Often, poor user experience. But in some cases, it can be the exact opposite, according to Search Engine Journal.

Picture this: a visitor comes to your page and gets welcomed by some content they didn’t really expect. Still, they give it a chance. They want to scroll down a bit and find the answer to their initial question. The page doesn’t load immediately. They get frustrated, press the little x in the top corner and leave your website.

The other scenario would be that you immediately gave all the exact information they were looking for, and you did it having a great user experience on the page.

So, how do you get somewhere in between? Sure, chances are they will come back to your page another time they need the info, but you can never really be sure.

However, there are cases when Google influenced the bounce rate in a way. Well, Google and the person behind a keyboard.

It sometimes happens that a person uses vague words when googling for something, so Google offers them content based on what they typed in. They open the page, see it’s not what they wanted, and leave.

This means there are a few reasons why your page might have a high bounce rate, and it doesn’t even have to be your fault. However, there are some things worth paying attention to.

TIPS FOR REDUCING BOUNCE RATE

1. Keep page load time under three seconds.
2. Have a site search function – and make it easy to see!
3. Have effortless navigation and give the user clear direction of where the content they need is.
4. Have an intuitive and clean web design. Would you spend time on a website that’s unpleasant, not appealing and looking shady?
5. Optimize for mobile – this is a must since most of the searching happens on mobile.
6. Keep the content clear, organized, and easy to consume. Think bullet points and short paragraphs, but images and short videos too.
7. Create fresh content and use relevant keywords.
8. Know your target audience and create content for them, not for all of mankind.
9. Avoid popups and limit distracting ads. No one likes them and will probably leave.
10. Make your CTAs visible and clear. This one especially goes to the eCommerce websites. Use colours and clear language for your CTAs. Your users want to buy something – help them find the “Buy Now” button asap!
11. Limit broken links and use internal links that open in a new tab. Stumbling on a broken link will leave a user disappointed and using internal links will help keep them on your website. Always have links opening in a new tab – that way you’re keeping the visitor on your page.
12. Have a 404 page. Having a 404 page that clearly says what happened and provides alternative pages to go to might also help lower the bounce rate. A funny 404 page is a plus!
13. Track everything! That will make it easier for you to understand the reasons behind each result.

Your main goal is to keep your customers and visitors happy. Use yourself as a starting point in these situations. What do you like when you’re searching for something? What are the things that would make you leave a website? What else would you like to see on websites? Ask yourself these questions and use the answers in the best way possible.