Conversion rate, commonly abbreviated as CVR, refers to the percentage of users who take a desired action on a website. In the context of SEO, the desired action often translates to any activity that progresses a user further down the sales funnel, including making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or filling out a contact form. The conversion rate is calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the total number of visitors and multiplying the result by 100 to get a percentage.
Formula:
CVR = (Total conversions / Total visitors) x 100%
Importance in SEO:
The conversion rate is a critical metric in SEO as it directly correlates with the effectiveness of a website’s ability to turn organic search traffic into valuable customer actions. High conversion rates typically indicate that a site is well-optimized not only for search engines but also for user experience, relevance, and intent matching.
Improving conversion rate:
To improve the conversion rate, SEO experts should ensure that a website is:
- Keyword-optimized to attract relevant traffic.
- Fast-loading to reduce bounce rates.
- Mobile-friendly to cater to users on various devices.
- Easy to navigate with a clear structure and call-to-action (CTA) elements.
- Trustworthy, often enhanced by secure sockets layer (SSL) certification, privacy policies, and trust badges.
- Content-rich, providing informative and engaging material that addresses user queries and needs.
Measurement and tools:
Conversion rates can be measured using web analytics tools such as Google Analytics. These tools allow SEO professionals to track user behavior, identify which pages have the highest and lowest conversion rates, and determine the source of converting traffic.
By regularly analyzing and optimizing for conversion rate, websites can improve their ROI from organic search traffic and achieve better alignment between SEO efforts and business objectives.