Measuring Conversion Rates<\/h2>\n
To answer one of the above questions: yes, the types of conversions matter. At least, they\u2019ll matter to you. If you want your visitors to be purchasing products but all they do is sign up for your newsletter, you won\u2019t be happy \u2013 even if you have 100% of your visitors signing up.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, you want people to be converting in the areas that actually benefit you, but you won\u2019t really know what those areas are until you start tracking your site as a whole.<\/p>\n
So, the first thing you\u2019ll want to do is look to see what actions (conversions) are currently taking place on your site, and then determine what actions you want to take place on your site and make changes to connect the two together.<\/p>\n
![\"woocommerce-report-category-sales\"](\"https:\/\/saucal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/woocommerce-report-category-sales.png?resize=920%2C736\")
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The good news is that WooCommerce already comes with reports that help you calculate interactions on your site, and if you want some additional firepower you can also use Google Analytics to refine that data further.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll want to look for total number of unique visitors (called \u201cUsers\u201d in Google Analytics) as well as the number of actions taken in a specific area \u2013 like overall sales in the month of July, or the number of new subscribers to your newsletter.<\/p>\n
Then, divide and multiply: Conversions \/ Users * 100 = Conversion Rate<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n For example, if you had 125 new orders in July, and 8,000 unique site visitors for that month, your total conversion rate for sales would be roughly 1.5%.<\/p>\n You can do this for each of the subsequent areas of action around your site, and that should give you a sense of your total current conversions. You can also automate this process using a free WooCommerce plugin called Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics for WooCommerce.<\/a><\/p>\n Now, you might be thinking that a little over 1% sounds like a terrible conversion rate, but it\u2019s actually in the standard ballpark (though a little on the low end depending on the area).<\/p>\n Most industry leaders consider 2-3% to be the average conversion rate for online stores, meaning that 20-30 people out of every 1,000 visitors should take an action. You might also find reports saying that 5% is more accurate for eCommerce stores, while 1% is still an acceptable rate.<\/p>\n [Tweet “20-30 people out of every 1,000 visitors should take an action.”] Of course, the 2-3% is just an average for your overall conversion rates, but in terms of what makes a good rate for specific commerce-related areas of your site, here\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for:<\/p>\n Ideally, if you can get higher than 2-3%, that’s awesome and definitely possible. 5% is a solid benchmark, and we\u2019ve seen sites as high as 20-25%. Of course, those are champions, so don’t fret if you aren’t there!<\/span><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve gathered all of your data and you can see where your conversion rates are strong and where they may be faltering, you\u2019ll probably be wondering how to boost those rates a little bit higher.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s true that there are many different variables that affect conversions \u2013 such as sign design, loading speed, product demand, and more \u2013 there are also things you can do to improve those rates in each area.<\/p>\n Beyond watching the conversion rates above, you also want to measure similar data like bounce rates and exit rates as well as average session duration.<\/p>\n Your bounce rate is the percentage of people who leave after viewing a single page, which is usually because they\u2019re not finding what they want on your site. You can reduce your bounce rate (and improve conversions) by:<\/p>\n Your exit rate is the percentage of people who leave after viewing your site without taking an action, and your analytics reports will let you know the last page they were on before they left. If you have a high exit rate for a certain page, that\u2019s a red flag, but in general you can also do the following to minimize your exit rate:<\/p>\n The average session duration gives you a general idea of how long people are browsing your site. A high bounce rate with a low average session duration means that your pages aren\u2019t grabbing the right sort of attention.<\/p>\n You can help maximize conversions by:<\/p>\n By improving the overall experience of your storefront you\u2019ll minimize your bounce and exit rates and improve conversions rates, too.<\/p>\n Technically, all conversions aren\u2019t created equal.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a difference between what is considered a \u201cmicro-conversion\u201d (e.g. a newsletter) that would happen at the top of your sales funnel, and a stronger conversion that happens near the bottom of the sales funnel, like a purchase.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re noticing more newsletter subscribers but your actual sales figures haven\u2019t improved, it could be an indicator that your tactics are being focused in the wrong place.<\/p>\n While a micro-conversion is still good because it leads your users further into the funnel, you want to make sure that your conversions are strong from top to bottom to maximize effectiveness.<\/p>\n![\"Shopping-Funnel-report\"](\"https:\/\/saucal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Shopping-Funnel-report.png?resize=795%2C464\")
<\/p>\nBut Is That Number Good or Bad?<\/h2>\n
\nEither way, a \u201cgood\u201d conversion rate doesn\u2019t have to be in the double digits to be effective, but your goal should still be to work toward a conversion rate that\u2019s higher than your current rate. Even a 1% lift from 2% to 3% can mean 50% more revenue for the same amount of traffic.<\/p>\n\n
Get Conversions Where You Want Them<\/h2>\n
Watch Your Bounce and Exit Rates for Clues<\/h3>\n
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![\"Screenshot-2016-05-01-18.27.00\"](\"https:\/\/saucal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Screenshot-2016-05-01-18.27.00.png?resize=810%2C197\")
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Look at Your Sales Funnel for Clues<\/h3>\n