No website owner wants to see high bounce rates. A high bounce rate indicates that people are coming to your site, but not finding what they’re looking for and leaving immediately.
This can be a sign that your content isn’t relevant to your target audience, or that your site isn’t user-friendly.
There are a number of things you can do to reduce bounce rates and keep people on your site longer. Landing page optimization is one key area to focus on.
Make sure that your landing pages are relevant to the keywords people are searching for, and that they offer a clear and concise path for users to follow.
What is a good bounce rate?
The standard for measuring success isn’t the same. Many digital marketers agree on the need for lower bounce rates.
Generally speaking, this bounce rate depends upon several factors such as information websites have more bounce rates than ecommerce sites as users seeking answers usually exit once they get the answers.
Also affiliate sites can represent a high bounce rate consider the user is clicking to recommending products instead of clicking through to other parts of the site.
Inside this will explain several simple steps anyone can use to create high converting pages with a low bounce rate.
Improve your content’s readability
One reason people may not return to your website is poor readability and poor user experiences with your content.
User experience starts with clear, readable information.
The average internet user has the attention span of a goldfish, so it’s important to make sure your content is easy to scan and understand.
Use short paragraphs, clear headings and subheadings, and include images and infographics to break up text and add visual interest.
It’s also important to ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. More and more people are accessing the internet from their smartphones and tablets, so it’s essential that your site is responsive and easy to use on smaller screens.
Make sure your site is fast and responsive
Another reason people may leave your site quickly is if it takes too long to load. In today’s world of instant gratification, people expect sites to load quickly and efficiently. If yours doesn’t, they’re likely to click away and find one that does.
There are a number of things you can do to improve your site’s speed, including optimizing images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and minifying CSS and JavaScript files.
Use exit-intent popups
Exit-intent popups are a great way to reduce bounce rates by giving users something to take with them when they leave. These popups typically offer a discount or freebie in exchange for an email address, which helps you to build your list even if people don’t stay on your site.
There are a number of WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add exit-intent popups to your site, so there’s no excuse not to give them a try.
In addition if you’re using a landing page builder software that’s web based, typically these platforms offer an exit pop as well.
Keep your blog fresh with the right content
It is always advisable to keep your blog updated. HubSpot says that a firm with regularly updated blogs generates more leads than one that does not.
But it is important that you distinguish between good content and bad content. Powerful content can provoke a wowed response from the viewer, but that doesn’t solve their problem as well. In comparison, the right information is a good way for them, but it gives them actionable suggestions for implementation and produces results for them.
Before Google started incorporating responsive mobile devices into their ranking criteria, mobile bounce rate had been around 60%.
But as a result of this change, the average mobile bounce rate is now 58%.
Make your site navigation easy to follow
If someone lands on your site and can’t figure out how to navigate it, they’re likely to leave in frustration. Make sure your navigation is clear and easy to follow, and that users can always find their way back to the home page.
Breadcrumb navigation can be helpful for this, as it allows users to see where they are on your site at all times.
Include a call to action on every page
Every page on your site should have a clear call to action (CTA) that tells visitors what you want them to do next. Whether it’s signing up for your email list, downloading a free guide, or making a purchase, your CTA should be easy to spot and understand. Including a CTA will help reduce bounce rates by giving visitors a specific goal to work towards.