If you run a business website, one of your biggest goals should be keeping web users on your site for as long as possible. This sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? If people simply linger on your website, how will that benefit you in any way?

It will. The longer the stay, the higher the chances of a potential conversion. In 2023, businesses have a sharp focus on lowering their bounce rate (the percentage of web users who exit a webpage without taking any positive action, i.e., buying a product, subscribing to the newsletter, etc.). A low bounce rate will help you earn more conversions and increase audience retention.

If you’ve been having trouble keeping web users around, we’ll break down the recipe for maintaining a consistently low bounce rate. Use these strategies, maintain consistency, and elevate your site’s performance.

1. Improve Your Website’s User Experience

Excellent UX is your golden ticket to high website conversions. If your website doesn’t provide a smooth, seamless, and enjoyable experience to your audience, they won’t stick around.

Start by ensuring that your website loads quickly. Web users easily get frustrated when webpages or on-page elements take too long to load. As the average human attention span gets lower and lower, people simply don’t have the time to hang around, especially when they could easily switch to another website that doesn’t force them to endure a long wait.

Your website should also be well-structured. Use white space intelligently, design compelling calls-to-action (CTAs), keep the design modern and eye-catching (not visually overwhelming), use visual media wisely, increase your website’s responsiveness, use layout strategically, and provide engaging content.

As they browse your website, web users shouldn’t feel frustrated. Their overall browsing experience should be fun and easy! When you get rid of elements or practices that are causing stress, hassle, and confusion, you’ll notice a significant improvement in your bounce rate.

Recommended Read: Should You Opt for Minimalist Website Design?

2. Run A/B Testing

A/B testing is the process of creating two unique versions of the same page and showing them to web users at random to determine which page performs better. This is crucial. Sure, your marketing team may have an idea of which practices and elements work well. However, your marketing team isn’t your audience.

Each industry has a unique audience that reacts uniquely to web content. If you sell gaming gear online, your audience will comprise a lot of hip teenagers. If you provide physical therapy services, your audience will comprise late adults and senior citizens. If you run a chocolate bar, your audience will comprise kids and parents.

Each of these audience examples is very different. No matter how experienced your marketing team may be, they cannot accurately predict which variation your audience will naturally gravitate towards. This power ultimately lies in your audience’s hands, so start there.

A/B test different webpages with your target audience. Display unique webpages and elements to them to understand which version they enjoy most. This process will also help you get a better grasp of your audience’s preferences. Of course, your bounce rate will also drop.

3. Make the Search Process Smooth

Many businesses make the critical mistake of neglecting their website’s search functionality. When a web user lands on your site, they should be able to search for something specific they may have in mind with ease and adroitness. If you fail to provide a clear site search option on every webpage, web users will end up frustrated and exit your website.

Save people’s time by checking this box off the list. If a web user has a hyper-specific query (e.g., they’re looking for a specific product), they can jump to that page within seconds. Over time, this little trick will have a big impact on your website’s bounce rate. The more you speed things up, the better.

Recommended Read: What is Website Accessibility & How Does It Impact Your Rankings?

4. Focus on Readability

You’d be surprised by just how many websites offer poor to terrible webpage readability. If the font size is too small, the font colour blends with the background or the web copy isn’t properly formatted, web users will head towards the nearest exit.

Good readability is one of the most basic aspects of a website that runs like a well-oiled machine. Make sure you select fonts that are easy to read. The size, formatting, and colour should also be selected carefully.

Lastly, avoid adding big walls of text to your website. Instead, break the copy into smaller sections that can be easily digested by your audience. The more readable your website is, the better. Keep A/B testing different versions of your web copy and formatting to understand which variation aces the readability and engagement test.

5. Popups Are a Big No

Popups sound exciting in theory. In practice, however, the story pans out differently. Web users aren’t a big fan of intrusive interstitials that make it difficult for them to find the information they’re looking for. This doesn’t mean that interstitials are bad. It simply means that there are better ways to use them.

For starters, make sure interstitials don’t get in the way of web users. They shouldn’t cover content or affect the scrolling experience. Web users should enjoy a simple and smooth browsing experience, as we highlighted earlier.

Before implementing any web design or development technique, ask yourself whether it will make things easier for your audience or more complicated. The answer will serve as a roadmap and steer you in the right direction. Work with web design and development experts who can help you stay on track.

Recommended Read: How to Create an SEO-Friendly Website

Lower Your Website’s Bounce Rate with TocToc

Now that you have a better understanding of the right ways to reduce your bounce rate, it’s time to implement these strategies. We’ll take care of all the heavy lifting for you.

At TocToc, we provide professional web design and development services to clients across Canberra and Sydney. We use actionable strategies to lower your bounce rate, improve your SERP rankings, and increase your revenue.

Schedule a consultation with our team to get started. We also specialise in search engine optimisation (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, app development, and social media marketing. If you have any questions, our team is always happy to help. Let’s equip your site with the tools it needs to succeed!