First page bounce

[cumulus]

I have been looking through my google analytics and see that some 90% of my visitors don't get past my first page.

2 questions :

Is this an unexpected ratio ?

Are there any suggestions as to how I can improve the page to hang onto my visitors a bit longer ?

Thanks

website : www.gouvix.com

[la vache!]

What is your bounce rate on GA?
I've had a look at your homepage and would say it is rather, well, minimalistic. I think you need more photos (definitely one of a bedroom as you are ch d'hôtes) and more text to encourage people to look further into your site. What about adding your Trip Advisor review badge too? You have some nice photos* of the property further on in the site, but your homepage really needs more to get people to look further.
*Although please don't put a photo of the yourselves on the homepage, nothing personal I just hate owner photographs on the homepage!

[Nemo]

Two things - via what source are the majority of your visitors getting to your front page? Are they from listing sites, direct searches etc as that will tell you whether you have appropriate visitors in the first place.

Secondly, I agree with LV, your front page is too minimal. You have what looks like a beautiful property, many of the photos look lovely and have a gorgeous light quality to them.

Your landing page should have more information and hopefully start to sell the dream of why the visitor there would want to come and stay with you.

I would also think about naming your rooms to something more enticing than twin room and small double etc. I want to come and stay with you so pull me in more - more romance and less stark fact I'd say (but that's just me!)

I stayed at this hotel last year, so have a look to give you the idea of where I'm coming from. Although the rooms are described as bedrooms or suites etc they have all been given a name. www.orles-barn.co.uk

[cumulus]

Thanks for the feedback

Most of my visitors come either from google adwords, or from web searches after finding me in tripadvisor.

I wanted the first page minimal, but maybe I've gone too far ...

[e-richard]

There is nothing wrong with minimalism.

I'd suggest, however, that the minimal wording you use shoudl be less of:

"this is what we are"

and more of:

"this is why YOU want to come/stay with us"

Try to be a bit more "inviting" and if you're really clever, spark some inquisitiveness to look further.

[French Cricket]

Yes, agree with everyone so far. Your place looks lovely, and you have some lovely photos - but I probably wouldn't know that if you hadn't posted this because I may well have been one of your 90%. I'm fond of minimal too, but I want to be invited to discover more right from the word go, and you haven't invited me. I also want to feel that you love your home and where you live, and I don't.

I want to imagine myself staying with you; I want you to tell me why I want to come and stay with you. Somehow what you're saying on your site is just too factual - I want the facts, sure, but I want to be able to fantasise a bit! And I'm 100% with Nemo - give your suites and rooms some names.

Food is obviously a Big Thing for you as well so why not play that up on your landing page and show some sample menus on the 'eating' page?

Oops - just seen that you've already got those!

[CSE]

I quite like the "simple look" to the website. Easy to navigate and everything to hand.
I had to laugh when I read "proper tea,"what doe the rest of us serve? Fake tea?

[tavi]

I think everyone's already said it all.

Your place looks lovely, I love the pale paint colours and the fabrics and the wooden floors and the light. But your site doesn't do these things justice. The first page looks a little...can I say...half-hearted? You don't give me the impression you care too much if I visit or not.

Some potential guests will be able to look "beyond" the rather uninteresting landing page...but many won't - they need to have some pictures "painted" for them.

[cumulus]

Thanks everyone for your positive and insightful comments.

I've now put up a changed homepage.

I can't quite bring myself to be perhaps as gushing as I should be with the text, but I have re-worded it a bit !

[Windy]

I like minimal too and you have a lovely looking property but I have to say that my overriding impression of the bottom half of your home page (where the gallery is) was grey. It turned me off I'm afraid and I'd have bounced too. Sorry

[la vache!]

Oh dear, you don't need to show all the photos on the homepage! Just a few of the best to draw the attention in. The gallery is too much, and not aligned either. There is also a grey line going through the word availability in the side menu (I use FF) which looks a bit amateurish. I still think you need a little more text, for example, how many rooms you offer, what type of rooms (twin, double, en suite) a few things to see and do in the local area. I know less is more but I still think you need to put a little more information on the homepage to make people look further! There is a lot of competition out there. And don't forget your TA reviews, they can be very important in distinguishing you from your competitors.

[French Cricket]

Cumulus, I'm sorry to say that I'm not lovin' it yet either!

It's interesting, this minimal thing. As I said, I'm a bit of a minimal fan myself. When I did the first design for our website, I followed the style I'd used on the previous site for our last place - kind of white, really, lots of empty space. Then I did what I always do - I hid it away for a few days, without looking at it at all. Then, when I got it up on the screen again, I thought ...... aaargh, boring! That was a bit of a shocking revelation for me. But it was as if I was taking a step back and seeing it as an outsider would see it for the first time, not as me.

What I did then was spend endless hours looking up the sites of other people doing similar things - this forum is a brilliant resource for that! Then I reworked and reworked it, with the aim of getting some life into it. I think if I had to come up with one word that your site lacks for me, it's life.

You've got great reviews and a charming place, but somehow it's still not coming across.

[Nemo]

Getting better but a fair way to go yet I'd say! More text needed as LV says - you need to give some of the critical facts about rooms etc as well as persuade people why they should stay with you.

Too many photos now on the front page - give enough as a taster and then more to help describe the property and its rooms on all the relevant pages.

They are currently very atmospheric but as Windy said a bit too grey. How about some blue skies - always a hot seller! For example you have some lovely ones of your garden; the last one of the water is particularly nice.

Try looking at some other websites and get some ideas from them. I have lots of lovely websites bookmarked which I look at from time to time (especially for the time when I get a "proper" website up and running!)

[Margalide]

I have been looking through my google analytics and see that some 90% of my visitors don't get past my first page.

I had to ask our web company about that once we had Google Analytics added and above 50% is bad, something is wrong and below 30% is hard to achieve.

Could be your adwords are totally wrong or not specific enough - "B&B France" will get lots of clicks, but only 0.1% are looking to stay near Caen.

I like the minimalist look too, but something is spoiling it and can't figure out what, maybe the shadows under the photos is all I can think of.
Ros

[Jimbo]

I stayed at this hotel last year, so have a look to give you the idea of where I'm coming from. Although the rooms are described as bedrooms or suites etc they have all been given a name. www.orles-barn.co.uk

Apologies to cumulus if I'm drifting away from the original question but the picture gallery in Nemo's link is very clever and instructive. It oozes 'attention to detail' and whispers 'simply add guest - you - for the perfect holiday' soothingly into your ear. The tight stuff - the significant details - always look easy, but need as much care and selection as the grand overviews.