What conversion rate optimization metrics should you prioritize for your website?

1 Conversion rate

The most obvious and essential CRO metric is the conversion rate, which is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action on your website, such as filling out a form, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. The conversion rate can be calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the number of visitors. For example, if your website had 10,000 visitors and 500 conversions in a month, your conversion rate would be 5%. The conversion rate can vary depending on the type, source, and intent of your visitors, as well as the design, content, and functionality of your website. Therefore, you should segment your conversion rate by different factors, such as traffic channels, devices, pages, and audiences, to identify where you can improve your CRO performance.

3 Time on page

The time on page is the average amount of time that visitors spend on a specific page of your website. This metric can help you assess how engaging and informative your content is, and how well it matches the intent and expectations of your visitors. A high time on page can indicate that your content is relevant, useful, and captivating, and that it encourages visitors to stay longer and interact with your website. A low time on page can indicate that your content is boring, confusing, or misleading, and that it drives visitors away quickly. To increase your time on page, you should create high-quality content that addresses the needs and pain points of your visitors, and use clear and concise language, attractive visuals, and interactive elements to keep them interested.

4 Pages per session

The pages per session is the average number of pages that visitors view during a single session on your website. This metric can help you evaluate how navigable and user-friendly your website is, and how well it guides visitors through your conversion funnel. A high pages per session can indicate that your website is easy to use, that it provides relevant and valuable content and offers, and that it encourages visitors to explore more of your website and move closer to conversion. A low pages per session can indicate that your website is hard to use, that it lacks content and offers that appeal to your visitors, and that it fails to persuade visitors to take further action. To increase your pages per session, you should optimize your website for speed, usability, and accessibility, and use clear and compelling calls to action, internal links, and cross-sells to direct visitors to the next steps.

5 Exit rate

The exit rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your website from a specific page. Unlike the bounce rate, which measures the first page that visitors see, the exit rate measures the last page that visitors see before they leave. The exit rate can help you identify which pages of your website are causing visitors to drop out of your conversion funnel, and why. A high exit rate can indicate that your page is not relevant, engaging, or persuasive enough to convince visitors to stay or convert, or that it has technical or usability issues that frustrate visitors. A low exit rate can indicate that your page is relevant, engaging, and persuasive enough to retain visitors or convert them, or that it leads them to another page of your website. To lower your exit rate, you should analyze your page's performance, content, and design, and test different variations to improve your conversion rate.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?