A low bounce rate is what every person wants for their website. Read more and learn exactly what’s a good bounce rate according to Google analytics standards.
What’s a good bounce rate? Is there even such a thing? A common SEO rule of thumb is that high bounce rates are bad and low ones are good.
That’s true. Sort of. Different industries have different rates. Numbers that seem high may not necessarily be cause for alarm.
But what determines bounce rate? Why does it matter? How do you fix it if it is too high?
We’re going to cover it all in this guide. Keep reading to learn more.
What Is a Bounce Rate?
Let’s start with the basics. Google defines a “bounce” as a single page session on a website. A user clicks on your site, views one page, and leaves, with no further interaction.
How often this short session happens is the bounce rate. Why does it matter?
Well, it affects your rank. See, as Google’s AI evolves, it puts more emphasis on user intent.
If a user clicks on a site, then leaves shortly after, it signals to the AI it is less important. The AI then lowers the site’s rank.
Bounce rate can also tell you how effective your marketing strategy is. The more users stay on your site, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
What’s a Good Bounce Rate?
That’s a loaded question. A quick Google search might spit some numbers back at you, like “under 40%”. Don’t let it deceive you.
Sure, Google Analytics will show you an overall bounce rate for your site. However, this number’s a vanity metric, data that makes you feel good, but means nothing.
Individual pages will have different bounce rates. For example, your product pages will have lower rates than your blog pages.
Bounce rate also varies by business type, industry, user age, country, even the device used. For instance, statistics show the average bounce rates for all sites are about 58%.
In short, there’s a lot of variables. To find your ideal number, know your industry and the traffic you attract.
For example, if you have a food blog and your bounce rate is 54%, that’s not bad. In fact, it’s slightly below average.
How Can I Fix My Bounce Rate?
So, let’s say you’ve found your number. It’s higher than what it should be. How do you bring it down? Here’s a couple of quick tips.
SPEED UP YOUR SITE
47% of consumers expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less. If it doesn’t, they leave, and your bounce rate goes up.
To speed up your site:
- Compress images to make them web friendly
- Improve your hosting plan
- Eliminate unnecessary buttons, plugins, and add-ons
- Take advantage of caching
- Reduce external script usage
Get your speed under 2 seconds, and you should see a vast improvement.
PUT CTAS EVERYWHERE
CTAs, or “call to action,” invite users to interact with the site. They are your best friend.
You don’t have to bombard the user with pop-ups. A quick side-bar with a contact field should do the trick. Place another one at the bottom of the page.
Use them throughout your blog posts. They’ll help keep users on your site.
Where Can I Find More SEO Advice?
What’s a good bounce rate? Well, that depends.
Where can you find more SEO help? Right here, at Web Motion Media. We’re experts on digital marketing.
We can’t wait to help your business grow. Check out our blog for more insight or contact us today for a free audit.
