What is a conversion rate, and how do you improve it on a service website?
A conversion rate is the share of visitors who take the action you want, which for a service business is usually getting in touch. If 1,000 people visit and 20 send an inquiry, the conversion rate is 2%. It is improved by making the site clearer, faster and easier to act on, and judged by real inquiries, not by clicks.
How to measure it honestly
- Decide what counts: a submitted form, a call, a booking, or all three.
- Count real inquiries, not button clicks or page views.
- Compare like with like: the same pages, the same time of year.
- Look at inquiries that became customers too; a higher rate of poor-fit inquiries is not progress.
Changes that usually help
- Say what you do, where and for whom in the first screen.
- Ask for one action, with the same button wording everywhere.
- Keep the form short. Nielsen Norman Group's form guidance is to keep it short and remove fields you can get another way.
- Show real proof near the button: real reviews, real work.
- Make sure the page is quick and easy to use on a phone.
- Say how fast you reply, and then keep that promise.
Test one change at a time
Change one thing, wait long enough to see a difference in real inquiries, and keep what works. On a small site with few visitors, judge by the trend over weeks rather than by a single day.
Sources
Related answers
- What should a service business homepage say?
- Why does my website get no inquiries?
- What should a contact form ask?
Websites, upgraded or built
Most businesses do not need a new website. They need the one they have to load fast, say clearly what they do and ask the visitor to take one step.