How to Reduce Website Bounce Rates

A website bounce rate is a marketing term used by search engines and companies. It represents the number of visitors that enter the homepage or a single page within the site and then leave the site without viewing additional pages. A high bounce rate often relates to two factors:

1. A website is acquiring the wrong type of page traffic.
2. A website is acquiring the right type of page traffic.

The second factor means that a website is actually working correctly and customers are able to find the answers they needed based on search results. Websites that solve problems quickly often report higher bounce rates. This makes users come back to websites for information, find the information they need and then quickly move on.

However, websites that are selling something to customers and want them to browse online catalogs need customers to spend additional time on their sites. In cases such as these, having a high bounce rate means less conversions, which equates to less online revenues. Companies that rely on low bounce rates need to have a website that increases the amount of time customers spend on websites. The higher number of page views, the higher chance of conversions.

A bounce rate is different from an exit rate. A bounce rate is the percentage of users that bounce off a single page of a site and do not visit other pages. An exit rate is the percentage of people that leave the site from a certain page.

By reducing the overall bounce rate, companies can help convert customers. Suggestions for decreasing overall bounce rates include incorporating the following:

• Pop-Ups – Pop-ups are cumbersome and disruptive.
• Navigation – Customers prefer websites that have clear, distinctive paths.
• Design – Websites with poor designs turn off users. Websites need to focus on readability and attractive graphics.
• Speed – Websites that take 10 seconds to load will have higher bounce rates.
• Mobile – With more people using Smartphones and tablets to browse the Internet, it’s vital that companies have mobile-friendly sites.
• Priorities – Websites should be designed around a company’s priorities. Whether it’s an informative landing page or a conversion funnel, effectively managing a website is important. If the primary conversion page helps boost sales by 20-percent, this is a positive indication that priorities are working.
• Segments – Nothing is more intimidating than a wall of text. Text should be divided and broken into categories and segments, which makes it easier to digest.
• Consistency – A website design needs to be consistent from the moment a customer enters a site to the moment a customer exits.
• Ad Placement – Google often penalizes websites that have too many ads.
• Color Contrast – Using attractive patterns and colors help engage readers.

Having a website that engages and keeps readers’ attention is an important aspect to having a successful e-commerce business.

Adaptivity Pro specializes in professional Utah web design. Their expert design team focuses on incorporating Utah SEO seamlessly into content, helping boost search results.