Conversion Rate Optimization

Key Metrics to Track for Your Business in 2024

3
minutes to read

“Data beats emotions.” said Sean Rad, the co-founder of Tinder, and it couldn’t be more relevant when talking about conversion rate optimization (CRO). If you’re serious about increasing conversions, it’s not about guesswork or gut feelings. You need cold, hard numbers.

But which numbers? What data matters?

1. Conversion Rate (Obviously)

Yes, this one’s straightforward. But are you looking at the right type of conversion rate? Whether it’s a purchase, lead, or sign-up, you must segment conversion rates by channel, device, and campaign. A 5% conversion rate on a desktop is great, but if mobile’s stuck at 1%, you’ve got a clear area to tackle.

Actionable tip: Break down your conversion rates and track them separately across platforms. One size doesn’t fit all here.

2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Conversion isn’t just about that first sale. What happens after? CLV helps you measure the total worth of a customer over time. If you’re spending more to acquire customers than they’ll bring in, you’ve got a serious profitability issue. Upselling and other loyalty programs can help you to improve your CLV.

Actionable tip: Start calculating your CLV. Once you know it, aim for strategies that increase it—whether it’s adding a subscription model or offering exclusive deals to repeat customers.

3. Bounce Rate

Bounce rate, or Engagement rate (metric from Google Analytics 4) can give clarity on how relevant your page is to your visitors. If they are bouncing off a page without taking action, something is wrong. It could be the content, the design, or load times. Time to dig into why.

Actionable tip: heatmaps or session recordings can help you understand why your visitors are leaving the page. Analyse your highest-bouncing pages and start A/B testing small changes like headlines, images, or CTAs.

4. Time on Page & Session Duration

Time on page shows how much time did the visitor spend on a specific page, while Session duration shows how long was the session from when the visitor landed on the first page to the time when he left your site. Longer visits tend to correlate with higher conversions. If people are zipping through your site in seconds, they aren’t engaging. And that’s a problem.

Actionable tip: Analyze your site’s user journey. Are key pages delivering enough value to keep visitors interested? Ensure you’re guiding them with clear CTA and valuable content.

5. Cart Abandonment Rate

Cart Abandonment Rate shows the percentage of people who are leaving your site with items added to their carts. If you run an e-commerce store, this one is very important to you. On average, the abandonment rate is over 68%, which is a massive amount of lost revenue.

Actionable tip: Try using tools to send automated follow-up emails to nudge users back and finish their purchase. To make it even better, add a small discount code to that email and watch your cart abandonment rate go down.

6. Traffic Sources

You're getting visitors, but where are they coming from? Knowing where to spend your time and money depends on your understanding of your traffic sources. Are results being driven by email, social media, paid, or organic traffic? Knowing this will help you to optimize your efforts: invest more in paid campaigns that bring you positive ROI or maybe focus on monetizing high-traffic sources.

Tip: Create your own money-printing machine. Paid channels that have positive ROI can become a money-making machines. If you invest 100 USD which brings 500 USD, investing 200 USD (assuming the ROI stays the same) you'll bring in 1000 USD. You can keep increasing your spending as long as your ROI stays positive and there are no other constraints to your business (manufacturing, storage, inventory, etc.)

7. Click-Through Rate (CTR) on Key Pages

Your key landing pages are gold mines. If people aren’t clicking through your product links or offers, something’s wrong. CTR measures how compelling your headlines, buttons, and offers are. Low CTR means low engagement, which translates into low conversions.

A quick tip: Make your headlines and call to action stand out. Try out several iterations to determine which one resonates the most. A small adjustment, such as switching "Get Started" to "Grab My Free Trial," can often make a big impact.

8. Time Spent Loading Page

You may be surprised to learn that a one-second lag in page load time might cause a 7% decrease in conversions. There is no way around this. Users who are irritated with slow pages are less likely to convert.

Tip: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify slow-loading pages. PageSpeed Insights report shows real users' First Contentful Paint (FCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) experiences over the previous 28-day collection period.

9. Exit Rate

Not to be confused with bounce rate, exit rate tells you which specific pages are losing visitors. It’s essential to figure out where people are dropping off in your funnel. Is it on the pricing page? The checkout page?

Actionable tip: Start by improving the design and content of high-exit pages. You don’t want the most crucial pages in your funnel to be where visitors are jumping ship. Simplify the flow, reduce friction, and make it easy for users to convert.

Conclusion

When it comes to increasing your conversion rate, every percentage point counts. Don’t drown in data. Start by focusing on core metrics. Measure them periodically, optimize them, and watch as your conversions grow. Remember, it’s not about doing everything—it’s about making small incremental changes that over a longer period compounds to a massive increase in revenue.

9 Metrics You Should be Tracking:

  1. Conversion Rate
  2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
  3. Bounce Rate
  4. Time on Page & Session Duration
  5. Cart Abandonment Rate
  6. Traffic Sources
  7. Click-Through Rate (CTR) on Key Pages
  8. Time Spent Loading Page
  9. Exit Rate
FAQ SECTION

Frequantly Asked Questions & answers.

If you still having second thoughts or just want to ask another question, don't hesitate and reach out to us. We are really quick at responding. One of our team members will get back to you within 24 hours!

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What are the most important metrics for your conversion rates in 2024?

Conversion Rate, Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and Cart Abandonment Rate. These metrics directly impact your sales. Conversion rate shows how many visitors become customers, while CLV gives you the long-term value of each customer. Cart Abandonment Rate reveals how much potential revenue you’re losing—and fixing that can lead to quick wins! By regularly tracking these, you’ll get a clear picture of what’s driving—or hurting—your business growth.

Why is Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) essential for business growth?

CLV shows the total worth of a customer over their entire relationship with your business, which is far more valuable than a one-time sale. If you’re spending more to acquire customers than they’ll bring in, profitability will tank. The key? Increase CLV through upsells, loyalty programs, or subscriptions. This metric isn’t just about growing revenue—it helps you sustain it over time. Start calculating it today and explore how to maximize it!

How can I reduce my website’s cart abandonment rate?

Combat cart abandonment with automated follow-up emails and discount incentives. Over 68% of potential buyers abandon their carts, but a simple reminder with a small discount can bring them back. Make it easy for them to finish their purchase! Consider offering free shipping or simplifying your checkout process to remove friction If they’ve already added to cart, they’re interested—nudge them toward the finish line.

What traffic sources should I focus on to improve ROI?

Analyze where your traffic is coming from—organic search, paid ads, email, or social media—and focus on the channels that generate the best ROI. Paid traffic with a positive return can become a money-making machine. The formula? If you’re spending $100 and getting $500 back, why not scale that investment? Invest more in the winners while cutting back on the underperformers. Your budget is better spent where the growth is predictable.

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