Social media has different bounce rates?

[mike777]

Are bounce rates for social media different from bounce rates of other traffic sources?

I was thinking that for new visitors the bounce rate might be lower, especially lower than from search, because someone browsing a social media site is probably not in search-and-find mode as much as they are already in a mood to look around.

Also, the link might be seen as more likely to be worthwhile - bookmark worthy. Depending on the way the site is identified via the social media page, the linked content is sort of pre-identified as targeted and interesting information on a topic, possibly on the say-so of an authority.

This leads me to wonder if wanderers from social media are more likely to subscribe to a site's feed, for even more wandering later.

First time visitor > follows social media link > wanders or subscribes or both > wanders again later?

[paul cartwright]

Interesting question..

Depends on what the content is and the site (the social audience) is.

If it is a well researched article in an academic circle, then perhaps, you may expect some subscribers.

But if its an image, then expect 99.9% drop off within 10-15 seconds.

Also, the more traffic you get, the higher the bounce rate. Few ppl stop by and read. Even less subscribe.

Social media traffic is infamous for its bounce rates and lack of interest in sites. Esp Diggers.

[jeremy]

I agree. I'm intrigued by Stumbleupon. I had over 130 visitors today when one of my blog posts got in there and was presumably somewhat visible, but they seem to have left without trace. Perhaps they're trampoline experts

[rajkaran]

The biggest problem with most SM 'referral' site traffic is that it is 'skim' traffic not quality traffic. They behave more like people at the market checkout reading tabloid headlines and subheads while waiting their turn. A few, if the line is long, i.e. they have the time, will open one to read a bit but rarely buy.

[dave denz]

HUGE bounce rates...it amazes me how Reddit/Delicious/Stumbleupon/Sphinn drive in traffic in sometimes pleasant numbers but of this crowd, scant few become regular readers.

It's gratifying to see things like my blog being added to "Favorites" somewhere, but the time it takes and effort to make something stick is enormous.

[mike777]

Does anyone want to guesstimate what might have a lower bounce rate?

My intuition tells me that link bait would be the worst, because people would go there for the buzz on that particular page

[Kelly]

I am a big believer in knowing your target audience, and that applies to social media as well. Thus that leads to bounce rates either being extremely high or relatively low.

Most people see high bounce rates from the social news sites, because by nature, they promote "read the article and run" kind of situations.

If you or or clients are looking for success from Social Media, then target places where your audience congregates. Say for example your client sells cookware, well then write articles for the social news sites dedicated to cooking, participate in cooking forums, talk to cooking bloggers and build a profile in the cooking social networks out there (there are some!) LOL By utilizing social media sites that are more relevant to your niche, you'll lower your bounce rate.

I think gauging whether or not social media produces high click rates or not, is relative - and highly dependent on which social media sites you target.

I really believe that you need to strategize when it comes to social media, have a plan and choose the social media site you want to participate in, and have a plan for each and every one. Do the research, and know each sites pros and cons, and you're likely to have lower bounce rates.

[tonyklaus]

That's a very good point kelly: high bounce rates show up when the content is untargeted. I'd add that it can be of low quality and badly formatted.

The thing is, people seem to expect that social media success comes fast. It doesn't, just as with SEO or anything at all.

Obviously, you need time, effort and patience to:
- research your industry online, learn the places where your customers gather and the sources they are influenced by
- build relationships with the users on those sites, with bloggers and the readers
- understand what really interests your audience and grabs them by their hearts (or tongues, if we talk about cooking)
- learn how to format the post in the most social friendly way (Steve has a nice post about it formatting)
- actually research the post topic and create it

Then again, you can make many attempts during your progress, but ultimate success will only come after you reach the critical mass within your community.