A “bounce” refers to when user visits a website and then immediately exits the site without any interaction. This “bounce” can be called a single-page session. Bounce rate refers to the rate of sessions that are single-page sessions. To calculate your bounce rate, divide the number of single-page sessions.
Bounce rate matters because it reflects the quality and design of your website. If people leave your website immediately after entering without interaction, something about your website is driving users away. A high bounce rate can also hurt your SEO rankings, making it harder for people to discover your website. Improving your bounce rate increases the number of people interacting with your website and brand.
Ideally, you want a bounce rate of 0%, but that is nearly impossible. However, it is generally accepted that you have a good bounce rate if your bounce rate is below 40%. On average, the bounce rate is between 26% and 70%, so if you are on the lower end of that spectrum, you are doing a pretty good job.
Most website builders (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, etc.) have a bounce rate analytics tool built into their platform that the website owner can access. External programs like Google Analytics can also calculate the bounce rate on your behalf. If you want to calculate the bounce rate yourself, find the number of single-page visits and divide that by the total number of visits, and you will get your bounce rate.
Since having a high bounce rate can negatively impact your business, it is important to reduce the bounce rate as much as possible.
One of the reasons that people are not interacting with your site is that it has a poor user experience. Poor user experience can be from poor visuals, poor site navigation, or lack of optimization for mobile devices, among other things. Users will only interact with your website and take their business elsewhere if your website looks manageable.
Another reason people will immediately click off a site is if your website is not presented how you advertised it. If you have a particular brand voice on your social media pages and it needs to be reflected on the website, people might believe the website needs to be more credible and relevant. If you advertise that your website can do something for the customer and they cannot complete that function when they visit the site, they are likely to leave. Ensure that if you are advertising your website, the user knows what to expect when they visit.
Users might be clicking off your site because it lacks a clear call to action. If a user visits your website and it needs to be clarified what the user needs to do to accomplish their goals on that website, they will log off and try to find a website that can. One way to create a clear call to action is to have a landing page communicating the website’s purpose and how they can best interact with it.
A great way to find out why users aren’t sticking around is to ask them directly. One way to do this is to create a landing page with a short survey. This can have mixed results, as surveys are not the most reliable way to get information from your customers, but it is an excellent way to get a feel for what they are thinking. Another way is to redesign the website and conduct A/B testing. See what web design tactics work the best and implement them in the final website.
If your website hasn’t been updated in a while, it might drive people away looking for relevant information. Ensuring your website is up to date is an excellent way of getting users to interact with your site. This update can be through interactive visuals, photos, videos, and other marketing content.
Reducing your website’s bounce rate is important for growing and expanding your brand. Once you find the blind spots on your website affecting your bounce rate, it is important to make changes that better suit the consumer’s needs. With a few easy fixes, you can bring more people onto your website and allow your business to tell its story.
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