In a down economy, I think the bounce rate would be mostly affected. I propose this because there would be a considerable increase in the rate at which people abandon your website immediately they arrive (“web metric”).
In a down/struggling economy, one would notice that the prices of things would go up and the citizenry would find it difficult to purchase things as they wish. In a struggling economy, one would also notice that main stores and shops would cut, if not shut down, on their production because of reduced or lack of demand (“8 signs”). A down economy could be defined as an economy whereby the rate of production, distribution and consumption are either reduced or low in intensity (“word web”). Looking at this definition, one would agree that in a down economy people would want to be cautious about how they spent and utilize money.
Going back to the usage of websites, the bounce rate would see an increase. More and more people would leave websites immediately they arrive. These kind of cases would be noticed more profoundly where it involves money, because people, moved by their financial status, would rather not want to engage in things that would entice them.
Another web metrics that would be affected is the conversion rate. This would see a drastic decrease. People would not want to buy things and so there would be little or no interaction with the website.
One would also notice that words that commensurate to buying and selling would not be used often. Words like ‘how much does it cost’, ‘how much would it cost’ and words that indicate ones desire to purchase would not be often used.
The economy has a great effect on the way people view and buy things, so a down economy would make people very conservative on the way they use their resources.
Work Cited
Becket, Adams. ‘8 Signs that the economy is still struggling to recover.’ The Blaze. n.d. Web. 4 march 2013.
Rich, Page. ‘Web metrics 101 – what do all these terms mean?’ Make use of. 18 April 2008. Web. 4 march 2013.
Word web 6.8. Princeton University. 2006. Software.