Conversion
In a Nutshell
Conversion is when a user completes a desired action (purchase, sign-up, click). In theory: the measure of success. In practice: the pressure of reducing everything to a single number.
What It Really Means
Conversion is marketing's most concrete output. Unlike likes or reach, it points to a direct result: someone did something.
But measuring everything by conversion is also misleading. A brand's conversion today is often the result of trust built months ago. Short-term conversion pressure can eat long-term brand value.
The fastest way to raise conversion is usually a discount; but constant discounting condemns a brand to its price.
Healthy conversion comes from persuading people, not forcing them. The two look similar in the short term, very different in the long run.