No matter how great your product or service is, visitors will leave your website, in a hurry, if it doesn’t capture their attention immediately. If you think people have short attention spans when they’re offline, it’s even shorter online!
So, if your visitors view your website from a mobile device, such as a tablet or Smartphone, you only have 5-7 seconds to capture their attention. For a laptop or Desktop, you have 8 seconds. If it takes longer—they will leave and probably never return.
Websites that fail to keep visitors remaining on a page tend to have high bounce rates. Just in case you aren’t aware, a bounce rate is a metric used for measuring how people engage on a website. The results show the percentage of visitors who leave after viewing a page. A good bounce rate is between 26 to 40, and a poor rating is 70 and higher, however, this varies widely between industries.
Can you recall the last time you visited a website and left? You probably did without even realising. Here are a few possible reasons why you left:
- the site was unappealing or outdated
- it was difficult to navigate
- the web page led to a broken link
- the content was difficult to read
- the page had too many choices
- the content did not provide value or offer a solution
Regardless of the reason, you made a conscious decision to abandon a website. Every visitor decides to either stay or leave. This decision uses behavioural design. The logic behind behavioural design is if a web page can compel people to leave, we can encourage them to stay just by making a few tweaks and adjustments.
Here are three ways to apply behavioural design to help lower your website’s bounce rate:
Add Valuable Content
The content on a web page is the driving force behind visitors taking action. The design will always reign as king and content will reign as queen, as they say. Content should be relevant to the audience and solve their problem.
A well-structured page should have captivating headings and content that provides value. Also, the benefits of a product or service should clearly describe how it will help resolve a problem.
Improve Triggers
Offer a trigger for each desired behaviour. Each trigger should be relevant. For example, embedded links and bold call-to-action buttons.
Make content scannable in an “F Pattern.” Research shows that people scan their screens in an “F” pattern instead of reading word for word and line by line. On screen, people scan pages instead of reading as they do in newspapers, magazines, and books in print.
Experts suggest placing your most important details within the first couple of paragraphs. That is because people scan the top and a little towards the bottom. People should be able to find what they need quickly. So, place your special offers, and links within the first couple of paragraphs. Your contact information should also be close to the end of the page.
Decrease Cognitive Load
Avoid giving visitors too many choices at once to make. If you blast people with too many random pop-ups (like “Subscribe to our newsletter!” “Join our free webinar!” “Get 10% off your next purchase,” and “Download our free report”) people will become overwhelmed and leave. The goal should be to give visitors an uninterrupted reading experience. Alternatively, scanning experience.
Think about what the visitors want to do when they land on your page. Each page is a unique, individual page with one or two simple goals. Do you want them to join your mailing list and read your latest blog post or call for a consultation? Remember, less is more!
Focus on Branding
When it comes to bounce rates, if visitors don’t consider a website as a credible go-to source, they will leave. Your brand identity (colour, design, and copy) must be consistent on every web page, landing page, and social media pages. Your font sizes should be at least 12pt font size if not larger. Try to avoid low-contrast text because it can be challenging to read.
Lastly, maintaining a low bounce rate is vital if you expect to achieve online success. As a result, you will improve conversions and experience an increase in revenue.
Final Thoughts
If you want to keep customers on your website, you need to use quality behavioural web design to lower the bounce rate. The more you can keep visitors on the page, the more you can improve the results for your business.
Understanding and implementing behavioural design principles is a powerful tool for reducing bounce rates and improving user engagement on your website. By tapping into the psychological drivers that influence user behaviour, businesses can create more compelling and user-centric digital experiences.
Remember that implementing behavioural design is an iterative process. Continuously analysing user behaviour, conducting A/B tests, and gathering feedback are essential to refine and improve your website’s performance over time. Keep a close eye on analytics and key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your behavioural design efforts and make data-driven adjustments.
Furthermore, it is crucial to keep up with evolving trends and user preferences. As technology advances and user behaviours change, regularly reassessing and adapting your behavioural design strategies will ensure your website remains relevant and engaging to your target audience.
By reducing bounce rates and increasing user engagement, you not only enhance the overall user experience but also create opportunities for conversions, customer loyalty, and business growth.
Incorporating behavioural design principles into your website is an investment that can yield significant returns. So, start applying these strategies today, and unlock the potential to transform your website into a captivating and conversion-driven platform that keeps visitors coming back for more.
If you need help improving the quality of your website, so you can reduce your bounce rate then schedule a free consultation with Shout SEO Agency today.
