Mastery is in the details, and your business constraints often lie in those details too. One critical metric that is frequently overlooked is Average Session Duration—the time visitors spend on your site. While this concept isn’t as widely discussed as page views or bounce rates, it plays a significant role in determining how well your website performs, especially when you’re auditing a website.
Why Does Average Session Duration Matter?
Think of it like a physical store. You want visitors to browse for a while, explore different products, and hopefully make a purchase. Online, the same rule applies: the more time people spend on your website, the higher the chance they’ll buy something. Just like a well-organized store with attractive displays, your website needs to be visually appealing and easy to navigate.
How to Measure Average Session Duration
You can easily track your website’s average session duration using tools like your Shopify dashboard and Google Analytics. But what does the data tell you?
- Good: 2-3 minutes. This means users are engaged, and they like what they see.
- Average: 1-2 minutes. This signals that something might be wrong; visitors may not be finding what they’re looking for.
- Poor: Less than 1 minute. This is a major red flag! People are either not interested or confused about what your store offers.
So, how do you improve it? Here are five actionable steps to increase the time visitors spend on your website.
1. Improve Internal Linking and Product Categorization
Boosting internal linking is key to keeping visitors engaged longer. Group similar products together into categories and display them with related items, like a “Frequently Bought Together” section. Offering bundle deals or discounts on related products encourages visitors to explore more pages and stay on your site longer.
Pro Tip: Use upselling and cross-selling tactics to increase engagement. For example, highlight similar or complementary products, making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
2. Craft an Irresistible Offer
Offers are powerful tools that can make a significant impact on your session duration. Create an offer that’s so compelling, your visitors feel like they’d be missing out by not accepting it. Follow Alex Hormozi’s Grand Slam Offer approach, which combines irresistible offers with social proof, such as customer testimonials and before-and-after results.
A well-crafted offer not only encourages people to stay longer but also pushes them closer to making a purchase.
3. Highlight Best-Selling Products
People are naturally drawn to what’s popular. Highlight your best-selling items on your homepage or product pages. By showcasing products that are selling like hotcakes, you tap into social proof, creating a sense of urgency. Visitors are more likely to explore these products and feel confident in making a purchase.
Bonus Tip: Use labels like “Best Seller” or “Hot Item” to draw attention to popular products.
4. Write Compelling Product Descriptions
One of the most overlooked factors in session duration is the product description. If your descriptions aren’t engaging, visitors will quickly lose interest. A good product description should not only explain what the product does but also relate to the customer’s problem and offer a clear solution.
Remember:
- Clear beats clever: Simple language outperforms flashy words.
- Be honest: Make realistic promises about your product to build trust.
- Solve problems: Focus on how your product can improve the customer’s life.
A well-written description will keep visitors reading longer and more likely to add products to their cart.
5. Create Engaging Content
Engaging content is a great way to extend session duration. Whether it’s a blog post, a product demo video, or customer-generated content, giving your visitors something to interact with will keep them engaged. If you can show off your product, do it. Feature reviews, tutorials, and even user-generated content on your website.
This not only boosts session duration but can also increase your conversion rate as visitors learn more about your products.
Final Thoughts
Average session duration is a powerful metric that can provide deep insights into how well your website is performing. While there are many strategies to improve it, focusing on the user experience, internal linking, compelling offers, and engaging content will set you on the right path. By implementing these steps, not only will you see visitors spending more time on your site, but you’ll also notice a boost in conversions.
Improving session duration is just one aspect of website optimization, but it plays a key role in the bigger picture of online business growth. Dive into these strategies and start refining the details, because it’s in the details that true mastery—and success—lie.