Summary: New page: <p>A bounce is when someone comes to your website and leaves after only visiting one page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounce_rate bounce rate] is the average of all users who do th…
<p>A bounce is when someone comes to your website and leaves after only visiting one page. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounce_rate bounce rate] is the average of all users who do this, even if they stay on the page for an hour, it is still considered a bounce. There are a few scenarios when a high bounce rate shows your site’s success, but it can more often prove problematic. If a visitor remains on only one page, it is unlikely that they will sign up for your email list, or actually purchase something. If you want to get those conversions, you have got to get that second click. You want people to spend a lot of time on your site, and not just on your home page. There are quite a few ways to lower your page’s bounce rate.</p>
<p>Start by improving your page’s load time. Most people do not have the patience to wait around for pages that load slowly, especially if they are trying to slip some online shopping in during their lunch break at work. Pages that load slowly look unprofessional and poorly maintained. You do not need everything on the page to load quickly, but it does need to look comprehensible in less than 8 seconds. </p>
<p>Get rid of obnoxious additions such as any pop-ups, unless it happens to be [http://www.bestrank.com/services/online-display-advertising-services online display advertising], you might have. Respectable websites no longer have pop up windows, and they always annoy visitors. You should also turn off any auto play videos or audio you might have. Videos that play as soon as you arrive can be distracting. If I visit a website with music playing that I cannot turn off, I immediately leave the site, and many other users do as well. </p>
<p>Choose [http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colors.asp colors] that are non-aggressive, but easy to read. Black on a white background is always good, but if you hope to design your page a little more creatively, make sure it is easy to read. Gray or yellow are difficult to see, and even bright colors on a black background can be hard on visitors’ eyes. Stick with a clear font style, such as Arial or Verdana, and dark fonts on a lighter background.</p>
<p>Your site’s navigation can be a huge factor in whether or not you get that second click. It is important to have your links separated by frames so when users scroll below the fold, they still have a navigation bar in view. If it is difficult to find your site map or if links are images that take a long time to load, you will not have a good chance of lowering your bounce rate. People should get engaged with your website, so spend some time making sure each page is easily accessed. </p>
<p>Find out where your traffic is originating. There are sites that send you bad traffic, and these users simply leave after realizing your page is not the one they want. The best way to eliminate bad traffic is with an analytics program, such as [http://www.google.com/analytics/ Google Analytics]. You should not partner with sites that do not send you conversions. You can also figure out which keywords are creating bounces and remove them (which saves you money) or you can improve your site to make it more relevant to those keywords. </p>
<p>Start by improving your page’s load time. Most people do not have the patience to wait around for pages that load slowly, especially if they are trying to slip some online shopping in during their lunch break at work. Pages that load slowly look unprofessional and poorly maintained. You do not need everything on the page to load quickly, but it does need to look comprehensible in less than 8 seconds. </p>
<p>Get rid of obnoxious additions such as any pop-ups, unless it happens to be [http://www.bestrank.com/services/online-display-advertising-services online display advertising], you might have. Respectable websites no longer have pop up windows, and they always annoy visitors. You should also turn off any auto play videos or audio you might have. Videos that play as soon as you arrive can be distracting. If I visit a website with music playing that I cannot turn off, I immediately leave the site, and many other users do as well. </p>
<p>Choose [http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colors.asp colors] that are non-aggressive, but easy to read. Black on a white background is always good, but if you hope to design your page a little more creatively, make sure it is easy to read. Gray or yellow are difficult to see, and even bright colors on a black background can be hard on visitors’ eyes. Stick with a clear font style, such as Arial or Verdana, and dark fonts on a lighter background.</p>
<p>Your site’s navigation can be a huge factor in whether or not you get that second click. It is important to have your links separated by frames so when users scroll below the fold, they still have a navigation bar in view. If it is difficult to find your site map or if links are images that take a long time to load, you will not have a good chance of lowering your bounce rate. People should get engaged with your website, so spend some time making sure each page is easily accessed. </p>
<p>Find out where your traffic is originating. There are sites that send you bad traffic, and these users simply leave after realizing your page is not the one they want. The best way to eliminate bad traffic is with an analytics program, such as [http://www.google.com/analytics/ Google Analytics]. You should not partner with sites that do not send you conversions. You can also figure out which keywords are creating bounces and remove them (which saves you money) or you can improve your site to make it more relevant to those keywords. </p>
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