Conversion rate
The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors or clicks that complete a desired action, such as a purchase, sign-up or enquiry.
What is the conversion rate?
The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors, sessions or ad clicks that complete a desired action – a conversion. Depending on the business, a conversion can be a purchase, a newsletter sign-up, a download, a booked call or a contact form enquiry. It is calculated as:
Conversion rate = conversions ÷ visitors (or sessions or clicks) × 100
For example, 40 enquiries from 2,000 visitors equal a conversion rate of 2%.
The conversion rate is one of the most important metrics in digital marketing because it connects traffic with business results. Doubling the conversion rate has the same effect on results as doubling traffic – usually at a fraction of the cost. It also directly influences the profitability of paid campaigns, as the cost per conversion equals the cost per click divided by the conversion rate.
The systematic improvement of this metric is called conversion rate optimization (CRO). Typical levers are a clear value proposition, fast pages (see Core Web Vitals), simple forms, trust signals and A/B testing.
Benchmarks vary widely by industry, device and traffic source, so compare your own figures over time rather than with generic averages. In international marketing, compare conversion rates per market: noticeably lower rates in one country often point to localization gaps, such as untranslated forms, unfamiliar payment methods or missing local trust signals.