My website bounce rate keeps getting worse even though people say the brand looks "professional" now
I run a small productivity tools brand for students and remote workers.
A few months ago I redesigned the entire website because the old version looked messy and outdated. Cleaner layout, better product images, faster loading speed, more polished branding overall.
Now everybody says the site looks way more professional.
Problem is the numbers actually got worse after the redesign.
Bounce rate went from around 48% to almost 71% and average session time dropped hard too.
Traffic is still coming from TikTok and SEO, but people leave insanely fast now. Sales also dipped around 25% compared to before the redesign.
I’m starting to wonder if I overdesigned everything and accidentally made the brand feel less personal or trustworthy somehow.
The old site looked rough honestly, but maybe it felt more authentic.
Spent months building this update and now I’m questioning whether “professional” branding even matters as much as people claim.
Has anyone else experienced a redesign improving appearance but hurting actual customer behavior?