--- title: Picking the Best Conversion Metrics for Your SEM Campaign description: Conversion metrics are an essential part of any SEM campaign, but if you aren't measuring the right things, you could be missing the mark. image: https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/hubfs/Blog_Post_Images/acronymsem-searchenginem_203511.jpg --- [855-594-0010](tel:855-594-0010) # [![CMG Local Solutions](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/themes/cmg-local-solutions/assets/image/logo.svg)](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/) - Solutions - [Cox Targeted Display](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/solutions/cox-targeted-display/) - [Cox Connected Video](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/solutions/cox-connected-video/) - [Cox OneSearch](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/solutions/cox-onesearch/) - [Cox Analytics](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/solutions/cox-analytics/) - Industries - [Automotive](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/industries/automotive/) - [Financial Services](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/industries/financial-services/) - [Healthcare](https://www.coxhealthmarketing.com/) - [Higher Education](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/industries/higher-education/) - [Home Services](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/industries/home-services/) - [Legal Services](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/industries/legal-services/) - [Restaurant/QSR](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/industries/restaurants/) - Approach - [Our Strategy](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/approach/strategy/) - [How We Do It](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/approach/how-we-do-it/) - Clients - [Success Stories](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/clients/success-stories/) - [Creative Showcase](http://www.cmgadvertising.com/) - About - [Who We Are](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/about/who-we-are/) - [Careers](http://cmglocalsolutions.com/about/careers/) - Markets - [Athens](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/athens/) - [Atlanta](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/atlanta/) - [Boston](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/boston/) - [Charlotte](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/charlotte/) - [Dayton](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/dayton/) - [Houston](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/houston/) - [Jacksonville](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/jacksonville/) - [Long Island](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/long-island/) - [Memphis](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/memphis/) - [Miami](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/miami/) - [Orlando](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/orlando/) - [Pittsburgh](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/pittsburgh/) - [San Antonio](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/san-antonio/) - [Seattle](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/seattle/) - [Tampa](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/tampa/) - [Tulsa](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/tulsa/) - Resources - [Blog](https://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/) - [Resources](https://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/online-marketing-resources) - [Contact Us](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/contact-us/) # Digital Marketing Solved Blog ## [Picking the Best Conversion Metrics for Your SEM Campaign](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/picking-the-best-conversion-metrics-for-your-sem-campaign) Posted by [Selena Lawson](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/author/selena-lawson) on November 20, 2015 at 10:27 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Conversion metrics for SEM campaigns](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Post_Images/acronymsem-searchenginem_203511.jpg?width=350&name=acronymsem-searchenginem_203511.jpg "Conversion metrics for SEM campaigns")Conversion metrics are a crucial part of any [search engine marketing (SEM)](http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/3-pitfalls-to-avoid-in-your-paid-search-campaigns) campaign. [SEM](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/why-your-sem-strategy-isnt-working) can put your offerings in front of customers as they're searching for them. But if you aren't measuring visitor actions, you don't really know what's working. You can track many different conversion metrics — online sales, phone calls, app downloads, in-app actions, new leads and in-store purchases to name a few. [Inc.](http://www.inc.com/guides/12/2010/11-best-web-analytics-tools.html) even shares a helpful list of 11 Web analytics tools to help develop a strategy for optimizing your campaign according to your business goals. You should develop a strategy that includes knowing what behaviors you want to encourage of your visitors once they land on your site, but this will vary according your campaign goals and even the business you're in. #### More Than Product Sales If you're an ecommerce website, conversion goals are clear — you want a customer to buy your product. This makes analyzing ROI relatively easy. But for other types of websites, there can be multiple events before transactions even take place. Additionally, some content-rich sites rely on display advertising for revenue. If simply clicking on a page on your site is a conversion, then cost-per-click (CPC) modeling is ideal. For businesses that want to increase brand awareness, simply putting your name in front of potential customers serves a purpose. Your best strategy is cost per thousand (CPM) impressions bidding, which will put your message in front of customers. #### Tracking Connections If [lead generation](http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/3-strategies-to-generate-more-leads) is your focus, your conversion goal might be getting visitors to contact your company. You can achieve through a few different actions, such as opening a live chat session, submitting a contact form or calling a customer service representative. Tracking metrics like click-through rate (CTR), which is the number of targeted audience members who clicked on the links in your ad or email, will show you where you're getting the best bang for your buck. And cost-per-action (CPA) bidding allows you to optimize your strategy, measuring and tracking results according to what visitors do onsite. Conversion tracking is more accessible via the tools available today, but it's not a magic bullet. It's an ongoing process, and once you get the information, your analysis of data and how you use that to inform your strategy can make the difference between failure or success. **Related Articles** [3 Tips for Online Conversions: What Works and What Doesn't](http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/3-tips-for-online-conversions-what-works-and-what-doesnt) [Conversion Tracking: What It Is and Why It's Important](http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/conversion-tracking-what-it-is-and-why-its-important) [Mastering Conversions: Turning Browsers Into Customers](http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/mastering-conversions-turning-browsers-into-customers) [![How Healthy is Your Online Presence](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/356930/a2edd951-efaf-4795-9285-813cc867a04d.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/356930/a2edd951-efaf-4795-9285-813cc867a04d) [![Subscribe to the Digital Marketing Solved Blog](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/356930/133c9be0-75fc-49a2-a69d-21e7a2573437.