For many Google Analytics users, the term “Bounce Rate” is definitely a familiar term you will come across frequently. But do you know what your industry’s average bounce rate is or even what factors affect your bounce rate?
Google’s definition of Bounce Rate
It is the percentage of single-page visits (ie. Visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page). Bounce Rate is the measure of visit quality and a high Bounce Rate generally indicates that the site entrance (landing) pages are not relevant to your visitors.
Common Actions That Triggers A Bounce Rate
Click on a page to a different website
Click “Back” button to leave the site
Close an open window or tab site
Type a new URL
Session timeout without any interaction
Bounce Rate By Industry
Overall average
Average time on site: 190.4 seconds
Average pageviews: 4.6
Bounce Rate: 40.5%
New visits: 62.9%
Retail Sites
Bounce Rates: 20-40%
Simple landing pages with one Call-To-Action
Bounce Rates: 70-90%
Self-Service sites
Bounce Rates: 10-30%
Content websites with irrelevant terms
Bounce Rates: 40-60%
Lead generation sites
Bounce Rate: 30-50%
Factors that Affect Bounce Rate
Purpose of the page
Landing page design
Ads and landing page messages
Seach engine ranking of page on irrelevant keywords
Pop-up ads, surveys, music or streaming videos
Links to external sites
Type of audience
Email and newsletters
Landing page loading time
Tips to Improve Bounce Rate
Place search function prominently
Maintain top rankings for branded terms
Get rid of pop-up ads
Build a clear navigation path / user journey
Reduce external links or have them open in a new window
Provide relevant content
Speed up pageloading time