Is Your Website’s Engagement Rate Low? Here’s Why!

You published your new website, and it’s not getting the traffic you had hoped for. You wonder why and ask yourself what could have gone wrong in the creation process. The truth is, there are several reasons why this could be happening. It could be user-focused issues such as website design, loading speed, or the content included on your website. Luckily, these issues can be easily fixed to increase your engagement rate.

A low engagement rate is also referred to as the bounce rate. A high bounce rate can mean one of two things: your visitors aren’t finding the content engaging, informative, or useful, or the page successfully leads viewers to a different page containing the information they are looking for. The best way to determine the difference is by looking at the page’s Google Analytics and finding out which pages have lower bounce rates.

User-Friendly Issues 

The most prominent design problem your website can run into is user-friendliness. If your website isn’t user-friendly, visitors will not hesitate to leave it, leading them back to the results page to find a competitor’s website instead.

• Website Design: Website design is one of the most crucial parts of any website. If the site is outdated or unprofessional, visitors will leave before you get a chance to reel them in. Poorly designed websites can be hard to navigate, read, or understand. Font and color choices are the simplest ways to ensure your website looks professional and inviting.
• Slow Loading Pages: Another quick way to turn away visitors is slow website speeds. If the first page visitors click on takes more than five seconds to load, you are likely to lose many potential new leads. An easy way to improve your loading speed is to remove auto-play video and audio clips or compress graphics and image sizes.
• Mobile Versions: Mobile websites are becoming increasingly important as smartphones become more common. Any quick Google search is often done on smartphones. If your website does not have a compatible mobile version, it can drive visitors away. A good mobile site will be resized so visitors can quickly and easily find the information they came for. When the mobile site is hard to navigate, it tells visitors that your technology is outdated.

Confusing Structure

Another crucial part of your website design is the structure. The structure is the spine of your website, also known as your menu navigation. When the structure of your site confuses your visitors, they can get frustrated and leave before they find the information they came for. Here are some of the structural issues that can lead to that frustration:

• No About Page or Contact Page: Your About page is the best place for prospective residents to get to know you and what you stand for. It’s a place to tell visitors about your team and the values you hold. Your contact page is another great place for prospective residents to submit questions or other issues. Without this page, you may miss out on connecting with new leads.
• Misleading Page Titles: Misleading titles can be inaccurate meta tags, mismatched titles when following a link, or flashy keywords used to grab readers’ attention. This misleading information will likely lose your website viewers’ trust and interest, leaving them frustrated.

Other Reasons for Low Engagement

Sometimes, a low engagement rate can be positive. In these instances, your content gets to the point so visitors can quickly get the information they are looking for, or they click a call to action button that can lead them to another page. These are indicators that you are doing well on these pages to get information across, and there is no need to panic.

How to Increase Engagement 

After adjusting the previously mentioned issues, there are a few more ways to increase engagement.

• Buttons: There are two buttons you can add to your site to increase engagement. The first is a call to action button. These are buttons you put at the bottom of content to encourage visitors to go to a new page or complete an action. The other button is the chat button. This feature allows visitors to speak to a representative and ask questions they may not want to search your website for. The combination of these buttons can keep visitors engaged on your website for a longer period of time. Visitors will feel satisfied with their experience on your website and leave with a positive interaction with your brand.
• Content: Content is another way to increase engagement. This could be with blogs or by adding information relevant to your industry. These are fun and informative ways to be found in searches. By adding a button at the bottom of blog pages, you can keep viewers engaged on your site.

Implementing these corrections can give your website the boost it needs to generate more leads. Understanding the data and turning it into engaging content will make a world of difference in your bounce rate. Need help updating your website? Book your free evaluation today to collaborate with the Markentum team!