Question

Topic: Website Critique

What's Wrong With My Homepage?

Posted by Anonymous on 9/4/2008 at 10:23 AM ET 125 Points
What is wrong with our homepage or site? Our site is about 6 mo. old and I am finally getting the traffic to our site but our bounce rate is high. My CTR is getting better but the better it does the higher my bounce rate goes. When I look at the search terms the customers are using, we have the product they are looking for and our pricing is competitive but the customer is leaving before they can even check out our pricing. I would appreciate all input. [inactive link removed]

[Moderator: Inactive link removed from post. 2/14/2011]
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  • Posted on 9/4/2008 at 10:26 AM Member
    Is your analytics code on every page of your site? I once made the mistake of only putting the code on my home page (which made it look like a 100% bounce rate) when really it was only because my analytics couldn't track my other pages!
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 9/4/2008 at 10:47 AM Member
    You say CTR...meaning you're doing some PPC advertsing or something like that?

    Are you taking people to your home page when you do that?

    If you have an ad for a specific product or offer, you need to do a landing page that keeps the flow intact. Just taking people to your home page--or running ads that are just generic for your category--is a sure-fire way to get that high bounce rate.

  • Posted by Frank Hurtte on 9/4/2008 at 10:49 AM Member
    I have discovered that with products like yours there will always be a high bounce rate. Why? Because like it or not, many folks use the internet as a source of information before making the purchase locally.

    I would suggest you add something to the effect of
    "compare our information and prices, shop, but call this number before you make your deal"

    See how many calls you get...
  • Posted by Jessica_Castro on 9/4/2008 at 1:31 PM Member
    I have no idea how you are getting traffic I googled Truck Accessories, ATV accessories, Truck Accessories and more...it wasn't until I googled your name that I was able to find you. Which leads me to believe that by the time people find your site they have seen a lot of other sites as well. The fact that your site takes longer to load may test their patience as well. Plus your page has so much going on its a little distracting.

    It may help to cut the banner size, cut some graphics, change the background color, move the testimonials to where they can be seen easily...i.e. put them on your home page and maybe take out some of the options. This may simplify your home page and allow it load more quickly. Plus your customers may not feel so overwhelmed when they get there.
  • Posted on 9/5/2008 at 7:25 PM Accepted
    Are they bouncing from your homepage, or all pages? If it's from your product pages then it's likely because buyers are comparison shopping. They land on say the Mud Flaps page, check your prices and leave. But otherwise there are a few things you might want to consider changing on your site in general.

    - Your pages are very busy, there's no place to focus the eye. Instead of hitting buyers with everything right way, funnel them. Give them clear paths to follow and a scent of what's in the sub-pages.

    - You've got two layers of top navigation and a long left navigation -- Where do I start? Instead consider broader categories that help buyers find what they're looking for.

    - White text on black is hard to read, a few others have already mentioned that.

    - Your "featured products" keep changing with every page load. This is confusing to users who may have seen something, left and come back, only to not see it in the same spot it was before. It's a common usability problem.

    - You don't distinguish yourself from your competitors. All you talk about are your features (free shipping) and show products. What you haven't told anyone is, "Why buy from you?" Your "Did You Know" section is waaaay down at the bottom of your page, in tiny type (unlikely users even get that far). Take some of that content and put it at the very top, where it belongs.

    - The animated banner takes up a lot of room, pushing the rest of the content down and below the fold.

    Hope that helps, and best of luck.
  • Posted on 9/26/2008 at 8:05 AM Member
    What is the "Average Time On Site" for your users? This is important information when trying to figure out bounce rates.

    I would definitely optimize your images to load a little faster. They load rather slow and I am on a T1. Anybody on a slow DSL or dial-up would probably quit your page and "back button" the heck out of there.

    Site is nice, clean and informative though.
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