What Is Bounce Rate? Definition
The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page.
What is bounce rate?
Bounce rate measures the share of visitors who land on a website and leave again without opening another page or interacting with it.
Example: someone searches for a museum's opening hours, lands on the page that lists them, reads the answer and closes the tab. That visit counts as a bounce, even though the visitor found exactly what they were looking for.
Is a high bounce rate bad?
Not necessarily. It depends on the context:
- Blog articles – a high bounce rate is normal when users find the information they need and leave satisfied
- Landing pages – here, a high rate points to problems with the user experience
- E-commerce – a high bounce rate on product pages is a warning sign
Improving bounce rate
Lower the bounce rate with faster load times, relevant content, clear calls to action and intuitive navigation. Google treats user behavior as an indirect ranking factor through the Core Web Vitals. Our guide on optimizing Core Web Vitals shows where to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is bounce rate?
Bounce rate is the share of visitors who land on a website and leave without opening another page or interacting with it.
Why does bounce rate matter for SEO?
On landing pages and product pages, a high bounce rate points to user experience problems. Google treats user behavior as an indirect ranking factor through the Core Web Vitals.
What is an example of a bounce?
Someone looks up a museum's opening hours, reads them on the page they landed on and closes the tab. The visit counts as a bounce, even though the visitor got the answer.
Is a high bounce rate always bad?
No. On blog articles it is normal when users find what they need and leave. On landing pages and product pages it is a warning sign.