Multiple ways to track conversions
Defining website goals and measuring them is one of the central tasks of web analytics. With the help of website goals, the effectiveness of marketing activities can be monitored. This is done by looking at how many users have converted to a desired action on the website. This is why we also speak of conversion actions and conversion tracking. Website goals can be specific interactions such as placing an order, making an inquiry, or signing up. On websites that are financed by ad impressions, the goal is measured by the level of engagement, i.e. number of page views or stay time of visitors.
A distinction is also made between micro and macro conversions. Micro conversions are intermediate steps to the actual main goal of the website. Thus, micro conversions can provide a good indication of the quality of campaign traffic besides the bounce rate. Micro conversions can be a direct part of a target process, such as adding products to the shopping cart as part of the ordering process. However, a micro conversion can also be more distant or independent from the main goal, such as a newsletter signup, downloading a brochure, or calculating loan rates.
In addition, monetary and non-monetary goals can be distinguished. A monetary value can be derived directly from the order value, but can also be assigned based on your own weighting.
The following options are available in etracker Analytics for conversion tracking:
| Option | Tracking Basis | Goal Type | Advantage | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website goal definition within the application | Assigning events or pages to goal actions | Non-monetary goals and (monetary or non-monetary) processes | Simple setup without changing the source code (independent of IT) | When uploading conversions to Google Ads, etc., make sure that orders are not uploaded twice via website targets and eCommerce events. |
| Stay time or number of page impressions per visit | Engagement | |||
| Parameter of etracker Code | With page load or via wrapper | Especially for leads such as signups or inquiries | Simpler implementation than eCommerce API | No full eCommerce Reporting possible |
| etracker eCommerce API (Code) | Manual integration or via Shop-Plugin | Creation of eCommerce events for product lists, product pages, watch lists, shopping carts, orders | Analysis of the complete eCommerce funnel on product and category level | |
| Google Enhanced Ecommerce Grabber | Directly integrated Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking Code (not via GTM) | Creation of eCommerce events for product views, shopping carts, orders | Usage of existing implementation or Google plugins possible |