Are you wondering what’s happening to your bounce rate? Google Analytics is changing the way it calculates bounce rates. This means that the bounce rate you see in your account may be different from what others are seeing.
Don’t worry though, we’re here to help explain the bounce rate in Google Analytics, what’s happening and how it affects your website.
Read on to learn more!
Bounce Rate in Google Analytics Is Changing
Previously, the analytics bounce rate calculation counted all single-page visits as bounces. That meant that if someone visited your site, read one article, and left, that would be counted as a bounce.
Now, Google is counting only visits in which the user left your site from the same page they entered on. This change means that single-page visits will no longer be counted as bounces.
Why Is Google Making This Change?
The company says that it’s designed to give webmasters a more accurate picture of how people are interacting with their sites. It can be confusing though, and if so, you should contact the experts at KAHA for help.
In reality, though, this change is likely due to the fact that Google is trying to make its bounce rate metric less volatile. With the old calculation method, a sudden spike in traffic could cause the bounce rate to skyrocket, even if most of those visitors were just reading one article and then leaving.
The new website analysis calculation method should give a more accurate portrayal of how people are actually interacting with your site.
If you want to adjust your tracking to account for this change, here are a few things you can do.
Use the Bounce Rate Segment in Google Analytics
This will allow you to see how the new calculation method is affecting your bounce rate. Look at your average time on the page. If it’s low, it may be because people are only reading one article and then leaving.
Look at Your Entrances and Exits on Individual Pages
This will help you determine which pages are causing people to leave your site. Use a different analytics tool.
There are a number of different tools out there that will give you a more accurate picture of your user engagement and bounce rate.
Compare Your Old and New Bounce Rates
If you have a website that has been around for a while, you can compare the old and new bounce rates to see how the change in Google Analytics is affecting your data and how you are measuring engagement.
The bounce rate has long been considered an important part of SEO metrics, and the change in analytics is causing some confusion among webmasters.
So Can You Handle This Yourself or Do You Need Help?
So what does this mean for your website? If you’re seeing a higher bounce rate, it might be time to take another look at your content. Is it providing the information your visitors are looking for?
Are you using engaging visuals and headlines? Are you making it easy for visitors to find the information they need on your page? These are all important factors to consider when trying to reduce your bounce rate.
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