If your library's web site is hosted on the SCLS server (or if you use Google Analytics for another web site), you're probably already aware of the amazing amounts of information about visitors to your web site that Google Analytics provides you. (If not, sign up here!)
The down side of so much information is that it can be too much to grasp at once! So if you have a question about what a term means, or how to interpret a graph, drop me a line. I'll include Google Analytics tips here in Wicked Cool from time to time.
I recently got a question about the term "Bounce rate." Google Analytics provides some great help right when you need it - from the "about this report" link of the Bounce Rate report, I found this definition:
Bounce Rate is the percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page). Bounce Rate is a measure of visit quality and a high Bounce Rate generally indicates that site entrance (landing) pages aren't relevant to your visitors.
So, basically it's the % of people that visit one page on the library's site, then leave. This probably includes lots of people that find the library by mistake through search results, but, more significantly, those that have the library's web page set as their browser start page. If your whole computer lab uses your library's home page as a start page, your bounce rate (for the home page, and on average) will be incredibly high.
You can also view the bounce rate for individual pages by exploring the "Content" reports. For example, while your overall bounce rate may be near 100%, pages further inside your site - the Youth Services page, for example - may be much lower.
There's more information on "ideal" bounce rates here at the Self Made Minds blog, though, being run by 2 online entrepreneurs, it is targeted at businesses.
