Does your WordPress blog suffer from a low number of visits or struggle to gain loyal readers?

7/30/2019 Does your WordPress blog suffer from a low number of visits or struggle to gain loyal readers?

1/45


2/45

20Ways WordPress Users can Reduce Bounce Rate

www.adluge.comINDEX

EbookOverview

Does your WordPress blog suer rom a low number o visits or struggle to gain loyal

readers? In the time sensitive, aggressive market we call the blogosphere, its dicult

to stay competitive.

One reason you may not be gaining any traction is because o your high bounce rate.

You may not have trouble getting new visitors, but how do you keep them there upon

arrival?

I youre having trouble getting your bounce rate grounded, AdLuge thinks we can

help. Whether it be xing design issues, speeding up loading times or making your

page more reader riendly, we have the knowledge and the right tools to help.

Here at AdLuge, weve put our heads together to come up with a comprehensiveguide to the actors that are hurting your blog in our eBook: 20 Ways WordPress Users

can Reduce Bounce Rate. By ollowing our instructions and implementing some o

our suggested WordPress plugins, you too can gain the knowledge to remedy the

problem and reduce your bounce rate today.

Tyson Huggins

Content SpecialistAdLuge Marketing Intelligence

02
http://www.adluge.com/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/


3/45INDEX www.adluge.com

20 Ways WordPress Users can Reduce Bounce Rate

INDEXIntroduction ............................................................................................................ 05

What is WordPress?

Why Blogging?

Putting In the Time

Tracking Your Blog

Lowering Your Bounce Rate

Speed ....................................................................................................................... 10

Design ....................................................................................................................... 12

Conduct your SEO Properly ............................................................................ 14

Avoid Pop Ups ............................................................................................................ 17

Turn O Autoplay Messages and Videos ...................................................... 18

Streamlined or Success ...................................................................................... 19

Great Tagline ............................................................................................................ 20

Create Great Titles ................................................................................................. 22

Great Content ............................................................................................................ 24

Natural Content ................................................................................................. 26

Provide Expertise ................................................................................................. 26

03




Keep Current ............................................................................................................ 28

Turn o Related Videos on YouTube ................................................................ 30

Segment Inormation ...................................................................................... 31

Install a Search Option ...................................................................................... 33

Create an Archive Page ...................................................................................... 34

Related Posts ........................................................................................................... 35

Open Yoursel to Suggestions ............................................................................ 36

Proper Placement o Outgoing Links ................................................................. 38

Mobile Page ............................................................................................................ 39

All About The User ................................................................................................. 42

Links/Tools Mentioned ...................................................................................... 43

04




What isWordPress?

WordPress is a ree content management system and blogging tool that allows end

users to manipulate and create content to web pages. It is the most widely used

blogging system and is responsible or over 60 million websites worldwide. One o

the advantages o using WordPress is its adaptability. With plugins and applications

or everything imaginable, it is the oundation or the look, eel and fow o your site.

It is the de acto and de jure industry standard and i youre planning on blogging,

WordPress is denitely the way to go. But why does your company need a blog in the

rst place? Is it essential to the success o your business?

05




WhyBlogging?

educational and communicative benets, a WordPress blog can help you:

Improve your SEO results

Build links to your website

Receive immediate eedback rom target audiences

Gain trust o potential leads

Build network o industry leaders

Express yoursel and brand identity in a more inormal accessible way

It is becoming more than apparent that not only do blogs give you a competitive

advantage, but that they are now a vital tactic in maintaining a positive internet

presence.

06

Blogging with WordPress has become

the quintessential method o keeping

your customers inormed in the latest

trends and insider intelligence within

your industry. From SMBs (small to

medium-sized businesses) to the largest

corporation, blogging provides businesses

the control o their online brand by sharing

experiences and knowledge to prospective

readers. But what many businesses are

unaware o is that in addition to these




PuttingIn the Time

Tracking

Your Blog

So having a blog is crucial, but how do you guarantee that your blog can garner

positive results? Many websites establish a WordPress blog and expect to reap the

benets instantly, but this simply isnt the case. Blogging isnt something you can

approach with a set it and orget it mentality. Its a process your business needs toundertake with dedication and diligence. Once youve accepted this and allocate the

time and energy to your blog, you can begin to yield amazing results.

There are many methods to track your blog and analyse your success. One o the

most useul o these is a tracking method called bounce rate. Bounce rate is a simple

equation, essentially it is the number o readers that visit your website and then leave

(bounce) without viewing another page on your site.

