Lead capture rate

More leads can come from buying more traffic or from converting more of what already arrives. Improving capture rate is usually faster and cheaper. The number is the hinge between traffic and pipeline. A page that holds attention but never asks for details, or asks for too many, wastes every visitor it worked to attract. It also shows the quality of the offer: a sharp, specific one captures people that a vague one loses.

• Divide form submissions by engaged sessions, and write down what counts as engaged so the definition stays fixed.
• Cut the form to the fewest fields needed to follow up. Each extra field loses some people.
• Make the offer specific and useful straight away, such as a calculator, a template or a checklist, instead of a general report.
• Track the rate by page and by traffic source, since a healthy average can hide one weak channel.
• Put a piece of proof, such as a logo or a short testimonial, beside the form.
• Test one change at a time, so a change in the rate can be traced to its cause.

Lead capture rate measures how well a page turns attention into contact details. If 1,000 engaged visitors read a page and 50 submit the form, the rate is 5 per cent. Engaged means visitors who stayed and interacted, not every visit. Counting everyone, including people who left in two seconds, hides how well the offer works for those who actually looked.

• Comparing pages with different audiences and calling the lower one a failure.
• Chasing a higher rate by collecting poor leads. Check what share of captured leads later qualify.