THE BOUNCE RATE: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

What is the bounce rate?

It’s often thought that the bounce rate refers to the percentage that measures number of visitors to your website that immediately leave or “bounce” your page only just after clicking on it. However, according to the definition given by Google Analytics, the concept is even more complicated. The bounce rate refers to the percentage of users that visit a given page on your website and abandon it without going on other pages or interacting with your content.

Therefore, if a visitor stops to read content on your website for over 20 minutes, but does not leave a comment, or click on another section, their visit will be part of the bounce rate.

Interesting, isn’t it?

In reality, the bounce rate does not always mean that the published content didn’t reach its goals or satisfy a visitor’s needs.

For example, if a person is quickly looking for information on a certain topic, when they find what they’re looking is on the first page of your website, they’ll stop to read that and only that, not going on any other pages. In this case, the bounce does not mean anything bad, maybe the visitor found something interesting on your website. So, if you follow up well, there is a good chance that they will come back and even become part of your conversion rate.

The problem, however, comes when users spend very little time on your website. Here, it’s clear that they did not stop to read or interact with your content and in turn, they’re not likely to be interested in what you offer.

Of course, the bounce rate is a great tool for knowing what to improve on your webpage and how to do so, looking at the quality of the published content. However, it’s very important that, apart from being aware of the bounce rate, you also keep tabs on time on page on your website. This way, you’ll get more complete data that will help you see what users are worth keeping and the ones you should let go. Overall, this will help you achieve your business goals more efficiently.