Traffic vs. conversion campaigns: Which one should you run on Meta ads?

Every marketer seems to have a strong opinion on this: should you be running traffic campaigns, or should you go straight to conversion campaigns?

Many will tell you that conversion campaigns are the only way to go—after all, if your goal is sales, why wouldn’t you optimise specifically for that? It makes sense in theory. But in practice, that approach can cause serious problems, especially for businesses that aren’t already seeing high website traffic.

Why jumping straight into conversion campaigns can fail.

Meta’s algorithm needs a certain amount of data to optimise effectively. If you don’t have enough conversions flowing through your Pixel, your campaign will get stuck in the learning phase, meaning it won’t perform at its best.

Meta typically needs 30 to 50 conversions within a 30-day period to properly optimise a conversion campaign. Some sources even suggest you need those conversions within seven days, which can be is unrealistic for many businesses.

How traffic campaigns set you up for success.

This is where traffic campaigns become useful. They send more visitors to your website, increasing the likelihood of conversions—even if those conversions aren’t happening directly through Meta ads.

Here’s why traffic campaigns work:

• They help the Pixel collect data. Even if conversions come from other sources, Meta still learns from them.

• They fill your funnel. More website visitors mean more email subscribers and potential customers who can be nurtured over time.

• They build brand awareness. Most people won’t buy from a brand they’ve never heard of. Traffic campaigns introduce them to your business first.

The right time to switch to conversion campaigns.

Once your website is generating 30 to 50 conversions per month, you can confidently launch conversion campaigns—alongside retargeting campaigns for visitors who have already interacted with your brand.

Retargeting is where the real return on investment happens. But it only works if you’ve built enough initial traffic.

Final takeaway: It’s about timing.

Both traffic and conversion campaigns have their place. If your website isn’t seeing regular conversions, starting with a conversion campaign is like trying to sell to a room full of strangers.

Instead, start by driving traffic, collect enough data, and then switch to conversion campaigns once your Pixel has what it needs to work effectively.

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