Bounce rate is a metric that helps determine a webpage’s strength. Bounce rate is shown in a number of different Google Analytics reports and is often used by webmasters to determine whether the content of a page satisfies the intent of the user.
Primarily, companies want their website to have low bounce rates. A good user experience results in a low bounce rate. Here is an in-depth look at the bounce rate and what companies can do to reduce theirs.
Bounces Kill Search Ranking
You may have spent a lot of time and money ranking your web site with national SEO techniques but if users click on your listing on Google and then bounce back to Google that clearly shows a search engine that you should not rank for a query.
User engagement and behavior on a site can increase bounce rates and drop ranking very quickly. Google has the goal of returning the best possible search results possible to fulfill queries. Happy search users will continue using their search engine. But bounces show search engines that a query was not solved or that a site returned a poor user experience.
What Is Bounce Rate
A bounce rate is a number that shows the number of users that landed on a particular website, but left the page without interacting on it. Companies that use Google Analytics on their websites have access to their bounce rate. The analytics keep track of every option performed on a page.
However, when the server only receives one request from the page, that means that the user left the page without doing anything. The complete formula used to find the bounce rate involves all single page sessions being divided by the total number of sessions. Keep in mind that the bounce rate is only calculated for landing pages.
The Difference Between Bounce Rate and SEO
Many analysts confuse the relationship between the bounce rate and Search Engine Optimization. Even though bounce rate is used by Google Analytics, the algorithm that Google uses to compile its search rankings does not use Google Analytics as part of their ranking process.
Several Ways That Companies Can Reduce Their Bounce Rate
Do Not Use Large Popups: Research shows that many users feel that full screen popups are a hindrance. Google has started to take action, as popups that load once a user goes to a page are punished. Consider using an EXIT popup when users stay on your page for an extended period of time.
Cut Down On The Use Of Ads: A webpage that contains a lot of ads is in violation of Google’s webmaster guidelines. Using too many ads creates a bad experience for a lot of users. Instead of maximizing the number of ads on your page, focus on putting a few appealing ads in the right places.
Enhance The Page Loading Speed: Research shows that slow loading pages can stop users from ever visiting your page again. As you improve the loading speed on your page, your bounce rate will improve and you will see a boost to your rankings and conversions. Slower sites increase bounces.
Have Appealing Content: Solve the query. It is not about having longer content but the length of content necessary to solve a search query and return the best possible results to users.
Customize Your Content: Many users do not enjoy seeing text thrown around on a page. Add some custom features to help modernize your page. Adding good headlines and images will increase the readability of your page. Content is king for keeping users engaged.
Always Look To Improve: Always strive to improve the quality of your content. Change your headings and make them more compelling. Analyze the performance report in the Google search console to see which keywords on your page received the most attention. Adjust your site to make it compatible with the user intent.
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