Are your website conversions meeting industry benchmarks? What conversion rates should you realistically expect, and is it possible to predict them? How can you improve conversion performance without increasing traffic? Аlina Zaiets, marketing expert and CEO of the B2B Marketing Pot agency, shares her insights and answers to these and other key questions.

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Step 1. Planning for Results

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Before creating a new page on your website, ask yourself the most important question: “What is its purpose?” Your goal will shape every subsequent decision—how the page should look, what content it should include, and how you will measure its performance.

It is equally important to understand where users will come from and what their intent will be when they land on the page. That intent influences the outcomes—how many visitors will stay, what actions they will take, and whether they'll complete your target conversion (such as making a purchase or filling out a form).

Let’s explore a few examples to see how user behavior and traffic sources can influence your performance expectations.

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Case 1. SEO-Optimized Page

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If you’re creating a page specifically for SEO purposes, here’s how to realistically assess its potential:

• Collect and cluster keywords.
  Start by gathering a list of relevant keywords that users might use to find your content. Then, group these keywords into semantic clusters, each representing a distinct topic or intent. Each page should correspond to a single keyword cluster, as a page targeting multiple unrelated clusters is unlikely to rank well in search engine results.
• Estimate traffic volume for your target geo.
  You should understand the traffic potential within your geographic target. Even if your page ranks #1 for all keywords in a cluster, the maximum traffic you expect is about 28% of the search volume.
  Example: If a keyword receives 1,000 searches per month and your page ranks first on Google, you can expect around 280 visits/month.
  In reality, the situation is often less optimistic. From experience, a more realistic expectation is to aim for an average 5th position in search results. If you’re targeting a keyword cluster with 1,000 monthly searches, you can expect about 63 visits/month.
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• Assess the conversion rate.
  Conversion rate depends on the page’s goal and user query. Informational pages typically see 0.1–5%, while landing pages can see 10–15%. This means that if your page achieves a 5% conversion rate (which is quite good, especially for B2B companies), you can expect around three leads per month from those 63 visits. However, not every contact will necessarily be a high-quality MQL (marketing qualified lead). Therefore, it's crucial to break down the entire funnel into individual stages and calculate the conversion rate at each step.
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• Calculate the cost and duration of the promotion.
  Assess each keyword cluster separately to calculate cost per MQL, per client, or per funnel stage. This helps determine if the investment is justified.

Once you have all the metrics, you can calculate the cost per MQL, per client, or for each stage of the funnel. Only then can you decide whether it makes sense to proceed with this page, if the cost per stage aligns with your benchmarks.

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Case 2. Advertising Page

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When dealing with paid traffic, the evaluation approach is similar to SEO but adapted for the advertising model. The key difference here is that traffic cost is calculated based on advertising metrics such as CPC (cost per click), CPM (cost per mille), or CPA (cost per action).

Since paid ads typically bring in an audience with a clear intent, CTR benchmarks for these pages can often be higher than those for SEO. Additionally, advertising landing pages can target specific goals, boosting their effectiveness.

Case 3. Outreach Campaign Page

If you’re creating a page for users from your emails or social media outreach campaigns, pay close attention to its content. Ensure the page supports or complements the information you share in your messages.
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Similar to the previous cases, start by calculating the size of your database, the expected open rate, the anticipated CTR, and then move on to the conversion rate on the page.

Case 4. Expertise Confirmation Page

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If you're creating a page to demonstrate your company’s expertise and experience or to present a unique service or product, don’t expect it to generate immediate conversions. The main reason is the lack of relevant traffic that could deliver tangible results. If you’re directing users to this page from other parts of your site via pop-ups or other methods — it's important to evaluate the expected performance: potential traffic volume, expected CTR, and conversion rate for this page.

The key outcome at this stage: a calculated funnel with SMART goals. Instead of setting vague targets like “increase conversions” or “achieve growth,” focus on quantifiable, time-bound objectives. For example, instead of aiming for a 3% conversion rate in the first month, set a concrete goal like “generate 3 MQLs between DD.MM.YYYY and DD.MM.YYYY.” This makes it easier to assess how ambitious and realistic your target is — and to measure actual results against the plan.

Step 2. Tracking Results

Once the page is published, the next step is to verify that tracking is working correctly:

Is the page indexed?
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You can check this via Google Search Console or by searching in Google using site:page_URL.

Are all relevant events tracked in GA4?
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Ensure that key actions on the page — such as button clicks, form submissions, or chat interactions — are being properly tracked in Google Analytics 4. It’s best to configure GA4 through GTM, as this allows for easier updates and more accurate data transmission validation.

Is the heatmap working?

Use tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity.

If everything is set up correctly, it’s a good idea to transfer your analytics data into platforms where you can analyze the full funnel and compare actual performance against your goals (Excel, Looker Studio, Tableau, or similar tools).

A sample Looker Studio dashboard where the chart automatically updates according to geography, selected page, and time range.

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Step 3. Improving Results
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Once your full funnel is properly tracked, you can move on to the next phase — optimization. The key question is: how do you choose which pages to improve? It’s best to focus on pages that already have traffic and whose intent is closely aligned with the desired action.

Here’s how to assess page intent:

For organic traffic, use Search Console to analyze the search queries that lead users to the page.

For other traffic sources, base your analysis on the specifics of each channel:

• Ad keywords reveal whether you're targeting an audience that already shows demand.
• Targeting and messaging in your ads or outreach campaigns can indicate whether you’re reaching a cold audience and help define their likely intent.

Once the target pages are selected, analyze the funnel for each one and compare the actual results with your initial expectations:

If traffic is lower than expected:
Review and improve your promotional efforts.

If traffic brings no conversions:
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Use heatmaps to see how far users scroll and whether they reach your CTA (Call to Action).

• If fewer than 60% of visitors reach the CTA, consider moving it higher on the page.
• If 60% or more see the CTA but don’t engage with it, check whether the form or action element functions properly.
• If everything works technically, compare user intent with your CTA and lead magnet. If there’s a mismatch, revise the CTA and/or the lead magnet accordingly.
  Test different variations and measure the results.
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We had a client for whom we changed the lead magnet on a single page six (!) times. Through gradual testing, we were able to increase the conversion rate from 0% to 12% — without changing the traffic volume.

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That’s why it’s critical not to stop too early. If you know you’re getting high-quality, targeted traffic, keep refining until it converts.

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Special offer from Alina: request our research featuring 50+ lead magnets used by top tech companies. We’ll send you the latest version!

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The better your funnel and tracking are set up, the faster you’ll be able to identify the bottlenecks on your page and understand why it’s not delivering the expected results.

On most websites, excluding e-commerce, only about 5% of pages truly generate meaningful outcomes. That’s why it’s so important to know which pages are performing and to optimize them regularly, ideally every month or at least once a quarter. This focused approach allows you to achieve maximum results with minimal spending.

Consider how many pages on your site convert visitors into high-quality leads, how often those pages are updated, and whether your current conversion rate aligns with your expectations or market benchmarks. The answers to these questions will be your first step toward unlocking further improvements.

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