Getting targeted traffic to hit your website is one challenge Internet Marketers face, however, keeping this traffic on your website is another challenge that needs to be addressed. The question one should really ask is “How can I ensure I keep people on my site long enough to turn them in to customers?”
A few things you can do to decrease your website’s Bounce Rate
First and foremost, endeavor to keep your website’s content fresh and up-to-date. When people are looking for information about your products or services they are looking for honest information that is going to help them make a purchasing decision. If your content is too little and unsubstantiated, it will affect your bounce rate as people move on to more trustworthy sources of online information.
Product reviews and/or testimonials are always very helpful when it comes to building trust and credibility between you as an online business and your customers who you will most probably never meet in person. Allowing people who visit your website to rate your products and services will also give you a good idea as to what is working for your business and what is not. With this information you can tweak your offerings accordingly in order to provide an improved service.
If you want sales conversions in the online environment then you have to have a secure online shopping and payment facility for people who want to purchase items from your website. Identity theft is a harsh reality in the online environment and sophisticated security features on your website will help give your customers peace of mind and decrease Bounce Rates from your website.
Avoid flashy banners and ‘Pop-Ups’. Nowadays these do little to build credibility. People who know the Internet know that excessive banners and pop-ups spell trouble and are usually associated with an untrustworthy source of information and they will be quick to move on to a more reliable-looking website.
Build a lasting rapport with your website visitors by having a newsletter that they can subscibe to, an RSS feed, or offer them a free eBook. These applications enable you to keep your customers up-to-date on developments in your industry, new products and service, and they show that you are abreast of your business.
Keep navigation simple on your website. If it is easy for people to find their way around your website without issue then it is highly likely that they will stay. Create a sitemap (you are able to do this for free online) so that you can get a clear understanding of where your website stands in terms of navigation.