Rb: Bounce rate

Tv: Total number o visitors who only visit one page

Te: Total number o visitors to your websiteR

b=( )TVTe

07




Bounce rate is important to your blog because in essence, its the best measurement to

gauge the quality o your blog. Simply put, i a potential reader clicks on your site, visits

and doesnt like what they see and exit. This is a bounce. I we look at measuring the

quality o your blog in this sense, bounce rate can give us tremendous insight into how

readers are responding to blog pages.

While it is a powerul method o tracking your blog, its easy to get carried away with

the numbers. Remember, you will receive bounces, it is inevitable. Although it is

perceived as negative eedback, it should not be construed with panic and alarm. For

example one actor contributing to high bounce rates may be your reader nds exactly

what they were looking or, right away.

This being said, reducing your bounce rates and keeping your readers engaged within

your blog is perhaps the most compelling way to convert your potential leads to sales.A low bounce rate means your readers are interacting within your site and consuming

more inormation on their own accord. Average bounce rates or blogs can be ound

somewhere between 70-98%. So its a particularly tough task in the blog world to get

these numbers down. So how do we do it?

08




There is no quick x to lowering your bounce rate. It takes a little time and

concentration as well as arming yoursel with the right tools in order to see some

positive improvement. Fortunately, here at AdLuge were experts on this kind o thing

and know how to help. Lets get started!

By ollowing this comprehensive guide and implementing the same exciting

applications and strategies, you can reduce your bounce rate in no time. The ollowing

are 20 sure re suggestions that we recommend adopting. In addition, we have

oered our opinions on adopting an array o WordPress plugins that we think could

help reduce your bounce rate. Beore we get too ar ahead o ourselves, its important

to remember there are a plethora o dierent WordPress plugins and each one does

specic things great. For simplication sake, we are going to ocus on implementing

some basic plugins that can really help your WordPress site. I you want to learn more

about any WordPress plugins please dont hesitate to email us at [email protected].

Okay, now thats out o the way, lets get started!

LoweringYour Bounce Rate

09




1.Speed

loading ...

Put yoursel in the shoes o your average internet user. You scour the web or the right

blog and you think youve nally ound it. Next, you click on the page and wait, wait,

wait. To your dismay, its taking over 15 seconds or the page to load. In your warranted

impatience, you click o the page prompting a bounce.

In these ast moving times, internet users have come to expect lightning speed load

times. Your WordPress blog is no exception. From the smallest business to the largest

conglomerate, i you cannot meet these expectations youre sure to be let behind.

In 2010 Google relayed that speed was now among their criteria when determining

website rank. Now, not only is speed an essential component to your blog, but a

required one.

So how can you increase blog speed reducing the requency o bounces? Well you

have to start out by optimizing your site or speed. Some quick tips to achieve this goa

10




are eliminating unnecessary fash applications and reducing the number o images

youre using. Plastering your site with unrequired images or what you deem as websitedesign can only hurt you in the long run. Fortunately a variety o dierent WordPress

plugins are available or you to achieve your speed goals.

The rst o these deals with optimizing your images. We know websites littered with

text only, can be dreary and unappealing to the eye. We understand you need to use

images to attract your readers. I you are using images, which you should, think about

using an image optimizer and resizer. One plugin we highly recommend is a plugin

called WP Smush.it. Smush.it optimizes your images automatically when you upload

them to WordPress. Its a powerul plugin that you can install and the best part is, it

does all the work or you.

Another one we would recommend or overall speed is called W3 Total Cache. W3 Total

Cache is a perormance plugin or WordPress that is designed to increase page speed. Itdoes this by improving server perormance, using a variety o caching eatures. This, in

turn allows users quick download speeds.

Some more general tips we recommend are showing only excerpts o your posts on

your blog page. This is important because it doesnt cause an overload o inormation

on your page. Also reducing the number o displayed posts on the homepage to no

more the 8 can aid drastically.

In addition removing unnecessary widgets that arent utilized can speed up page times

and decrease bounce rates.

11
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/http://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/http://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




2.Design

12

Design is a broad term when it comes to your blog, we will get into some particular

areas o design later. For now we want you start thinking about what the overall look o

your blog is. It goes without saying that design is crucial to reducing your bounce rates

You only get one chance to make a rst impression on prospective readers, so you

should not take your design or granted. Keeping your pages sleek, visually appealing

and streamlined can decrease bounces by attracting readers.

Weve all had the experience o clicking on a website, visiting and instantly exiting

because o the aesthetics. It doesnt even matter i you have killer content, i your

page looks out o date it will not give o the impression o an industry leader and can

delegitimize your brand. You dont want to suer rom the design blues, so here are

some tips that can help.




