Updated: Feb. 2015
A bounce rate is the percentage of single page visits to your website where the visitor left from the same page that they entered. A bounce rate for a website can indicate many factors. It can be an indication of user experience and satisfaction, as a high bounce rate could mean that the reader didn't find the information valuable or what they were searching for at all. It can also be a sign that your landing pages or content aren't enticing enough to keep potential customers interested.
During the past year, Google has started to take bounce rates into greater consideration when ranking websites. Which just increases the importance of monitoring this statistic closely and working to lower it.
I use the bounce rate to evaluate web page changes, user experience and overall satisfaction and I know that if I can reduce a websites bounce rate I can increase the conversion.
So I created a Bounce Rate Scale.
Bounce Rate Scale
Bounce Rate 80% and above
You are not connecting with your audience and they are arriving at your page expect one thing and not finding it.
Review these items
- Is the navigation easy to find? Do you have a clear next path for your user?
- Could you be ranking for an irrelevant keyword or keyword phrases?
- Does your keyword have multiple meanings? Apple as in iPod or as in fruit
- Does your content selling?
- Visually is your web site dated? Does it look trustworthy?
Once you review these items, take action to revise your content. Add visible next step and test new offers. If using Google Adwords, YSM or MSN AdCenter consider adding negative keywords or refining your keyword list.
Bounce Rate of 60 - 79%
You are connecting with some of your users but a lot of visitors were expecting something else.
Review these items
- Content, how do you make it sell or motivate better?
- Review top keywords by doing a search in Google, Yahoo, or MSN to see what other sites might be doing. If you find something is missing, make changes to your web site.
- Add action text links in the copy that link to your next step.
- Consider adding video or a story telling graphic to get visitors to stay longer and learn about your product or services. The longer they stay, the more likely they will read more and take action.
Bounce Rate of 45 - 59%
You are doing things right but need to fine tune and keep testing. We recommend you test one item at a time to gauge how each change impacts your visitors.
Review these items
- Test new offers to see how they perform.
- Test new graphics and text.
- Look to refine paid keyword lists by using negative keywords.
Bounce rate under 44%
If your bounce rate is running consistently under 44% review that page and identify what is working and transfer it to other pages. Some people would argue that 44% is too high, but I have viewed stats for over a decade and I based on some crazy stuff I have seen, I think this is a good number to aim for.
If you'd like to enhance your website performance, contact Sales & Marketing Technologies today for a free consultation.