Have you ever wondered why visitors leave your website so quickly? The type of content you offer will determine what a good average for the time-spent metric looks like. If, on average, users spend less than a few seconds on a page while reading a lengthy article, something needs to be fixed.
However, you should also consider aspects of the web design that has been implemented. Your website’s design and layout may have something to do with it. Curious to learn how to increase the average amount of time a user spends on your website? Read this article on how to reduce “bounce rate” and keep people on your site longer.
How does web design affect bounce rate?
The time visitors spend on your website clearly indicates their opinion of it. If users leave your site without spending a sufficient amount of time, something is broken and must be fixed. A short session duration will increase your bounce rate and reduce conversions.
First impressions count
According to Yoast, bounce rate is “[A] metric that measures the percentage of people who land on your website and do nothing completely on the page they entered.” Also stating, “A user bounces when there has been no engagement with the landing page, and the visit ends with a single-page visit.”
When people visit a website for the first time, they usually look at the homepage first. Right here is where you can pique the interest of your visitors and convince them to keep clicking around your site. If your homepage doesn’t look attractive to users, they’ll quickly abandon your website.
According to some studies, over 90 percent of visitors would reject a website or mistrust a business based on design-related factors. These elements include a cluttered layout, excessive text, and a monotonous design and color scheme.
Relation between Web Design and Bounce Rate
Understanding the relationship between web design and user experience, as well as the relationship with bounce rate, is critical. How your website is made is very important if you want people to stay on it longer and read more of your content. Your website should look nice, be clean, and be easy to understand. It should also have a menu that is easy to see.
Your bounce rate is high if users land on a page from your site and leave or return to the search engine results. High bounce rates can reduce online traffic and conversions due to various issues
Reduce Bounce Rate through Web Design
If your bounce rate is less than 40%, you’re doing fine; if it’s more than 60%, you have some work to do. The lack of highly interesting content, which is often the result of bad web design, is the primary reason for the increase in web bounce rates. Take a look at the following factors to ensure your website has an attractive design and, consequently, a low bounce rate:
Reduce Loading time
Even though two seconds doesn’t seem like much time, it can make a significant difference when it comes to how quickly a web page loads. Users form an opinion of your company in the blink of an eye, and that opinion will stick. If your website takes too long to load, visitors will likely abandon it.
Also, Google’s ranking system considers site speed as a vitally important ranking factor. Optimizing the performance of your page will reduce load times as well as the possibility of a high bounce rate. Websites with quick loading speeds not only benefit the user experience but also have the potential to significantly increase the site’s traffic and, ultimately, its revenues.
Ensure to have good UX
If your website appears as if it has not been updated in decades, visitors will likely abandon it in favor of a competitor’s site that has been given greater attention to its visual appeal. Users value their time, and if your site is challenging to navigate, they may prefer to go elsewhere.
Not only do websites with excellent designs do better in search engine rankings, but they are also more likely to build trusting relationships with their visitors. Thus, you can’t afford to skimp on web design, as 94% of people cite it as the primary reason they don’t trust specific websites.
A suitable design for every device counts
Because mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular, having a website that is only good for desktop computers is no longer enough. Phones, “phablets,” tablets, desktops, game consoles, TVs, and even wearables all have screens of varying sizes. Your site must work properly on any screen size.
The number of possible screen dimensions, input methods, and device capabilities that can access your website is growing due to technological advancements. Web browsing from mobile devices is increasing at an astounding rate. For that reason, designers need to rethink traditional web layouts to accommodate smaller screens.
Avoid overloading the page with pop-ups
High bounce rates happen when people go to your site but quickly leave because they can’t find what they’re looking for or don’t understand what’s being said. If your website is full of visual debris, it will distract users from the central theme.
Don’t ban potential new readers by bombarding them with polls, banners, and pop-ups they won’t have time to read. Instead, use short and clear calls to action that complement the content and invite them to take further steps on your website. It will definitely provide them with a better navigation experience.
Contact us to improve your visitors’ experience
Want to check your website and see if you can improve it or need to create a new one from scratch? Then, get in touch with Nativo now. Our skilled web designers and marketers can give you personalized services and help you make a website that looks great and keeps your customers interested.