HomeGlossaryBounce Rate

Bounce rate refers to the percentage of site visits where visitors land on a page and then promptly leave the website.

A “bounce” is any website visit that results in a single pageview. In other words, a visitor who bounces arrives on a page of content and leaves from the entrance page, without clicking through to other pages on the site.

Bounce rates and quality content control

For marketers, an individual page’s bounce rate can be a good way to gauge the value of the content. Visitors who arrive on a page, remain there for some time and then click through to other pages are more likely to convert or return for another visit than those who quickly bounce.

Reducing bounce rates is best achieved by developing engaging, informative content. Read this blog post for 16 ways to cut your bounce rate. 

When it comes to content marketing initiatives, bounce rates provide strong insight into the effectiveness of different pages. If content is successful, it will lead to lower bounce rates as prospects landing on a page will see a call to action and convert or click around the website to learn more.

Aside from low-quality content, a website’s User Experience (UX) is also a factor in bounce rate. 

How to Measure Bounce Rate

Bounce rate can be measured by setting up an analytics software package on your website, such as Google Analytics. It appears directly on the main dashboard, under “Site Usage.”

The SEO implications of bounce rates

Marketers increasingly believe that bounce rates (and other interaction metrics) play into search rankings. Google’s Amit Singhal is quoted in The Wall Street Journal as saying that Google’s algorithmic rankings often “… measure whether users click the ‘back’ button quickly after visiting a search result, which might indicate a lack of satisfaction with the site.

How to lower bounce rate: Success stories

Online audiences are warming up to longer articles, and brands creating in-depth pieces are getting more engaged visitors and web conversions.    Companies that create video content will see their engagement metrics improve and bounce rates drop - Here are results from one of our clients.