Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is an important component of web monitoring. It is a valuable KPI (indicator) for a webmaster. The bounce rate is defined with the users who only generate a call to a web page.

Definition

One looks for example in the Internet for an insurance and lands on a side the unseriös seems and closes this again. Thus, this page view counts towards the bounce rate.

Of course, the reasons for the jump can be different. Nevertheless, this indicator helps to analyse the success of e.g. a company. of an AdWords campaign. But the bounce rate is also an important indicator in email marketing.

How do I calculate the bounce rate?

There are different ways to calculate the bounce rate.
However, the basic formula is simple: visitors with only one page view / all website visitors x 100 = bounce rate in percent.

Example: 1876 / 3845 x 100 = 48,79 %Summary: Almost half of all visitors who visit this website do not interact further with this page and leave it after a short time (usually 5-10 seconds). This value sounds bad but must always be interpreted individually, since the jumps can have various reasons.

Through further key figures such as “page impressions”, “pageview hits”, which state that a user has only seen the page, or the e-commerce “transaction item hits”, which provides information about items placed in the shopping cart. These KPIs can be used to refine the value of the bounce rate.

Interpretation of the bounce rate

The question of evaluation or interpretation is difficult to answer, as there are different approaches to this. There is no “blanket answer” for this.

A very high bounce rate does not necessarily have to be negative. A contact page with address quickly gives the user what he is looking for. Then it is normal that he leaves this site after a very short time.

Benchmarks from the relevant industry provide a point of reference for assessing the values.

Consideration of important factors

The source page should fit thematically to the target page. Otherwise, this is a clear indication to leave the page immediately.

Equally important are the technical factors . If a page has a long load time or is not mobile optimized, that can also be a reason to leave.

Organic traffic can also help increase the bounce rate. Branded traffic, on the other hand, tends to lead to a reduction.Good to know: Mobile users generally leave websites faster than users sitting at home on the computer.

Return to SERP Rate

The SERP rate is closely related to the bounce rate but still differs significantly.

This rate records how many visitors to the website return to the search results after leaving the website and, for example, continue searching on other pages, refine the search or search for something else.

Causes of a high bounce rate

One reason that I’m sure every internet user has experienced is that you can’t find what you’re looking for. Either the content is simply inappropriate, inferior or can only be found after long scrolling. Optimizations to the content or layout could help to reduce this.

However, it can also happen that the tracking code of the web analysis tool is not embedded correctly and thus transmits incorrect data.

Influence on SEO

The bounce rate is a clear indicator that should be taken into account. It can be an indication of the need for optimisation, but it does not have to be.

Just as important as the KPI itself, is the webmaster who evaluates it. If the bounce rate is misinterpreted, the wrong optimization measures may also be taken.

As a conclusion, however, it can be said that you should never look at the bounce rate alone. Several indicators should be taken into account, such as the length of stay.

Conclusion

The bounce rate can be an important indicator for you as a webmaster whether visitors are using a subpage as you had imagined. For this, however, you should always consider the value in relation to other metrics.

Caution: The terms bounce rate and “exit rate” are often confused.

An “exit” is when a user clicks on another subpage and then leaves the website!