Most of the time, you want your website traffic reporting to be full of high numbers that keep on getting higher. The one notable exception is your bounce rate.
What is a bounce rate anyway?
Firstly, it’s important to understand what a bounce rate is and why it matters. A bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave a website after only viewing one page. It’s an important metric because it can provide insights into how appealing a website is to its visitors. A high bounce rate can indicate that there are issues with the website, such as a poor user experience or a lack of relevance.
What’s an acceptable bounce rate?
What constitutes a “good” bounce rate is subjective and can vary depending on the context. For some websites, a bounce rate of 70% may be fantastic, while for others, it may seem catastrophic. Therefore, it’s important to look at bounce rates in conjunction with other metrics and to investigate before making significant changes.
My bounce rate is bad, what can I do?
There are several ways that marketers can work to reduce bounce rates on landing pages.
Page loading speed
One of the most important is to optimize page load speed. If a landing page takes too long to load, visitors are more likely to bounce. Marketers can optimize page load speed by following SEO best practices, such as ensuring that images are optimized, and content is compressed. They can also minimize HTTP requests.
Clear CTAs
Another important strategy is to include a clear call to action (CTA) on landing pages. The goal of user experience on a website is to guide visitors to the desired outcome. Multiple CTAs may seem like a good idea, but in reality, they can become overwhelming and lead to a bounce. Marketers should consider the visitor’s intent and design a clear CTA to support this.
Make use of personalization.
Real-time personalized website banners allow marketers to showcase an image, message, or offer that is most likely to grab the visitor’s attention immediately. These banners can be based on the categories of products or brands that visitors regularly browse, products they have purchased, or trips they have scheduled.
Targeted recommendations are also effective at reducing bounce rates. By using dynamic product recommendations based on the visitor’s preferences, browsing behaviour, and previous purchases, marketers can offer a highly tailored shopping experience. This keeps visitors engaged and less likely to bounce.
Welcome & Exit Intent pop-ups
These popups appear just as the visitor hovers their mouse to the top of the page and display a targeted message with the aim of keeping them on site. The message can include information about help and support, a product offer, or an email sign-up.
Welcome back popups are another way to stop visitors from bouncing. These pop-ups can help visitors pick up where they left off by reminding them of products viewed or added to their cart. They can also promote new products or offer a newsletter sign-up to keep visitors engaged.
Keep it real (time)
Countdown timers are an effective tactic for reducing landing page bounce rates. They grab the attention of the visitor immediately and add a sense of urgency. When used in conjunction with a promotion or limited-time offer, countdown timers let visitors know that if they don’t act now, they could miss out.
Live pricing and availability are also effective at reducing bounce rates. By leveraging real-time external data feeds, such as live hotel prices or personalized variable real-time pricing, marketers can keep their website visitors engaged. This reduces the chances of a visitor bouncing due to outdated information and can also add a sense of urgency if prices are reduced or items are selling fast.
Be mobile-friendly
Finally, mobile optimization is crucial for reducing bounce rates. Approximately half of web traffic worldwide comes from mobile devices, which means that if websites are not optimized for mobile, visitors will be more likely to bounce. Marketers should ensure that any new or particularly important landing pages are mobile-optimized first, such as landing pages for PPC ads, specific campaigns, or their most popular product.
Let’s build!
Our platform includes Landing Page Creator, where you can build optimised landing pages without knowing a thing about HTML code. Between the flexible drag-and-drop editor and our library of ready-to-use templates, you’ll be up and running in no time. Ask us for a demo here.