There are many ways o achieving a successul blog design. I you have the budget or

it, we recommend hooking up with a web design team. They are easy to nd and can

ensure your sight is looking at its very best. The advantage o working with a team is

obvious, rstly they have the experience and know how to provide you with the latest

most attractive design. The second, is they can tailor your ideas towards a cohesive

page that can bring your creativity to ruition. Web designers can push past simple

templated themes and get you what you want, when you want it. I you have any

questions about nding the right design team, please dont hesitate contacting us at

[email protected].

The only problem is web design can get quite pricey i you dont have a budget or it.

I youre looking or a more rugal option, there are many WordPress plugins that can

allow you to manage your own design destiny. One o these is a third party plugin

calledThesis 2.0. Thesis is a design plugin that boasts an easy to use interace with a

plethora o skins available or your blog. You can adjust your design without the use o

coding and it is great or rst time WordPress users.

These are just some brie suggestions as the world o design can become overly

convoluted, very quickly. We will elaborate on some design specics later on, just

remember your design is the rst impression you give to potential prospects. Make

sure it looks great and is a proud representation o yoursel and brand.

13
http://www.adluge.com/mailto:[email protected]://diythemes.com/thesis/version-201-web-design/http://diythemes.com/thesis/version-201-web-design/mailto:[email protected]://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




3.Conduct Your SEOProperly

14

You hear the term SEO oten, but many are conused with what it actually is. SEO or

search engine optimization, is the process which a website undertakes to increase

their visibility in search engine results pages. SEO is sometimes reerred to as natural

or organic search results, because they cannot be purchased directly.




They are the specic results that are kicked up by search engines ater analysing their

discriminate criteria or granting a search request. Some methods that SEO experts use

to increase a websites visibility are:

optimizing content or specifc keywords in a targeted industry

optimizing images

creating specifc tags and titles in accordance with SEO practices

creating backlinks to your websites with partnered web pages

So how do you optimize your pages or the greatest results? Again, it depends on

your budget. The most certiably ecient, tried and true method, would be hiring an

agency or team o SEO experts. This is a world that is changing everyday and staying

on top o the SEO game, is a ull time job in itsel. There are a great SEO experts all overthe world but it is important to gain some perspective on whom you would be working

with. AdLuge is unique to the industry in that we can measure and analyze organic

search engine ranking over time.

It is a somewhat young industry and many times agencies and SEO companies promise

you the world. I this is the route youre looking to go down, make sure you read sometestimonials or see some o the results rom the company. Most reputable internet

marketers are relatively transparent and can allow you to see the work theyve done

in the past. I you want results in a relatively short time, this is denitely the way to

15




go. Find a good, honest and transparent SEO team and watch your results rise to the

top. Results can typically be seen within 3-6 months (sometimes longer depending on

competition).

The second option that exists involves harnessing the power o WordPress yoursel.

There are a variety o dierent SEO plugins that can help you get ound in search

engines. Many o them are very good and we could suggest a variety. For now we are

going to suggest using WordPress SEO by Yoast. This is a plugin that can do a varietyo dierent SEO tasks like suggesting keywords, optimizing images or search engines

and automatically inserting link elements and meta tags.

So this all sounds really interesting right, but how can it aect your bounce rate?

Well, one example in which poor SEO can result in bounce rates is poor keyword

optimization. You may be selling eye glasses and are targeting the wrong group.Somebody clicks on your page as it was recommended by Google. Unortunately,

they are looking or drinking glasses and were brought to the wrong page under the

pretense o glasses.

Its an obvious example, but it happens more than you would think. Not having your

page search engine optimized can mean the dierence in receiving a high rate obounce to maintaining a healthy one.

16
http://www.adluge.com/http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




4.Avoid Pop Ups

Our next piece o advice seems obvious to some but it happens quite oten in the

blogosphere. Lets put ourselves back in the shoes o our user. Weve settled in to

read the blog we ound on Google. We enter our desired page and all the sudden are

bombarded with pop up advertising. It can seem like a good idea to some marketers,

but it represents a dated orm o marketing.

Interrupting audiences is an advertising tactic we can all relate to. When we watch

television or listen to the radio we are bombarded with advertising messages and or

the most part we have learned to tune a high percentage o them out.

Browsing the internet is a ar more interactive and user controlled experience. Theweb experience is so compelling because essentially, users are in control o their own

destiny. Your readers are coming to your blog to gain perspective and knowledge. It

is unwise to interrupt their experience as it can cause rustration and in consequence

bounces.

