It’s a little troublesome having a high bounce rate. This essentially means that a user was on your page and then left (bounced) rather than continuing to view other pages. A high bounce rate is a conversion killer.

Because bounce rate measures people who bounced off a single page, it shows that they didn’t explore other pages of your website. If they peruse your content and explore your site, it’s more likely to lead towards a conversion.

So there could be two options as to why your bounce rate is too high

  • You’re attracting the wrong kind of user to your page
  • You’re attracting the right kind of user, but they’re finding the information they want right away.

 

Whenever I think of bounce rate I think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: bounce rate can’t be too high or too low, it has to be just right. Here are some tips to engage users and stabilize your bounce rate that even Goldilocks would approve of:

  • Use common sense when choosing how your webpages should navigate. How many times have you searched for something simple, and you search and search but can’t find it? I have experienced that, and it’s not a good strategy to reduce bounce rate. The natural reaction to that kind of process is frustration and you don’t want to frustrate potential customers! Think of a solid navigation strategy as good customer service, and good customer service is more likely to lead to a conversion.
  • Make sure you have a sleek and attractive design. Having a great design for your website will encourage people to stay, and make it easier to read. It’s imperative to have a good website design. Here are some examples of attractive website designs that may inspire you.
  • Do you have a strong mobile website? I cannot stress enough how important a strong mobile website is. Sure being mobile friendly is great, but your website needs to be “usable” if it wants to survive. A usable mobile website will open so many more channels of consumers for you and make it easier for them to navigate across multiple pages.
  • Be clear about the intentions of the website. Ensure that you are serving a customer experience conducive to what they are expecting based on the keywords that bring people to your pages. A user’s experience should be as consistent as possible.
  • Have a search bar and make sure it is easy to use. I’m a big fan of the search bar, and this will give users and easy way to refine what they’re looking for. If a user has the option to search for what their looking for within your site, they will naturally migrate to your different pages.

These are simple yet effective ideas to implement into your strategies and will help reduce your bounce rate and increase your conversions. Who doesn’t want that?

Source: searchenginewatch

Picture: iconceptsmarketing