Why do you have to think about high bounce rate? Because, the success of any site is dependent on the level of visitor traffic. However, besides attracting traffic, it is also important to find a way of keeping visitors on a site.
The longer visitors stay on your site, the more likely they are to carry out the desired action. This could be buying a product, signing up for a newsletter or simply reading your content comprehensively.
Bounce rate refers to a situation where people visit your site but leave almost immediately. The following are some reasons why many sites experience a high bounce rate, as well as ways to deal with this problem.
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Causes and Solutions for a High Bounce Rate
Navigation is very important for helping visitors get around your website. If visitors cannot find what they are looking for due to poor navigation, they will get frustrated and immediately click away from your site.
Solutions : To guarantee a good user experience, you need to focus your attention on building an effective navigation system. Make sure it is intuitive, as well as coherent. In case your website is very elaborate, it would be advisable to create a sitemap.
2. Poor accessibility
A website that people cannot access is useless, regardless of how well it is designed. In many cases, websites are inaccessible because they are not compatible with specific browsers, which may cause to increase your website bounce rate.
Solutions : To avoid such problems, you need to carry out compatibility tests before allowing your site to go live.
3. Excess advertising
Many website owners rely on advertisements to generate some extra income. However, some people overdo it by filling their sites with too many ads. Visitors usually find this annoying and are likely to leave such sites immediately.
Solutions : It is therefore advisable to keep the number of adverts on your site at a minimum. Don’t use flashy ads which are likely to draw the attention of visitors away from your important content.
4. Slow loading pages increases bounce rate
This is one of the most common causes for a high bounce rate. Generally, web users are people who don’t have much patience. When they visit a site, they expect to access the information they need right away. If the pages load slowly, they will simply leave and look elsewhere.
Solutions : When designing your pages, you need to keep them as light as possible. Avoid using heavy graphics or videos which might slow down the loading speed of your pages.
5. Insufficient information
When people visit a site, they are usually looking for specific information. In case this information is unavailable, they will leave, and probably never return.
Solutions : To avoid this, you need to carry out some research to understand the needs of your target audience. This will enable you to provide them with information which is relevant, as well as helpful.
6. Automatic video or audio play
Embedded video and audio clips are becoming an increasingly common feature in many sites. Auto play videos or music is likely to annoy visitors and cause them click away, even if the site has great content.
Solutions : Don’t make the mistake of allowing a clip to play automatically. The decision to play or not to play a clip should be left to the users.