How Content Can Help Manage Your Bounce Rate

Bounce-rate may be something that you've heard batted about by SEO experts or web business consultants, but you may not really be sure what it means. Bounce-rate (in the simplest terms) is a measurement defining the amount of visitors that come to your site and then leave without moving off the initial page they landed on. It doesn't have anything to do with how long they stay on that page, just that they got to your site, and then decided to not look at any of your other pages.

There is debate about whether this effects your Search Rankings, but there does seem to be some compelling evidence that google and other search engines use bounce rates to define the quality of your site. This is because a high bounce rate indicates that customers aren't finding useful information on your site, or are confused with how the site is set up, making it difficult to navigate. Consumer experience is a huge component of how Google determines the way it weights its algorithms, we talked about making your site more navigable and relevant in a previous post, but an important part of reducing your bounce rate is to make sure you are using content effectively.

Its important to not only have quality, well written new content on your site, but it is essential that the content on your site is relevant to your visitors. To do this try to develop a content plan based on what reasons consumers visit your site, and then build your content around these needs. This will increase not only the interest each page sparks in the visitor but also will increase the value of the content you surround each page with, making it more likely for them to move from one page to the next. Keeping this content dynamic and fresh will keep them coming back for more. Always, always link the most relevant pages to each other, so that if you have an article on Dog Grooming, make sure that great article you wrote on The Best Food for Your Dog's Coat is linked at the bottom. This will drive people forward, letting them enjoyably meander about your site.

Another good trick is to use clear and concise calls to action. Encourage your visitors to check out the next page, or another relevant page, by admonishing them to do so. Use words like, "Click here for more info" or "See related topics" to help direct your clients to other pages.

Keep an eye on bounce rates so that any changes you make to your site can be measured, evaluated and then acted upon. You can use Google analytics to more easily keep tabs on this metric. Remember to keep your content fresh and your site well organized you will see the results in sales and visitors staying longer and doing more things that result in revenue for your business.

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