If you have a blog, you might wonder how you can keep visitors on your site for longer periods of time. Getting page views is great, but it’s not very helpful if people come to your blog only to click away after looking at just one page.
There are many reasons you might want to keep visitors on your blog…
- Convert them into fans and loyal readers
- Convince them to sign up for your email list
- Encourage them to check out your products or services
- Generate more income through advertising
The percentage of people who leave your blog after viewing just one page is known as your blog’s “bounce rate.” (You can find your bounce rate in Google Analytics if you have it installed on your blog.) Obviously, we want our bounce rate to be as low as possible, because that means people are sticking around for longer! There are a number of tweaks and adjustments you can implement to make your blog “stickier.”
Here are my top seven tips for reducing your bounce rate…
1. Interlinking
Interlinking is the practice of linking to other content on your blog when writing a blog post. Every time I write a new blog post, I try to include a few links to some of my older blog posts when relevant.
I also periodically update old posts with relevant links to related new posts. This is a great way to keep people clicking around on your blog and reading more of your posts. It also helps readers on your blog find related content that they’re interested in!
2. Related Posts
Displaying related posts in your blog posts is another great way to keep people on your blog.
You can install a WordPress plugin that will automatically determine related posts and display them for your readers. A lot of plugins display related posts at the bottom of the page, but I recommend showing them inline with the post. (This way people are more likely to see them and click!)
I use the free WordPress plugin Inline Related Posts for this!
3. Popular Posts
You can display your most popular posts in your blog’s sidebar or at the bottom of every post. Some people just use links, but other people create eye-catching graphics linking to their best content. This is a great way to drive visitors to your top blog posts and keep them on your blog for longer.
4. Blog Categories
Having categories on your blog makes it easy for visitors to find the kind of content they want to read. This also encourages them to stick around for longer and check out what else you have to offer on your blog. You can display your blog categories in multiple areas, such as your blog’s top menu and sidebar menu.
5. Search Bar
This is a small, often-overlooked feature. But having a search bar on your blog can help reduce your bounce rate! The search bar encourages people to stay on your blog for longer and search for specific topics they want to read about.
6. Readable Content
No one wants to read a giant wall of text. In fact, that might scare off your readers entirely! When writing blog posts, it’s important to make them readable by using…
- Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences)
- Sub-headings for different topics
- Emphasis on important words/sentences
- Bulleted lists (like this one!)
- Images throughout the post
The majority of blog readers these days scan posts rather them reading them fully, so it’s important to make your posts as reader-friendly and scannable as you can!
7. Call to Action
A call to action is something you can include at the end of your blog posts directing the reader to take some particular action. This could be checking out another blog post, leaving a comment, signing up for your email list, joining your Facebook group, etc.
Utilizing a call to action at the end of your posts is a great way to keep visitors engaged with your blog and encourage them to stick around for longer!
By implementing these simple tweaks, you will see your blog’s bounce rate decrease in no time!
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These were some great reminders! Thanks!
Thanks for these great tips! It’s always good to be reminded of them. xxx Tiffany ☆ http://www.aerialovely.com