Micro vs macro conversions: Which should I be using?
Originally published: October 2022 – Last updated: July 2026
Article topics
- What is a macro conversion?
- What is a micro conversion?
- Which one should I be using?
- How to track micro and macro conversions
Whether it’s a sale or a lead, measuring the conversion rate on your eCommerce website is essential. However, did you know there are two types of conversions – macro and micro? Find out which is the right one to use for your business, and how to track them in Google Analytics.
What is a macro conversion?
Macro conversions relate to the primary goals of your business that you typically use to gauge success.
Examples of macro conversions include:
- Buying a product
- Subscribing to a service
- Completing a lead generation form
- Creating an online account
What is a micro conversion?
A micro conversion is a small action a customer takes on your website that typically contributes towards a macro conversion.
Examples of micro conversions include:
- Navigating from one page to another
- Playing a video
- Adding a product to a cart
- Leaving a comment on a blog or a review on a product
- Viewing an image gallery
- Clicking on a pop-up
- Adding an item to a wish list
- Sharing a page on social media
- Downloading a document
Engagement-based conversions also count as micro conversions. For example, staying on the website for a set amount of time or viewing a certain number of products.
Which one should I be using?
You might think that macro conversions are more useful to your business than micro conversions, but the truth is that both play a part in the success of your website.
Micro conversions are generally seen as the steps a customer takes before they complete a macro conversion. These conversions can help ensure the user journey is as optimised as possible.
They’re extremely valuable in helping you get a comprehensive view of what is happening on your website, especially if you don’t see a lot of macro conversions.
For example, you can analyse the micro conversions a customer who buys a product takes against a customer who puts an item in the cart and leaves the site. Using this information, you can improve the customer journey to reduce the chances of cart abandonment.
How to track micro and macro conversions
You can track both macro and micro conversions in Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
GA4 automatically tracks certain events like page views, video views, and clicks. To track them as conversions, just go to the events page and select mark as conversion.
You can also create your own custom events and track them as conversions.
If you don’t use GA4 on your website, you can easily track macro and micro conversions in your analytics platform of choice.
Choosing and monitoring the right micro and macro conversions can help you not only understand how profitable your site is, but also help you assess buyer intent. Both types of conversion are equally important to your eCommerce website.
Whether you need analytics set up on your website or help to boost your conversion rate, we’re here to support you.
Contact us today to see how we can support your eCommerce business and unlock the valuable data you have available.
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