17




5.Turn OAutoplay Messagesand Videos

18

Building on the concept o avoiding interruptions, bloggers should think about

steering clear o autoplay messages and pop up videos. Even i you think the message

is great content and targeted towards your audience, it can take the control out o the

users hands and create a pattern o bounces.

In addition, many blog readers listen to music while browsing the internet. Having an

autoplay message or video can be extremely annoying. I your reader is listening to

music in their headphones and click on your page to read some relevant inormation,

they might be turned o with a loud advertisement that can add distractions.




6.Streamlined

or SuccessA reader visits your blog with the intention o gaining insight to a specic area o

expertise. Ater reading one o your excerpts they are compelled to act, with interests

in buying your product or service. How can you make it as easy as possible or users to

act? Well one method that can increase sales and lower your bounce rates is using a

landing page.

A landing page is a specic page on your website where trac is driven to, oten rom

outside sources. The primary unction o a landing page is to provide the user with

enough inormation or them to make a decision without travelling to another page.

The goal o a landing page is to convert your leads into sales. You may be amiliar with

landing pages where you have input an email address and perhaps a name. With a

landing page that is easily clickable and designed to t your blogs aesthetics you can

convert your readers to customers or clients quickly. This in turn can lower your bounce

rate and provide your readers with what they are looking or quickly.

Remember, readers are looking or experiences that they can control. The internet

oers users the autonomy to customize their browsing experience, taking away that

reedom can be a dealbreaker or potential readers.

19




WordPress themselves provides a landing page creator plugin, called WordPress

Landing Pages, surprisingly! It gives you the ability to create sleek, attractive landing

pages with lead tracking capabilities. Another helpul eature with this plugin is its

ability to run A/B split tests. This means you can test variations o landing pages and

see which one perorms best. In addition, you can also choose rom a variety o

themes to make sure your landing page ts within your visual desires.

I a landing page is too much work, the addition o a simple orm in a sidebar orwidget is a great idea to urther lower bounce rates. It gives readers another option

to continue browsing through your pages instead o licking away. Furthermore, using

landing pages or adding orums will not only help reduce bounce, but should help

your sales and conversion rates too, by collecting more leads.

20

7.Great TaglineAnother way to create interest and prevent bounce on your website is creating a great

tagline or your blog. A tagline is a short concise sentence that allows people to know

who you are and what you do quickly. In the lightning ast inormation age it is vital to

get your brand identity out there as quick as possible. I your message and mission are

unclear, it will cause readers to become conused and in turn exit your page. Lets take

a look at some o the great taglines across all media, to give you an idea o what you

should be looking or. Here are some:
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/landing-pages/http://wordpress.org/plugins/landing-pages/http://wordpress.org/plugins/landing-pages/http://wordpress.org/plugins/landing-pages/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




Nike:Just Do It.

M&Ms:Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.

A great tagline goes a long way in keeping a readers attention.

21

YouTube:Broadcast Yourself The Consumerist:Shoppers bite back

Each o these gives us both, insight and grabs your attention. Establishing your blogs

tagline can be invaluable or your readers. Just a small suggestion, some people think




its rather clever to hone in on keywords and litter your tagline with them or SEO

purposes. It can work and i it fows and sounds natural go or it, in other cases it can

seem a touch too overzealous and conusing. The important thing to remember is to

avoid stung in keywords simply or SEO purpose. Look or something that is catchy

and represents who you are over strictly a SEO advantage. It may help you in the short

run, but in the long run it is better to create a tagline that speaks to your audience, not

search engines.

22

8.CreateGreat Titles

Another way to attract readers and keep their well earned attention is by creating great

titles. Just like a great newspaper headline can attract readers the same goes or your

blogs. As Brian Clark o Copyblogger once said On average, 8 out o 10 people will read

headline copy, but only 2 out o 10 will read the rest. Thats a compelling statistic and

a red fag that i you arent putting the right amount o time into perecting your titles,

you may be let behind.

Writing a good title can be a dicult process so here are a couple o things you should

keep in mind to create attractive titles. Firstly, its good to take a dierent stance

towards using keywords with titles than on taglines. You have a little more room to play

with in a title and its only representative o a specic article. Again, you should avoid




23

stung your keywords as you want it to sound and fow naturally.

Next, thinking about what youre trying to say in your specic article is key. I youre

trying to write about a how to... process be direct and mention it in your title. The

same goes or top 10 lists or best o. Mentioning them directly in your title can be

extremely popular and helpul or your users.

