This is the last in a series of posts from Chris Rackley on better home page design.
It’s probably the most objective metric tool Google Analytics provides users. The bounce rate
of your site is your website’s virtual thermometer. It’ll tell you how you’re doing; and the more you know about your bounce rate — the more you’ll be able to develop a strategy for your home page.
Bounce Rate 101
A bounce, in super-simple terms, is when someone enters your site on a certain page, and leaves that page without going to any other pages on your site. Generally, your home page is the page most often entered, though the same rules apply to any page that your site is entered on. A bounce rate is the percentage of visits to your site in which a bounce occurs. The more bounces you have on your site means people aren’t interested in what your site has to offer. The higher your bounce rate the more people are leaving your site without digging further into it. Bottom Line: Low Bounce Rate = Good. High Bounce Rate = Bad.
The Bounce Rate Dilemma.
So what’s a low bounce rate? People will dispute this. Some will say you should be concerned if it’s over 30%, while others say 60% is still “okay.” The truth is the average website typically has about a 40% bounce rate. In reality though, it depends on the goals you’ve set for your website. For example, if you have an e-commerce site, then a bounce rate over 15% is bad. On the other hand, if you have a small business site that serves primarily to give information about your business, anything under 50% is solid. However, as far as SEO goes, Google doesn’t care whether you have a store or not — the lower your bounce rate, the better your rankings. So you want to get it low. If your bounce rate is high, then it’s time to look closer at your home page and see what you need to change to get people more involved in your site.
The Low-Bounce Home Page
Here are some general tips to consider when rethinking your home page. Of course, each site is different and warrants custom considerations so I’ll stay as generic as possible; but these are fairly universal principles:
1. Think Landing Page. Don’t just settle for a picture, a few paragraphs and a menu. Direct your readers to where you want them to go. How do you do this? Think about where they want to go! A while back we talked about MountainCreekCabinets.com and the great way they delivered dynamic content to their home page. Not only do you get a quick summary about who they are, but also links to a randomly generated case study, their latest blog post, an article about getting started with a kitchen or bath project, and the basics of remodeling. Currently, Mountain Creek is enjoying an 18% bounce rate.
2. Be Leary of Flash Templates. I want to be careful, because there are some solid ones out there; but most sites built in flash are actually viewed to search engines as one page. This means that even if someone is exploring your site, the stats are really recording it. This hurts you in two ways: search engines will usually rate you with a ridiculously high bounce rate, and you have no way to objectively measure how people are using your site. Flash may have that “wow” factor; but use caution and careful research before going with a site that is built entirely in flash — especially a template purchased online.
3. Content > Images. I lose brownie points on this a lot when I try to explain this to a potential client; but I stand by it. Great images will help catch the eye’s attention when looking at your site, but it’s the content that will get them into it. Just having a page of big pictures doesn’t cut it. They have to have a reason to look inside. Again, think like your users! If you’re selling lawn care, does the visitor to your site want to come to your home page, see rotating pictures in the header, and sit back and watch all of the pretty lawns you’ve taken care of? Or do they want to see just a picture or two that shows you’re the real deal — and then look to see what services you offer, what your prices are, and how they can contact you. I’m going to go with the latter — and I’d bet the vast majority of people who use the web to find something they want or need will agree with me. So create great content. Write out real case studies. Combine it all with testimonials. Start a personality-driven, educational blog about your trade. And then tease this great content on your home page. Then, watch your bounce rate plummet, and your ROI soar.
So should you be rethinking your home page? Probably. We at Worthwhile began talking about our next site redesign the week after the design you see now first launched. And it wasn’t that we were unhappy with it. On the contrary — we’re thrilled. But we always want to get better. How can your home page improve? Stay away from the wrong philosophies, think of your home page as your curb appeal, and follow your bounce rate — Just a few thoughts when rethinking your home page.
