Not only why is it not converting, but how do I measure it's conversion rate?
First, if you have not already installed Google Analytics on your site, this is a must have if you really want to be measuring the worth of your site. The primary statistic you want to look at is the Bounce Rate. This shows the percentage of visitors who arrive on a site page and then leave "bounce to another site" without visiting any other pages in your site. A high bounce rate generally means your site is not attracting people. A high bounce rate generally indicates that your site pages aren't relevant to your visitors. The more compelling your landing pages, the more visitors will convert.
So, what is a good bounce rate? Well, for starters, it is anything lower than your current rate. As you refine your landing pages, you should land anywhere between 20% and 50%. There are some cases where your bounce rate will not go below 75%, 85% or even 95%, but those are generally isolated sites with specific offers that rotate, or change very often. There are also two more important points that should not be ignored in relation to your bounce rate. The first is the conversion rate. If you have a high bounce rate, but you also have a high click through ratio (CTR), you shouldn't worry about your high bounce rate since the conversions (CTR's) are your primary goal. The second is directed to how your website performs. This means if your website is performing well, you have a bounce rate of 40%, but some days it goes to 30% and some days it goes to 50%. If you are making changes to the content, isolate the days with the lower bounce rates and compare with the days that had higher bounce rates. Look at the difference in what was done to determine what your customers are looking for while on your website.
If you are still having high bounce rates with low CTR's, there are some things I suggest that you check one at a time until you find your bug.
- Website Content:
You can not hold visitors if your content is not enticing, relevant to them, or if it just sucks. People will not spend time on something that is not interesting or useful to them. The first thing you should do is evaluate the content on your website and see if it is good enough to engage your visitors. - Website Layout:
If you already have really good content that engages and speaks to your customers, then you should turn to your layout. Does it seem to cluttered? Is it difficult to find focus? Is the message unable to be clearly read? This is a big problem. Internet surfers are by nature extremely impatient. They want to know exactly what they want as soon as possible. You cannot expect them to find what you are providing with patience. Rework your website layout and give clear consice direction on where you want your visitors to go. - Keywords Targeting:
This is a very crucial point. People use search enignes every day, and weather they know it or not, they are entering keywords that direct them to the sites that best match for their needs. If you have keywords on your site that do not reflect what visitors are looking for, they will leave and the result will be a high bounce rate. You should choose useful keywords, wi the help of google analytics or other SEO tools. - Hosting Service:
There are times when all 3 points above are in place, but the bounce rate is still soaring well above 85%. You should check with your hosting providor to ensure there is sufficient bandwidth for your website. The loading speed of your website may be too slow, so the visitor leaves before your content is even loaded.
