What is bounce rate? How do I find out what my site’s bounce rate is? And how do I improve it?
These are common questions business owners have when they see a Google Analytics report of their website statistics.
If you don’t have Google Analytics installed on your website, then you’re missing critical insight you need to improve your online marketing results. It’s easy to incorporate onto your site and it’s free. There are many resources to help you better understand how to use it, such as How to Set Up Google Analytics on Your Website.
What is a Bounce Rate?
Your bounce rate is the percentage of page visitors that exited your website on the same page they used to enter it. That means that the user either didn’t find what they were looking for or they didn’t like what they found. They arrived on your site and they left without spending time on the page, or clicking through to other pages within your site.
Why do I have a high bounce rate?
- Long page load times/bad hosting
- Outdated or unattractive web design
- Unresponsive site (your page is not optimized for mobile devices)
- Broken links
- Your content is not optimized for conversion
- The page content is not in line with the visitors expectations
An infographic from KISSmetrics provides information and statistics about bounce rates. Some of the key points are:
Pop-up ads, surveys, music, or streaming video.
Instant pop-ups can be big culprit. And a soundtrack on your site can startle and annoy visitors. Video on the other hand, is an important part of your content strategy and it can significantly decrease your bounce rate. Make sure the visitor has control over playing the video; videos that start automatically can increase your bounce rate.
Ad and landing page messages.
Are you are running online advertising campaigns that have high bounce rates? The reason could be that the ad copy (the words that entice the viewer to click) don’t match the content on the landing page, or the content doesn’t live up to the promises of the ad.
Tips to Improve Bounce Rate
A simple navigation menu can help users find what they need and a search bar is one way to help them out even further.
If the page in question is a landing page, then you want to scrap the menu bar and keep the viewer focused on the page. The goal is to get them to convert; signing up for your mailing list, requesting a quote, booking an appointment, or downloading a PDF or whitepaper.
View the KISSmetrics infographic (click to enlarge):
Other blogs you might like: Get Conversions! 8 Things Your Landing Pages Must Have
Bounce rates are only one piece of analytics insight.
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