We use the bounce rate so much that we wonder if the exit rate isn’t more interesting to analyze.
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The true definition of bounce rate, why it needs to be demystified?
Before we know whether exit rate is more interesting to track, let’s review the definitions of each.
- A bounce: a single-page session without triggering an action. Its rate is related to the number of total sessions.
- An exit: the last page the user visits before leaving the site. Its rate is the number of times page X is seen as the last per session.
Let's take an example
My X page received:
- A total of 400 visitors
- 200 of whom took no further action and left the page immediately afterwards
- 80 who performed an action (form, link, etc.) on the page but left immediately afterwards
- and 120 who continued their visit to the site after this page.
This means that my page X had:
- 200 bounces
- and 200 + 80 = 280 exits
out of a total of 400.
Let's calculate each rate:
- Bounce rate= 200/400 = 50%
- Exit rate= 280/400 = 70%
At first glance, a high exit rate might seem like a negative sign. But in the end, it can also mean that the visitor in question has found the information he was looking for. Or it could mean that they finished filling in a form, then left.
In terms of bounce rate analysis, we need to see whether the initial objective of the page was to trigger an action (via a CTA), in which case a 50% bounce rate is a good average.
Bounce rate different from exit rate: the real analysis
As mentioned above, a high exit rate is not necessarily negative in a page analysis. The definition of “high” and “low” is specific to each business sector, despite the known averages in B2B in particular.
Reminder of B2B averages:
- Average bounce rate= entre 45-55%*
- Average exit rate= entre 30-40%*
Let’s look at all possible scenarios.
Bounce rate > Exit rate
When the bounce rate is higher than the exit rate, it simply means that the page isn’t converting enough, but is keeping some visitors on the site longer.
This is not very common, as the two rates are often very close to each other.
Bounce rate < Exit rate
When an exit rate is higher than the bounce rate, it means that the page converts fairly well but causes a majority of its visitors to leave the site.
While this may appear to be a negative, it can actually be a positive. In fact, if a form has been filled in on a landing page full of information, a high exit rate is normal. It indicates that the visitor has found what he wanted. After filling in the form, he left the site.
- High bounce rate
- High exit rate
In this case, the page analyzed on your site is causing a lot of visitors to leave, in addition to not converting them 🙁. This is one of the few configurations where the verdict is very rarely different from this: the page needs to be reassessed in its purpose, and then modified accordingly.
The exception would be in the case of a blog post, where the latter has no business objective. Even though it’s often appreciated when a reader reads more than one article.
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- Taux de rebond bas
- Taux de sortie bas
Ce cas est parfait ! A une petite exception près.
Avoir un taux de rebond en-dessous des 50% + un taux de sortie en-dessous des 40% est le rêve de chaque Marketeur ✨. Cela indique clairement que la page en question, a converti mais aussi a permis de renvoyer le visiteur vers une autre page du site.
Or, dans le cas où la page est censée donner toutes les infos nécessaires au visiteur, un taux de sortie bas n’est pas forcément souhaité. Si une landing page a justement été créée pour informer et réassurer suffisamment ses visiteurs, le taux de sortie ne devrait pas nécessairement être bas.
To remember:
When analyzing a page, the correlation between bounce rate and exit rate reveals several consequences. It’s best to evaluate them together rather than separately.
Once again, it all depends on your objective for the page in question.
