When running a site for your business, one of the key signs that something needs to be adjusted is a high bounce rate. Simply put, a “bounce” is when your visitors exit your website without viewing additional pages. Your bounce rate shows the percentage of visitors who do this. Although there is always going to be some amount of bouncing that is natural, high rates could be a sign that your site isn’t holding users’ attention in the way it should. Below are six actionable tips to reduce your bounce rate and maintain users’ interest.
1. Increase Site Speed
Your site’s loading speed is typically the initial impression visitors have, and it can make or break the experience. When page load time is increased from 1 second to 3 seconds, the chance of a bounce increases by 32%, Google says. Browsers crave immediate satisfaction and won’t wait around for a sluggish site. Getting your site optimized can involve such activities as compressing big photo files, enabling browser caching, and using a fast host provider. These are enhancements that will grab visitors’ attention as soon as they visit your site, and services like King Kong can help you achieve your site speed goals.
2. Maximize Readability of Content
Random content organization will have users clicking away the second they come to your page. Readability isn’t just an issue of sentence construction and spelling but also content organization as a visual element. Make your page simple with an uncluttered organization, consistent font sizes, and generous white space. Use subheadings, paragraph breaks, and don’t give visitors walls of text. Presenting information in a clear manner makes a huge impact on a visitor’s ability to take in key information in one glance and stay interested.
3. Enhance User Experience (UX)
User experience is all that a visitor experiences on your site, from navigation menus to visual style. Your visitors will be gone in an instant if your site is clunky, clumsy, or difficult to navigate. Attempt to do a usability test to identify points of pain within your UX. Elements like having an easy-to-understand structure of your website, responsive features of design, and easy-to-use navigation menus can make quite a difference with regard to usability. Smooth user experience dissuades visitors from getting frustrated and enables them to spend more time on your site.
4. Use Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
You’ve got a web visitor, what else do you want them to do next? A clear, prominent call-to-action communicates your intention and encourages visitors to take the next step. Whether reading a blog, subscribing to a newsletter, or looking at your product, CTAs need to be seen. Use action verbs like “Explore Features” or “Get Started” and place them in a position where they are prominently visible in your content. Above all, never confuse visitors with multiple CTAs because this will result in indecision, not action.
5. Optimize for Mobile Users
With more than half the world’s web traffic originating from mobiles, it’s never been more critical that your website is mobile-optimized. A responsive website consistently alters its design depending on the device a user is accessing from, ensuring an easy and pleasurable experience to use. Then focus on making touch-friendly buttons and simpler navigation menus for users on mobile. This guarantees every visitor, regardless of whether on their mobile or PC, gets exactly the same great experience.
6. Use External Links Wisely
External links will introduce credibility to your content by referring them or providing more information. Too many and/or incorrectly placed links, however, will push users away from your website. Make sure external links are done to open a new window so that users will not leave your site in its entirety. Make sure as well that external links are actually useful and valuable to your users. Quality over quantity is the key here in order to be able to maintain trust and continuous involvement.
Immerse Visitors through Enhanced Interaction
Reducing your bounce rate isn’t something that is going to happen overnight, but if you do these six things consistently, you can reduce drop-off in visitors and get them to linger on your site. Keep the speedy, accessible, and fun experiences at the beginning, and not only will you reduce your bounce rate, but you’ll gain a fan base of your own. Start by reviewing your current site for betterment and get started today building a stronger online presence for your business.
