If we are talking about trampolines, basketballs or even Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, being bouncy is a wonderful thing. If we are talking about your website, though, being bouncy is not so wonderful. In fact, it could be downright disastrous.
A website’s “Bounce Rate” represents the percentage of visits in which the visitor lands on only one page within your website and then leaves instantly. In other words, the visitor arrives on your site, finds no reason to click anywhere or visit any other part of your site, and then leaves to go to another site.
As Google’s Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik describes it:
…rather than I came, I saw, I conquered, the action is I came, I saw, Yuck, I am out of here.
How many people are bouncing from your website? Do you know?
Although the Bounce Rate is going to vary based on the type of site and the type of web page, the higher the rate the worse it is for your business. Typically a Bounce Rate over 50% is something to be seriously concerned about, as it would mean that the majority of your site visitors are not compelled to spend more time with your brand. Worse yet, it could potentially mean that your website is completely turning them off.
You can easily find the Bounce Rate for your site in your web analytics package. The Bounce Rate can be filtered to represent the percentage of visits to your entire website, to your website from specific sources (e.g., Google organic search, online ads, partner sites) and even to specific pages within your site regardless of source.
Examining your site’s Bounce Rates can be illuminating. The Bounce Rate can reveal poor performing online marketing campaigns, just as it can reveal site content that does not resonate with your target audience.
When you see high Bounce Rates, try testing alternatives. Perhaps you need to test a new page header, or new Calls-to-Action on your web page, or different imagery, or the length of text on the web page, or the addition of contextually relevant links, or…you get the idea. Or perhaps there are web pages that you need to eliminate altogether.
So dig into your web analytics, leverage your Bounce Rate, and take corrective action to improve your website and online marketing ROI.
These are just a few tips to help you improve your website. If you need additional help, let me know below or at www.WebsiteMarketingNOW.com. Thanks!
