Macro conversion goals and KPIs set the overall vision. For any of these macro conversions to take place, visitors must go through a series of micro conversions on the site. Each micro conversion moves visitors farther down the conversion path until a final macro conversion takes place. When a visitor places an order with an ecommerce website, a macro conversion occurs. Compare that to the micro conversion on a product page. Product pages on most ecommerce websites serve to persuade customers to add an item to their cart. When the customer clicks on the “add to cart” button, a micro conversion happens. This micro conversion moves the visitor down the conversion funnel. If our ultimate goal on a website is to increase macro conversions, increasing our micro conversions is the best way to achieve that.
A single page on the site can have several micro conversion goals. For example, customers can use a product page to perform any of the following tasks:
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Add an item to the cart
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Read product reviews
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Check product availability in a physical store
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Compare products
Each of these represents a micro conversion. With several conversion goals on a single page, you should start by prioritizing the different goals and determining the primary conversion objective of the page. As you work through this prioritization, you will find that many of the micro goals support the site’s macro conversions. Reading product reviews persuades customers to buy an item. Clicking on the “add to cart” button is necessary for them to make a purchase.
The primary conversion goal on a page drives all of its elements, including copy, design, and layout. Goals that distract visitors from the primary conversion goal should be reworked or removed. Never lose focus of your main objective on the site (conversion). When you lose focus, your conversion rates will drop. It’s that simple.
When you begin to optimize a particular page, ask the following:
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What are the different micro conversions that can take place on this page?
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How do we prioritize the different micro conversion goals?
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How do we focus the page to support the most important micro conversion goal?
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What would stop visitors from taking the micro conversion path?
Figure 2-1 shows the relationships among micro conversions, macro conversions, and website KPIs.
