Bounce Rates: Keep Them Low and Use Engaging Content

An important Web metric for companies to measure today is the bounce rate. Avinash Kaushik, author of Web Analytics 2.0, says the bounce rate is “the percentage of sessions of your Web site with only one page view” (Kaushik, 2010). 

Watch the video below to see why Kaushik calls the bounce rate as the "most sexy metric ever."

 

What’s Considered a Good or Bad Bounce Rate?

Many marketers new to Web metrics tend to ask the question, “What is considered a good or bad bounce rate?” Kaushik says a good bounce rate for a standard Web site is between 40 and 60 percent (West, 2012). A bounce rate that is higher than 60% percent is generally considered to be a bad bounce rate.

Reasons for a High Bounce Rate

According to Google, a high bounce rate can be caused by any number of the following factors:

• Single page site: All single-page sites tend to have high bounce rates because Google Analytics does not register multiple page views unless visitors reload that page.
• Incorrect implementation: If you’re seeing a high bounce rate from a multiple-page site, then check to see that you’ve added the tracking code to all of your pages. For more information on how to do this, visit Google’s tutorial here.
•  Site design: If all of your web pages contain the tracking, but you’re still seeing a high bounce rate, Google recommends redesigning the site’s landing pages, optimizing those pages with better SEO, and changing the ads or keywords to better reflect page content.
• User behavior: A high bounce rate can also be related to visitor behavior. “For example, if a user bookmarks a page on your site, visits it, and leaves then that’s considered a bounce.

(Support.Google.com).

How to Improve Your Bounce Rate

There are many ways to improve your bounce rate and one of the most important is meeting user expectations. Jason Squardo, executive vice president of optimization at ZOG Digital, a search and social marketing company, stresses the importance of meeting user expectations. He says, “In order to reduce bounce rate, it’s important to set up users’ expectations through the content—whether that be the call-to-action in an ad or headlines that match blog content” (Hartwig, 2013).

Another way to improve bounce rate is by doing a keyword profile of your business every six months. Use the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to plug in current key terms and follow its suggestions to change up your site copy (West, 2012). Knowing these keywords will help you identify the areas of your site that need improvement. It may even be necessary to change your site navigation and create new pages to speak to your new keywords.

Being active and responsive on social media is another way to improve your bounce rate. Morra Aarons-Mele, founder of the digital cause marketing Women Online, says social media is a way to engage with our consumers without the fear of them potentially leaving your site. She says, “Use social media content to engage people, and keep them informed and entertained. But when you really need to reach them — use email and social media. This way, you can get your content out to people without having to rely on them coming to your site of their own volition, and probably 'bouncing' off” (Hartwig, 2013).

Conclusion

The bounce rate is an important Web metric for businesses to assess if their site's content is truly engaging their online audience. Keeping your visitors on the site longer will help increase more sales and/or subscribers.

What have you done to reduce your bounce rate? Share your tips by leaving a comment below!

References

Hartwig, E. (2013, November 22). How to lower your site’s bounce rate. Retrieved January 19, 2014 from mashable.com/2013/11/22/bounce-rate-metrics/

Kaushik, A. (2010). Web analytics 2.0: The art of online accountability & science of customer centricity. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing

Support.Google.com. Bounce Rate. Retrieved January 19, 2014 from https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1009409?hl=en

West, A. (2012, November 15). 5 ways to use your bounce rate to improve your website. Retrieved January 19, 2014 from http://www.pcworld.com/article/2013967/5-ways-to-use-your-bounce-rate-to-improve-your-website.html