As a marketer, you know that the bounce rate isn't the only number that matters. But no one wants to see their bounce rate increase! By making these simple changes on your website, you can keep visitors engaged and ensure they don't leave without completing their goal.
A bounce rate is the percentage of single-page visits that a website receives. It's calculated by dividing the number of single-page visits by the total number of visits to that page, and it shows how many people visit only one page before leaving.
In other words: if you have a bounce rate of 50%, then half of your visitors left your site without visiting any other pages.
A high bounce rate can have a negative impact on SEO, as search engines may perceive your content as less relevant or useful. This can result in your site ranking lower within search results or being penalized completely.
But it can also affect conversion rates. If someone arrives at your homepage and doesn't find anything they're interested in, they'll probably leave immediately rather than browse around for other content.
First and foremost, you want to get your site loading time down to under 3 seconds.
If a user leaves your page after waiting too long for it to load, they’re likely not coming back.
The longer it takes for a page to load (e.g., 5 or 10 seconds), the more likely it is that users will bounce from your website entirely and go somewhere else instead.
The next thing you need to do is make sure your call to action is clear and prominent. This means using action verbs like “buy now” or “learn more” in your CTA and using a contrasting colour for the text so it stands out against the background.
Ask yourself: "what do I want the user to do next?" If you're sending them on a journey, what's their first step? The goal of every page on your site should be clear, so make sure that any CTAs take this into account.
Readability is a hot topic in the world of web design and content strategy. Readable copy simply means text that’s easy to scan, understand and interact with. It doesn’t sound very technical or difficult to achieve, but it can be tricky when considering all the elements of a website like layout and design, navigation and functionality — not to mention the extent of your content marketing strategy (if you have one).
The best way to improve readability online is by using shorter sentences that are written in active voice (as opposed to passive voice). The use of power words will also help make sure your message comes across clearly while keeping people engaged. This means using words like ‘how’ instead of ‘what’; ‘why’ instead of ‘when'; and ‘now' instead of 'soon'. To keep readers interested in what you're saying—and therefore less likely to hit backspace—try using bullet points at appropriate points within your copy; this makes it easier for people who might not want to read everything from start-to-finish but still want information about what makes this business different from others. Using headers can also break up long paragraphs into sections that are easier for readers' eyes glaze over after too much scrolling down without actually reading anything substantive!
Finally, remember: white space is your friend! Just because we live in an age where everyone expects everything else around us being filled up with stuff doesn't mean they expect it on websites either -- so take advantage!
A website with a high bounce rate will make people question your credibility. This means that if you’re selling things online, people might not buy from you. They won’t even give you the chance to show them why they should buy from you because they don’t trust that what you are saying is true.
One way to build trust with users is through testimonials—that is, comments about how happy or satisfied customers were with their experience with your product or company. Studies have shown that the more social proof there is on a page (i.e., the number of likes, comments and shares), the lower the bounce rate. Using a third party tool like Yotpo can help collect these testimonials without adding any work for yourself or requiring extra time spent designing an intricate process around collecting them yourself!
One of the easiest ways to improve your bounce rate is by making sure that navigation on your website is clear and consistent. This means:
Hopefully, this post has given you some insight into the bounce rate of your website and what factors may be causing it. A high bounce rate doesn’t necessarily mean that people aren’t finding what they need on your site—it just means that users aren’t sticking around long enough for you to capture their interest. However, if you know where most people are exiting from (as we discussed above), then it becomes easier for you to make changes that improve user experience and help keep visitors on your site longer!
Contact us for more information on how to optimise your website.
