Conversion rate

The levers that matter in an SEO context

• Matching search intent — the single greatest lever. A page ranking for an informational query cannot expect "buy now" to convert.
• Clarity above the fold — what does the visitor get, and what should they do next?
• Page speed — every additional second costs between 7 and 20 per cent of conversions.
• Mobile optimisation — mobile accounts for 60 to 70 per cent of organic traffic yet usually converts markedly worse than desktop.
• Trust signals — reviews, testimonials, certifications, clear contact details.
• A single clear call to action per page, rather than five competing ones.

Diagnosing it in an SEO audit

Three steps. Identify the top landing pages for organic traffic, using Analytics and Search Console together. Analyse the conversion rate per landing page to see where the funnel breaks. Then check the intent match for each page: does the content answer the query that brought the visitor? A common pattern is a page with plenty of traffic and a conversion rate of 0.3 per cent, where the cause is an intent mismatch — an informational query landing on a transactional page. The remedy is to build guide content for that intent and link internally to the purchase page.

Reporting it properly

• Combine it with conversion value — one per cent at an order value of 200 euros beats four per cent at twelve.
• Split it by traffic source — organic, paid and direct differ considerably.
• Separate mobile from desktop — a blended figure hides where the potential lies.
• Allow for the time lag — in business-to-business it is rarely the first visit that converts, more often the fourth to eighth.
• Track micro-conversions — scroll depth, video plays, items added to a basket, as early indicators.