Providing your blogs with great titles is so important to preventing bounce rates.

Creating intriguing insightul and desirable titles can keep your visitors navigating

pages within your blog and immensely reduce the rate o bounce.




9.Great ContentThe crux o any great blog is simple. Killer content. Its not hard to explain or

understand. I your blog is no good, it doesnt matter about its look, its SEO or its titles.

It will suer rom high bounce rates and ultimately ail. Its easier said than done, write

well and write oten.

So quality content is vital to any blog, but how do you achieve this and lower your

bounce? The rst thing any blogger should do is place themselves in the readers shoes

and ask themselves a couple o questions.

1. Is this something that would draw the readers attention?

2. Is this a site that could be revisited as a source o inormation that is important to the

reader?

They are two extremely vital questions that all bloggers should consider. Creating

content can be extremely rustrating. One approach is hiring a content or blogging

expert. I youre not the strongest writer or dont think you can allocate the time

needed or your blog, this could be an option.

Again, i youre looking or something a little more nancially easible, you are probably

looking to undertake the blogging process on your own. There are some obvious

24




advantages to this option. O course it gives you the control to say what you want,

when you want to. This ensures that your voice can be heard clearly by your customers

and you can position yoursel to an area o expertise, gaining the trust o potential

leads. Just remember, blogging is time consuming and dedicating yoursel to a blog

takes a lot o diligence.

The number one suggestion we can give or improving your blog content would

denitely have to be reading other successul, well oiled blogs. Blogs have a certainwriting style to them. Somewhere between ormal and inormal, a strange mixture that

can take awhile to master. Read your competitors, see how some o the great internet

blogs are penned (or keyed in this day and age). It can only increase you propensity to

write eectively and entertainingly, in turn decreasing your bounce rate.

There are so many aspects to creating great content that we could probably create anentirely dierent eBook on this subject alone. The important thing to remember is to

provide your readers with useul inormation that can aid them in their day to day lives

and keep them coming back. In the interim; read, read, read and read!

25




So youve come up with this great idea to stu your entire content with keywords to

get ound easily on search engines, good idea! Your a genius right? Wrong. In addition

to great and interesting content it is important to use natural, fowing content. This

can be achieved by ocusing on writing and not ranking or SEO In addition, the guys

at Google and other search engines are pretty clever too. Its these kinds o sneakyprocesses that can get you in the bad books o search engines.

Take your time and place your keywords in relevant thought out places that dont raise

any eyebrows and fows properly. The ree SEO tool mentioned earlier, WordPress SEO

by Yoast can aid the process by helping you develop keywords and implement them

naturally within your blog.

11.Provide Expertise

Providing expertise is an overarching concept that can only come together by

ollowing a number o our steps. As weve mentioned previously, readers are in search

o the real McCoy especially when it comes to blogs providing services and products.

Providing expertise and establishing your website as an authority and educational

resource is vital to your success.

10.Natural Content

26




You may be thinking, how can this possibly determine bounce rates? Well, the answer

is simple. Your tone, knowledge and proessionalism is decided by the average browserwithin the rst 10 seconds o populating your page. Coming o as under budgeted or

inormal can lose the attention o your reader and once again increase bounce rates.

Another thing to think about i youre going to be responsible or writing your blog,

is to check rigorously or grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Although you

may not nd it critical or even necessary, an educated public is out there on theblogosphere. Ignoring this requirement can create bounces and damage your validity

quickly.

Installing a plugin such as the abulous Jetpack (with eatures that go ar beyond

spellchecking) can oer you with smart, intelligent work checkers that will run through

both spelling and grammar.

Again, i youre undertaking the blog writing and are good at what you do, providing

expertise is not hard at all. You know your business, i you have a passion or helping

your clients or customers and providing great service, the expertise is already there.

You only need to harness it in your blog and convey your acquired knowledge.

27




12.Keep Current

Weve mentioned it throughout this eBook, blogging requires a certain level o

diligence that many are unwilling to commit to. Think about the newspaper or aminute, would you renew your subscription to the New York Times i they only pushed

print once a month?

It is absolutely vital that your blog remains relevant and timely. There are several

reasons this can reduce your bounce rate as well. First o all, when a reader arrives

on your page and selects your latest post. What are they suppose to iner about yourability to keep up to date i your last blog is rom 6 months ago? It is important to

create a need or readers to return to your site. Blogging requently, even twice a week,

can make a big dierence.

28

Latest Blog




Another great strategy is evergreen content. Evergreen content diers rom content

such as news-jacking. Where a news-jacked post may garner more trac over the

short-term, evergreen content is ocused on long-term (search-based) trac. A piece o

evergreen content will be just as relevant 2 years rom now as it is today.

