Are Your Small Business Bounce Rates Too High?

When the average consumer visits a small business online, they rarely leave with a neutral opinion. More often than not, they leave impressed, satisfied and with the intention of returning, or the exact opposite. As such, small business owners would be wise to pay close attention to what the customers expect and demand.If your own small business bounce rates are dangerously high, the one silver lining is that there is probably a simple reason. Just as long as you’re confident in what your business does at its core, it’s highly likely that your elevated bounce rates are the result of one (or more) of the following:

• Too Much Information

First up, it could simply be that you have over-complicated your site with too much information. More often than not, customers go to small businesses because they prefer small business values, simplicity and the absence of anything ‘corporate’. Which in turn means that when you present new customers with an avalanche of information the first time they visit you, there’s a strong chance they’ll run a mile.

• No USP

Success in any area of small business is all about defining and promoting your USP. Ask yourself – what is it about your brand, your products and your services that sets you apart from the competition? Then ask yourself, are you doing enough to convince your customers of your USP from the moment they arrive at your website?

• Lack of Credibility

For obvious reasons, small businesses have to promote themselves. Nevertheless, credibility comes from others singing your praises on your behalf. When it comes to local businesses in particular, the reviews, ratings and recommendations of past and present customers can be a godsend. The same also goes for important statistics you could choose to share, including things like order delivery times, customer favourites and so on.

• Lack of Contact Options

If you want to drive customers directly into the arms of your rivals, all you need to do is make it hard to contact you. These days, online customer enquiry forms alone simply aren’t enough. If you want your customers to trust you, you need to provide them with telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and all that’s needed to reach out to you in an instant.

• SEO Overload

Small businesses need strong SEO strategies to get by. However, if you get carried away and allow SEO to adversely affect the quality of your site and its content, it won’t go unnoticed. Strategic white-hat SEO really is the only option, if you want to get ahead as a small business online.

• Social Media Activity

Simply owning social media accounts and leaving them to their own devices isn’t enough. If anything, social media inactivity simply confirms your lack of commitment and willingness to make the effort. By contrast, build your social media profiles into something truly inspiring and you might see retention rates improving as a result.

• Lack of Depth

Last but not least, simplicity doesn’t have to mean operating like a glorified online vending machine. Instead, it means thinking about what your customers want, what you can provide them with over and above your rivals and ultimately giving it to them. Rather than simply selling products, why not build your website into a comprehensive resource on the wider subject/niche? When it comes to bounce rates, sites with genuine depth always perform better.