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Benchmarks for Commercial Sites (Stores, SaaS, Lead-Gen)

A commercial website is successful when it persuades visitors to take a desired action: buy a product, sign up, or leave their contact details. Every metric should be viewed in light of this goal—the conversion.
Bounce Rate is Critical Here! Unlike a blog, a bounce on a commercial site almost always means a lost customer or lead. Optimizing this metric is therefore a high priority.

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Bounce Rate

ValueInterpretation
> 60%Alarming: Your site is losing the majority of potential customers immediately. Urgent action is needed.
40% - 60%Needs Improvement: A common, but not ideal, range. Analyze your entry pages.
< 40%Good to Excellent: Your site is relevant and encourages visitors to proceed.

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Conversion Rate (measured as an event)

This is the most important metric. It is highly dependent on industry and price point, but there are general guidelines.
ValueInterpretation
< 1%Needs Improvement: There are significant hurdles in the purchase or sign-up process.
1% - 3%Average: A typical range for many e-commerce stores.
> 3%Good to Excellent: Your offer and user experience are very compelling.

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User Flows (User Journeys)

There are no hard numbers here, but rather patterns to watch out for:
  • Good Path: Homepage -> Category -> Product Page -> Cart -> Checkout (few, logical steps).
  • Bad Path: Product Page -> Homepage -> Search -> Product Page. This suggests confusion or missing information.
  • Watch for drop-offs: In the User Flow graph, analyze at which step most users exit. Is it the shipping cost page? The forced registration?

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What to do if your metrics are off?

  • High Bounce Rate?
    • Clear Value Proposition: Is it clear within 3 seconds what you offer and why it’s great?
    • Trust Signals: Display customer reviews, security seals, and well-known payment providers.
  • Low Conversion Rate?
    • Simplify forms: Only ask for the most essential information.
    • Call-to-Action (CTA): Is your ‘Buy’ or ‘Sign Up’ button clearly visible and understandable?
    • Mobile Optimization: Over 50