Your bounce rate can tell you a lot about how your traffic reacts to your website. When it’s low, you’ll often notice that your conversation rates are on the rise. In the same vein, when your bounce rate is high, you’ll see a decline in conversions. While it can seem like an endless game, trust that there are ways to improve it. Here we dig into a few ways to reduce your bounce rate and get people to stay on the page.
#1: Update your web design.
If your web design hasn’t been updated in awhile, it can come across as stale to visitors. Also, if it’s cluttered and tough to navigate, people will leave. Make sure you have a clean and refined design that represents your brand. Avoid random pop-ups that can distract the visitor and cause them to jump ship before they’ve had a chance to look around.
#2: Check the content.
Make sure your content is easy to read, informative, and engaging. One of the best ways to do this is through storytelling and letting people gain a little insight into your personal life. Write an honest About Page showing how you were inspired to start your business, or if you’re writing a tutorial about changing a tire, let people know your first experience doing it – mistakes and all.
Also, be sure you break the content up into small, readable paragraphs. Two to three sentences is a good amount for visitors to scan. And always use headers and sub-headers. The easier your content is to read, the better. And remember to pair the text with images that match the theme to get the most out if your landing pages.
#3: Make sure your site has fast upload times.
People want information fast these days, and when your website is slow to load, they won’t stick around to wait for it. Give your site a speed test and analyze the data. You can improve your speed by doing little things like removing a few unnecessary plugins, keeping banners to a minimum, and simplifying your design.
#4: Use keywords to your advantage.
You don’t just want to attract just anyone who is searching for a particular keyword – you want to attract the right audience that will convert. Take into consideration the community of people you’re trying to reach and incorporate the location in your keyword. Remember, you want to find a popular string of keywords that your ideal customers search for (and not just one word).
For example, the word “exercise” is highly competitive and will show a ton of results on Google, and you’ll probably be lost in all of the noise of the back pages. So if you own a gym in Nashville, focus on high volume keywords that are a little more narrowed down such as, “the best exercises for abs.”
#5: Bring in the experts.
If you design and run your own website, but find yourself stuck when it comes to reducing your bounce rate, schedule a consultation with an SEO firm. You don’t have to hire them to run your website, but many will charge a fee and spend an hour or so answering your questions and getting you back on track. This can be a huge time-saver when you don’t want to sift through all of the information online, but want results quickly.
