Did you know that the average person uses the web for about 7 hours daily?
Yes, you read that right. We spend about a third of our time online. This is about half of most people’s waking hours, so businesses need to up their game and make an impression on users while they’re surfing the web.
This is why frantically Googling “why is my time on site so low for display” is tempting when you have high bounce rates. Read on to answer this question accurately (and learn about view-through conversions to boot.)
Defining Time on Site on a Click
“Time on site” is sometimes also called “session duration.” It refers to the full amount of time that a specific internet user spends on your site.
Measuring time on site begins when a user clicks on your website. This click may take place in organic results. It also may happen through a PPC ad or social media link.
Basically, the moment that the user is redirected to your website, their “time on site” measurement begins.
It concludes when they click away from your website.
This is the best metric for figuring out how valuable people find your website as a whole. It doesn’t focus on a single page, so you get overarching and holistic information.
You’ll be able to answer questions like how much time people are willing to spend on your blog. You’ll also see whether or not they’re watching video content from start to finish based on whether or not they linger long enough to do so.
You can also look at the time on site for people who purchase products vs those who don’t. This lets you determine how quickly people make purchasing decisions.
Time on Page
“Time on page” is intimately related to time on site. It measures the amount of time that people spend on a single page after clicking on it.
It isn’t a holistic measurement of how useful your site is. Instead, it aims to figure out what parts of your site people tend to get interested in and dwell on.
This is useful because you can compare people’s time on each page to their overall time on site. You can see where people dwell and decide what parts of your website to focus your energy on. You can also see where those who generate conversions tend to linger!
“Why Is My Time on Site So Low for Display?”
This is a common question for businesses to ask when their website’s session durations seem low. 55% of people will leave your website within 15 seconds of clicking. You have a very short time to form an impression, and your bounce rate will be astronomical if you don’t.
There are dozens of reasons that you might have a low time-on-site metric, the primary one being that your page loads too slowly. No one wants to sit there and watch a spinning wheel for a long time. Lag times mean higher bounce rates from frustrated users who didn’t even see what you have to offer.
Problems With Your Branding
Sometimes, though, you’ll irritate users with misleading title tags and descriptions on blog posts. This is annoying because people click on your page for a specific purpose. If you don’t look like you align with what they’re searching for, they’re not going to linger… and they’re probably not coming back.
Blank pages, technical errors, and broken links from other pages are also issues for websites. These are easy fixes with some technical troubleshooting. Low-quality content is also a huge issue, and an expert can help you generate professional SEO-optimized posts to keep people on track.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Self-sufficient content that’s overly efficient can also increase your bounce rate. The good news is that you’re not annoying consumers this time – they may actually have positive feelings about your brand! They click on your site, get what they need fast, and then leave.
This is great, especially if your content is a shining example of quality posting. Simple, easy-to-navigate landing pages may be another good culprit.
But sometimes, too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
Google sees bounce rates and ranks your page lower. Search engine crawlers think that high bounce rates and low click-through times mean low quality. Even if that’s not true, you’re going to suffer in SERPs.
You also won’t be able to take visitors down the marketing funnel for products and services that they may like. People don’t always just buy what they came for. They may purchase more, but they need to stay on your site long enough to see it.
Luckily, you can work with a branding expert to figure out what specific problems you’re facing.
They can also help you figure out whether you’re making more click-based conversions or relying on view-through conversions to stay afloat.
The Basics of View Through Conversions
Relying on view-through conversions isn’t a bad thing. In fact, they’re an amazing tool for getting views and clicks!
View-through conversions happen when someone in your target audience initially sees your ad without clicking on it. These people often will still remember your brand after seeing an ad. They may come back to your site later on their own and purchase products or services.
So, unlike click conversion rates, this metric doesn’t measure direct conversions stemming from your ad campaign. It relies on user impressions from those who see an ad, ruminate on what they saw, and individually go back to find your website on their own. The view-through conversion follows this manual search.
This is actually an extremely common phenomenon. Most brands need to make at least 3 impressions on a consumer before they get their message.
A view-through conversion may also be known as a “non-click conversion.”
Tracking Non-Click Conversions
Tracking view-through conversions may initially sound like a baffling challenge. Luckily, though, Google’s built-in tools make it simple.
You can set up Google to install the AdSense cookie onto the browser of those who see their ads. (Of course, in order for this to happen, the user must have their cookie permissions enabled.) This will sit in the browser for 30 days and see whether those who have passed by your ads come back to your page within the month.
Note that your ads need to go through Google for the AdSense cookie to work.
However, this isn’t the only tracking tool for non-click conversions. It’s limited in its scope since it only tracks Google Ads. That’s why it’s important to get help from a web market research agency when effectively tracking view-through conversions.
Professionals will track each ad and see which ones create the most non-click conversions. They’ll compare these metrics to those regarding click-through conversions. This will allow you and your hired marketing experts to come up with an effective plan for your future digital ad campaigns.
The Benefits of View-Through Conversions
One reason that view-through conversions are so great is that they rely on people seeking you out on their own. They contemplated your brand, thought about all the ways that you can resolve their pain points, and came to your site with their own purpose in mind.
Whether this was simply to learn more or to make a purchase is irrelevant – they’re already extremely interested. It’s easy to drive your points home with an already-receptive audience.
Tracking these conversions also means that you can figure out what advertising channels perform best. You’ll see where people look at your ad before coming back for more later. Some businesses will get the most view-through conversions via Google while others will generate them through Facebook.
You need to find out which is the better marketing channel for your specific needs!
You also can figure out which display ads form the best impressions. This is true even when people don’t click on them. In fact, this is an even more useful tool than tracking click metrics since you’ll know which ads are memorable.
There are likely patterns to what ads generate view-through conversions. Interactive or multimedia ads may be more memorable. Puns, jokes, and unique color schemes may also stick in people’s minds so they come back later.
Understanding this means that you can then figure out how to boost your campaigns with visually appealing ads. You won’t just get more immediate clicks; you’ll get more chances to make an impression, too.
Boost Conversions From Multiple Channels
It’s time to stop Googling “why is my time on site so low for display.” There are tons of possible reasons, but it’s likely that you’re doing well with view-through conversions even if you have users who bounce quickly.
Once you take a breath and get off Google, you can start the process of boosting conversions with both clicks on advertisements and view-through impressions.
Our team is committed to helping you track views and clicks. We’re excited to take your marketing game to the next level, so contact 46 Mile to learn more about how we can help you thrive.
