Bounce rates are one area of search engine optimization that I have difficulty coming to terms with. If you write a darn good post that visitors find interesting should be good for your site. However, if, after reading your post they move on to other things and DON’T click a link on your site – they are said to have bounced so up goes your bounce rate.
On the other hand, if my post is only so-so and the visitor clicks a link to another page hoping to get better info, they haven’t bounced so my bounce rate goes down.
There are other things that affect bounce rates. Hands up those that have marked their links to open in a new window? I used to as well. It seems if a link opens in a new window it doesn’t count as a click so, even though they are reading other content on your site, your bounce rate will go up. From what I can gather, it also includes external links – they have to open in the same tab to count as a non-bounce.
The higher your bounce rate, the lower your sites authority. If I have that all wrong, please feel free to correct me.
To move on – how do you then reduce your bounce rate? There are several methods. The most obvious that I see frequently is my using the READ MORE option in a post. If you can write a great introduction then it can work well.
Another option that I particularly like is to break good posts into two distinct sections – this is great for list posts. The first section is a sales pitch in a way. You are looking to convince your reader to click through to another section.
The second part, the meat if you like, is not published as a post but as a page. The end result is two pieces of content for the price of one. A static page that you can link to on a regular basis – it isn’t affected by categories or archives and is easier to find and edit should it need updating. In the mean time, you have encouraged your visitor to click through to a page thus reducing your bounce rate.
WordPress has ‘pages’. Have you ever thought of using them for Pillar Posts – or do you just use them for About Me pages? They can be quite versatile and with careful use, add a lot of value to your site.
photo credit: spettacolopuro
Thanks for this. I had no idea that if link opened a new window it wouldn’t count. In fact I wasn’t quite sure what a “bounce” was, if it was to do with time on the page or whether they clicked a link, so this has really helped me. We’ve just started a blog so we’ll be following some tips!
Thank you for the information. I too did not fully understand what bounce was, and noticed that my bounce rate was highest right after a new blog entry was posted. I will definitely use your tips.
Thanks again!