Guide to WordPress & WooCommerce Conversion Tracking

A clear understanding of how visitors interact with your content is a must for growing your business effectively. And conversion tracking helps you measure important actions — like product purchases, form submissions, and sign-ups — that directly impact your success. 

Before you can begin accurately measuring conversions, however, you need the right tracking tools to set it all up. Once you have the right system in place, you’ll have an abundance of information to make better decisions and improve your bottom line. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the tools and techniques you need to track conversions, analyze your data, and maximize your website’s performance.

Tools needed to track conversions on WordPress and WooCommerce

Having the right tools matters a lot when it comes to tracking WordPress and WooCommerce conversions. They need to be reliable and deliver actionable data. Below, we’ll walk through two options that will help you monitor conversions and better understand your site’s performance.

Jetpack Stats

Jetpack Stats is a powerful analytics tool built specifically for WordPress users. As part of the Jetpack suite, it’s developed and maintained by Automattic, the people behind WordPress.com. It’s fully integrated with WordPress, so it works with pretty much any theme or plugin you’d like to use — with minimal setup.

Once installed, you can use it to monitor key performance metrics like page views, referral sources, and popular content within your WordPress dashboard. And for WooCommerce store owners, it also tracks important data like customer behaviors, product views, and purchase patterns.

Key features of Jetpack Stats:

• Easy integration with your WordPress dashboard
• Real-time stats for page views, top pages, and traffic sources
• WooCommerce-specific tracking for product views and purchases
• Secure data handling and fast processing with a CDN
• A user-friendly interface for beginners and pros alike
• The ability to track visitor countries, referrers, and search terms
• Visible performance data without leaving the WordPress dashboard
• UTM tracking (with the paid plan)

Pros of Jetpack Stats:

• This tool offers seamless integration with WordPress, including WooCommerce.
• Get real-time insights into user behavior directly in the dashboard.
• It’s lightweight and won’t slow down your site.
• Jetpack Stats is GDPR-compliant by default.
• It’s ideal for those without extensive technical knowledge.

Cons of Jetpack Stats:

• The customization options offered are a bit limited.
• It doesn’t offer the same level of depth for event tracking as some competing tools.

Ease of use: 

Jetpack Stats is designed to be easy to use. Setup is quick, as is integration. It works well for those who want to keep an eye on their site’s performance without having to set up complex reports.

Best for: 

This tool works best for WordPress users who need a simple-yet-effective tool for tracking conversions and site traffic.

Pricing: 

Jetpack Stats is included in Jetpack’s free plan for personal sites, making it an accessible solution for any beginner using WordPress. Paid plans for commercial sites start at $8.33/month.

Google Analytics (optional)

You could also take advantage of Google Analytics, a widely-used analytics platform that offers highly-customizable reports and insights into user behavior. While Jetpack Stats covers all the necessities, Google Analytics allows for more advanced, detailed tracking of user actions. WooCommerce store owners can especially make use of it for monitoring things like average order value and customer retention.

It does require more setup and configuration than Jetpack Stats, though. Despite this, once it is integrated, the platform offers a high level of detail for tracking your site’s performance. 

Key features of Google Analytics:

• Advanced event tracking for user actions, such as clicks, sign-ups, and purchases.
• Customizable reports to track specific conversion goals.
• Integration with Google Ads for enhanced marketing insights.
• Audience segmentation to analyze different user groups.
• In-depth ecommerce tracking for WooCommerce stores.
• UTM parameter tracking to monitor marketing campaigns.
• Real-time reporting and data analysis.

Pros of Google Analytics:

• It offers highly detailed and customizable tracking options.
• Google Analytics works well for advanced users who want deeper insights into visitor behavior.
• It’s compatible with multiple platforms, including mobile apps.
• It integrates smoothly with other Google tools, like Google Ads and Google Tag Manager.

Cons of Google Analytics:

• The setup process is more complex and requires a certain level of technical expertise.
• The interface can be overwhelming for beginners due to its wide range of features.
• Some people might need to invest a lot of time to fully understand and interpret the data.
• Google Analytics is not GDPR-compliant by default.

Ease of use: 

Google Analytics is feature-rich but not all that simple to use. It’s best suited for those who are comfortable with data analysis and are looking for more in-depth insights beyond the basics.

Best for: 

WooCommerce store owners and advanced WordPress users who require more detailed data and insights for conversion tracking.

Pricing: 

Google Analytics is free to use.

How to set up conversion tracking in WordPress and WooCommerce

Setting up conversion tracking on your WordPress or WooCommerce site makes it so you can gather insight into how real customers interact with your content and products — in real time. 

