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Deciphering Your Bounce Rate.

For those uninitiated in the world of Google Analytics, the phrase “bounce rate” may bring a few different things to mind. Perhaps you envision the coveted bouncy ball of your childhood, or you may even think it’s how quickly your children can jump on the trampoline. However, the bounce rate is probably the most dreaded metric for any SEO or content manager. Often, we see that the bounce rate increases as traffic does the same, and it’s so difficult to reduce once more.

In a nutshell, the bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave the website from the page they landed on without viewing any other pages before they make their exit. While it’s just about impossible to send your rate down overnight, there are a number of steps you can take that will gradually improve this metric.

Slow load times.
If your web page takes too long to load, your visitors leave. Not only will that deny you the chance to engage them, but it also negatively affects your search engine rankings. If your site is dragging, you may need to review or upgrade your technology, or revise your site’s structure.

Not mobile friendly. 
More and more people access information from their phones and tablets. If your site isn’t compatible with mobile devices and that’s what your visitor is using, they’ll go somewhere else.

Poor content.
Just to be clear, spelling and grammar do count. Visitors consistently rate your site as less trustworthy if you have poorly written copy. Beyond that, your content needs to be clear, concise, and give your users the information they need or lead them to the actions you want them to take. Group your content into categories, bullet points, and easily readable segments.

Excessive advertising and “lazy load” content. 
Intrusive ads annoy site visitors, and that annoyance grows exponentially if they’re forced to wait for the content they want while an ad or popup slowly loads. Video and audio that “autoplay” when someone clicks on your site are distracting and occasionally embarrassing (we’ve all had some loud ad start booming through our speakers or from our phones when we click a link.) It’s much faster to hit that “back” button and go to another site that’s faster and/or less irritating.

Confusing navigation.

Too many links can be confusing and difficult to navigate, especially on mobile devices. Stick to two or three clear navigation links.

Now that you know what signals your bounce rate is sending to you, you can take steps to better engage visitors to your website. If you’re looking to decrease your bounce rate, consider revamping your site–if you feel that it’s outdated–or increase your digital marketing strategy to enhance your user’s experience. On Target Digital Marketing is available to help dynamic brands in their pursuit to engage, educate, and connect with their audience. Call us at 407-830-4550 for additional information. Also, share this post and tell us how your brand engages your audience to decrease bounce rate.