How to Reduce Your Website’s Bounce Rate: Free and Paid Tools

The bounce rate can be confusing at first. You might wonder: Is a bounce rate close to 100% good or bad? Is it like a bounced email? Should I ignore it? And if it poses a problem, how can I fix it?

You’re not the only one trying to answer these questions. Many marketers face the same dilemmas. 

In this article, we will help you understand what bounce rate is, how to reduce it, and tips and tools to effectively manage it. 

What is Bounce Rate?

Imagine you own a coffee shop on a busy street.

Every day, people pass by your shop. Some even stop to glance at your menu outside, but only a few seem interested enough to step inside.

However, most of them stop outside the door, shake their heads, and don’t enter to buy coffee. 

Why?

This question is the foundation of how to reduce your websites bounce rate.

Similarly, your website’s bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on your page but leave without taking any further action, like buying or signing up on your website. 

The bounce rate indicates an important aspect: visitors are not converting into users. So, when you stop someone from bouncing, you are actually improving your conversion rates.

Therefore, knowing how to reduce your websites bounce rate is key to your business’s overall success. 

Why Reducing Bounce Rate is Important

Bouncing visitors are potential customers. They arrive at your website but leave without any interaction. In digital marketing, engagement matters more than sheer numbers. A million daily visits mean nothing if they don't lead to any conversions.

Bounce rate matters because optimization matters. Leading digital companies aren't just the ones with big budgets, but those who maximize conversions within their budget.

A great first impression keeps visitors hooked. They’ll explore your content and brand, with each interaction bringing them closer to a conversion.

The longer visitors stay on your site, the more they get to know your brand. This familiarity encourages regular visits and helps build habits that can lead to more sales.

Reducing the bounce rate with a good strategy can boost conversion rates without needing a bigger budget. It’s a quick and simple way to expand your reach.

Before diving into tips on reducing the bounce rate, let’s understand what a good bounce rate is for your website.

What’s Considered a Good Bounce Rate on a Website?

There is no rule of thumb for every website to follow when trying to reduce the bounce rate.

What might be considered a good bounce rate for one business might be horrendous for another.

However, as a starting point, if you’ve got a bounce rate around 70%, that is concerning.

A bounce rate between 50% and 70% is average. On the contrary, if your website’s bounce rate is between 30% and 50%, kudos to you! You are doing an excellent job.

But don’t forget, it all depends on your business goals. For instance, for landing pages with a single CTA, a bounce rate of 90% is considered average.

Likewise, for portals and service sites, the 10%–30% range falls within the average meter.

14 Tips to Reduce Bounce Rates

Here are 14 proven strategies to engage your visitors and turn them into loyal customers.

1. Identify why visitors leave early

Although Google Analytics can show your website’s bounce rate, it hardly explains why visitors are leaving without converting. This leaves you guessing how to reduce the bounce rate.

Pro tip:

• Avoid guesswork and use website exit surveys to directly ask visitors why they are leaving. Add a survey to your key landing pages and show it when a visitor is about to leave.

Check out this example below. 

It's also a good idea to add a comment field so visitors can share their thoughts.

2. Make your website responsive

With evolving technology, people access your site through various screen sizes, device capabilities, and input methods. 

Nearly 60% of users access your site through small screens, such as mobile phones. Hence, if your website isn’t responsive, you can lose a large chunk of potential customers. 

Here's an example of The New York Times' responsive website.

3. Enhance user experience

To enhance your site's experience, use elements, tools, and processes that improve the user experience (UX).

While great UX starts with a fast, well-structured website, it's much more than that. It combines visual elements, content, and interactions that not only meet but exceed expectations.

Use your buyer's persona as a guide. What do they seek when they visit your site? How can you lead and pleasantly surprise them?

Some pro tips:

• Ensure your page is visually appealing when users land on your website from some ad. 

• If you’re using SEO strategies to drive more traffic, it’s critical that your page’s content meets visitors' expectations and needs.

‍Tool you can use:

You might wonder if coding skills are necessary to design personalized web pages. 

BUT, here’s the catch!

Relevic offers a no-code solution that lets you easily tailor your websites/landing pages to user needs and preferences.  

Moreover, its user-friendly interface lets you design web and landing pages effortlessly, tailored to user expectations, reducing bounce rates, and driving maximum conversions.

4. Design a prominent call-to-action (CTA)

High bounce rates could be due to a lack of clarity on your page. Without a clear call to action, visitors won't know what actions to take and are more likely to bounce.

Pro tip:

• Your call to action should align with your customer journey and what you consider a conversion at each stage.

For example, if you have an online shopping store, your CTA could take advantage of a special deal or discount. 

5. Assess your text’s readability

Modern web users have many choices. If your content isn't easy to read, visitors will leave quickly, raising your bounce rate.

Some pro tips:

• Reduce bounce rates by using bigger fonts for readability on mobile screens and breaking content into bite-sized chunks. 

• Use headings, bullet lists, and creative elements like pictures, graphs, and charts to make content easy to skim.

Check out Alibaba’s example below. Their homepage features large fonts and expertly uses images to enhance readability.

6. Create landing pages

A common challenge to reducing bounce rates is predicting where users will enter your site. Even a perfect homepage won't help if most traffic comes from a blog article that isn’t optimized for engagement.

This is where landing pages come to the rescue. They are designed with captivating layouts and prominent CTAs, serving as ideal entry points.

