You’re getting tons of traffic to your website! Amazing! But are people actually sticking around when they get there? That’s another story. If you’d like to improve your bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing just one page) then there are several techniques to start putting into practice. Some of the most effective strategies include:

Deliver on your promises

It doesn’t matter whether your website promises a free e-book, a new clothing line to peruse, or hilarious pictures of cats wearing Halloween costumes. Whatever you’re promising needs to appear on your website, and it needs to be easy to find. If you’re not delivering on your promise in a timely manner, visitors will be onto the next site before you can say “trick or treat.”

Make the text readable

You’re passionate about your area of expertise and you’ve got lots to say. That’s awesome, but unfortunately, most people have neither the time nor the attention span to read paragraphs upon paragraphs of information. Your wonderful content is getting lost as they see long blocks of text and immediately close out of your site. To eliminate this problem, break up your copy into readable chunks that someone can quickly scan on their lunch break. This means short paragraphs, filled only with the necessary details. If they want more information, they can contact you.

Make sure your site Is loading quickly

Does it take three minutes for your About Us page to load? Good luck trying to get people to stick around for that. While it’s great to have lots of engaging images on your site, if they’re slowing the whole thing down, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Your site needs to load quickly if you want people to stay.

Tell people what to do next

You’d be surprised by how much guidance your website’s visitors need. If you’ve got an action step you’d like them to take once they get to your site, don’t be afraid to let them know. Come right out and tell them to sign up for your e-mail newsletter. Ask them to like you on Facebook. A little bit of guidance goes a long way.

If you need some help making your website a more appealing place for visitors to spend some time, I’ve got you covered. E-mail me at Keith@BuckleUpStudios.com and let’s chat!