What Is a Conversion Rate and What's a Good One?
Conversion rate tells you how many website visitors are actually buying or contacting you. Here's what it means and how to improve it.
2 min read · Updated 2026-04-15
Short answer
Your conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who take your desired action (buy, sign up, contact). For eCommerce, a good rate is 1–3%. For service businesses (contact form), 2–5% is typical.
How to calculate it
Conversion rate = (Conversions ÷ Total visitors) × 100
If 1,000 people visit your store and 20 buy: 20 ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 2% conversion rate
What counts as a conversion
It depends on your goal:
- eCommerce: completed purchase
- Service business: contact form submission or phone call
- Lead generation: email sign-up
- SaaS: free trial sign-up
Industry benchmarks
| Industry | Average conversion rate | |---------|------------------------| | eCommerce (general) | 1–3% | | Service business | 2–5% | | SaaS / software | 2–5% | | Landing page (lead gen) | 5–15% |
Don't obsess over averages — compare your rate to your own historical performance.
How to improve your conversion rate
1. Improve your page speed — every 1 second delay reduces conversions by ~7%
2. Add social proof — reviews, testimonials, customer logos
3. Make your CTA clearer — "Buy now" beats "Submit"
4. Reduce friction — fewer form fields, fewer steps to checkout
5. Add trust signals — SSL badge, money-back guarantee, secure payment logos
6. Fix mobile experience — more than half your visitors are on phones