I’ve hit somewhat of a dilemma in my research for a website overhaul… what are the bounce rates telling me? As a Marketer, I’m not only interested in the numbers, but I’m also very interested in the behavior BEHIND the numbers. Currently, I don’t have much data about the “why” of the behavior. I see people are landing on our site and then bouncing in under 30 seconds, which could be a sign of either finding the information they need quickly, meaning we’ve done our job, or realizing immediately that they don’t want to work with us, meaning we’ve failed at our job on the website. I’m also trying to find ways to get more information about how and why people are using our website. Is it just to find a phone number? If so, the high bounce rate and minimal time on the site means that we’ve successfully provided them with the information they need, and we’re receiving phone calls and business from them. However, if could also be a sign of a poorly designed site that tells the customer that further exploration is not required, as we’re clearly not going to offer helpful information. I’m looking for ways to mitigate the bounce-rate blues, but I’m finding it difficult, as I still can’t explain WHY people are bouncing.

This short little blurb to say that I am a huge proponent of research and digging into the customer’s head to figure out the best way to move forward. The numbers don’t tell the whole story, so it’s always best to start asking about the people behind the numbers.