Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Bounce Rate

What Is Bounce Rate?

Bounce rate calculates the percentage of visitors who arrive on a website and leave after viewing just one page, without engaging further or visiting other pages on the site.

According to Google Analytics, if a website is a single-page site, like a blog or whose content typically engages with only one page, then a high bounce rate is normal. A high bounce rate is expected in this scenario and doesn’t negatively impact the website’s performance.

However, if a website’s success relies on users exploring multiple pages, then a high bounce rate can be considered bad. For instance, if a homepage serves as a gateway to other sections of a website like opening news articles, product pages or the checkout process, and if a large percentage of users leave after viewing only the homepage, then a high bounce rate can negatively impact the website’s performance.

How Is Bounce Rate Calculated?

To calculate the bounce rate, the number of one-page visits is taken into account. This means users who leave after viewing just one page of the website are divided by the total number of entries to the website. For instance, if 1,000 people visit a homepage and 500 of them leave without clicking on anything else on the website, the bounce rate for that homepage is 50%.

According to a US-based CRM platform, HubSpot’s research, while a bounce rate between 26% and 70% is considered average, its optimal range should be between 26% and 40%.

What Is The Difference Between Bounce Rate And Exit Rate?

What Are The Reasons For High Bounce Rate?

• When a web page takes too long to load, users may get impatient and leave the site. 
• Information provided in search results does not match the actual content on the page. 
• Poor quality of content on a website may make it difficult to engage users. 
• When a user comes across a 404 error page.
• When a user lands on a website through a link from another site, the link leads to irrelevant or unrelated content.
• Websites that are not optimised for mobile devices can negatively impact user experience. The majority of internet users access sites through mobile devices and a poor mobile experience can lead to an increased bounce rate.
• Lack of clarity on data privacy and intrusive information requests can discourage visitors from completing the form.
• Due to the lack of a clear call-to-action (CTA), users may leave the page after reading the content. 

How To Reduce Bounce Rate On A Website

• Marketers can start by analysing reasons causing high bounce rates.
• Design the website for a better user experience 
• Ensure website responsiveness 
• The call to action must be clear and simple. 
• The content must be easy to read and understand to keep visitors engaged.
• Create optimised entry points to improve engagement on the landing pages.
• Enhance product details to encourage customer conversions.
• Test different versions of pages to optimise UX, also known as A/B testing.
• Target the audience that would be interested in the content and products of the website.
• Marketers can use visuals and videos to engage users.