In web
analytics, there are key components in which you can analyze your website’s
data, and your bounce rate should be among the data you analyze. According to
the Web Analytics Association, a bounce Rate is the
percentage of single page visits divided by entry pages (WAA, 2007). Bounce rate is determined by the
percentage of visitors who visit a website and leave without viewing any other
pages on the website. “If you look into your Google Analytics, you will see a
percentage. If you’re average bounce rate, for example, is 75%, this means that
75% of the people who come to your website leave after only viewing the page
they entered on, whether it was your homepage or an internal page” (Hines,
2011).
There are many
factors that can contribute to a site’s bounce rate. Instances include:
·
Viewers leaving the site due to navigation issues.
·
Viewers finding the information they need after viewing
one page of site
·
Viewers not finding what they need or having no interest
after navigating a single page
So, why do
you have a high bounce rate?
Let’s take a
look, shall we? Here are several factors that can cause a high bounce rate.
Pop-ups – Though
pop-ups can increase the amount sign-ups to mailing lists and more, most people
find them extremely annoying to navigate through. You have to test and time
pop-ups well so users do not click the tiny X at the top of their screen.
Poor Design – Viewers with
an untrained eye can determine if a site has a poor design or not. It’s easy to
tell if a site is appealing or not. Don’t believe me? Which would you browse?
Your choice of color and design aren’t the only things that may affect your bounce
rate; usability is also an issue.
Usability – Cluttered sites
give users no desire to stick around. It is hard to get users to stay on a site
they have difficulty navigating around. There are three basic rules you can
follow to allow for easy navigation:
- Website visitors
expect certain things to be in certain places, stick to conventions (like
navigation across the top of the site) in most cases.
- Every square
inch of your website doesn’t need to contain something, whitespace is your
friend.
- Above all else,
users should be able to determine what you do and what you offer within a
few seconds of reaching any page on your site (Hall, 2012).
It is important
to have monitor user behavior if your bounce rate is high. For instance, a user
bookmarking a single page off your site and then leaving should be observed as
this is still considered a bounce. So, how can you improve your bounce rate? The
design of your site and your analytics application can affect your bounce rate.
Improving your bounce rate will require specific changes to your site.
It is also
important to analyze your data. “A general site-wide bounce rate can vary too
much due to the different marketing activities that run concurrently. Consider
your bounce rate for specific traffic sources. Using other dimensions, like medium,
campaign, landing page, to evaluate your bounce rate can also be more
actionable than your general bounce rate” (Google, n.d.).
You can also
improve your bounce rate by adding links to your page, adding links to the
content in your sidebar, and refining your content so users will stick around
and enjoy your site. Making the necessary changes will lower your bounce rate
and don’t forget to link your social media pages to your website. You can
always attract more users to your site and give them a way to stay in contact
with you!
References
Hall, S. (2012,
December 2). Reasons your bounce rate is high (and how to lower it). Retrieved
from http://blog.crazyegg.com/2012/10/02/reasons-bounce-rate-is-high/
Hines, K. (2011, November 1). What you can learn from
bounce rate & how you can improve it. Retrieved from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/what-you-can-learn-from-bounce-rate-how-to-improve-it/
WAA.
(2007, August 16). Web Analytics Definitions. Washington, DC.
No comments:
Post a Comment