10 Ways to Immediately Reduce Your Bounce Rate

We’ve all done a Google search, clicked on a link, had a random website pop up, and quickly left. By using common sense and looking for a few key markers we are able to quickly spot a less than credible website. Bounce rates essentially track how many people visit a website, see a single page, and then leave the website. There are quick and easy ways to reduce your bounce rate.

1. Speed: If you website takes too much time to load, people get impatient and bolt. Make sure your website is quick and they will stick around and check things out.
2. Ad placement: The less intrusive ads are on your website the less irritated your visitors will be. Make sure your ads are not set up in a way that interferes with your visitors’ engagement with your website.
3. Mobile compatibility: Nothing irks me more than pulling up a website on my smartphone that has itty-bitty font that only ants could read (except maybe annoying pop-up ads…see # 4…that might irritate me a little more). Optimize your website so that visitors can access information from any device from a tablet to a desktop computer.
4. Pop-up ads: I immediately leave websites with pop up ads. They throw a wrench in engaging with any website.
5. Color contrast: I have a good friend with an amazing blog about living in Ecuador. Unfortunately, her website is royal purple with yellow font. It hurts my eyes. Therefore, I rarely visit her blog. That being said, your visitors need to be able to read your website. Chose colors and patterns that invite your visitors to stick around (and not strain their eyes).
6. External links: This may sound like common sense, but so many websites miss the mark with this little tip. When you include an external link on your website, make sure it opens in a new window. If your website redirects to the new page (as opposed to opening in a separate window) your visitors may leave and not come back. Keep your website up and accessible. People have short attention spans in the digital age; make it easy for them to stay on your page.
7. Headers: Picking back up on that short attention span reality. Wait. Squirrel. Grouping information together in small sections makes it much easier for your visitors to find and read about what is of interest to them.
8. FAQ Page: If a visitor to your website has a question, it is very likely that other visitors have the same questions. Save your visitors (and yourself) some time by including a section on your website where your visitors can find answers to their questions.
9. Readability: This may sound obvious, but the more accessible the words are on your page, the more likely your visitors will actually read what you have to say. Make sure your texts is well written, easy to understand, and enjoyable.
10. Create instant credibility: This is by far the most important tip to reduce your bounce rate. People are not going to stay on your page if they do not think you are a credible website. So how do you let them know that your website is legit?
    1. Social proof: Make sure your visitors can easily locate reviews from other satisfied visitors. Your visitors will feel far more confident engaging with your website if they have proof that you are as awesome as your website claims.
    2. Trust seals: A trust seal lets your visitors know that your are who you say you are, because a third party has verified your awesomeness.

It’s easy to reduce your bounce rate and create instant credibility on your website! The more your visitors engage with your website the more successful it will be.