You may ask yoursel then, how is this even possible? How could I ever produce the

amount o content required to blog that much. Well the answer is, the more you blog,

the easier it is, there are also a couple o tips that can help you to keep your contentresh. Firstly, incorporate thinking like a blogger into your everyday. Work your day to

day tasks into your blogs and let them become part o your customer experience. This

means always being on the lookout or elements you could draw into your writings.

Another tip we suggest is using other orms o media. Whether it be a unny picture or

video relevant to your industry, or in some cases even not. Providing your prospectiveaudience with a variety o dierent media can help get the conversation started and

create returning visitors, but most importantly keep them engaged.

Lastly we suggest spreading around the un! You dont have to be the sole contributor

to your blog, i there are others within your company, its great to share the load. That

way you can get a variety o perspectives and avoid burning out. Just be mindul ooverlapping content as 3 blogs on the same industry trend with the same insight

can be redundant. In addition, guest blogging with other vertical companies can do

wonders or getting your blog seen and help improve your SEO.

29




As we previously mentioned in

the last segment, embedding

a YouTube video or posting a

unny, interesting picture can be a

great way to reduce your bounce

rate, but there is one thing a

blogger should remember when

embedding videos.

13.Turn oRelated Videoson YouTube

30

Its crucial or your bounce rates that you turn o related videos on YouTube. As you

may have experienced ater you watch a YouTube video embedded on a site, a list

populated by similar content will appear and suggest to the viewer that they should

check it out. When users double click on these websites it can bring them directly to

YouTubes page and play the video or them on their site. This, i its on a landing page,

will cause a bounce.




Segmenting inormation goes a long way in not inciting bounce rates. Just think

o all the times you have stumbled upon a page with no paragraph breaks. It looks

overwhelming and time consuming to read and simply as a reader unattractive.

We know Its just a simple ormatting issue and maybe even a little elementary to

mention, but think about your readers initial reaction to seeing your posts. I the

inormation looks too tedious, it may cause readers to exit.

Segmenting your inormation is also a good design practice and can apply to the

overall aesthetics o your page. Try to shy away rom not only text walls, but also romthrowing up too many widgets and images. It can be conusing to a reader and acts

against many o the points that weve previously raised.

14.Segment

Inormation

31

Disabling this eature is easy, simply add &rel=0 to the end o the copied URL

youve selected and it will turn o this eature. By doing this you can ensure that your

readers can enjoy the video and not be tempted to leave your site.




Along with segmenting text and pictures, its important to not overload your page with

needless advertisments. We know including advertisements can help your bottom line,

but its better to think big picture. Though the adverts can help you, they can ultimately

harm your blog by not attracting long term readers. I a reader arrives at a site and sees

nothing but a wall o ads its more than likely that they will exit. We know advertising

is necessary and we are not suggesting removing it rom your mix. We just want you

to think careully about your ad placement, size and also aligning advertisements that

target your readers.

A useul, easy WordPress plugin that can help you develop some quality ads with

strategic placement is WordPress Quick AdSense. It oers simple settings that are not

to overwhelm those who are not too amiliar with WordPress and coding. It also allows

you to place ads wherever you would like within the post.

Placing your ads and segmenting your inormation is crucial to steering clear o

guaranteed bounce increases. Our next option gives the user more options to move

through your blog.

32




15.Install aSearch Option

search

Installing a search unction at the top o your page is another interesting option to

reduce your bounce rate. I we ollow the path o our hypothetical user, lets think

about them landing on a page and having trouble looking exactly what they are

looking or. Frustrated, the user exits heading back to a search page query or a more

targeted results.

Installing a search option allows the user to nd exactly what they are looking or

within your blog. This doesnt even have to cater to specic searches. It is entirely

possible that when a potential visitor comes to your website they may enjoy your

article and search or a relatable topic.

You dont have to be a programer either, using WordPress plugins such as Daves

WordPress Live Search or Search Everything can aid in setting up easy in site search

bars. This is a great idea to try and will help lower your bounce rate in the long run.

33
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/http://wordpress.org/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/http://wordpress.org/plugins/search-everything/http://wordpress.org/plugins/search-everything/http://wordpress.org/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/http://wordpress.org/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




16.Create anArchive Page

Creating an archive page is another

great tactic to undertake. An archive

page is where all o your previous

blogs are laid out or your readers

to view. This means ater a user has

browsed through your content theyre

given the option to view more pieces

o your writing. Another great tip to

keep your readers engaged.

