Bounce rate glossary definition

Bounce rate is a Web analytics metric that measures the proportion of sessions in which a user leaves a website without sufficiently engaging with it. Its exact definition can vary depending on the analytics tool used and how interactions are measured.

How is bounce rate calculated?

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that are not considered engaged sessions. It is therefore the inverse of the engagement rate.

For example, if 70% of sessions are considered engaged, the bounce rate is 30%. An engaged session is one that lasts longer than 10 seconds, includes a key event, or has at least two page or screen views.

How should bounce rate be interpreted?

A high bounce rate does not necessarily mean that a page is poor quality. A user may, for example, quickly find the information they were looking for and then leave the website. It is therefore better to analyze this metric alongside other data such as engagement time, conversions, events, and user behaviour.

In summary, bounce rate helps identify the proportion of sessions without significant engagement and can provide insight into how visitors interact with a website.

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