What Is Bounce Rate?
Bounce rate is a number that tells you how many people come to your website, look at only one page, then leave without doing anything else.
Definition
Bounce rate is the percentage of visits where a person views just one page on your site, then closes the tab, types a new address, or is inactive until the visit ends.
In simple words, a bounce is a one page visit. Bounce rate is how often that happens.
Why Bounce Rate Matters
Bounce rate is important because it gives clues about how good and helpful your pages are.
- User interest A very high bounce rate can mean visitors do not find what they expected.
- Content quality It can show that your text, images, or layout do not keep people interested.
- Traffic quality It helps you see if the right people are visiting your site.
- SEO signals When people quickly leave, search engines may think your page is less useful than other pages.
How Bounce Rate Works
Here is the simple idea of how it is calculated.
- Count all visits where a user sees only one page, this is the number of bounces.
- Count all visits to your site.
- Divide bounces by total visits, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage.
For example, if 100 people visit and 60 people leave after one page, your bounce rate is 60 percent.
Bounce Rate vs Related Terms
Bounce rate vs exit rate
- Bounce rate The visit ends on the first page the person saw.
- Exit rate The visit ends on a page, but the person may have seen other pages before it.
Bounce rate vs engagement rate
- Bounce rate Focuses on visits with only one page view and little or no interaction.
- Engagement rate Focuses on visits where people stay for some time, view more pages, or complete actions like clicks or sign ups.
Example of Bounce Rate
Imagine a blog post about “How to fix a slow computer”.
- 200 people visit the blog post in one day.
- 90 people read it, click to another article or the home page.
- 110 people leave right after reading, or after a very short time.
The bounce rate for that page is 110 divided by 200, which is 55 percent.
FAQs
Q What is a good bounce rate
A It depends on the type of website. Many sites try to keep bounce rate between about 20 percent and 60 percent. Blogs often have higher bounce rates than online shops.
Q Does a high bounce rate always mean something is wrong
A Not always. If your page gives a quick answer, people might leave after getting what they need. That is still a bounce, even though the page helped them.
Q How can I lower my bounce rate
A Make your page load faster, write clear titles and headings, answer the main question near the top, use simple design, and add helpful links to other pages on your site.
Q Does bounce rate affect SEO
A Bounce rate is not a direct ranking number, but it is related to user behavior. If many people leave quickly, it can be a sign that your page is less useful than others.
