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How is bounce rate calculated?
To calculate a website bounce rate, you’ll need to divide one-page sessions by total sessions. Once you’ve done that, the percentage you have is what you can determine to be your bounce rate. Check if your chosen analytics software has a bounce rate percentage and use that instead of calculating it yourself.
Your bounce rate might vary depending on the month and how broad or narrow your site is. For example, if users are doing extensive research for a trip, they might click on multiple pages within a category (e.g. destination guides for each part of a country they plan to visit).
• You can make this a long-term project with your team, but you may also need external help from a web design agency.
What is a good bounce rate?
Bounce rate benchmarks vary depending on the industry you’re in, and you’ll also see different rates depending on the type of website you have. A threshold that many sites aim for is 26-40%.
Some websites (e.g. eCommerce websites) will deem bounce rates more important than others (blogs). This is because eCommerce websites will often want browsers to browse and buy several products/services, but blogs are designed for information distribution. You need to think about your own website and determine how essential bounce rate is to your metrics.
How does webpage bounce rates compare to each other?
You might see differing bounce rates depending on which webpage you’re checking. For example, if you have a landing page, your aim is to drive customers to a specific action and you must therefore consider your bounce rate. Similarly, you should use your homepage as a funnel to other parts of your site.
Meanwhile, blog posts should focus more on the value and information you provide. Users will click on relevant links if they need more advice, but they typically come to your blog for a specific reason. Repeat visitors might be something to look at for these types of pages instead.
Once you know the pages you should measure bounce rates on, focus primarily on these ones.
Does bounce rate affect SEO?
Yes and no. By and large, it depends on the page type and whether you want it to rank (plus if Google thinks it’s valuable enough). You can also use bounce rates to determine if you need to make changes to parts of your website on pages where you want people to click to something else.
It is worth noting that user experience does form one part of SEO, so you need to ensure that your pages are delivering in that respect.
• Where relevant, add internal links on your page. For example, if you have a related blog post (or the post is related to the products/services you sell), use anchor text and a CTA before adding the link there.
What influences website bounce rate?
Website bounce rate is impacted by multiple aspects, and it’s a good idea to keep each one in mind if your goal is to reduce it. Some contributors to bounce rates are:
- Page Loading Times: You need to make sure that your pages load quickly, and ideally, in less than a second.
- Website Design: Make sure that your website appeals to your audience visually; understand UI practices such as choosing fonts and colors. You should also use a modern design where possible.
- Content Accuracy: Check your content for factual accuracy and answer what your audience is looking for.
- Technical Aspects: Make sure that your links are up-to-date and that 404 error pages are well-optimized if they’re necessary. You should also update your site and theme plugins.
- Mobile Optimization: Make sure that your site is optimized for mobile and desktop.
How can I reduce my bounce rate?
Start by testing your page speed and improving this if needed. Ways you can do this include reducing photo file sizes and installing a site speed optimizer. You should also look for a mobile-responsive site theme.
Next, look at your content. Check for accuracy and relevance before looking for broken links and whatnot. You should also add calls to action, such as telling readers to look at a related article or view a product in your directory.
Conclusion
Bounce rates are impacted by a number of factors, such as site speed and the content you have on your site. You should understand each one before then looking to see where you can improve your website. Some pages naturally have higher or lower bounce rates, so it’s also worth keeping this in mind.
Improving bounce rates requires a consistent effort. You should monitor your pages via analytics software and also listen to user feedback. If needed, consider working with an external agency. You might also want to look at analytics software with bounce rate analytics, such as Google Analytics.
