Conversion rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, submitting a form, or signing up. It is calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the number of visitors and multiplying by 100. It’s one of the most important metrics in online marketing because it shows directly how effectively a website turns traffic into business results.
Conversion rate is the metric that connects website traffic to real business results. Even a small improvement can make a major difference in revenue:
- The average e-commerce conversion rate is around 1.8–2.5%. In its 2025 report, Contentsquare analyzed 90 billion sessions across 6,000 websites and found an average of 2.03% on mobile and 3.81% on desktop (Contentsquare – Digital Experience Benchmarks, 2025)
- Landing pages convert significantly better — the median is 6.6%. Unbounce analyzed 464 million visits to 41,000 landing pages and found that copy written at a 5th- to 7th-grade reading level converts 56% better (Unbounce – Conversion Benchmark Report, Q4 2024)
- Website speed has a direct impact on conversions. A Portent study analyzing 100 million page views across 27,000 pages showed that a site that loads in 1 second converts 3x better than one that loads in 5 seconds (Portent – Site Speed Research, 2022)
- Cart abandonment remains a huge problem. Based on a meta-analysis of 50 studies, Baymard Institute puts the average cart abandonment rate at 70.2% (Baymard Institute – Cart Abandonment Statistics, 2025)
- Investing in UX pays for itself many times over. According to Forrester, every dollar invested in UX brings an average return of $100 (a 9,900% ROI) (Forrester – The ROI of UX)
FAQ
What is a good conversion rate?
It depends on the industry and the type of website. For online stores, the average is around 2–3%; for landing pages, around 6.6%. According to WordStream’s 2025 benchmark, which analyzed 16,000+ campaigns, the average conversion rate in Google Ads is 7.52% (WordStream – Google Ads Benchmarks, 2025).
How can you improve your conversion rate?
Start with the data—web analytics will show you where visitors drop off. The most common levers are speeding up your website (Vodafone showed in an A/B test that a 31% improvement in load time led to an 8% increase in sales), simplifying forms, writing clearer copy, and using stronger CTAs (Google – Core Web Vitals Case Studies).
Does conversion rate differ between mobile and desktop?
Yes, significantly. Desktop consistently converts better—according to Contentsquare’s 2025 data, the average on desktop is 3.81% versus 2.03% on mobile. The gap comes down to smaller screens, slower connections, and harder form filling (Contentsquare, 2025).
Sources:
- Contentsquare – Digital Experience Benchmarks (2025) – analysis of 90 billion sessions across 6,000 websites
- Unbounce – Conversion Benchmark Report (Q4 2024) – analysis of 464 million visits to 41,000 landing pages
- Portent – Site Speed Research (2022) – study of 100 million page views
- Baymard Institute – Cart Abandonment Statistics (2025) – meta-analysis of 50 studies
- WordStream – Google Ads Benchmarks (2025) – analysis of 16,000+ campaigns
- Forrester – The ROI of UX – study on the return on investment in UX
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