All website owners know how hard it is to get people to visit your website. This is why the last thing you want to do is to chase them away. Your website’s goal is not only to attract visitors; it’s actually to get them to stay which is why bouncing is a very big deal. Once they land on your site, you want them to feel comfortable so that they can check out what you have to offer, engage with you or sign up for your email list.
In order for this to happen, you need to know what bouncing is all about and why it is important.
What Is Bouncing?
Bounce rate refers to the number of people who leave your website after viewing only 1 page or post.
For instance, a person finds your site on Google and clicks the link. He then browses or skims through the site and then hits the back button to go back to the search results. This person has “bounced” from your website.
Why Is It Important?
Bounce rate is important because it is one of the many factors that Google judges when it comes to ranking your site. This can make a big difference if for instance you and a competitor have similar products but their website has a lower bounce rate than yours. Google will rank their site higher than yours.
What’s A Normal Bounce Rate To Have?
0% – 25%: Don’t jump for joy yet. This is probably a fluke. Something on your site might be broken or not set up correctly.
26-40%: This is where websites owners want to be. It means people love your website.
41-55%: Average for most websites in most industries.
56-75%: Higher than what is considered as normal. However, it could also be influenced by factors such as the industry you’re in and your target audience.
76% – 100%: Very bad. Let’s hope something is broken!
Why Are People Bouncing From Your Site?
Here are some of the most common reasons why people are bouncing away from your site:
- It’s taking forever to load
There are literally millions of websites on the internet right now. Many of them could be your competitors. This means that if your site does not load quick enough for them, they will go to one of your competitors and buy from them instead.
According to studies, 25% of users leave a website if a page does not load in 4 seconds. This is 1 in 4 people who won’t get to see your site without even seeing what you have to offer.
You can’t expect people to browse on your website and get to know you if it’s taking you an eternity to load.
- Annoying Pop-ups
Maybe your pop-up game is a bit too strong. Nothing says annoying more than having pop-ups literally pop-up every time you click a page or swipe down or up.
This is particularly annoying when it happens right after you land on the homepage. When pop-ups happen too quickly, guests don’t have a chance to figure out what you’re all about one of 3 things will happen: they’ll leave your site because your pop-up was annoying, leave because the x closing isn’t clearly visible or they’ll hit the x closing without reading what your pop-up is all about. Either way, you lose – 3 times.
- Confusing Navigation
Some website owners want to be unique so they want to try new things. However new designs can be confusing especially if users can’t figure out how to get to the next page or find what they’re searching for.
There are many amazing websites on the internet but with confusing navigation. If users can’t navigate your site easily, they will leave.
- Design Strains The Eyeballs
This is in extension to the above factor. Some owners really want to stand out so they experiment with font, font size, colors, images, etc.
The danger of this experimentation lies in the effect it has on the readers. For instance, cursive or handwriting fonts look cute but they are also harder to read. Bright colors or the wrong color combination can strain the eyes or make it hard for the user to read content.
- Not Showcasing Enough
Let’s say you’re page loads quickly and you don’t have annoying pop-ups, your navigation is easy and your site is readable – so why are you still bouncing people from your site?
This is probably because you’re not showcasing enough. People might want more content or info from you and you’re not providing them with what they need.
Consider showing related articles at the end of your blog post. For example, if you’re blogging about SEO mistakes, you can include links at the bottom of your post for more follow-up articles. You are not only keeping a visitor on your website longer, you are also building a trusting relationship with them by increasing your credibility.
When it comes to bounce rates, it pays to keep users and user experience in mind.
What’s your website’s bounce rate? A Sydney Web Designer can help provide an intelligent and innovative website so that you can avoid high bounce rates and improve user experience.
