How do I improve my bounce rate?
What is a bounce rate?
A bounce is when a visitor comes to a page on your site and leaves instantly. The bounce rate measures how many users stay versus bounce on your site. We can look at bounce rates for any page a visitor may first land on, but in most circumstances we are focusing on a home page’s bounce rate.
If your bounce rate is 60%, that means 60% of visitors leave as soon as they get there. You should aim for a 25 – 40% bounce rate, but goal bounce rates may vary based on a number of circumstances.
How do we reduce our bounce rate?
Let’s look at some of the main causes of high bounce rate to understand how we can optimize our site to get people exploring further.
Your Design
Studies show that people determine within seconds whether they will stay on a site. If the overall look of your site does not appear the way a potential customer desires, they will leave. Remember, the look must reflect your company – professional, trustworthy, cutting-edge, expert, etc. In many cases, your virtual appearance matters more than your office or person because more people from more places will see it and judge your business on it.
Your Message
Your potential customer wants to know that you do or provide what they need and that you’re better than the competition. Tell them. Be straightforward and simple in your messaging. Make it really, really easy for the customer to know they are in the right place. (Also, even if your audience tends to be more savvy, they’ll still appreciate your concise messaging.)
Your Actions
So, people like your look and they realize they are in the right place, but now where should they go? Make the navigation verbally simple, visually clear, and logical. Add buttons and links on the page to help drive people to the next step and make text action-oriented. (Just remember: making sure there are actions to drive people further does not mean adding a ton of clutter to “cover all bases.”)
Conclusion
These are not all of the reasons you may have a high bounce rate, but they are the typical offenders. Remember, your site is one of the major parts of your sales funnel.
The wide end of the funnel is the point a potential clients searches, gets your card or clicks an ad. They land on your site, explore information, determine if they want to contact, fill out a contact form, call or buy. If they leave at any point during their browsing process, it could be a potential customer gone for good.
Look at your bounce rate, find a way to improve it, and reduce that bottleneck in your sales funnel.