Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take the action you want them to take, such as placing an order, signing up or requesting a quote. A visit in which that happens is called a conversion.

How to calculate it

Conversion rate = conversions ÷ visitors × 100%

If 2,000 people visit your landing page in a month and 50 of them sign up, the conversion rate is 50 ÷ 2,000 × 100% = 2.5%.

Analytics tools can count visitors, sessions or users, and you decide which action counts as a conversion. Compare conversion rates only when they're measured the same way.

What a "good" conversion rate is

It depends heavily on the type of site, the action, the price and where visitors come from. A free newsletter sign-up converts very differently from an expensive purchase. The most useful comparison is with your own page: before and after a change.

The first impression comes first

Visitors can only convert if they stay long enough to consider it. Many leave in the first seconds, which shows up as a high bounce rate. Common reasons are on the first screen: an unclear offer, no trust signals or no clear call to action.

Analytics tells you how many convert. To find out why the rest leave, look at your first screen through a stranger's eyes, or let real people rate it on StayOrBounce.