The bounce rate of a page is, just as it sounds, the number of times a user lands on a page, turns around, and promptly jumps back out of it. A high bounce rate is to be avoided. Unfortunately, just saying it doesn’t mean that it is easily done.

As with most site problems, the difficulty with reducing a high bounce rate is tracking down the source of the problem. High bounce rates can be caused by a number of different things.

One of the main reasons for high bounce rates on a site is netting the wrong kind of users. Search engine optimisation can be a very delicate process and sometimes businesses develop the wrong kind of focus. This is why the initial research stage of an SEO campaign is so important. A simple error can have a site targeting the wrong keywords for its area, ending up drawing traffic for dog sunglasses when the site’s focus is on breeding methods.

Another reason a site bounces users is because the landing page is unattractive. An inviting home page is important when it comes to drawing in your users. Home pages aren’t the only culprit, either. A thorough SEO campaign may target other pages to draw traffic separately. Links within the site may also be distributed around the net. Each of these pages needs to be refined to suit the users these SEO techniques have targeted. An SEO campaign that tries to build your authority by driving users to your ‘FAQ’ page will be relatively useless if your FAQs are highly technical and your audience isn’t.

Sometimes high bounce rates are a symptom of something essentially wrong with a site. Many businesses approach SEO as a veneer over their existing site. This can mean that all of the SEO techniques are in the right place, but the information and design is too confusing for human users to appreciate. Talking with an expert can be of help in fine-tuning and streamlining your existing content. Approach our experts at SEO Consult for advice.

One thing that many sites miss as a reason for their high bounce rates has little to do with the page’s look. It’s the time the page takes to load. In the modern world’s instant-access culture, time is everything. A page that takes time to load could be turning users away before they even see it. Cleaning up the page can improve its loading time. Take a look at the size of your images and other aspects of your design when your web pages need a little trimming.

Matching the elements of your site’s content with search engine optimisation strategy and then targeting it to specific users is a complicated process that not even professional SEO firms always get right. When approaching the optimisation of your site, it’s important to keep the site’s overall approachability in mind. Lots of websites get bogged down in the technicalities of search engine optimisation. Don’t let yours be one of them.

Get Involved