What We're Talking About...Reducing Bounce and Exit Rates

Chances are, you're already tracking the bounce rates for your web pages, since they're one of the most insightful optimization metrics. But what about exit rates?

Generally speaking, if a visitor to your site bounces, whatever page they enter on is the only one they see. The key difference with an exit is that a user can visit multiple pages before leaving your site.

These two rates should be considered within the context of your overall site structure and design. A landing page, eCommerce page, and blog post will all have different bounce and exit rates, so it can be difficult to differentiate if the rates you're seeing are good or a bad! So if you're wondering how you can reduce bounce and exit rates on your pages, here's what we're talking about...

Articles

Bounce Rate vs. Exit Rate: What’s the Difference? via Conversion XL

“Bounces are only recorded if a user exits directly from the page they entered while exit rates are recorded regardless of a user’s prior activity on your website. Therefore, all bounces are exits but not all exits are bounces.”

Start with this article for a quick rundown on the difference between the two metrics. This will break down the fundamental differences between bounce and exit rates and explain a few key reasons why your pages may be experiencing high percentages of the two metrics.

The No B.S. Guide to Reducing Your Website's Bounce Rate via HubSpot

“A high bounce rate is a very bad thing, and it causes other bad things to happen, too. If your bounce rate is high, it may have a negative impact on your rankings.”

If you've been looking for a way to crush your bounce rate, this is the article for you. Use these 5 strategic steps to lower your bounce rate and in turn you can boost your conversion rate goes up. Your SEO goes up. Your CTR goes up. Your rankings go up. It' a win, win!

Metrics You Should Be Tracking (But You’re Not): Exit Rate via Data box

“[exit rates] can be a bit deceiving as that particular piece of content might simply be longer than others or more difficult to follow.”

Your exit rate metric shares a lot of similarities with the bounce rate, and while they may sound similar these metrics actually tell you two completely different attributes of your website. This article will demystify your exit rate and convince you that it's something worth tracking.

11 Reasons Website Visitors Exit and How to Reduce Bounce Rates via Authority Marketing

“Any page that takes more than four seconds to load, loses visitors to a competitor with a faster site.”

If you have a high bounce rate on one of your blog posts, service pages, or home page, this article outlines the top 11 reasons why your visitors could be bouncing from that page. Everything from slow loading pages to a poor layout could be the cause! Check out this article to see the full list.

The Landing Page Bounce Rate, Demystified via Insta page

“Research shows that as many as 9 out of 10 visitors bounce from the average landing page. Some leave because you’re deceiving them, and others because you’re wearing their patience thin.”

Bounce rates for landing pages can look completely different than bounce rates for any other web page. The average bounce rate for a landing page is between 70 and 90%, but is that good or bad? Read this article to find out!

Infographic

Bounce Rate Demystified via Kissmetrics

Short on time? This infographic will visually break down bounce rates, show you industry averages, and even some tips to improve your pages bounce rate. 

Video

4 Ways to Decrease Your Bounce Rate via Neil Patel

If people keep bouncing off your site, you'll notice that you won't convert visitors into customers and your search engine rankings won't go up! Lets fix that, start by watching this short video!

While a high bounce rate usually signals problems with user experience – whether it be in context of content, site quality, or loading speed – a high exit rate usually signals problems in your conversion funnel. In the end, which metric you use depends on the context of your analysis and your own optimization goals! If you're noticing that bounce or exit rates for your landing pages are higher than industry standards, download our exclusive 20-point landing page audit to pin-point the cause!

This blog is part of Your Definitive Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization blog series.