What does the bounce rate mean for SEO? 

As a website owner or marketer, you have probably heard of the term "bounce rate". But what exactly does it mean for search engine optimisation (SEO)? In this guide, we dive deep into the onder topic and discover the meaning of bounce rates for SEO. We also tell you more about engagement rate in Google Analytics 4. 

What is the bounce rate?

Before we get into how bounce rate affects SEO, let's tell you what exactly it is. Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who land on your website and then leave your site zonder take some action to onder. This means they do not click on a menu item, do not follow a 'read more' link or click other internal links on the page.

How does bounce rate compare with SEO?

While the bounce rate in itself does not directly affect your page ranking, it is still important to understand and monitor the metric. A high bounce rate can indicate problems within the website, such as issues with user experience, technology or poor targeting.

Is bounce rate a ranking factor for SEO?

The answer is no, not directly. Google does not use the bounce rate in their ranking algorithm. If your website offers high-quality content, that will be the cause of good rankings, not the bounce rate. However, it can affect rankings indirectly. 

What is a good bounce rate?

The average bounce rate is between 26% and 70%, with an optimal range between 26% and 40%. A percentage onder the 20% we see less often and indicates a lot of interaction with your website visitors. 

Why is a low bounce rate good for SEO?

A low bounce rate indicates better engagement. If your website has a low bounce rate, it means that your visitors don't stop after viewing just one page. They also click on other internal links and read more posts and pages. This ultimately translates into better engagement. 

What exactly does the bounce rate tell you?

The bounce rate can tell you a lot about the quality of your website. A high bounce rate can indicate poor content, a poor user experience, an inaccessible navigation system or a counter-intuitive website design. Slow website load times can also lead to an increased bounce rate. 

The bounce rate in Google Analytics Universal is the Engagement rate in GA4

Within Google Analytics, we experienced the transition from Google Analytics Universal (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This transition brought many changes, whereonder the way we look at engagement and interaction within a website.

Bounce rate

In UA, bounce rate was defined as the percentage of sessions in which a user visited only one page of your website and then left the website zonder further interaction. In GA4, this definition has shifted to a more action-oriented approach. Instead of focusing on inactivity, GA4 measures the "Engagement rate", which is basically the opposite of the traditional bounce rate.

Engagement rate

The Engagement rate in GA4 is calculated as the number of engaged sessions divided by the total number of sessions multiplied by 100, where a session is considered 'engaged' if it lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event or contains two or more screen or page views.

At GA4, the focus is on events and actions

An interesting aspect of GA4 is its focus on events and actions. This means the platform is more focused on capturing interactive events such as scrolls, searches, clicks and video engagement. This event-centric approach makes it easier to measure users' actual engagement and activity on a website.

If you're wondering where to find Engagement rate and bounce rate in GA4, we recommend looking at both "Reports" and "Explorations". However, you need to make some adjustments to also display the bounce rate, as GA4 now automatically focuses on the engagement rate. Want to know more? Then also read our blog on Google Analytics 4 And the differences with Universal Analytics. 

No set standards on what is "good"

It is also important to note that while a high engagement rate is usually considered positive, it has no set standards. Different sources give different averages for what is considered a 'good' engagement rate. According to some experts, a rate above 60% for B2B websites and above 70% for B2C websites is considered good. However, this does vary by niche and website. There can also be differences between websites/webshops. So always keep this in mind when analysing engagement rates. 

Need SEO advice? Get in touch with us! 

Whether you are just starting out with SEO or are an experienced professional looking to refine your strategy, our team at SEO agency Onder is ready to onder support you. With our in-depth knowledge and years of experience, we ensure that your website performs optimally in the search engines. Do you have any questions, want tailor-made advice or just want to spar about the possibilities? Then do not hesitate to contact with us. 

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