Almost anyone familiar with Google Analytics should understand how crucial a website’s bounce rate is to the overall success of the site. Unless you’re running a single-page site, bounce rate is one of the most important terms of eCommerce. It is a statistic that all eCommerce business owners, especially online merchants, should work to improve because a healthier bounce rate will improve your site rank and visibility.
Many newcomers become overwhelmed by analytics and mistakenly assume that a bounce rate is the amount of time someone spends on a site before they ‘bounce’ away to another site. This, however, is not the case. In layman’s terms, a bounce rate calculates the percentage of website visitors who leave your landing page without interacting or continuing on to other pages of your site. If your bounce rate is 70%, it means that 70% of your visitors have come to your site but only viewed the single page they landed on. This means a visitor can spend an hour on one page without improving the overall bounce rate. You only have a few seconds to make a great impression, engage a browser and encourage them to move on to another page of your website so make sure things have been built to encourage engagement!
According to Google Support, a high bounce rate can be caused by one or many different factors. These factors can include your site design, incorrect implementation of tracking codes, boring site content, irrelevant links or keywords, and more. Here are some tips on figuring out how to improve the bounce rate for your online store!
1. Pinpoint the Issues
To improve bounce rate, you must understand the root of the problem. Bounce rate can be caused by problems stemming from internal, external, marketing or consumer actions. Google analytics will give you some idea of where the improvements need to be made but if you’re still in the dark, consider turning to coworkers or friends who are willing to give your site a walk-thru.
2. Internal Issues
Though there are many internal issues that can affect your bounce rate, some of the most common culprits include site design and navigation. If your design is lacking appeal or your site looks dated and untrustworthy, visitors will leave quickly, with no continued engagement. If your site looks beautiful but the navigation is confusing, you’ll miss the opportunity to direct traffic flow to other pages of your site. Work on creating a need to explore more of your website and then add clear internal link buttons. This can be done by:
- recommending and linking similar products or articles
- splitting blog posts into two pages
- referencing archived posts in new articles
- putting interesting links on a sidebar
- adding a ‘learn more’ tab to products
- or simply adding more internal links to your existing content
Splitting a blog post into two pages is one of our favorite ways to accomplish this goal… follow our example here to learn more!
Click here to continue reading part two of 5 Quick Ways to Improve Bounce Rate, which covers marketing issues and visitor habits that may be damaging your bounce rate.
If you have any questions about your bounce rate, leave it in the comments below!
Inspired by her love of travel, Susan is a passionate supporter of eCommerce software and the idea that people should own their own internet business (so they can work from anywhere in the world). Though she currently resides in California, she is often found blogging from random beaches and teaching her kindergartner the delightful difference between ‘hola’ and ‘ciao’.
With a strong past in product evaluation, educational content, and eCommerce sales, Susan is serious about helping online merchants succeed in their goals. She loves meeting other independent business owners on the road and hopes to run into you one day… maybe in the hammock next to her!