Bounce Rates And What To Make Of Them

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Understanding Bounce Rates In Google Analytics

Question:

When is a high bounce rate not a bad bounce rate?

I have been asked many times by other WA members the above question so in this blog I will do my best to explain what the bounce rate is, and to warn you to be very wary of generic advice dished out like it’s the gospel truth and explain why sometimes the opposite of what you’re told might be true for your site but not for someone else’s.

Question:

So what is bounce rate?

Within Google Analytics, which is a free service you should have installed on your wordpress website to track visitor numbers, behaviour, technology and a lot more, there is a metric called Bounce Rate.

Put simply, the Bounce Rate is the percentage of website visitors who leave after viewing only one page.

For example, if you have a bounce rate of 52 per cent, that means 52 out of every 100 visitors to your website left without clicking through to any other pages.

It is commonly agreed in the internet marketing industry that low bounce rates (20-40 percent) are the ideal standard we should be aiming for, with the average sitting somewhere between 40 and 60 percent.

Question:

When is a high bounce rate a good bounce rate?

To work out what an ideal bounce rate range might be for your business you need to think about the needs of your audience, the objectives of your website, and what an ideal on-site behaviour might be.

For example, if you have an ecommerce website you would ideally be aiming for a low bounce rate because if you have your site set up correctly, a visitor would typically be browsing, clicking from page to page, and then performing actions like sharing, commenting or buying.

But there are some occasions where a higher bounce rate means you are doing the right thing.

An opposite example might be when a visitor to your website liked what they saw and used an email address to contact you then left. Would that ‘bounce’ be bad?

There’s a good argument that high bounce rates in that scenario mean you’re doing things well.

Imagine if you have shared a ‘how to’ tutorial on a page or post on your site. A reader is likely to come, use the tutorial and then leave and that would register as a bounce.

Therefore instead of viewing that as a negative, you now have someone who has been helped by your information and likely to either return to you as a customer when they next need your product or service, or mention you in conversation when they are retelling the story of how they found your tutorial which helped them solve a problem.

Funny how gaining correct perspective always boils down to knowing clearly who your ideal customers are, the needs that drive them to search online, and the measure of a successful outcome for both of you.

The purpose of this blog was not to let you all off the hook when you have high bounce rates but rather to give you a framework for making better decisions about what is broken and what is working.

If your website is trending poorly in relation to bounce rates for your product or service, that does need addressing because it signals to Google that your content might not be going down well enough with your visitors.

There are also a whole lot of different complexities I have not touched upon in this blog, but that is my point: Always think through conventional wisdom spouted out in this noisy marketplace of internet marketing and ask yourself, my bounce rate is this that or the other - so what?

Ok people I hope my blog has given you an insight into ‘Bounce’ rates and you should not be running scared if your rates are high because sometimes that can be a good thing. You just have to work out if it is or not by the other analytic results you’re getting.

Thank you for reading this far and please share below any opinions/views or personal experience you have on Bounce Rates with your fellow WA members.

Robert Allan

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Recent Comments

30

Excellent information, Robert! Thanks! Alanna

Thank you for this Robert,it makes every thing clear now.

Hello Fidelis and thank you for dropping by and reading my blog.
Always happy to give out tips and advice that will help members to have a clear direction of where they are going and what they might encounter along the way.
have a nice day/evening.
Robert

Very informative. My bounce rate is 34%, Thank you for sharing.

You are in there between 20 - 40 so you should be pleased coz that means 66 of your visitors are staying to have a browse at your other pages so well done you.
Give yourself a pat on the back.
Have a nice day and thank you for leaving your comment.
Robert

Yes, I'm very pleased indeed. Thank you.

Pretty clear to me and thanks for the info.... good stuff!

No probs and if it helps then the blog has done its job.
Have a nice day.
Robert

Your usual great explaination, Robert. I've come to expect no less!

Dennis

Hi Dennis. I try to make my explanations, tips and advice as easy to follow as possible.
Hopefully I succeed as I seem to have with your good self.
Have an excellent day.
Robert

Thanks Robert .

No Probs. Hope you're Bounce rates are what you expect and high or low doesn't have to mean you are doing well or bad.
I personally don't bother with them.
As I say in my blog - So What?
Robert

Good Day Robert! I have 24 No Set people that come to my site and do not stay. My overall bounce rate is 63% but each of their views indicate 100% bounce rate. Should I consider that I have a problem?

Sent you a PM Lin.
Robert

Thanks for this info Robert!

No probs Angela. You stick at the training and don't worry about those bounce rates when you eventually come across them.
Hope you're doing well and have a wee bit of your website created.
Have a nice day.
Robert

Interesting points Robert. I remember reading DomW's bounce rate blog as well and it really cleared things up for people. Here it is: I found your info really helpful, think your definitely did a fantastic job with this blog :D

Thank you I will pay a visit with your link.
Robert

Thanks for clearing this up for me, this has been very enlightening thank you

Hi. I try to help when I can and Bounce Rates do seem to give my fellow WA members cause for concern and sometimes there is no need for it.
Glad you found my blog of some help.
Have a nice day.
Robert

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