Gary R. HessIf you use Google Analytics or any other analytics program you have probably encountered a stat called bounce rate. Bounce rate is simply the percent of visitors coming to your site who view one page then leave.
(these are not stats for impNERD)
Reasons why bounce rate sucks
- Someone who has visited your site in the past is likely to view a smaller amount of pages, not because he or she doesn’t find your site useful but because they have seen it before and want to view new information.
- Much like the first, many RSS subscribers only want to view the newest post when clicking through.
- Are you ranked in Google? Organic searches will have a high bounce rate. If the searcher finds what they are looking for, chances are they will leave your site after viewing just one page.
- Are you a PPC publisher? When someone clicks on your ads and is taken away from your site, it will raise your bounce rate.
- Do you sell products/services through PayPal or another service not located directly on your site? After clicking buy the user will leave your site, raising your bounce rate.
When bounce rate actually means something
- When you are checking out natural links pointing to a gateway page.
- When you have advertising pointing to a landing page which allows visitors to buy without leaving the site.
In most occasions, bounce rate is pointless. It depends on several factors and should only be used when viewing a specific type of visitor which depends solely on visiting more than one page.
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Written: Jan 28, 2008Tags: advertising, analytics, bounce rate, stats
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I definitely hate bounce rates.
Thank you for explaining bounce rate, I had no idea what it meant. I am going to share this with my stumble upon friends, I’m sure they’ll show their appreciation as well.
I think some bloggers get carried away about “bounce rates”, and put too much emphasis on it. I remember John C0W being worried about his bounce rate, but in the end I think the more emphasis should be put on Average time on site, as opposed to bounce rate
Me personaly, if I love a website, especialy if its a blog, and I am a regular reader, more than likely I refresh the page to see if theres new content, and I don’t often click through on other articles, because I’ve already read it. So therefore I am increasing the bounce rate! But, in reality it wasn’t a bad thing….
Am I wrong? lol
Sincerely,
Jean Costa
You are definitely right. Loyal readers do increase bounce rate. That’s what I hate about the stat, most of the time it doesn’t mean a damned thing. The only time it really means something is if you are a direct merchant to seller. If you are just the middle man it doesn’t matter.