If you run your own website or blog, you probably already know that there are a number of factors that contribute to its success.
Controlling your website’s bounce rate is a very important aspect of managing a successful web presence. The bounce rate is the percentage of people that view one page on your site and then leave.
It is very important to have a low bounce rate because it is much easier to direct a user that is already on your site to another page on your site than it is is to attract an entirely new user that is not currently on your site.
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If you’re readers are typically viewing 1 page on your site and then leaving, you can easily increase the number of pageviews by getting your readers to view a second page on your site instead of leaving immediately.
In order to manage your blog’s bounce rate, it is important to understand the reasons that a person leaves a website to begin with.
This infographic presents us with a great overview of why a user leaves a webpage.
Take a look and hopefully it will help increase the retention rate on your site!
Summary of Why People Leave Websites:
- Bad Navigation
Make sure that your navigational links are easy to find, consistent across all pages and clear in regards to where they will take the user.
- Too Many Ads
This tip may seem a bit obvious but you would be surprised at how many websites scare users away immediately by spamming them with excessive advertisements. Users understand that in order to cover the costs of running a website, some ads are necessary – make sure you’re not crossing the line and getting to greedy however!
- Bad Content Structure
Make sure that your content is easy to read, consistent and user friendly. Most importantly, make sure that your users can find what they’re looking for without having to dig too deep.
- Obtrusive Use of Audio and video
Having audio and video content that loads and plays automatically is big no no when it comes to publishing content online. It may cause your page to load slower, it may embarrass users who are in a public setting when audio starts blasting out of their speakers and it may take away from other content on your site. Give the users the choice of when they want video and audio to played and when they don’t.
- The Registration Requirement
Although having users register for your site can help with your newsletter campaigns and help with collecting user demographics, it is one of the main reasons that a user will leave site. Requiring registration for certain content is okay but make sure that it is clear to the user what content requires registration to view and what content doesn’t.
- Boring Content / Boring Design
First impressions on the web are just as important as first impression in person. If the user is not impressed with your content on their first visit, the chances that they will return are greatly reduced. Make sure that your content is valuable and solves a problem for the user.
- Poor Legibility
Playing around with fonts and colors can be fun but it can also be distracting and frustrating for your users. Make sure that your content is easily legible. If the user has to work to read your content, chances are they’re going to look for the answer somewhere else.
- Lack of Frequency
Fresh content is a very important factor in regards to increasing user retention rates. If a user lands on the homepage of your site and sees that the last article published was 6 months ago, chances are they’re going to write the entire site off as not being updated and less reputable. Publish often!
