10 Ways To Reduce Bounce Rate & Increase Conversions

Having a high bounce rate is one of the most significant contributors to online visitors not converting to customers on your website. If your business website doesn't engage with people and help them quickly to find information, they likely won't stick around. Essentially, your website is representative of your brand, so you want to represent your information in the best way possible. From response time, to design, and content, all of these factors play a role in your website's ability to capture people's attention. Let's break down what a bounce rate is, what the industry standards are, and how to reduce bounce rate and increase your conversions.

What is a bounce rate?

A bounce rate is representative of a percentage of visitors who come across your website and leave without visiting another page or taking any action. People can bounce off your website in a variety of ways. From clicking on a link to a different site to clicking the back button to leave your website, closing the open window or tab, and more. If someone bounces off of your site, you were not able to convince them to follow through with your call to action.

People who bounce off of your site have left without giving you the chance to convert them, essentially. If you're struggling with obtaining new leads, email sign-ups, attracting search visitors, your site may have a higher bounce rate. Below are some of the average bounce rates and steps you can take to reduce it so that you can convert your visitors to customers.

What are some of the average bounce rate percentages, and what do they mean?

Here's a guideline for the different bounce rate percentages and what they mean:

• 80% or higher: This means many visitors are not staying on your website or completing the call to action. If your bounce rate is at this point, you can take measures to improve it to increase conversions.

• 70% - 80 %: If your site is in this percentage bracket, your visitors are not finding the information they need. They are not engaged or are having a difficult time navigating.

• 50%-70%: This is about an average bounce rate for many sites.

• 30%-50%: A phenomenal percentage. People are interested in your website and find valuable information that is leading them to convert.

• 30% or lower: While this sounds great, this may mean there is an underlying issue.

10 tips to improve your bounce rate

If your site has a high bounce rate, then it could be caused by slow load time, confusing navigation, poor design, or a call to action that doesn't engage users. Identifying the issue and taking steps to resolve it can help improve your conversion rate. Below are a few ways you can reduce your bounce rate.

1. Improve site speed

One of the most significant contributors to a high bounce rate is the speed of your website. If your website is slow to load, a majority of people will bounce and head to a site that loads quicker. We live in a day and age of instant gratification. If your website has fantastic content, engaging media, but it's not responsive, people will still leave. According to a study, 47% of people expect a website to load in less than 2 seconds.

Before you can find a solution for any other issues on your site, it's essential to make sure your website is responsive, on both mobile and desktop.

2. Focus on user experience

The overall user experience plays a significant role in how people interact with your website. If your site is slow, confusing, difficult to read, visually overwhelming, or not relevant, people are not likely to stay on it.

The main goal is not to disrupt or make the user experience difficult. 70% of people found disruptive ads annoying. In the right context, pop-up ads can help build your email list. But if you're looking to increase your search traffic drastically, it's best to keep pop-up ads to a minimum.

The bottom line is to ensure that the user experience is seamless. You want your visitors to feel informed, engaged, and have the means to find what they are looking for without struggling.

3. Use high-quality images to engage visitors

Another valuable tool that you can use to decrease your bounce rate is the use of high-quality photos. Images can convey different information and capture the attention of your viewers. Make sure that the visuals you use are relevant to your business, products, and industry. You can incorporate images throughout your site, including a blog portion. If you're unsure of where to start, you can purchase professional photographs from various stock photography websites. 

4. Make sure your website is readable

Content is one of the main ways you can convey what your business offers. If your audience can't easily read, understand, and digest your written content, they won't stick around. Keep your paragraphs concise with informative headings, so the readers know what to expect. If your articles are too long, viewers might feel overwhelmed and look elsewhere for information.

You also need to keep in mind that people are using different devices. Make sure that the text on your website is easily readable on both mobile and desktop. It shouldn’t be too small or too large, or else users will have to squint or zoom in to read it.

5. Include a clear call to action

Visitors come to your website, and one of the main goals is to have them complete your call to action. It's essential to have a clear, call to action that entices the user to fill it out. Without a concrete call to action, the person is not sure what to do, which will lead you to lose out on a conversion. Essentially, you want your CTA to stand out in a matter of seconds, but you only have a few moments to make an impression.

When optimizing your call to action, make sure to focus on even the small details. Something as simple as changing the text or color on a button can make a huge difference. You want your visitors to feel compelled to click the CTA. A captivating CTA can reduce your bounce rate and improve conversion rates.

6. Show your credibility with testimonials

People tend to believe other consumers over businesses. Showcasing your customer's positive experiences on your website will give your credibility a boost. Also, people are much more proactive now before making a purchase. There tends to be a lot of research involved.

People can read about your services, products, and customer service to make an informed decision about your company. They are much more likely to complete your CTA if they find your business to be reputable and trustworthy. Showcase your endorsements, certifications, quality scores, and customer testimonials.

Having testimonials on your website makes you appear more trustworthy, and people can firsthand see that, which will reduce your bounce rate.

7. Make your website mobile-friendly

With the number of mobile users increasing at an astronomical rate, it's incredibly vital that your website is compatible with mobile devices. It doesn't matter how excellent your site looks; if it doesn't load on mobile, you're missing out on half of your customer base.

8. Use internal linking

Internal linking helps your users easily navigate around your website to get the information they need. You can add internal linking in your blog post that connects to a service page, or anything on your site that is relevant. Not only does internal linking reduce bounce rate, but it helps your overall SEO standing. The overall goal is to increase the conversion and retention rate. You can achieve both by using internal links. For more insight into internal linking, take a look at Nexuses blog.

9. Showcase videos

Videos are a powerful tool and source of information. You can create a video that showcases your businesses story, promotions, and products/services. Especially in 2019, video engagement is on the rise, and people would rather watch a video. You can use a full-screen video as a background which will capture attention right when a person lands on your site. You can also add a video next to your call of action. Animations, music, and audio can help bring a video together to use as an effective tool of persuasion.

10. Concentrate on relevance

Relevance is essential because if not, your information does not line up with what someone is searching for, they will likely leave. You want to ensure that everything on your site is related to your business. You can avoid bounce rate issues by targeting the appropriate keywords that people are searching for in the SERPs. Consider the user's intent to determine the best keywords. Is the person looking to learn something or buy something? Use those questions to understand what problem are they trying to solve then target those keywords. The more relevant your content is on your site, the more likely they are to complete your CTA once they’ve arrived.