What is a bounce rate? A bounce rate, when it comes to digital marketing, is based on the number of people who arrive at your website or landing page, do not take action, and then leave.
The goal of having a website is to attract new users, establish your domain and industry authority, and to validate your search engine ranking. However, your site is only successful if people, well, actually read it. And engage with your various pages. And hopefully, convert into a long-lasting customer.
That’s why a bounce rate — named after the slang term for an exit — is an important metric to understand and follow.
What is a good bounce rate?
Though every brand will have its own success markers, generally speaking, a good bounce rate is anywhere between 20 and 35 percent. However, it can sometimes be tricky to dig deep into your analytics to see the true bounce of a website. Most of the time, it’s better to take it page by page since not all sections of a website are designed for conversion.
For instance, say a lead lands on your About page rather than the homepage. Since this isn’t a sales-focused portion of your domain and is meant to inform, it’s reasonable that it has a high bounce rate. However, if they find your homepage, which is loaded with promotional copy, data and click-bait content, and still bounces, it’s potentially a reason to raise concern.
What’s the difference between a bounce rate and an exit rate?
A key thing to remember is the difference between a bounce rate and an exit rate. Bounce truly means someone came to any page of your webpage, perhaps scrolled, but ultimately didn’t click anything and left.
On the contrary, an exit rate determines which page a user left after spending time on your site. So, this lead clicked on the homepage, then navigated to About, browsed your products, and then exited. The exit rate determines which pages have the most amount of exits based on sessions.
How can you lower a bounce rate?
To begin, make sure you’re schooled on bounce rate best practices within your analytics system. One way to do this is to create a segment that captures new visitors’ activity since they are most likely to bounce off a page compared to returning ones. With this information, you can track what percentage of new visitors decide to leave without taking action and then determine which pages are causing this disinterest.
Of course, content marketing can be a game-changer for your bounce rate. After all, if your copy isn’t clear and concise with straightforward messaging, you may confuse your reader. So the key to an engaging website is to make your goal clear: Do you want them to set up an appointment? Buy a product? Subscribe to a newsletter? Each page should articulate its purpose.
Another significant contributor to bounce rate is the load of the page. If it takes forever to open a single tab, a user isn’t going to wait. Instead, they will click off and visit a competitor to find the information. Likewise, if you’re asking for too much information before a user can get to know your website — say, requiring an email address upon entry — they will bounce. How come? They don’t trust you yet, so why would they share personal information?
Common uses for a bounce rate:
It measures the success of a page based on its unique purpose.
It helps marketers to understand confusing or complicated copy.
It points to potential technical issues that need to be resolved.
It allows marketers to know which pages are the most engaging and interactive.
It can help you reach traffic goals by shifting your strategy.What is a bounce rate? Why does it matter? Here’s our 101 guide. #marketing #contentmarketing Click To Tweet
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