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/356930/133c9be0-75fc-49a2-a69d-21e7a2573437) Topics: [Paid Search Engine Marketing](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/paid-search-engine-marketing) ### Stay Connected ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Posts by Topic - [Digital Marketing Strategy (145)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/digital-marketing-strategy) - [Social Media Marketing (74)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/social-media-marketing) - [Integrated Marketing (70)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/integrated-marketing) - [Video Advertising (66)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/video-advertising) - [Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (63)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/search-engine-optimization-seo) - [Paid Search Engine Marketing (60)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/paid-search-engine-marketing) - [Mobile Optimization and Advertising (46)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/mobile-optimization-and-advertising) - [Premium Display and Banner Ads (42)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/premium-display-and-banner-ads) - [Content Marketing (41)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/content-marketing) - [Website Design & Development (30)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/website-design-development) - [Analytics (23)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/analytics) - [Retargeting and Remarketing (23)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/retargeting-and-remarketing) - [Reach Extension and Targeting (21)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/reach-extension-and-targeting) - [Interactive Design & Creative (20)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/interactive-design-creative) - [Native Advertising (18)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/native-advertising) - [Automotive (12)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/automotive) - [Marketing Strategy (12)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/marketing-strategy) - [digital advertising (11)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/digital-advertising) - [social media (11)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/social-media) - [Local Listings Management (10)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/local-listings-management) - [Food & Beverage (8)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/food-beverage) - [Home Services (8)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/home-services) - [target audience (7)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/target-audience) - [Responsive Design (6)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/responsive-design) - [local business (6)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/local-business) - [Digital Success Series (5)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/digital-success-series) - [Google (5)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/google) - [Retail (5)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/retail) - [Seasonal Marketing (5)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/seasonal-marketing) - [small business (5)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/small-business) - [Ask the Experts (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/ask-the-experts) - [Google Analytics (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/google-analytics) - [Professional Services (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/professional-services) - [ROI (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/roi) - [Voice Search (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/voice-search) - [facebook (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/facebook) - [video marketing (4)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/video-marketing) - [Email Marketing (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/email-marketing) - [Healthcare (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/healthcare) - [Higher Education (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/higher-education) - [branding (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/branding) - [customer journey (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/customer-journey) - [lead-gen (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/lead-gen) - [location data (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/location-data) - [online video (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/online-video) - [targeted display advertising (3)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/targeted-display-advertising) - [A/B Testing (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/a-b-testing) - [Amazon (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/amazon) - [Google Ads (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/google-ads) - [data (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/data) - [geo-targeting (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/geo-targeting) - [marketing resources (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/marketing-resources) - [ppc (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/ppc) - [social media images (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/social-media-images) - [traditional media (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/traditional-media) - [visual content (2)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/visual-content) - [B2B (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/b2b) - [Cox OneSearch (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/cox-onesearch) - [Customer Retention (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/customer-retention) - [Instagram ads (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/instagram-ads) - [Magid (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/magid) - [SEO for Beginners (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/seo-for-beginners) - [audio (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/audio) - [boosted posts (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/boosted-posts) - [brand guidelines (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/brand-guidelines) - [job search (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/job-search) - [memes (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/memes) - [multi-location advertising (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/multi-location-advertising) - [omnichannel marketing (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/omnichannel-marketing) - [retail marketing (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/retail-marketing) - [zero-click searches (1)](https://resources.cmglocalsolutions.com/topic/zero-click-searches) ## Free Resources Click [here](http://blog.cmglocalsolutions.com/online-marketing-resources) to visit our archive of free eBooks and White Papers   Search this site: Search ## Our *Partners* & Publishers ![Google Partner](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/google_partner_c.png) ![](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/04_bng_c.png) ![Tag Registered](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/tag_c.png) ![](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/digital_content_next_c.png) ![](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/http___pluspng.com_img-png_facebook-logo-png-1722-200x42.png) ![](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/09_iab_c.jpg) ![](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/doubleclick_c.png) ![](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/iStock-621141822-1024x683.jpg) ### Get started with Local Solutions today [Contact Us](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/contact-us/) **Cox Media Group** 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2018 Cox Media Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved. - [Privacy Policy](https://cmglocalsolutions.com/privacy-policy/)