Measurement
Conversion tracking
Conversion tracking is the instrumentation that records when a defined valuable action occurs and attributes it to a source.
What is conversion tracking?
Conversion tracking is the instrumentation that records when a defined valuable action occurs and attributes it to a source. It is the foundation every automated bidding decision rests on.
Why it matters
Wrong conversion data does not produce slightly wrong decisions; it produces efficient optimisation toward the wrong outcome.
In practice
Audited for what is counted, double-counted and missing, then reconciled monthly against the CRM or finance figures so the expected gap is known.
The misconception
Platform-reported conversions regularly exceed real enquiries through double-counting and modelling. A figure that has never been reconciled should not be trusted.
The term is used loosely in the industry, so it is worth pinning down before agreeing to work.
Where this comes up in the work
It is part of App Store Optimization, and more specifically of App creative and screenshot testing. Across the rest of the work it shows up in:
- Marketplace Marketing: it is the reason using the comparison module for a comparison rather than for a mood board is scoped the way it is
- Content and Editorial, where it is the difference between deciding what is worth publishing before anybody writes it working and appearing to
- Lifecycle and Email, where it quietly limits how far working out which flow is carrying the programme and which is decoration can go
- Analytics and Measurement, where it sets the ceiling on deciding which numbers go in front of the board and which stay internal
What to check
Two questions that establish whether this is actually in order on a given site:
- Whether it survives a logged-out visit from a cold cache
- Whether the exception somebody added two years ago is still needed
Common questions
Is conversion tracking expensive to get right?
It depends entirely on where the problem originates. Establishing that is the first piece of work.
How urgent is conversion tracking?
It comes before work that assumes it is already handled, and after anything actively blocking indexation.
How would we know conversion tracking is a problem?
The symptom is usually downstream: wrong conversion data does not produce slightly wrong decisions; it produces efficient optimisation toward the wrong outcome, showing up as something else entirely in the reporting. Read Automotive for the standard approach and B2B services for when the standard approach does not fit.
Is conversion tracking just another name for something?
Platform-reported conversions regularly exceed real enquiries through double-counting and modelling. A figure that has never been reconciled should not be trusted. Generative Engine Optimization is the counterweight to Entity and Semantic SEO, and both are worth half an hour.
Does conversion tracking affect rankings directly?
Wrong conversion data does not produce slightly wrong decisions; it produces efficient optimisation toward the wrong outcome. Whether that becomes a ranking change depends on what else is true about the site, which is why it is worth measuring rather than assuming. This sits between First-party data or Third-party data and GA4 or Matomo, and borrows from both.
How do you check conversion tracking on a site?
Audited for what is counted, double-counted and missing, then reconciled monthly against the CRM or finance figures so the expected gap is known. Anybody with access can establish it in an afternoon. Is paid search better than SEO? is the obvious next page from here. What is the difference between SEO and GEO? is the one people wish they had read first.
See what the first ninety days would cover
If something simpler would fix it, we will say so. That is usually the most useful thing we can tell you.