Your bounce rate measures the number of people who come to your blog and don’t visit any other post or page on your blog. Naturally, the higher the bounce rate, the less exposure you are getting as the visitors see less of your content.
Also, bounce rate is starting to play more and more of a role in search engine optimization (SEO). Google is starting to pay less and less attention to links and more attention to on-page metrics. They can get these metrics from the Google Toolbar, Chrome and Google Analytics.
In short, having a lower bounce rate means you will have more satisfied readers, as well as a higher chance of ranking well in search engines. Here’s how to improve your bounce rate.
Check All Browsers
Check for browser compatibility on all browsers. If your website doesn’t look right in one browser, chances are all users of that browser will leave your site. Even if the browser only has 15 percent penetration, you are still losing 15 percent of your traffic. Make sure to check all the major and even smaller browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari. Also check how your site looks on a smartphone.
Cluster Your Information
Instead of having just one piece of stand-alone content, try to publish your content in groups.
For example, if you own an origami website, don’t make just one page of content around how to make a T-Rex dinosaur. Make a cluster of origami content around how to make all kinds of dinosaurs. Also try to give a clear next step at the end of every page or post, giving visitors further reading.
Segment Your Traffic
Not everyone coming to your website is looking for the same thing. If someone came from a search engine, chances are they are looking for the answer to a very specific query. On the other hand, someone from a banner ad campaign may be in more of a browsing mood.
Different kinds of traffic should land on different kinds of pages. Different keyword traffic should land on different pages. Make sure you are serving exactly the right kind of pages to users who are most likely to want to see those pages.
Test Your Above the Fold
The things that show up above the fold on your website will have a bigger effect than just about anything else you can do from a content perspective.
Test different kinds of headlines to see what gets the lowest bounce rate. Try different headers. Switching out your old header for a new header can have a massive positive or negative effect on your site-wide bounce rate. Test different headers to see what gets the best results.
These are a few things you can do to immediately improve your bounce rate. A lower bounce rate may not immediately put cash in your bank account, but is essential to the long-term health of your business.
