Probably the most important aspect of any online course is the completion rate.

You can make a case for more meaningful metrics (and I would agree) but the bottom-line is that if people don’t finish the course then the other metrics become useless in a way.

Step one is course completion, and in the world of online courses completion rates leave a bit to be desired.

I am going to hold off on going into all the data in this post. If you are interested in learning more about the completion data from the world’s most popular online course platforms then have a look at this interview I did with my friend Troy Dean from Rockstar Empires (you may also know of him from WPElevation).

Seriously, go check it out – I’ll wait here 😉

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Okay, welcome back! You no see what I mean when I say that completion rates are really the lifeblood of any online training program. If you have low completion rates then the course offering will likely be pulled.

If you are selling an online course, then at some point this could come to haunt you. It sends a clear message: your content is not that interesting. It is also an indication that you’re not connecting with your learners.

So what can you do about it?

There isn’t a magic bullet formula, but there is something close. The one thing you can focus on to help increase your completion statistics is fostering a community. In fact, this is something I have harped on before.

Putting an emphasis on user engagement through LMS interaction points and community development is a proven way to help improve your course’s rate of completion. If you are selling your courses, then you will see that as the rate goes up, so will your bottom line.