Conversion rate
The proportion of visitors, prospects or leads who complete a desired action at a given funnel stage. Calculated by dividing conversions by total entries at that stage, expressed as a percentage.
In practice
Overall e-commerce B2C conversion rates typically sit at 1-3% (visitors to buyers). In B2B SaaS, the conversion rate from free trial to paid subscription ranges from 2-10% depending on onboarding friction and perceived value. A 0.5-point improvement on 10,000 monthly visits generates 50 additional customers per month. Structured A/B tests — with isolated variables and sufficient duration — are the most reliable method for systematic improvement.