Setting it up only takes a few steps: 

1. Install Jetpack

The first step in tracking conversions is to install the Jetpack plugin. 

From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.

In the search bar, type Jetpack, and click Install Now next to the Jetpack plugin.

After the installation is complete, click Activate to enable it.

Once Jetpack is activated, you’ll be able to access all of its features, including Jetpack Stats, which will help track important metrics like page views and visitor behavior.

2. Connect Jetpack to your WordPress.com account

To start using Jetpack Stats, you’ll need to connect your WordPress site to a WordPress.com account. After activating the plugin, you’ll see a prompt to Connect your user account. Click on this button.

Follow the on-screen instructions to connect your site to your WordPress.com account. You can create an account, if you don’t have one yet, during this step.

Once connected, Jetpack Stats will begin collecting data about your website visitors and their actions.

3. Enable Jetpack Stats

Once Jetpack is set up, it’s time to enable Jetpack Stats to start tracking conversions.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Jetpack → Settings.

Click on the Traffic tab then scroll down to Site Stats and make sure the module is switched on.

This turns on basic tracking for things like visits, page views, and traffic sources. The data will be accessible from your WordPress dashboard under Jetpack → Stats, which looks like this: 

4. Configure WooCommerce tracking

If you’re running a WooCommerce store, you can also track customer activity like product views, cart actions, and purchases directly within the WooCommerce plugin. 

Just go to WooCommerce → Analytics and you can view a wide variety of stats like total sales, net sales, orders, and variations sold. 

You’ll need a Jetpack Stats commercial license if you’re running an online store. This will also add on UTM tracking and access to weekly and yearly trends.

5. Use Jetpack Stats with Google Analytics (optional)

For more detailed tracking and reporting, you can use Jetpack Stats with Google Analytics. While Jetpack Stats provides a lot of vital info about visitor behavior, Google Analytics can offer more advanced data collection and analysis features. Though Jetpack Stats no longer includes Google Analytics integration as of August 2024, you can still use them simultaneously if you wish. 

First, ensure that you have Google Analytics set up for your site. If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one and generate a tracking ID.

You can then connect it to your site using a plugin or extension. We’ll provide instructions for connecting a WooCommerce store to Google Analytics through an official extension:

Go to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins → Add New then search for “Google Analytics for WooCommerce.” Install and Activate this plugin as you would any other. 

Then go to WooCommerce Settings and click the Integrations tab. 

Next to Google Analytics Tracking ID, you’ll need to paste in your account’s tracking ID. Then you can scroll down and tick the boxes next to the things you’d like to track like purchases, cart events, product clicks, and more. 

How to analyze your conversion data

Once conversion tracking is set up, the next step is understanding the insights the data provides. Interpreting this data helps you refine your strategy, boost performance, and ultimately increase conversions. Here’s how to approach analyzing your data using Jetpack Stats and WooCommerce.

Understanding data from Jetpack Stats

Jetpack Stats offers a simplified-yet-powerful overview of your site’s performance. Some key data points to focus on include:

• Page views. Track the number of views each page or post receives. This helps you understand which content is resonating most with your audience.
• Referral sources. Identify the traffic sources bringing visitors to your site — whether it’s from search engines, social media, or direct links. 
• Top posts and pages. Jetpack Stats gives you an easy-to-read breakdown of your most popular content, so you know where to focus your optimization efforts.
• Visitor locations. See where your visitors are geographically located. This can inform your strategy if you’re targeting specific regions or planning to expand to new markets.

Understanding data from WooCommerce

WooCommerce has built-in analytics that provide information about how your store performs. Assuming you’ve enabled the Google Analytics for WooCommerce extension, you can view things like the following within the WordPress dashboard: 

• Product views. Understand which products attract the most attention from visitors. This metric is valuable for identifying your best-performing products and which might need better promotion.
• Add-to-cart rates. Monitor how often products are added to the cart. This helps you gauge customer interest and identify any friction points in the purchase funnel.
• Completed purchases. This shows how many visitors complete their purchases. And you can get even more info by going to your Google Analytics account directly and analyzing the flow from product view to checkout. This can help you identify where customers drop off and adjust the experience accordingly​.

Analyzing this data will give you a solid understanding of how users engage with your site and products, helping you make informed decisions to improve your conversion rates.

Actionable tips to get more conversions

Once you have your conversion data, the next step is optimizing your site for better results. You’ll then need to put a strategy into place based on your data to hopefully boost your conversion rates over time. 

