Everyone wants their bounce rate to be lower. Having a bounce rate deemed “too high” is almost an insult amongst marketing professionals. In years past, we’ve all been trained to fear a high bounce rate and do our best to keep it low. But times have changed, and your bounce rate may not hold as much importance as it used to.
Why, you ask? Let’s dive a little deeper.
First and foremost, understand that your bounce rate does not generate any income. Sure, there are instances where the two are connected, but more often than not, your bounce rate has little to no affect on revenue-creating results (conversions) or an increase in sales for your business.
Does your website contain a blog? If so, that is probably contributing to an increased bounce rate. Contrary to popular marketing belief, a blog almost always increases your bounce rate primarily because the nature of blog readers is to read and then leave. They have no intention of lingering or taking action once they have finished reading what they came for. The important number to look for in terms of your blog is the number of visitors. Even if they only remain on your site to read the most recent blog, odds are they will come back to your blog page time and time again. With that in mind, blogs are a great location to place inbound links.
So, is there any value in looking at your bounce rate? Sure. Bounce rates can help diagnose more specific problems. For example, if one page is underperforming in conversions, a bounce rate can help figure out what exactly is going on. Just remember that bounce rate is a signal and a diagnosis tool, not an end-all-be-all number to stress over.
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