Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that end without meaningful engagement.

GA4 definition: Bounce rate = 100% − Engagement rate. An engaged session in GA4 is one that lasts ≥10 seconds, or has ≥2 pageviews/screenviews, or records a conversion. Sessions that fail all three criteria are counted as bounces.
UA (legacy) definition: A single-page session with no interaction hits.

How It’s Used

Landing page quality check: Reveals whether visitors find what they expect.
Intent alignment: High bounces on informational queries may signal a mismatch between title/meta and on-page content.
Funnel diagnostics: Helps spot friction on top-funnel pages.

Not always “bad”: A user can get an answer quickly and leave satisfied (e.g., opening hours).
SPA tracking: Single-page apps need proper event/pageview tracking; otherwise bounces are overstated.
Bounce vs. Exit: Exit rate shows the last page in any session; bounce rate is about no engagement during the session.
Segment wisely: Evaluate by page type, device, traffic source, and keyword intent—benchmarks vary widely.

Match search intent: Align titles/meta, headlines, and content with the query.
Speed & Core UX: Improve load time, mobile responsiveness, layout stability, and readability.
Stronger first screen: Clear value prop, scannable structure, and visible next steps (CTA, internal links).
Engagement instrumentation: Track meaningful events (scroll depth, video play, tab change, CTA clicks) so engaged sessions are recognized.
Internal linking: Offer relevant next pages; avoid dead ends.
Avoid distractions: Reduce intrusive popups and confusing layouts.

Bounce rate = 100% − Engagement rate (GA4).