What is Bounce Rate? (And How Can I Fix Mine?)
What is Bounce Rate?
Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who land on your website and leave without interacting with it further. In other words, they "bounce" away from your site. It's an important metric for ecommerce store owners because it can indicate potential problems with your website that are discouraging users from exploring further.
Bounce Rate vs. Exit Rate
Bounce rate is different from exit rate, which refers to the percentage of visitors who leave your website after interacting with it. For example, if someone visits your homepage and clicks through to your products page, then exits the site from there, that's considered an exit instead of a bounce. It's important to track both metrics to get a fuller picture of how users interact with your site.
Bounce Rate Formula
The formula for calculating bounce rate is straightforward:
Bounce rate = total number of bounces / total number of visits
What is a good bounce rate?
This is a tricky question to answer because it varies depending on the type of website you have. Generally, the lower your bounce rate, the better. However, some ecommerce sites may have higher bounce rates due to factors like a limited product line or a high volume of first-time visitors. As a general rule of thumb, though, anything under 40% is considered good, and anything over 70% is cause for concern.
High Bounce Rate
If your website has a high bounce rate, it could be due to a number of factors, including:
- Slow site speed
- Poor design or user experience
- Irrelevant or low-quality content
- Technical issues like broken links or error messages
- Unclear calls to action
How to Reduce High Bounce Rates
If you want to reduce your website's bounce rate, there are several steps you can take:
1. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
More and more internet users are browsing on their phones, so it's crucial that your website is optimized for mobile. This means using responsive design, minimizing load times, and making sure all text is legible on smaller screens.
2. Look at your bounce rate based on different sources.
Is your website's bounce rate higher for users coming from organic search, paid ads, or social media? If you notice a pattern, it could indicate that your site isn't delivering on the expectations set by these different channels. Taking steps to streamline your messaging and content for each channel could help reduce bounce rates.
3. Avoid other disruptions that might hurt the user experience.
Make sure your website doesn't have any intrusive pop-ups, autoplay videos, or other features that might frustrate visitors. You want to make the experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible, so they're encouraged to stay on the site.
4. Determine which keywords this page ranks for — and if your content sufficiently covers those topics.
Finally, take a look at the search terms that bring visitors to your site. If the content on these pages isn't relevant to what users are searching for, or if it's too thin or unengaging, they'll likely leave quickly. Make sure your content is well-written, informative, and delivers on the promise made by the meta title and description.
Let's Bounce
Bounce rate is an important metric that ecommerce store owners should pay attention to. By understanding what causes a high bounce rate and taking steps to address these issues, you can keep visitors engaged and improve your website's overall performance. With the right approach, you can turn bounces into conversions and drive more sales for your business.