You could ask ten different digital marketing agencies for their definition of a website conversion, and they would all have different definitions that track different metrics.

This is bad news for dealers who are placing their trust and money in the hands of digital “experts” who sometimes can’t clearly explain what they’re tracking, how it’s supposed to benefit you and whether it will help you reach your goals.

In fact, here’s some examples of website conversion definitions from four different agencies that illustrate just how varied the industry standard is:

  • Any visit to the homepage through a Google or Facebook Ad.
  • Any visit to the inventory or vehicle display page.
  • Any visit to the store hours & directions page.
  • Any form submission.

These varying definitions should make you wonder what your agency is reporting to you month after month.

But let me be clear, I’m not trying to trash talk these agencies—it’s not anyone’s fault the industry hasn’t standardized tracking metrics like website visits and website conversion rate.

That’s why it’s important you know which metrics your digital marketing provider is tracking and if they matter to your business’ bottom line. And if they don’t, make sure you know which metrics you should ask for instead.

So what metrics should your agency be tracking?

Honestly, the true definition of a website conversion will and should evolve over time.

But generally, we believe a website conversion should be defined as a form submission. And a form submission should consist of a name, phone number and email of a lead that your team can follow up with.

Why?

Because a website conversion should not only be easily measurable, but the conversion itself should include information that’ll fuel your business and help you grow.

For all dealerships this fuel is leads.

Because at the end of the day, a lead will help you sell more cars while VDP views will not.

Not only that, but you can track every lead you get back to cars sold—these are metrics that impact your bottom line. You can’t track back cars sold to homepage clicks or VDP views, which is what some agencies track.

Ultimately, you want to make sure the metrics you’re tracking will support your dealership’s goals.

Want to learn more about how you could and should be tracking with digital? Our free eBook 6 Costly Mistakes Dealerships Make In Google Adwords has just that and much more. Click here to get your copy.