Hi there,
It sounds like the changes you made were successful in lowering bounce
rate. Tactics for lowering bounce rates really depend on your site,
what you're offering, and your audience. What works on one of my sites
may not be best for your site - that is why Analytics is so valuable:
you can test and see what works for you and what doesn't.
The most important thing to keeping bounce rate low is giving the
visitor what they want to find right away. Example: if I'm trying to
sell a 2 quart Classic Stanley thermos using the keyword "stanley 2 qt
thermos" and I land you on http://www.stanley-pmi.com rather than
http://www.stanley-pmi.com/shop/product_detail.aspx?ProductID=6, you're
more likely to bounce. Why? Because you wanted to find a 2qt thermos
and the company homepage doesn't immediately provide you that - sure,
you could get to it if you click on "shop" then on the "classic"
category and then on the "2 qt vacuum bottle" item, but that takes work
and thinking, and many online shoppers, bless their hearts, just won't
go to that much effort.
So, what's the magic recipe for lowering bounce rate? I can't say for
sure for you - but if you think carefully about what your customers are
wanting to find and then give that to them, they'll likely stick around
longer. Be crafty, too, because you want to draw them further into
your site and engage them.
Slide shows are usually a bad idea because it will slow load times, in
my opinion. But, you can always test this for your case and see if it
helps or hurts.
Best,
-Caleb Whitmore
www.pop.us/analytics/
google analytics authorized consultants
