Bounce Rate is an integral part of web analytics, but, is often a completely misunderstood concept. Bounce Rate aids in making better decisions, so that you can create a website that improves traffic and retention rate. Most people say that high bounce rate is not good for any website.
Now, while that might be partially true, but you need to get down to the basics before we go in to explain how we feel about the concept. Bounce rate means the number of visitors leaving after visiting a single page. There are numerous misconceptions that revolve around bounce rate. A Sydney SEO consultant at Seo North Sydney explains them better. Let’s take a look at some!
What are the common Misconceptions surrounding Bounce Rate?
Bounce rate is truly misunderstood, hence the many misconceptions. All of the misconceptions originate from the fact that bounce rate has no meaning without the actual context. Bounce rate can be held as a sign of your website’s success, only when you take into account other relative metrics. Here are a few misconceptions that have popped up as the other aspects were not taken into consideration:
Higher Bounce Rates Means / Equals to Under-Performing Website:
Whenever website owners look at the bounce rate and find it to be high, they automatically figure it to be a bad thing. It does mean that the people who visited your website left immediately, but, that does not necessarily mean that your website has failed to reach its goals. For example, a post was read, shared and then the reader left. This is also considered to add to the bounce rate, but it is not something bad. In fact, it is the opposite, since your post got shared which improved the visibility of your brand.
Lower Bounce Rates Equals High-Performing Website:
The other side of the same coin is that, lower bounce rate means that you are doing good. Suppose, your visitors start browsing various product pages, but that does not mean that they are converted. On the opposite side, it means that they are distracted from purchasing the actual product. This would usually look like lower bounce rate, but is it beneficial? Surely not!
Visitor’s Entry and Immediate Exit is Considered as a Bounce:
A visitor might leave immediately or take their time. The main pointer for a bounce is the fact that they left after visiting one page. They might be on the same page for 20 mins, and then leave. This is also considered to add to the bounce rate. So, it is a complete misconception that immediate exit is the only consideration for the bounce rate.
Bounce Rate is of No Importance:
Most people get frustrated with their bounce rate, and they just trash it, and not give it any consideration. Well, nobody can blame anybody for that! But bounce rate is quite important. Even with all the misconstrued concepts about bounce rate, it is an important part of your website’s success. All you need is the right guidance. With some of the myths being debunked, you will be able to use the bounce rate in the proper manner to make your website and business a success.
Which one is the biggest misconception about bounce rate?
Out of the mentioned myths and misconceptions, the biggest misconception is thinking that high bounce rate is bad. This is because, no one truly understands that the bounce rate calculation takes into account only the external entries to the site.
For example, suppose your website receives only 4 visitors, and they all leave after going through a single page. This would show that the bounce rate is 100%. It would not take into consideration the other 100 visitors, who visited the same page, as a part of their journey through your website; which can improve your conversion rate significantly, and aid in your business goals. So, if not properly understood, bounce rate can act and provide a false-negative result. Take time, consider your goals and other metrics, and consequently use the effective bounce rate to your advantage.
