7 Tips to Get Visitors to Spend More Time on Your Website

Being online business owners, we work hard for strategies that drive more traffic to our site. But all these tactics go in vain if website visitors quickly bounce back. Our ultimate goal is to boost conversions. And that is only possible if prospects understand who we are, what do we offer, and what makes us stand apart? 

If visitors spend more time on the site, they can learn more about your product/services. Ultimately, the chances of conversion will increase automatically. Thankfully, there are various techniques to get users to spend more time on your website. But, before proceeding further, we need to understand why visitors bounce back? 

Reasons For a High Bounce Rate 

The term “bounce rate” is common in online marketing. It shows how many visitors switch back from the site within seconds. A higher bounce rate hurts a website’s ranking. We can check the bounce rate of individual web pages and the entire site through tools like WordPress plugins and Google Analytics for free. 

Following are some of the common reasons for a high bounce rate: 

• Unappealing website design 
• Non-informative content 
• High loading time 
• Poor navigation 
• Bad user experience

How To Reduce Bounce-Rate and Increase Website Enquiries/Sales

If you are experiencing any of the above, do not worry! We can work on each reason and eliminate the problems with the following tips:

1. Go For a Website Redesign 

If a website looks attractive, users are likely to spend more time on your site. You need to use the right combination of colors, the perfect use of typography, and some fantastic images to boost engagement.

Choose images that are useful and valuable to your content. Likewise, go for colours that aren’t too flashy. Also, use typography to highlight key statements.  

Have a critical look and then decide if all or a few elements need changing. If you have no clue what to do, consult a company that provides website designing services.

2. Create Informative Content 

Always try to keep the audience in mind before creating content and look to answer any queries they may have. Besides this, see what users want to learn based on your target audience.

Unnecessary use of complex vocabulary will make the users frustrated. Instead, explain everything in plain language. You can also give examples to clarify some points. Most importantly, don’t use lengthy paragraphs. Split the content into various short sections, pointers, and subheadings. 

Citing sources is important as well. It will add weightage to the content, and your website will earn credibility.

3. Always Add Visual Content 

Text alone is not sufficient to engage readers. Entice them with images, short videos, infographics, and screenshots. Apart from developing interest, visual content helps in better understanding the concept. And, it saves time too. 

For instance, share a video rather than writing a detailed description if you want to share the steps to assemble a toy. 

Likewise, you can share screenshots to clarify instructions and save the readers time. 

For example, if you are sharing some websites with an impeccable graphic design, give a screenshot rather than just providing a link.

Furthermore, a guide by Stock Photo Secrets explains how to add visual content using stock photos. Since authentic images are expensive and time-consuming, not everyone can afford them. Stock images, on the other hand, are readily available. You can customize these images and engage visitors without investing a hefty budget.

4. Increase the Site’s Loading Time 

Today, prospects want information in a blink of an eye. If the site takes too long to load, potential clients or customers will leave in no time. A website with low page speed will also hurt your SEO rankings, as it’s considered a vital ranking signal for both mobile and desktop searches.

You can take a number of steps to improve your site loading speed.  You can compress images, use a reliable hosting provider, and eliminate unnecessary plugins to increase the site’s speed. Also, try to reduce web page redirects and use a content delivery network for fast loading.

5. Never Ignore Mobile Users 

When a considerable population uses smartphones, we can never ignore the mobile users. If a mobile user visits the site and it’s not functioning appropriately, the user will bounce. Thus, the time spent on a site will decrease. Therefore, it’s essential to work on the mobile version of a website.

You can use Google’s free tool for checking the mobile responsiveness of your site. This tool also shows how the site looks on a mobile screen along with some useful recommendations. Don’t forget to share these details with your website designer. 

6. Provide Impeccable Customer Support 

Users want ease and convenience. If they don’t find it, they will leave the site. You can let them stay on the same platform by providing support. Some users look for a live chat option rather than searching for the things they want. They expect a customer service representative to answer their queries. 

Customer support has the power to boost conversions. Therefore, invest in good live chat software and hire an experienced chat support executive if you have the budget. 

7. Ensure Easy Navigation 

Give prime importance to user-friendliness. Try to ensure easy navigation by using drop-down menus. Give broad category options in this menu so that users can go directly where they want. 

But this is not enough. A search bar for every page is essential. Users can go to their desired page through the available menu, but what if they want to search for a specific topic within this page? It is where a search bar can help. 

And, if the navigation is easy and a search option is present, who will want to leave the site? In fact, people will remember the site the next time. 

Final Words 

All in all, you can let visitors stay longer with just a few tips. 

Firstly, analyze the current look of the site and see what changes are necessary. If necessary, you can go for a website redesign or change a few elements. 

Then, look at the site’s speed and improve the loading time. Do not ignore your mobile users and optimize the site accordingly. 

Also, set your prime goal to be helpful. When you work on this goal, you will automatically provide meaningful content. 

Remember, visuals are important, and a text-only site looks odd. You can use infographics, videos, and images to deliver complex information. They are ideal for adding a dash of humor too. 

Start working on these tips and you should be able to drastically reduce your bounce rate! Good Luck!