In short
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the practice of increasing the percentage of website visitors who complete a goal, such as buying or filling in a form. Conversion rate is calculated as conversions divided by visitors, multiplied by 100.
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How to calculate conversion rate
Divide the number of visitors who completed your goal by the total number of visitors, then multiply by 100. For example, 20 enquiries from 1,000 visitors is a 2% conversion rate.
A simple CRO process
- Measure: set up tracking so you know your baseline for each step of the funnel.
- Research: use analytics, heatmaps, recordings and surveys to learn why people leave.
- Hypothesize: write a clear statement, such as “shortening this form will increase submissions”.
- Test: run an A/B test and let it reach a sensible sample size.
- Learn: keep what wins, record what you learned and plan the next test.
Where to look first
- Pages with high traffic and high drop-off.
- Forms and checkout steps.
- Headlines and calls to action that are unclear.
- Mobile experience and page speed.
Common CRO mistakes
- Stopping a test as soon as one version looks ahead.
- Changing many things at once, so you cannot tell what worked.
- Copying competitors without understanding your own users.
- Skipping tracking, so results cannot be trusted.