6 tips that make a big difference to your bounce rate
What exactly does bounce rate mean? When does a visitor bounce? Is it just a visitor who clicks on the back button or is there more to it? And what can you tell from the bounce rate of a website?
What is a bounce rate?
A user bounces if there was no interaction with the target page and the visit ends with a single page. They do not click on a menu element, a "read more" link or other internal links on the page. You can use the bounce rate as a measure that indicates the quality of a website and whether it fulfills its purpose.
What does the bounce rate tell you?
The level of your bounce rate and whether that is good or bad really depends on the purpose of the page. If the purpose of the page is purely to inform, a high bounce rate is not necessarily a bad thing. If the visitor has only visited a page for quick reference or to find an address, it is not surprising that they will leave once they have finished.
If the purpose of a page is to actively interact with your site, a high bounce rate is bad. Let's say you have a page that has a goal of getting visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. If this page has a high bounce rate, you should optimize the page. By adding several clear call-to-action buttons, such as "Book your appointment", at the right points on the page, you can reduce this bounce rate.
Many webmasters pay close attention to the bounce rate as an overall indicator of a site's retention or attractiveness and want to reduce this problematic figure as much as possible.
Here are 6 quick website changes that can make a big difference -
Reduce loading time
The speed and performance of your website plays a big role in whether visitors want to stay or not. The longer your website takes to load, the quicker your visitors will get annoyed and leave your website without looking at another page.
In fact, visitors expect your website to load within 2 seconds or less. Anything slower will result in abandonment and have a big impact on your website's conversion rate.
User experience
The way a user experiences your website is likely to be very different from the way you experience it. Have test users rate your website for usability and give you honest feedback.
Is it easy to navigate?
Is the text easy to read?
Is the design consistent?
Are there enough vacancies - White Space?
Get to the point!
Stay specific and precise - and avoid vague wording.
Avoid interruptions and distractions. Don't use a video ad with a weird, unresponsive close button or a pop-up window hovering over your content.
Fulfill your promise. Don't try to lure your visitors in with chummy texts if you can't deliver what you promise.
Write a clear call to action
Most website visitors decide within seconds whether they want to stay on a website or not. Describe to your visitors what you offer them or where you can help as soon as they land on your website. Write a clear call-to-action so that visitors know what steps they should take.
Keep your blog up to date
According to HubSpot, companies that regularly update their blogs with new content generate 126% more leads than those that do not. However, it is important to differentiate between meaningful content and the right content.
Meaningful content can create a wow experience for your readers, but it may not solve their problems. In contrast, the right content will wow them, but also give them actionable tips that they can implement and get results.
By consistently adding new content, you build trust. If people stay, read and look at other parts of your website, there's a good chance you've built trust and they'll come back.
Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices
Is your website responsive? Does it display perfectly when potential customers visit your website on their iPhone, iPad, tablet or other mobile device?
We live in the mobile age, and a website that isn't mobile-friendly can cost your business dearly. Almost 95% of your customers are on mobile, so your website should be optimized for them.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you understand what bounce rate actually is and what you can do to improve it. I am constantly working to improve my bounce rate and have found that when I regularly write blogs with content that is helpful to my customers, my bounce rate has improved.
Just stick with it and stay consistent. Some of the tips above could yield results pretty quickly. Keep growing your website audience. If you keep your visitors happy, they'll be happy to tell others about you - improving your website traffic, inbound links and lead generation.
