Blog post writing – it takes a lot of work and a lot of planning, especially if – like us – you release weekly content.
It’s time-consuming and can be full of reward and opportunity, but it’s also a real kick in the teeth when visitors arrive and then just bounce away without a second thought.
Let’s be honest, nobody likes rejection. It stings a lot more to be rejected than just be ignored. But that’s exactly how it feels when somebody bounces from your blog – like you’re being rejected.
There are many signs that your blog has a high bounce rate, including low traffic, zero engagement, and hardly any subscribers. I understand that not every blog is a perfect match for everyone but if the majority of your visitors are leaving within a flash, then you have some serious issues.
This blog article isn’t going to teach you how to make your blog bounce-proof. It’s close to impossible to do that, but we will show you 6 common reasons on why your bounce rate may be so high and what you can do to minimise this.
So here they are, the reasons people bounce from your blog and never return.
Your headline’s don’t match your content
Headlines are extremely important. They entice people over from wherever they are to where you want them to be — your blog.
But headlines aren’t just a way of grabbing attention. They are a promise from you to your readers. Your headline is a way of saying, “Lend me your attention and I’ll give you this result.”
But if a really intriguing and quality headline leads to a weak mundane post, or even worse, an article that doesn’t even relate to your headline then visitors will simply bounce away.
Never start a blog article with the headline. Always start with a topic idea, then create your content and build an exciting headline that will bring people to the post and keep them reading.
You’re too pushy!
I have seen a huge rise in over-eager blogs recently. And I don’t understand why! If somebody came up to you in the street and the first thing they said was “can I have your number?”It’s more than likely you will be put off and leave.
Well, this is exactly how it feels to land on a blog for the first time and get instantly hit with pop-ups demanding your contact details.
The majority of your readers won’t have heard about your business before – why would they want to start giving you their details? It’s simply too soon.
Relax and slow things down. Let visitors settle in before you tap them on the shoulder and ask for personal details.
Pushing for contact details too soon will just make people want to bounce.
Your blog takes forever to load!
It’s all-to-obvious that slow websites damage online conversions and this is the same for your blog, too.
Life in the online world is fast. People don’t have the time or the patience to wait around for a website that takes forever to load and will simply bounce away and find another speedier website to visit.
I’m sure you’re fully aware of this already but have you actually acted upon it?
You can check your blog and website’s speed online and research how other competitors websites load up, too.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that, just because your blog loads fine for you, it will for everybody else. This isn’t the case.
I also recommend compressing images to shave some of your loading time. Big images tend to slow blog posts.
Your posts are just too wordy!
Ok, this might sound quite strange and some of you are probably thinking, “well yes, of course, they’re wordy – it’s a blog post!”But let me explain…
A blog article that is just a wall of plain text can bore visitors and have them bouncing from your website half-way through your article.
To tackle this, add imagery to your posts to break up text and give readers a break from a long read.
You can also break up text by using short sentences, bullet points, and paragraphs.
All of these tips can help transform a wall of text into a pleasant read.
You’re too busy trying to make money!
One of the most common reasons as to why I sometimes find myself instantly bouncing from a blog or website are ads.
Some blogs are just too interested in making money and get too giddy littering their articles and other pages with Google search ads and even ads of their own.
For most readers, ads are an annoying distraction that cheapens your brand and increases the chances they’ll bounce. For the small percentage that are enticed by an offer, ads are an exit ramp taking them away from your content.
It’s a lose-lose situation for you as a blogger.
So ditch the ads. And stop giving people extra reasons to bounce from your blog.
Visitors don’t know what to do next
Sometimes visitors can like your content, find it interesting and of great quality but still bounce away from your website.
The usual reason for this is that the visitor just simply didn’t know where to go or what to do next. Due to this, they either clicked back or just closed the browser down altogether.
To become a smart blogger and minimise this, you simply need to tell readers what you want them to do next.
Don’t just abandon your readers at the end of the article. Maybe direct them to a similar topic article or maybe offer them a free eBook etc.
Make sure you always have something for them to do next.
When readers do decide to leave your blog, make sure it’s not because you didn’t invite them to stay longer.
Final Thought
Hey, we get it; blogging is a tough on-going task.
You can’t just send people to your blog and that is it – you need to keep them there.
Visitors who bounce never get the chance to turn into regular readers, loyal subscribers or valued customers.
Eliminating the pointers above from your blog posts will see more traffic, engagement and leads from your articles.
Blog smart and you will see more conversions.
If you have any questions on blogging, simply visit our Ask Omar section where you can ask me any questions on blogging and any other digital marketing issues.
