Bounce Rate: What does it really mean?

1. 93

   jansharesposted 8 years ago

   I need clarification on what "Bounce Rate %" means. Here's the definition from Google Analytics:
   
   Bounce Rate is the percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page without interacting with the page).
   
   My question is what exactly does "interacting" include: Scrolling; clicking on ads, polls, and links; watching a video; clicking on a related article? I'm pretty sure it means more than just reading the article. My bounce rate is always high (88-90%) which I've heard is not good. But the average time on the page is always 4 to 5 minutes and my overall traffic is good.
   
   So is it necessary to add more enticing bells and whistles to get the reader to "interact" more with the page or is the fact that they are reading the article good enough? In other words, is "Bounce Rate" a misleading metric? Thanks.

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      Jesse Drzalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I too am interested in what others say about this.

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      arunrajvposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      For a blogger the bounce rate will always be on the higher side, since the visitor will come to your site reads the article and leaves. Try creating a goal like "stayed for more than 60 secs" ,obviously 60 secs are enough to read one blog. If the visitor reads your post it should be treated as the conversion right? Just try this and you will feel the bounce rate dropping.

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      1. 93

         jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, arunajv. This is somewhat helpful. My readers are definitely staying to read for more than 60 seconds. The bounce rate indicates that they aren't. Maybe the small amount of activity on the majority of my hubs skews the bounce rate.

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   3. 79

      Richard-Bivinsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think you need clarification at all, you nailed it exactly. 
      
      You're average time can mean many things but mostly that your articles are long.  The key is to try and get your blog readers to engage with you in comments.  Ask questions, be provocative, call people out.  That is how you gain a following and then drive people to your list by telling them how everything is explained in more detail in your giveaway ebook or pdf or other bribe.

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      1. 93

         jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Brilliant advice, Richard. I see some of what you're suggesting on Twitter. Thank you very much. This online writer/blogger thing really is a 24/7 commitment I wish I had.

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   NateB11posted 8 years ago

   Info about Bounce Rate is contradictory; some people seem to think it's important and others don't think it's particularly important. I've also heard that time on page is way more important; which is logical to me. Would love to hear people with their own blogs share with us whether they've noticed bounce rate having a particular effect.
   
   I can say that my bounce rate here at HP tends to be high and many of my Hubs still get decent traffic. In fact, my own blogs do fairly well and have high bounce rates. One gets less traffic than the others, has more content and a lower bounce rate. Of course, all of this has more to do with SEO and keywords, I think. I will say that the site I have that has a lower bounce rate also has more time on page and richer content; but lower traffic.
   
   Not sure what all that means, except that, for me, it's all still kind of up in the air.

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      jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Nate, thanks. I appreciate you taking time to reply. Very helpful.

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   C.V.Rajanposted 8 years ago

   While doing a google search yourself with a search phrase, you will get a list of links; you click one, see what is written there by a quick reading in bits here and bits there and see whether it is relevant for you. Many times it may not be so. It will be WYLFINWYG (What You Look For Is Not What  You Get)!  You quickly quit the page and click another link in the search. Probably, you may end up with a relevant info after 4 or 5 links. When you get one, you read it deeply by spending time there.
   
   All the earlier ones, you only bounced.
   
   So, in the same way, many people ending up in your article may not be getting the info what they originally wanted. Some may get and they may spend time to do a deeper reading. The bounce rate will be an average of all these I suppose.

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