One solution could be to create multiple landing pages, each offering a personalized entry point for various visitors. 

Another solution is to:

Pro tip:

• Utilize tools with dynamic content (e.g., Relevic) to personalize landing pages according to user preferences and needs. It reduces the need for multiple landing pages, as dynamic content automatically adapts based on user data, location, and other cues.

For example, Olivia cleverly uses location to create dynamic content. Regardless of where visitors enter the site, it automatically tailors information based on their location.

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7. Improve product pages

If you run an eCommerce site and want to reduce bounce rates, focus on improving your product pages.

One reason for customers to bounce could be high prices. However, often it’s because the page lacks enough information for them to decide and take action.

Pro tip:

• Ensure your pages include key details to help customers buy, such as product specs, return policy information, and user reviews and ratings.

Nike excels with their product pages, providing all the essential information to help visitors convert.

8. Use visuals and videos wisely

Humans are visual beings, and we’re quickly enchanted by photos, images, or videos rather than text or CTAs.

Pro tip:

• Design compelling visuals for your website that guide customers to the next steps. This can make your page engaging, not just something visitors glance at. This way, visitors interact with your website, which can eventually result in a purchase or a sign-up.

Glossier makes perfect use of images and videos to compel visitors to make purchases. 

9. Do A/B testing

If you're unsure which decisions will enhance UX and reduce bounce rates, why not test them?

A/B testing requires you to create two different versions of the same page and show them to different sets of visitors.

You can then measure which version retains traffic better. Use the winning version or continue testing with another A/B test to keep improving your results.

10. Draw in the right audience

Think about the last time you searched for something specific on a website and couldn’t find it. You probably left quickly, right?

This happens when a site attracts visitors who aren’t a good fit for its content.

Some pro tips:

• To fix this, create multiple landing pages with engaging, unique content tailored to your target audience and optimized for relevant keywords. (See the “Create landing pages” header.)

• Make your SERP listings stand out with compelling meta descriptions and ensure your online ads reach the right people.

11. Leverage interactive content

Engage people online quickly with interactive content. By encouraging users to take action, you invite them to explore more of your site and learn about you.

Examples include interactive ebooks, infographics, quizzes, and lookbooks. 

Pro tip:

• Use these on landing pages to build deeper connections and keep visitors engaged longer. Interaction boosts engagement!

Airbnb adds a twist to travel with interactive web services. You can enjoy stunning images and videos and explore unique travel experiences through interactive videos posted by hosts worldwide.

12. Use internal linking

A solid internal linking structure keeps visitors engaged. But don't overdo it—too many links can confuse visitors and hurt readability.

Make sure your links are relevant and direct readers to helpful posts on your site for additional information. Prioritize quality over quantity for a better personalized user experience.

Pro tip:

• Use slide-in popups that also serve as call to action to prompt users to take action. 

Georg Jensen Damask uses a slide-in popup to entice users to explore their spring collection.

13. Incorporate social proof and credibility into your landing page

People do business with those they know, like, and trust. When they trust you, they're more likely to buy from you.

Some pro tips:

• Display customer testimonials.

• Showcase product reviews from your store or third-party sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook

• Highlight logos from media outlets that featured you.

• Feature logos or accreditation badges from professional associations.

Thinx uses timely popups to show social proof to hesitant visitors.

14. Leverage exit-intent popups to lower your bounce rate

Exit-intent popups have long been used to grow your email lists. However, they can also be utilized to reduce bounce rates. 

Larry Kim, founder of Mobile Monkey and WordStream, cut bounce rates by 60% using this strategy.

Pro tip:

• Offer a lead magnet in exchange for an email. It will reduce the bounce rate and ignite interaction with visitors.

For example, ecommerce brands often offer discount codes or chances to join giveaways and contests.

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How to Reduce Bounce Rate?

Now that you know how to reduce websites bounce rates, you're probably wondering how to put these strategies into action.

Here are some tools to help you nail it. 

Best free tools to reduce bounce rate

Relevic (Website Personalization Tool)

Relevic lowers bounce rates by helping you create high-converting landing pages and personalize content for each visitor. 

Its advanced AI analyzes user behavior to provide tailored recommendations and dynamic content, keeping visitors engaged and encouraging them to explore your site further.

BDOW (Website Popup Tool)

BDOW! reduces bounce rates by creating engaging popups and email capture forms. This tool helps you grab visitor attention and encourage visitors to stay on your site longer. 

Features like exit-intent popups and targeted offers keep visitors engaged and less likely to leave.

Top-paid tools to reduce bounce rate 

Unbounce (Landing Pages Builder)

Unbounce reduces bounce rates by helping you build landing pages. Its drag-and-drop builder, A/B testing, and optimization tools make designing engaging pages easy. 

Its standout features, like dynamic text replacement and targeted popups, ensure your landing pages are relevant and compelling, keeping visitors on your site longer.

Hotjar (User Behavior Tool)

Hotjar reduces bounce rates by offering insights into user behavior with heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback polls. 

These features allow you to see where visitors are clicking, scrolling, and leaving your site, helping you identify problem areas.

Conclusion

In summary, reducing bounce rates is essential for increasing visitor engagement and conversions. Focus on understanding visitor behavior, optimizing the user experience, and creating responsive, engaging content. 

Utilize tools like Relevic, BDOW!, Unbounce, and Hotjar to enhance your site's performance. Implement these strategies to keep visitors on your site longer and maximize your digital marketing success.