Conversion rate is the share of visitors who complete a goal you defined, calculated as conversions divided by visitors (or sessions), multiplied by 100. The goal could be a purchase, a free trial, a newsletter signup or a call.
Why it matters
It reveals how efficiently traffic turns into results. Doubling traffic costs money or effort, while improving conversion rate raises results from the visitors you already have. It also determines how much you can afford to pay per click.
Segment the rate by device, traffic source and landing page. A healthy overall average can hide a mobile checkout that converts far worse than desktop.
Example
Visitors: 4,000
Signups: 120
Conversion rate: 120 / 4000 = 3.0%If a change to the form lifts signups to 160, the rate becomes 4.0%.
Common mistakes
- Mixing denominators, for example comparing per-user rates with per-session rates.
- Defining a conversion too loosely, such as any click.
- Changing several things at once, so you cannot tell what caused the lift.
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