Seeing customers leave your site after visiting one page is frustrating.
You’ve used our guide to site design principles, and you’ve got strong content. But something still isn’t quite right.
If you’re not getting the traffic you deserve, it may be time to check out your bounce rate in Google Analytics. Some quick tinkering on your site can increase your ROI and keep people engaged for longer.
Keep reading for some easy ways to retain visitors on your site.
What Does Bounce Rate Mean?
Let’s start with the basics: what is a bounce rate in Google Analytics, and what does it mean for your business?
Google’s official bounce rate page defines the term as, “…the percentage of all sessions on your site in which users viewed only a single page and triggered only a single request to the Analytics server.”
In layman’s terms, your bounce rate is a percentage of users that left your site after visiting just one page.
This means that if you have a high bounce rate, users are fleeing your website almost immediately.
How Can You Reduce Your Bounce Rate in Google Analytics?
Rethink Your Landing Page
If you’ve just looked at your bounce rate in Google Analytics and found that your stomach dropped, that’s okay.
Start by asking yourself what the purpose of your website is. If you’re a business website, for instance, it makes sense that deterred users would be a concern.
But if you’re a small blog or a site that makes money off of advertisements, a high bounce rate isn’t necessarily bad. As long as they see and click on the ad, your site is serving its purpose.
So what purpose do you want your website to serve?
Do you want it to be informational, for instance, where your focus is text and ads? Or are you trying to get users to buy into your product or service?
Feature Internal Links in Your Homepage Copy and Work on a Strong CTA
You already know that linking is critical to your site’s SEO. But one of the easiest ways to get users to other sections of your website is by using internal links. These are simply HTML links that will take users to other bits of your website.
The real key here is to use them correctly. If a user visits your homepage and sees that you’ve spammed your copy with links, they’re going to leave.
You’ll want your internal links to be placed and phrased in ways they make sense. For instance, when your copy talks about a specific part of your product or service, link to it.
It really is that easy.
Of course, writing strong copy in and of itself is a huge factor. Make sure that your page features a strong CTA (call-to-action). Your copy needs to be so compelling that users want to browse the rest of your site.
Create Strong Content
Now, strong content isn’t the same as just posting a well-written blog. You’ll need to nail a few things to really change that bounce rate.
First, make sure that your text is readable. Break up text into easy to read paragraphs that flow in a logical order.
Next, include plenty of links throughout your content. The more well-placed the link, the more likely your audience will be to click on it.
Finally, make sure there’s some visual variety throughout your content. Don’t be afraid to include a video and some photos.
Get The Traffic You Deserve
It’s time to take your site back. While reducing your bounce rate can be difficult, we’d love to help you. Get in touch today and let us assist you in making your website stronger than ever.
