Battling the bounce rate, the tendency of net users to leave your web page without engaging you is an age-old problem troubling marketing strategists. The bounce rate is a killer because it robs you of a golden opportunity to convince users that your pitch and product could change their lives. If you are an e-commerce site with a bounce rate exceeding 60 percent, you have a problem on your hands. Conversion experts say the solution to a bad bounce rate is user engagement. If you build a site which engages net users efficiently, you’ll lower the bounce rate and by extension increase conversions.
Reducing bounce rate: The basic strategy for higher conversions
Redesign your website and optimize it to run smoothly on different devices
In 2017, the number of people using mobile devices outnumbered desktop computers in accessing the internet. If your layout isn’t easy enough to move around on a mobile screen, you’re in danger of losing a huge slice of users. Ensure the site is smooth, fast and easy to use on small screens.
Make your page load faster so users can view your pitch
Page load time is the time it takes for the user to view the content of your entire website; any duration exceeding 3 seconds will provoke users to abandon your site for better pastures. Users won’t hang around to even see what you’re offering.
Make your content engaging, interesting, and relevant to users
Rambling, long-winding product descriptions are out. Know your target audience and create content that engages them. The best way to do that is to research the intent of users and create content that fulfills the intent in a pleasant, informative, and entertaining way.
Optimize website design and your page layout
Catchy headlines, snappy subheadings, boldly underlined text with well-placed anchors leading to good websites are what you need to engage the user. The whole idea of improving the layout is to make it easier for the users to navigate and fulfill their intent. The longer users stay with you, the better are the chances of spurring conversions.
Reduce your email bounce rate: Strengthen direct customer outreach
Studies reveal that email marketing clearly outpaces social media, overrides pay-per-click and display commercials, and outperforms search engine marketing in delivering a personalized message directly to the customer.
Your top priority should be to analyze your existing contact list to remove invalid or undeliverable email contacts, thereby boosting your open rate and curb bounce rates. This is, by far, your best and easiest strategy for improving click and conversion rates.
While the above five factors will definitely improve the traffic to your doorstep, you need a more coherent strategy to unlock the conversion bonanza.
Here are four fabulous, failure-free conversion tools you can’t do without
Target the right audience, attract the correct visitor
Be very specific about what you offer to users because if you market everything for every customer out there, you’re likely to attract the wrong crowd. For example, you are an e-commerce site pitching high-end televisions sets. You ought to focus only on high-ranking, high-traffic, TV-related keywords to make your pitch. Introducing extraneous products like Blu-ray & DVD players may end up attracting people who have no interest in your primary product.
You should be focusing only on the audience that demands specialized information on your core product and who are likely to convert to sales. You ought to avoid users that only bring traffic without spinning the conversion wheel and don’t improve your bottom-line.
Landing pages must be optimized for users you attract
If you create one enormous landing page that is a jack of all trades for every conceivable user, you’re likely to fail miserably. The users coming from a Facebook page will have very different needs compared to the users initiating an organic search. The organic keyword searcher is more likely to be aware of the topic and will need specific answers to specific queries. Landing pages ought to answer their intent quickly and precisely. Facebook searchers are usually at the stage where they need to know more about a product or an offer and will be satisfied with a descriptive and informative landing page.
The best way out is to study your traffic, assess the user’s intent, and then build landing pages that cater separately to each kind of traffic.
Plan your website overlays with diligent care
Website overlays are attention-grabbing graphics content box enticing the visitor to convert with a direct call to action. It could be designed to persuade the user to part with some personal detail like email address or contact number. If done properly, there’s no better way to spark conversions. Whether it’s an incentive or an offer, the overlay needs to be relevant to the traffic and the user’s intent. In any case, ensure to part with something useful to the visitor before you expect anything in return.
Consider using an overlay timed to the departure of the visitor; something that arrests attention and provokes enough curiosity to stay. This is called the exit-intent strategy which, if handled properly, could impact conversions in a big way.
A story well told: Visuals spark the visitors’ imagination
Nobody has the time or the inclination to read through reams of printed text. In fact, most visitors don’t read content, they scan it quickly to absorb what’s of interest to them. Bringing in visual content is the surest way of making a fine first impression on any visitor. Imagery has such power that the human brain processes visual information far better than any other medium. So, if you have a story, explain it visually.
The Bottom-line: Battle bad bounce rates with a combo of special SEO strategies
Creating a memorable, engaging experience for the visitor should be the keel steadying your ship as you battle bad bounce rates. But all the traffic in the world will not save you unless you make your message customer-centric and relevant to the customer’s intent. Do remember that the bounce rate and dwell time will go a long way in determining your ranking on the SERPs. Even as you focus on bounce rate, spend quality time creating solid SEO strategies to backup your game plan.
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