I have a point2 site which I've worked very hard to customize, and I know I still have more work to do - I'm thinking it will always be a work in progress. The site is getting good results. I've used WebCEO for several months and watched as the site gained placement in the search engines. We even have a PR3.

The problem is we have a lot of bounces.

Take a look at the site, and tell me what your first impression is - what about it makes you want to just hit the "back" button? What can I do to get more people to stick around?

http://www.lcountyhomes.com


Thanks for any ideas/suggestions!

Tracie

I think the site has all the elements needed to give visitors what they want, but a majority of your page is made up of the menu - and very little of the page is dedicated towards your product. Are you selling text or houses? I'd make the featured listings bigger - draw them in with some pretty pictures.

The menu should be off to the site, and not featured so prominently.

I also think that your color choices are glaring- red is an angry color, and bold red is angry yelling - at least to me. I'd go back to basic black text, and make your font size smaller so it doesn't look like your yelling at me.

The first three lines of the page look like they should be clickable links, and they are not, they are just headlines.

I REALLY like the seasonal header you have - just don't forget to change it when the season is over - stale content just screams unprofessional.

Overall I think you've got what it takes, it just needs some tweaking.

T.C.

Congratulations on choice. P2 will serve you well. I watch bounce rates in relation to the page(s) they enter and what I think they wanted to find. My blog has the highest bounce rate, but that should be expected, as those keeping up with posts will normally only look at the post they came to see or received in their news reader. (Bounces in P2 are visits to a page without going to any other pages, for those used to other methods).

The IDX search also shows a very high bounce rate, as they came to search listings and can for long periods by staying right on that page.

Working with About.com has taught me a lot about SEO and visitor habits. If you write a lot of custom content, break it up into reasonably sized pages and they find it via search, they'll probably bounce, as they found what they wanted. However, they'll also probably come back. It's a balance of returning visits, as well as length and depth of visit. I really am unhappy with the high number of 0 to 10 second visits, but haven't figured out how to get it down yet.

I've noticed that websites with alot of scroll tend to be ignored more, I had to keep mine at a short scroll to keep their attention. Maybe you should reduce the scroll a little.

Martin Vique
http://www.trademarksocal.com

You have to balance optimizing your website for the search engines versus creating a site that is attractive and has elements that encourage repeat visits and sharing information. It looks like you've mostly concentrated on the search engine side..which is important but obviously if visitors don't like the site once they arrive it's pretty much a waste of time.

Regarding the main menu, have you looked at any drop down menu systems?

I hope this is useful.

I did make some changes. The big table menu I had in the middle - I reduced it in size and plan to eliminate it or change it. I also put the side menu back, I had it turned off for SEO purposes. I also took out almost all of the "screaming red"!

I have been working on adding content too, and I have plans to add a whole bunch more content - it's going to be something that takes a few months to get all the ideas I have implemented.

I have looked into drop down menus, but some of the fancy ones that I really like won't work with P2.

I have been extremely busy this week, so I haven't had much time to work on the site. But, being busy isn't anything to complain about, so I'll take it :-)

Hi Tracie.

There's a lot of information on your site, which is a good thing. But there's also a lot of visual stimuli on the home page, with many different things competing for attention. This might be contributing to your bounce rates from the home page.

Of course, the only way to be sure is to make changes and see how that affects your bounce rates. The most important thing is that you're tracking it ... and that's more than most people! Kudos for that.

What are two most important paths / actions you want people to take from your home page? If you focus on those and demote everything else, you'll be able to focus people's attention where you want it.

You might also try to implement some form of lead capture with visual prominence. For instance, I noticed the "School Info" button in your navigation, but only after looking at the site for a while. What if you created a school report, gave it a virtual cover for visual appeal, and made it prominent on your home page? People would definitely see it, and if you position the report properly they'll sign up to receive. Presto, you've just captured a lead.

Just my two cents. I hope that helps, and I wish you well in the new year!

Brandon,

I don't think you saw the page before I made changes. I wonder if there's a way to show you what it looked like before and now.

The way it was:
I had no menu on the left side (for SEO purposes) and I had a HUGE table menu right smack in the middle with HUGE text, and additional "screaming" red text.

Ok, I found it in the wayback machine!
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.lcountyhomes.com - well, nevermind, it doesn't show it as it was a couple of weeks ago.

So, anyway - the HUGE table menu is completely gone, and I found a button maker and made my own menu on the left - (I am seeking opinions on whether it looks alright) - My 15 yr. old daughter and my husband say it looks WAY better than it did. The fact that you found the "School Info" button says a lot to me, because the way it was before I would have been shocked if someone found it.

The menu I made, I'm not sure I like it. It's kinda gold, and goes with the Century 21 color scheme - but I wonder if it's too attention grabbing - if I should dull it down a little.

I just hope I'm not hurting myself in the search engines too much by making so many changes. They're changes for the better, so in the long run, the changes should help.

Tracie