[author: Noreen Fishman]

Many marketers have questions about their website’s bounce rate. Is bounce rate a vanity metric or one that really matters? Is a high bounce rate always bad? And if it is, what should you do to fix it? In this post, we break down bounce rates and provide tips you can use to manage a law firm website bounce rate.

What is a Website Bounce Rate?

This metric refers to the percentage of people who land on a page of your website and then leave. This means that they don’t click on anything else or visit a second page on the site – they simply exit the website. 

It’s important to note that this metric is different from an exit rate. Whereas bounce rates measure “one and done” visits, exit rates are a little more complicated. Bounce rates show how many ​​people arrive and leave your website without navigating away from a single page. Exit rates reflect the percentage of people who leave your website from a specific page when that’s not necessarily the only page they’ve visited on your website. Meaning, that perhaps the page they left from was the final one in a long sequence of activity on your website. For this reason, exit rates aren’t usually as concerning as bounce rates. 

Bounce rate is calculated by dividing the total number of single one-page visits by the total number of visitors. It’s important not to aim for a 0% bounce rate. The average bounce rate falls between 26 and 70%, and the optimal range is no more than 40%. Devices also impact bounce rates, with mobile traffic having higher rates than desktop or tablets. A bounce rate over 70% is above average and means you should spend some time implementing tactics to reduce it. If you see numbers over 90%, there is likely an error such as a problem with the tracking code. 

Ways to Reduce High Bounce Rates

Generally speaking, a high law firm website bounce rate is caused by a poor user experience or irrelevant content. Before you figure out which action is the correct one, there are a few steps you can take. You need to understand the context around web visits. Look at other metrics and parts of your website to see what could be behind the bounce rate. 

1. Review Your Website’s Mobile-friendliness

Mobile users account for about 50% of web traffic, so catering to them is crucial. People expect to be able to engage with a mobile version of websites. If they can’t, they are more likely to leave. Take a holistic approach to understanding your mobile experience, and think about ways to improve the overall experience. 

2. Break Down Bounce Rate by Source

The channels directing traffic to your website could have something to do with the bounce rate. Pull reporting on bounce rate by source and look for anomalies. For example, if your bounce rate is especially high from direct traffic, then take a close look at the URL to make sure it’s easy to read, remember, and type in.

3. Look for Disruptions that Impact the User Experience

The user experience is at the heart of digital success. Anything that can detract from that will hurt your bounce rate. Things like full-screen pop-ups or pages that are difficult to navigate will not draw people further into your site, but make them more likely to leave. 

4. Provide Links to Other Relevant Content

If a visitor lands on a page on your site, it probably means that they are interested in the content on that page. In order to keep them on your site, offer the visitor other content that is related to the content on that page since that content may be of interest to the visitor as well. You can do so by adding links to other pages in the copy or by displaying related content at the bottom or the side of the page. 

5. Ensure That Content Sufficiently Covers the Keywords it’s Ranking For

It’s essential not to mislead visitors (even by accident). Matching keywords to content is important for ensuring organic visitors reach the content they’re expecting. For example, someone searching for “Philadelphia personal injury lawyer” is likely looking for suggestions for an attorney in the area. If other content shows up for this phrase, users are likely to leave quickly and continue their search. Evaluate the keywords for which your content is ranking, and then make sure the content is truly aligned to those keywords. You can take things a step further by grouping pages into clusters according to topic. 

To learn how to build a keyword strategy watch this webinar, SEO Basics in an Hour.

Takeaway: 

As you look at your law firm website bounce rate, make sure you are contemplating the full picture. It’s important to take steps to review your bounce rate in context. Think about the time people spend on your site, where they’re coming from, and what device they’re using. Equally important is making sure content reflects relevant keywords. Then go about diagnosing other specific issues.