How to calculate the conversion rate?

I am not so good at math :)...

[mirceagoia]

I want to see how's the conversion of the site where I am webmaster...in percentages.

I'read that 1-2% are the regular conversion rates...I have the feeling that my site's conversion rate is higher (for now, it has about 5000-6000 unique visitors/month and 15,000-18,000 euros/month as sales).

It is a niche site (cookbooks)...

Can anyone give me a formula to calculate the conversion rates?

Thanks,
Mircea

[ogletree]

You would need the number of sales to get that number. All you do is:

# of sales/# of visitors

If you have 5000 visitors and 100 sales then you would have 2% conversion rate.

[webwoman]

Do most people use unique visitors or total visitors to establish conversion rate?

[diamondgrl]

Just based on the figures you give, it sounds like you must have a terrific conversion rate.

[ogletree]

Adsense uses pageviews. It really does not matter. Just use the same thing every time. The best way is to use cookies and try to get a real number of people that come to your site. There is all kinds of things to track. None of them very acurate. You can have a CTR of pageview on your checkout page and see what your CTR is on people that get that far. That is also good to see if you are loseing people at the checkout page. You can have a CTR a single item or page. I think a CTR per page is a real good way to do it that way you know what works better. My stat program will give me number of visitors per page.

[mirceagoia]

Well, the numbers from the last month are:
- 340 orders (17,689,74 euros)
- 6810 unique visitors (I use Webalizer to get this)

So the math would be: 6810/340=20 (would be this 20%?)

If yes then it seems to me that it is a very good conversion rate! (I am not running any Google AdWords or other PPC systems...in fact, I am not running any paid services like this...nor an affiliate systems).

All that I have is Google free search (it seems I am doing good in the searches within my niche market)...

I know I should diversify for increasing the conversion rate...I should get into affiliate programs somehow...and maybe going to a PPC program too...but the owner of the site doesn't want any paid service...so I am kind of stuck...

I should make better the site (more content...not only books)...but again, I can't do it alone...because the site is in a language I don't speak (it has an English version tough but the focus of this site is on people who are speaking that language which is not English)...and the owner doesn't want to be involved too much in this transformation...

I know the site can make much better...I explained to him too...and he expects to make better...but you know, without work and involvement things cannot last very long (especially in this are of commerce: e-commerce).

I am working since 4 years ago with them...I practically built this site from scratch and made it successfull (most of my work is done by telecommuting - me living in another country, not in the country where this company is)...

I am quite happy with them (the owner is a good man and gave me some free hand over the things)...yet, as I said, I feel I am stuck (because I cannot do all by myself especially because I don't speak that language - with the owner and his employees I speak in English)...

I have many ideas but most of them I cannot put it in practice...

Sorry if this sounds like a complain...I felt the need to speak with somebody and this forum is a full of people with experience...and some of them may advice me...

Thanks,
Mircea

[flobaby]

wrong way around for the math:
340/6810=.049
That's about a 5% conversion rate.

[ogletree]

I'm sorry I had it backwords. The bigger number should be on top. I was doing the math right I just did not know how to wright it down.

[Larryhat]

SALES go on top of the fraction
VISITORS (sold or not) go on the bottom.

This gives you a number something like 0.0499.

For PERCENT (sales per hundred visitors) you
want to multiply 0.0499 by 100 giving you
4.99 ... which is just about 5 percent ( 5% )
and a very respectable "conversion rate".

Its another way of saying "5 out of every 100 visitors buy something."
I wouldn't make drastic changes with good results like that, not without a lot of thought.

- Larry

[mirceagoia]

Thanks for everybody :)...

Mircea