Considering the grueling hours you poured into building a website that works for you and represents your business in its best possible light (or the dollars you spent paying someone else to do it), the last thing you want to envision is a lack of interest among actual visitors. But it’s a thing, and it happens more often than not. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that you have done it many times in the past—followed a link to a site and then simply moved on.
In the vernacular of web commerce, that’s called a “bounce.” Cute word, but it’s something we hope to avoid. And stat collectors measure the frequency of these in the form of bounce rates. The higher your bounce rate, the more you may want to take note, and figure out what you can do to retain first-time or regular visitors.
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It goes without saying that ecommerce merchants are far more affected by bounce rates than conventional businesses who happen to have a web presence. Your business lives or dies by engagement and ordering. Here are ways to measure your bounce rates, and tips on how to reduce them.

Life – and business – would be a lot simpler if a successful customer interaction ended in a sale. For too many, a lingering drama unfolds with customers who use the legendary payment service, PayPal, to facilitate their transaction.

PayPal, a behemoth originating from the early days of eBay, offers a relatively smooth transfer of funds from buyer to seller, and provides industry-standard security in the process. When a sale goes awry, however, it can be a nightmare to deal with – especially if you have a customer who may just be attempting to defraud you.
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As an online seller, the benefits of accepting PayPal payments are impossible to overstate. First, PayPal processes about $100 million worth of payments each year. Second, the percentage of ecommerce shoppers, and others, who have PayPal accounts is very high. Most are comfortable with the technology and will readily turn to its convenient service. Merchants including a PayPal payment button on their checkout sites may realize a greatly increased chance of making the sale.

What Not to Do in Ecommerce
 
If you’re reading this, you are one of the 1.5 million ecommerce vendors trying to be relevant on the internet. Some are more successful than others, and often the most successful are those who have been around the longest. But that’s not always the case, and there are guidelines you can follow to make sure you’re giving your business the best shot it has to become a force in online commerce.

While forced and unforced errors can sabotage your best efforts, you’re fortunate to operate in an environment rich with constructive advice. Let’s sum up some of the pitfalls that pose problems for online sellers and tackle each one by one.
 
Design

Visual impact is critical, and it includes the graphical interface of your site as well as what is (or is not) on it. Do you have a unique brand, complete with a logo, a theme, and some form of a mission statement? Does your site layout lend itself to navigation that makes the buying process as simple as possible? Are your products reflected in quality photos that supplement product descriptions, and aren’t replaced by them?
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Does your website load efficiently on a tablet or smart phone? Remember that shoppers today are more likely to be reaching for their devices than sitting at a computer. Spend the time and money necessary to optimize your layout.

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