The best way to lay out these articles

is periodically, like going through the

archives o a newspaper. This means

the user can view your posts month by

month, week by week and day by day.

An archive comes deault in most WordPress templates, however one great plugin to

enable this is WordPress Smart Archive Reloaded. Smart Archive Reloaded is an easy to

use plugin that will structure your posts in archives periodically.

34
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-archives-reloaded/http://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-archives-reloaded/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




17.Related Posts

Our 17th suggestion is to link readers to related content directly rom your site. This can

be done using a variety o dierent plugins and lowers bounce by linking readers to

other articles that have common themes or subject matter.

When readers visit your blog they are ar less likely to exit rom the rst page i an

option or viewing relatable content is available. Its a great resource or lowering

bounce rate as it is again, another option to give readers more choice. The more quality

choices and browsing options the readers have, the more likely they are to click on a

link and stay within your site.

We suggests the plugin nRelate Related Content. nRelate works by analysing all o the

content on your website and actively matching words themes and relevant articles.

35
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/nrelate-related-content/http://wordpress.org/plugins/nrelate-related-content/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




nRelate can display content in a variety o dierent manners including automatically

displaying it at the bottom o posts or implementing a widget. The plugin is very

customizable and can allow you to pick rom various templated themes or design your

own widgets etc. The plugin also allows or advertising options and is a good way to

start earning some extra revenue or your blog.

Its a great option to use that is sure to lower your bounce rates, as readers can

seamlessly navigate through the page controlling the manner o the content they wantto read.

Its always great practice to keep the lines o communications with your audience. From

the smallest mom and pop shop to the largest corporation, keeping your nger on

the pulse o your targeted audience has always been one o the most integral pillars o

business.

Your blog is no dierent. Youve positioned yoursel as an expert and demonstrated

your value to your readers, now its time or you to listen to your readers. You may think

getting eedback would denitely come rom revisiting users, what does this have

to do with bounce rates? Well, this is an interesting viewpoint and it does have some

merit but, what you are trying to do is essentially use your reader base to improve your

18.Open Yourselto Suggestions

36




overall experience. Improving this overall experience will ultimately mean improving

experience or rst time readers too, and can help you reduce your bounces.

Opening yoursel or suggestions can give you amazing insight. Not only are user

observations on design aesthetics and fow o your blog paramount, they represent

your targeted leads as well. You know that i you are writing a blog on car restoration

or example, that any o your loyal ollowers will be airly well versed in the subject

matter and can help you understand your ideal target more clearly.

Although this strategy doesnt yield measurable and instant results, its a strategy or

the long term that can pay dividends when ollowed. Its all about creating a greater

user experience and talking to users is one o the best ways to learn how to get better.

This can be as simple as leaving a contact email where your readers can reach you.

Be sure to make yoursel accessible and note that readers are welcome to make

suggestions.

post comments

name

comments

37




19.Proper Placemento Outgoing LinksUsing guest bloggers or reerencing sources can be great practice to build your SEO

and get ound easier on search engine results pages. In a practice called link building,

vertical industries use guest blogging as a way to share blogging duties on eachothers pages and insert links to their own pages. This is great way to increase your

rankings because search engines like Google, love the requency o your website being

reerenced in quality links.

Guest blogging is becoming a prominent orm o strengthening web pages rankings,

but there is a method to this madness. Improper link placement can be a major causein the fuctuation o bounce rates on your blog.

Think about a user reading through an article and seeing a hyperlink present in the

rst sentence o your blog. Weve discussed the incredibly easy ways users can be

interrupted. Bringing them to a related site to early in your blog may cause them to

orget about your page and continue through too other web sites.

We are in no way saying that you should not use outgoing links. They are important

to blogs as you can share inormation with your readers and also build trusted

38




relationships with peers in your industry. Despite this, its vital that you think about

where you place your outgoing links. We suggest putting them in the third quarter or

lower in your articles. This way you can just be a little saer in terms o keeping your

readers attention, not distracting or tempting them to navigate to another website.

Also when hosting guest blogs make sure a link to the authors home page is placed

in the byline at the bottom o the article and not at the top where the authors name is

rst mentioned. This can be another way to lower your bounce rates as sometimes areaders curiosity gets the best o them and will navigate away rom your blog.

Just remember, outgoing links are great but you want to think about your placement.

Lastly dont overdo it. Dont write an article that is littered with outgoing links as not

only does it oer readers options to exit on numerous occasions, but it also can harm

the fow and readability o your page aesthetically. Too many links have been known todistract readers by decreasing their ocus and making pages harder to read.

