Before we start talking about the bounce rate of a website and how it can hone the skills of a web designer, let's first know what it actually means. When you log into the Google analytics account of your website, you'll see a metric termed 'bounce rate'. It's displayed in percentage (%). This metric tells you how many people are actually abandoning your website without clicking a single link. If the bounce rate shows 72%, it means that 72 out of every 100 people (that visit your site) leave before clicking a second link or viewing another page.
Well, now when it's clear what the bounce rate metric hints at, let's get back to the main topic. Yes, Google analytics is a powerful tool that web designers can use to hone their skills, in order to create a design that truly resonates with the target audience. To create an engaging design, web designers need to step into the target audience's shoes. It is through understanding the requirements of the online consumers that designers can come up with 'responsive design'.
The Value of Bounce Rate Metric
Of course, the web designer needs to make sure that a website accomplishes its commercial goals. And when you want to fulfill those website goals, you must be able to feel the pulse of the consumer in the first place.
The bounce rate of a website decides whether you'll achieve success or failure with your online business goals. Lower bounce rate (below 50%) suggests that visitors to your site are viewing more pages and spending more time exploring the content that you have to offer. On the other hand, a higher bounce rate quickly raises red flags.
A higher bounce rate doesn't always mean you need to reorganize the content structure and links on a website. The design of a website also has a key role to play when it comes to reducing the bounce rate. How quickly a visitor leaves a site (i.e. the average time spent) should tell you more about where things are going wrong. By analyzing the data in Google analytics closely, designers can identify such issues and improve the design.
Yes, Web Design Does Affect a Site's Bounce Rate!
There are several factors that control the bounce rate of a website. In terms of design as well, there are some key issues that can increase the bounce rate of a site. If the design of a website is not very responsive or usable, visitors will leave as quickly as they land on it.
In order to reduce the bounce rate, designers should evaluate:
Download time of a site
Design of the website itself
User-friendliness of the web interface
Navigational structure
Typography
If a website doesn't load quickly, the bounce rate will be higher. Even a bad header design can cause a high bounce rate, as it's the first thing that visitors notice while entering a website. Several usability issues can also compel users to abandon a site pretty quickly. At the same time, typography is also something designers should consider to enhance readability.
In short, a higher bounce rate signals that the design (or/ and the content) of a website is unable to engage the user. Designers can, therefore, evaluate the bounce rate across the entire site. Target those pages first that have the highest bounces. Experiment with new style, design and presentation. Discover what makes the most impact to fulfill the website goals.
What other metrics, do you think, a web designer can use to improve the design of a website? Please feel free to share your views.
