Server Response Time vs. Bounce Rate

So how important is a good website host? Well in my experience, a good host is the difference between a 30% bounce rate and an 80% bounce rate!

How It Happened

I first noticed this when our AdSense income and site registration rates started to drop for no apparent reason. I checked our traffic figures and the number of new daily visitors was the same. It looked as if people just lost interest in RecognizedExpert.com

6 Seconds of Nothing!
It wasn’t until I saw our servers load average that I noticed what was going on. (Ok, that was a bit technical … Server load average shows how many processes are active for a given time span. A number less than 1 is tolerable. Ours was averaging 18!) Basically the hosted server we were using was so overloaded that our average page response time went from 2.2 seconds (still way slow) to 6 seconds overnight. (OMG!!) It was taking six seconds for the server to begin sending our site to a visitor when they tried to load it. And yes, our users were staring at a white screen the whole time.

I'm out of here.
Well, what does the average web surfer do when they have to wait more than 3 seconds? *Click* They’re gone! We had the same number of new visitors each day, but now instead of 30% of them leaving immediately, nearly 80% of them were leaving before they saw our site!

If a user can’t view your content, it's impossible to build a relationship and convert them to customers.

First of all, what is a "bounce?"

A bounce is when a visitor loads one page on your website and then leaves. This is bad! This means the page was so unappealing (or slow to load) that they would rather hit the back button and try another site.

Bad hosts increase bounce rates?

Absolutely! Your website visitors have absolutely no patience! (Ok, they may have 3-5 seconds worth) which means if your website takes 4 seconds to start loading (not fully load) they are already gone! You have no chance to convert them and they won't be back!

How can I check my websites load time?
I use FireBug. A plugin for FireFox that helps debug web pages. Here is an example of what it reports.



This is a load time report of MSN.com
Two important things to note here:

1. The site took 6.56 seconds to fully load.
2. The server responded within the first 0.144 seconds.

The total load time is not nearly as important as the first response; the point which information actually starts to load on the users screen.

Though it may take 8 seconds for a page to completely render (graphics, flash, etc.), a user can start scanning the text within seconds.

How can I tell if I have a high bounce rate?
Tracking and Analytics. I use Google Analytics

How can I view a report like the one above for my site?
Get FireBug for FireFox or drop me a line and I'll run one for you when I have time.

What can I do to improve my servers response time?
Upgrade to a new, faster host. If your site is large enough you may want to get a virtual dedicated server or even a dedicated server.

Attached Images

	load-times.png (72.3 KB, 497 views)
	frustration.jpg (32.1 KB, 818 views)