To that end, here are some actionable tips to help you boost conversions starting immediately: 

1. Improve your site speed with Jetpack Boost

Site speed directly affects the user experience and conversion rates. A faster site means visitors are more likely to stay, engage, and complete actions like making a purchase. Jetpack Boost is a performance optimization tool that improves your site’s speed. 

It does this by optimizing critical CSS, deferring non-essential JavaScript, and caching site pages. 

2. Optimize your site search with Jetpack Search

A powerful search function helps prospective customers find exactly what they’re looking for, Jetpack Search offers a quick and easy way to add this feature to your site. 

It’s customizable and delivers fast, relevant results. It also provides filtering options for product searches, making it easier for potential customers to find the products they need. 

3. Create engaging content with Jetpack AI Assistant

Creating compelling content is another way to keep people on your site for longer, which can encourage conversions over time. To assist with this, you can use Jetpack AI Assistant to generate high-quality blog posts, product descriptions, and more. 

As its name would suggest, the Assistant uses AI to help you quickly produce relevant, engaging content.

4. Enhance your mobile user experience

With the majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, optimizing your site for mobile visitors is something you just can’t skip. Make sure your website is fully responsive and offers a user-friendly UX on all devices. A smooth mobile shopping experience — whether it’s quick navigation, easy checkout, or mobile-optimized images — can boost conversion rates, too.

5. Enhance credibility and trust with social proof

Displaying social proof, like customer reviews and testimonials, is a great way to build trust with potential buyers. Jetpack includes tools — like the Testimonials custom content type — that allow you to showcase customer feedback, making your site more credible and encouraging visitors to take action. You can enable this feature by going to Jetpack → Settings → Writing then turning on the toggle next to Testimonials under Custom content types. 

You can also display product ratings and even show how many other customers are viewing or purchasing items, giving potential buyers the confidence to follow through on their purchases.

Frequently asked questions

Want to learn more about WordPress and WooCommerce conversion tracking? Let’s explore the answers to some commonly-asked questions.

What is conversion tracking?

Conversion tracking refers to the process of monitoring specific actions people might take on your website. These actions could be anything from buying something to submitting a form to signing up for your newsletter. Tracking conversions helps you understand how visitors engage with your site and how well it’s performing in driving desired outcomes.

Can I track and view conversion data inside my WordPress dashboard?

Yes, you can track and view conversion data directly within your WordPress dashboard using Jetpack Stats and WooCommerce. Jetpack Stats provides a comprehensive overview of key performance indicators like page views and referral sources, while WooCommerce-specific tracking gives insight into product views, add-to-cart actions, and completed purchases.

What key metrics should I monitor for effective conversion tracking?

For effective conversion tracking, monitor these key metrics:

• Conversion rate. The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, like making a purchase.
• Bounce rate. The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page.
• Average order value. The average value of completed orders — helping you assess profitability.
• Cart abandonment rate. The number of visitors who add products to their cart but leave without completing the purchase.
• Customer lifetime value. How much revenue a customer generates over the course of their relationship with your business.

How do UTM parameters work, and how can I use them to track marketing campaigns?

UTM parameters are small tags added to the end of a URL to track the performance of marketing campaigns. They provide detailed information about where your site traffic is coming from, helping you track specific campaigns across platforms. 

Using UTM parameters in your social media or email links lets you track how many visitors and conversions each campaign drives. You can view these results in both Jetpack Stats (with a Personal or Commercial plan) and Google Analytics for a deeper understanding of your marketing performance.

How can content marketing help increase my WordPress and WooCommerce conversions?

Content marketing is a powerful tool for increasing conversions by providing valuable, relevant content that engages your audience. Whether it’s blog posts, product descriptions, or tutorials, high-quality content helps build trust, keep visitors on your site longer, and guide them toward conversions. Jetpack AI Assistant can make the content creation process more streamlined and less of a burden on growing teams. 

How does site speed impact conversion rates?

Site speed directly impacts the user experience and conversion rates. A faster site keeps visitors engaged and improves the likelihood they’ll convert. With Jetpack Boost, you can improve your site speed by optimizing critical elements like images, CSS, and JavaScript. This ensures a faster and smoother experience for your visitors, which increases the likelihood that they’ll convert.

Jetpack: Top tools for tracking and boosting WordPress conversions

Jetpack offers an impressive range of tools that can help you track and boost conversions on your WordPress and WooCommerce sites. And with Jetpack Stats, in particular, you get real-time insights into visitor behavior, page performance, and referral sources — all from your WordPress dashboard.