ACTIONABLE TIPS FOR KEEPING VISITORS ON YOUR WEBSITE

Okay, so you’ve created your website with some amazing content, yet you still have a high bounce rate (the percentage of users who leave the page without interacting). This is common for many small businesses and there can be a range of issues causing this problem and today we’re going to look at ways for you to keep visitors on your website for longer.

YOUR WEBSITE MUST BE GOOD LOOKING

A study recently show that 94% of a website users first impressions are design related. To confirm this, all you need to do is look at your own behaviour patterns when browsing the web. If we click onto a website and it looks outdated, confusing or is just a terrible design, we often click the back button straight away and hop off to a competitor.

Your website must be visuably appealing to your target audience, web design is not a one size fits all. The best websites have clear navigation, legible text with useful content.

INTERNAL LINKING

To prompt your visitors to click through to another page, you should internally link between your pages. For instance, if I refer to a previous blog post that I have written then I will insert a link back to it (as above). This makes your website much more user friendly as if your visitors are looking for more information, it’s right there in front of them and they don’t need to search online for answers. Although this is great for SEO, you should not be stuffing keywords here there and everywhere and linking to other pages, it doesn’t work like that. Instead, focusing on creating a knowledge base for your visitors.

If you need more help with your keywords, we have a blog about them here.

KEEP YOUR NAVIGATION SIMPLE

All too often I see websites with complication navigation bars with way too many option, it just ends up overwhelming (or confusing) your visitors and will often make them click the back button. To create a clear navigation, think of your most important pages (Home, About, Pricing, Contact, Blog etc) and if you do have more, you can add them but it’s best to pop them into a sub menu rather than overcrowding your navigation.

Check out KissMetrics , their navigation on their blog  is simple and clear to read. Although they have quite a few options, they are not overwhelming as they are separated and say exactly what is in each section without using unnecessary words. Their call-to-action is highlighted the draw attention to it, but also still fits in with the design of the website.

USE SPECIFIC TITLES

Instead of being the amazing creative person you are, use titles that actually say what content is on each page and don’t mislead your visitors. Use tangible and concrete statements and don’t be vague, you should never be making your visitors interpret a title and instead making it crystal clear. Again, don’t try keyword stuffing in your titles as this will often make them illegible and look spammy (and Google HATES this). Use only the words that you need to describe what is on the page

USE CALL TO ACTION’S

On every page should be some form of  call to action, whether that’s signing up, writing a comment on the blog or even checking out your portfolio. Your visitors do not want to think about what they’re doing, and it should come naturally. Users cannot read minds and you must tell them what to do.

The best place to use a call to action is at the bottom of a blog post, your visitors are already engaged with your content and are more likely to click through.

USE A RELATED POSTS PLUGIN

Whether you’re a hardcore blogger, or maybe just have a small variety of posts – either way you should use a related posts plugin. These are awesome for keeping visitors on your site as they display a range of posts and will give your visitors the nudge they need to read on. You can test different headings and layouts to see what works best for reducing your bounce rate, each website is unique. For instance, if you’re reading a blog about Social Media Marketing, you may want to read about Facebook or Twitter for business.

NO POP UPS!

Contrary to popular belief, pop ups actually make people leave your site. Many businesses from local newspapers to large online stores bombard their visitors with pop ups that deliver no value to them whatsoever, and sometimes these pop ups have a glitch and don’t leave no matter how many time you click the X. This leaves the only option to exit the page.

Why companies have screen-blocking pop ups set up whilst somebody is interacting with your content, I have no clue. You’re disturbing them from what they are doing. If you are a company that must use pop ups for whatever reason, consider using exit intent popups. This type of pop up only reveals itself when a visitor is showing signs of exiting like moving the mouse towards the X. The reason Ad-Blockers have become so popular recently is because of companies using intrusive advertising and delivering no value. To read more on the effects of Ad-Blockers, KissMetrics have a great blog here.

If your pop up is simply for lead capture, why not create a landing page with a specific piece of content or have a signup bar in your footer instead?