With so many users on the go with tablets, smart phones, and personal data devices,

deciding not to optimize your page or mobile devices can increase bounce rates

tremendously. The problem lies in the act that not all pages work well on mobile

devices. Designing a site that does not take into account what it looks like on a mobile

20.Mobile Page

39




device, is a big oversight in todays world. On mobile, you have a short amount o time

to impress and captivate your potential users. I your blog isnt mobile optimized you

can cause readers to leave instantly in rustration.

40




There are some great plugins to get your blog mobile, one that we suggest is

WordPress WP Touch. WP Touch works to automatically optimize to be viewed on

mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets and other smart devices like the iPod

touch or example. It allows you to customize your site through its appearance and

create a streamlined mobile option or your users.

Many people will complain they dont like the style or eel o mobile pages and this

is understandable. Users grow accustomed to the look and eel o pages and wantthe amiliarity o their computer when browsing on their mobile device. I you are

experiencing a lot o negative eedback about your mobile site, odds are its not laid

out correctly! Design and layout o mobile sites are a whole new rontier, o course.

Mobile sites take on a more simplistic design, and its essential that the most important

inormation is up-ront, easily assessable with as little clicks as possible, and is touch

riendly.

Luckily, WP Touch gives readers the option to switch to the ull version o your website

at the bottom o the page. This can ensure that your loyal readers have the option to

customize their experience while at the same time not deterring rst time readers with

slow cumbersome load times. WP Touch will speed up your mobile experience and give

it a sleek, streamlined look. Ultimately this can help you decrease your bounce rate.

41
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wptouch/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wptouch/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/


42/45

www.adluge.com

INDEX


Using these suggestions and plugins as a guideline, you can decrease your bounce

rates and get your blog running at its optimal level. Its an ongoing process that you

always have to keep your ear to the ground to improve on, and we hope that you

nd this guide inormative and useul as a resource moving orward. Remember, its

all about keeping inormed and placing yoursel in a position to succeed within the

blogosphere.

Write, write, write and learn to evolve with your users. At the end o the day its all

about the user. I you have the ability to put yoursel in the browsers shoes, you begin

to see options everywhere to make your blog more user riendly, thus decreasing your

bounce rates.

Blogging can increase your SEO, allow you to be more relatable to your target

audiences and help build quality expert networks within your industry. Its up to you

dial down the bounces and turn potential leads into ongoing loyal readers. Follow our

steps and were sure you can get there!

For more inormation on bounce rates, internet marketing or blogging, subscribe to

our social networks and newsletter to stay up to date on the latest industry trends!

All About The User

42




WP Smush.it

W3 Total Cache

Thesis 2.0

Yoast

WordPress Landing Pages

Daves WordPress Live Search

Search Everything

WordPress Smart Archive Reloaded

nRelate Related Content

WordPress WP Touch

Links/Tools Mentioned

43
http://www.adluge.com/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/http://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/http://diythemes.com/thesis/version-201-web-design/http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/http://wordpress.org/plugins/landing-pages/http://wordpress.org/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/http://wordpress.org/plugins/search-everything/http://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-archives-reloaded/http://wordpress.org/plugins/nrelate-related-content/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wptouch/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wptouch/http://wordpress.org/plugins/nrelate-related-content/http://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-archives-reloaded/http://wordpress.org/plugins/search-everything/http://wordpress.org/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/http://wordpress.org/plugins/landing-pages/http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/http://diythemes.com/thesis/version-201-web-design/http://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/




Subscribe to our newsletter

to keep up to dateon Marketing Intelligence

rom AdLuge

Want to give

AdLuge a try?

Sign-up or a 30 dayree trial now!

Tyson HugginsContent Specialist

AdLuge Marketing Intelligence

44
http://www.adluge.com/http://www.adluge.com/http://www.adluge.com/http://www.linkedin.com/company/adlugehttps://plus.google.com/102332327617160373206/postshttps://twitter.com/#!/AdLugehttps://www.facebook.com/AdLugeCentral/app_208195102528120http://www.adluge.com/


45/45


MARKETING INTELLIGENCE

KEEP YOUR LEADS ON TRACK!

1444 Dupont St Unit 32

Toronto, ON

Canada

M6P 4H3

Toll Free: 866-225-9452

Fax: 416-538-7099

Email: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

Does your WordPress blog suffer from a low number of visits or struggle to gain loyal readers?

Documents

Transcript of Does your WordPress blog suffer from a low number of visits or struggle to gain loyal readers?