Lower Your Bounce Rate and Build Targeted Traffic - Internet Marketing Australia

Building targeted traffic is a process that can be hindered by something called a high bounce rate. This is the number of people leaving your site very quickly without taking any action. Whether it's products or services, connecting with others or the myriad of other reasons for creating a website or blog, a high bounce rate indicates problems with keeping traffic on your site. It can be pretty discouraging. Small traffic numbers are a positive thing if the greater percentage are targeted to your content.

Targeted traffic is the absolute opposite of a high bounce rate. That is why solving the problem is so important. Before we get into how to reduce it, what is considered a high? Various analytical sources differ by a few points but we can be pretty safe in saying any bounce rate above forty percent is high. A bounce rate you can smile at is about 30 to 35 percent or lower. Of course zero would be perfect. But let's get encouraged first.

You can identify a bounce rate easily through tracking tools available such as counters, that tell you what your visitors interact with on your site. Whenever you view the statistics and find visitors spent zero to a few seconds on your site on a given day, you've identified bounces.

Bounce rate solutions are going to vary from site to site. It's important to look at as complete an analysis of your website traffic as possible. At the top of the list may be not knowing what brings traffic to your site. Second, what keeps them there and returning? Trends, the economy and other factors can move a bounce rate up or down the graph. Consider this as you analyze data. It may mean you'll have to wait it out or, figure out how to use these events to your benefit.

The Key to Reducing a High Bounce Rate

Targeting the negatives and replacing them with positives reduces high bounce rates. Trying to remove a number of negatives at once is overwhelming. If you can remove one negative it will reduce your bounce rate by a few points. Locating one and working on the solution will lead to answers for all the other issues.

The first step is to think of what gets visitors moving within the content of your site to spend more time. Using analytic information can be very helpful. Without it you may never unravel the problems and turn them around.

Simple tools such as traffic statistics, widgets which can be found at no cost on the Web and added to a blog or website in minutes. They give you an idea of how many people come to your site and why. Then there are more concise tools such as Google analytics covering an impressive range of information about your website from day to day.

There is an advantage you may not be focusing on, visitors who do find your site useful. Don't let a high bounce rate make you ignore them. They are pretty jewels shining out of the darkness. Asking questions can help you plan and find solutions.

1. What keywords are bringing them to your site from search engines?
2. What articles, information, products or services are they targeting on your site?
3. If there are comments what are they commenting on?
4. Are you checking RSS feeds to find out what content they interact with? (It could be very different from site visitors)
5. What time of day or evening appear to be high traffic hours for your website?

Secondly, we're talking the Internet and World Wide Web but, there are three things that reign:

1. How to (Solutions)

Solving problems for your visitors is what makes search engines the traffic machines they are. Every keyword visit from a search engine is a user needing a solution and targeted traffic for you if you have the solution.

2. News and information

What news or information can they depend on when they arrive on your site? Is it a part of the mission you've defined?

3. Social Networking

To utilize social networks best is to understand your niche. It will save time if you can point the majority of your efforts towards those who can benefit from what you offer. If you connect to networks you're comfortable with, you'll find new contacts and ideas easily. There is a great chance the solutions to many issues you face can be solved by interacting with social network connections. A targeted traffic source awaits you as well.

Turning high bounce rates into targeted traffic may be multifaceted. No two sites have the exact same issues. Find the positives even if there are only a few and build on them. The main thing is not to become discouraged. It may take time and a little work to bring a bounce rate down. Remember the old saying: What goes up must come down. In this instance, we can apply that as a positive and the result is targeted traffic.