If you are an online business person, you might have heard about the term bounce rate. But most of us don’t know what the term bounce rate mean and why it is important in SEO. Thus it is for those who are aware of the term or even not; this post is for all who want to know about the bounce rate and its importance.
WHAT IS BOUNCE RATE
“It is the percentage of time that how long a user stays on your website after visiting your website through SERP Listings and leave it before a significantly mentioned time by the search engine by pressing back button of the browser.” In this way, search engines work to calculate the bounce rate of a website. As lower as the percentage of bounce rate it is as good as for the search engine ranking of a website.
Why It Is Essential From SEO Perspective
Why is it essential from SEO perspective? Let me explain with you an example. When a user searches for an individual query on Google he gets thousands of results. But the user visits the websites which are in the first position or page. After visiting the site if the user finds the answer to his query within or after a significant mentioned time then bounce rate percentage remain low. But if he doesn’t find the answer and bounces back to search results for another better solution then the bounce rate percentage will be high, and the chances are that the Google will not keep the site in the first position or page for a long run (if it is the case with every user). And the site can’t be considered as a quality site. And that’s why it is a major factor to consider.
How to Reduce Bounce Rate
There are many ways through which bounce rate can be reduced. So let me tell you about those ways:-
- Do more with your traffic
All of us know that traffic generation or having traffic on the website is a major factor. But that is not all you have to do to reduce your bounce rate. You have to do more with your traffic by keeping it stable on your website, in simple words need to engage that traffic (users) and to convert them into your leads or customers later.
Now for that, it is necessary to understand what User Engagement means. Thus User Engagement can be defined as simply as how much your user got with your website or information you have provided to them. Thus, in all user engagement is the key to reducing your bounce rate.
Way to Increase User Engagement (Ways to Reduce Bounce Rate)
A) Provide Quality Content
It is a well-known fact that users got engaged only when you provide something valuable according to their search query. And it can be done only with the help of quality content as every information you provide is through the writing of high quality. So try to provide engaging content to your audience so that they can stick to your website or blog.
B) Reduce Page Loading Time
When a user visits your website through the SERPs listing and if he has to wait for a long then required then it is not a good case for bounce rate. In that case, he will jump back to search results for an option, which loads fast than yours and save his precious time. Thus, to lessen your bounce rate, less your page loading time or increase your page loading speed.
C) Try to Provide You Claim To Provide
The essence which it holds can be explained easily with the help of an example. For example, if you are an online e-commerce store which sells cheap pieces of jewelry as mentioned in your Meta tags and content. And in contradiction of that you are charging $50000 for a single piece of the ring then it is also not a good practice to adopt. If you do so, users or purchasers will instantly bounce back to search results even if your site speed is good in the quest of an option which provides cheap jewelry in reality.
D) Readable Articles with Good Formatting
Yes, make your articles readable with proper formatting. It is because it helps users to read the information without getting bored, as many of us don’t like to read something which is chunky and without breaks. Thus, try to provide your information with the proper formatting of text, and you can do so by:-
- By dividing the piece of content into paragraphs.
- Using bullet points or numbering to tell key points.
- By Using heading and Subheadings in content.
- By highlighting keywords wherever necessary without overdoing it.
- Ending posts with the conclusion.
E). Posts Related to Each Other and Internal Linking
Yes, it also helps to improve your bounce rate thereby decreasing it. By sharing related posts at the end of the content or within the content inform of internal linking (posts of your website) tremendously reduces rate as it helps users to know more deeply about the content and related topics of the actual topic. And in this way user can stick more to your website which results in lesser bounce rate.
F) Links to open in new tab
Whenever you give an external link in your text, make it open in a new tab or window. It is because to avoid the pressing of the back button to return to your site as it got counted as a new visit to the page rather than the one which ultimately tends to have high bounce rate. So avoid links to open in the same tab and provide to open in new tab.
G) Easy to Navigate
It is also one of the ways which a site owner or webmaster should look to reduce the bounce rate. As much, you made your site and pages navigable (that is easy to move around the website’s different section) it makes it easy for customers to find whatever they want, and hence it will result in a good amount of time on your site and hence lessen BR.
H) Make Your Posts Searchable
When any user visits your website and wants to search and learn more about different topics on which you write, then the first thing he will do is to search for the topic on your website or blog which he wants to know. Then a “search box” is must have on your blog or blog website as no one will search topic of interest thereby opening every individual post. Thus make your posts searchable by providing search box and relevant links at the same time (wherever necessary as it helps a lot to make users stick your website).
I) Mobile Responsiveness
It is also one the crucial factor which helps to lessen the bounce rate. How? Let me tell you that, as in present date every individual keeps a Smartphone and surf mostly through mobile phones to get the answer to the queries. And has almost dominated the desktop searches in many sectors, makes it a way to reducing bounce rate.
Thus making your website mobile friendly is a must to adopt factor and leveraging the benefit by providing a great user experience that is what we are discussing from start of the post.
J) Eradicate or Less Pop-ups
Yes, try to Eradicate or lessen unnecessary pops as it only makes users distracted or irritated and forces them to leave your site even after having valuable information. Thus, either eliminate pop-ups/ads or implement only where extremely necessary or in demand. It is because useful pop-ups help in increasing engagement and a good email list while bad ones lead to distraction and high bounce rate.
K) Include Videos Wherever Required
As good posts or information is the key to explaining a particular topic in a realistic manner, videos are also a requirement where only words are not sufficient to explain a particular process. Thus, try to include videos in your content wherever it is required to make it better and more impactful and sticky at the same to reduce the bounce rate.
Conclusion
Thus, to reduce the bounce rate percentage, it is necessary to keep eyes on different-different small factors which we gave discussed in the above post on bounce rate, its importance and ways to decrease it. In the next article on reducing bounce rate, we will discuss some more ways of reducing BR.
Hope it will help you all in a real manner. Has this assisted in reducing your bounce rate? Please share your experience and views with us with the help of comment section below. Also if you like the post doesn’t forget to share it and show your love.