion tracking, Facebook can tell you how many visitors went to your website after viewing your Facebook ad.

And with the help of Facebook pixel, they can even tell you what actions they took after landing on your website. 

So, What’s Facebook Pixel?  

A Facebook Pixel is a piece of code provided by Facebook that you can place on your website so Facebook can help you track the number of conversions ( click-throughs ) that happen after a visitor lands on your page.

Now, this is one of the most important things that I will teach in regards to setting up your Facebook ads.

When you are running any form of advertising, there are two main ways to determine if your campaign is performing well. 

One way is to look at the number of clicks and impressions that are happening on the ads you are paying for to drive traffic to your website or some other landing page.

And two, you can look at how many people made it out of Facebook and onto your site after clicking on one of your ads.

When setting up a Facebook pixel, you’ll be required to optimize it for the following conversion types:

  • Checkouts
  • Leads
  • Key page views
  • Adds to cart
  • Registrations
  • Other website conversions

How to Set Up Facebook Pixels

Step 1: Start by Creating Facebook Pixels

You can start by logging into your Business Manager account. Follow this link to create one or sign in. Simple. Just follow the link and fill in all the requested details and click on “submit.”

Now, to create a Facebook pixel, follow this link or go to business settings and select your business. You’re also allowed to create one from scratch. 

In the left-hand menu, click “Data Sources” ~> “Pixels

Next, click on the “Add” button. 

Now proceed to name your pixel and enter your website’s URL (optional). 

Click on “Continue.”

Step 2: Install the Pixels on Your Website

The next thing to do would be to install the pixel on your website. Go ahead and click on “Set up the Pixel Now” and you’ll be provided with the code to copy and paste into the header section of the website or page that you want to track. 

You need to paste the pixel code in the header section of that specific page that you want to track. 

The specific pages you choose to add this code will depend on the action you want to track. 

Here are some of the pages to add this code:

  • Checkout page: The page that indicates your website visitor has completed the checkout process. 
  • Registration – indicates a complete registration process.
  • Leads: The page that follows after a user successfully submits a contact page
  • Pageviews: The page itself
  • Adds to Cart: The page that comes next after a user adds an item to the cart
  • Other conversions

Step 3: Verify the Pixel

get google ranking ad

Your pixel must read as active once done. If it reads unverified or inactive, then that shows the pixel wasn’t installed correctly or isn’t properly configured.  

About the Author

Tom Koh

Tom is the CEO and Principal Consultant of MediaOne, a leading digital marketing agency. He has consulted for MNCs like Canon, Maybank, Capitaland, SingTel, ST Engineering, WWF, Cambridge University, as well as Government organisations like Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Law, National Galleries, NTUC, e2i, SingHealth. His articles are published and referenced in CNA, Straits Times, MoneyFM, Financial Times, Yahoo! Finance, Hubspot, Zendesk, CIO Advisor.

Share:

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Baidu SEO: Optimising Your Website for Chinese Audiences

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to capture international markets has become essential. When targeting the Chinese market, …

Enterprise SEO: Everything You Need to Know

Are you looking to enhance your online presence and boost organic traffic to your website? If you’re operating on a …

10 Tested SEO-optimised Content Development Techniques

Content development refers to creating or improving material that conveys information to a particular audience. In addition to textual material …

7 Emerging Skills Every SEO Must Master in 2023

7 Emerging Skills Every SEO Must Master in 2023 One thing almost all SEOs can agree on is that SEO …

How to Use Keyword Intent to Maximize Conversion Rate

After keyword research, you’re armed with a list of potential keywords to target.  Let’s say one of the keywords is …

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Leveraging Social Media for Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

You’ve probably heard of social media, and how important it is to businesses and marketers. Chances are, you use one …

PSG Grants: The Complete Guide

How do you kickstart your technology journey with limited resources? The Productivity Solution Grant (PSG) is a great place to …

Is SEO Better Or SEM Better?

I think we can all agree that Google SEO is pretty cool! A lot of people get to enjoy high …

How To Remove A Web Page Without Affecting Overall SEO

Before removing an old page from your website, do you ever stop to think about the potential effect it might …

Toxic Links Threats and Disavows: Complete SEO guide

Your website is only as strong as the backlinks you have. We’re not talking numbers here but quality.  If you …

Social Media

How to Find Influencers to Promote Your Small Business in Singapore (Low Cost)

In today’s digital age, social media influencers have become powerful tools for businesses looking to increase their brand awareness and …

Instagramming Your Way to Success: Tips for Effective Social Media Marketing in the Travel Industry

Social Media has revolutionised how businesses connect with their audience. In the travel industry, where experiences and visuals play a …

The Rise of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Your Travel Planning Agency

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People from all walks of life use social media …

App Marketing on a Budget: Cost-Effective Strategies for Maximum Impact

In today’s digital landscape, app marketing plays a crucial role in driving the success of your mobile application. However, many …

Leveraging Influencers: A Powerful Tool for App Promotion

The digital landscape is continuously evolving, attention is divided among countless apps and platforms, and app promotion has become more …

Technology

The Rise of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Your Travel Planning Agency

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People from all walks of life use social media …

8 Strategies for Bug Hunting: Debugging, Testing, and Code Review

Bugs are among the most unpleasant aspects of the software development process, whether you’ve worked on a little side project …

How Does A Virtual Private Network Work

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a small business owner who’s looking to expand your reach, or an …

Digital Identity Theft: How to Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud

We are always online in this day and age of technology, which makes personal data more exposed than ever. Digital …

The Legal Consequences of Cybersecurity Breaches in Singapore

Technology has advanced greatly in the digital age. It paves the way for a higher risk of cybersecurity breaches. There …

Branding

What Are Virtual Fitting Rooms and How Do They Work? (2023)

Shopping for clothes online can be tricky. It’s difficult to know how something will look and fit without trying it …

Planograms: What They Are and How They’re Used in Visual Merchandising

As a retailer, you know the importance of creating an appealing and organised display of your merchandise. The way you …

PSG Grants: The Complete Guide

How do you kickstart your technology journey with limited resources? The Productivity Solution Grant (PSG) is a great place to …

The Importance of Authenticity in Your Brand Voice Strategy

Most companies are aware of the value of branding. The reputation of a firm may make or break it, after …

Featured Snippet Optimization: Complete Guide In 2022

You’ve probably seen the boxes that pop up at the top of the SERP featuring a summary of an answer …

Business

15 Ways to Remain Empathic While Still Making Deals

Empathy is an essential quality in any negotiation. It allows you to understand the other party’s perspective, build trust and …

10 Prospect Qualification Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Sales

10 Prospect Qualification Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Sales Prospecting is one of the most important aspects of sales. It’s …

How Pros Write Business Proposals To Win New Clients

As a business owner or entrepreneur, one of the most critical skills you need to have is the ability to …

Baidu SEO: Optimising Your Website for Chinese Audiences

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to capture international markets has become essential. When targeting the Chinese market, …

Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs (Free Tools)

Are you one of the entrepreneurs juggling multiple tasks, constantly racing against the clock? Do you often find yourself overwhelmed …

Most viewed Articles

10 Ways to Improve Your E-Commerce SEO

If you want to grow your e-commerce business, you’ve probably thought about SEO (search engine optimization) already. After all, a successful e-commerce SEO strategy can

Other Similar Articles