Glossary
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate measures how often visitors leave after a single-page, non-interacting visit. Traditionally, a 'bounce' was any session in which the visitor viewed one page and then left without clicking through to another. It is expressed as a percentage of total sessions that bounced.
Interpreting bounce rate requires context. On a product or landing page meant to drive action, a high bounce rate can flag problems: slow loading, poor mobile experience, mismatched ad messaging, or weak product-market fit. On a blog post or a store-hours page, though, a visitor can get exactly what they needed and leave satisfied, so a high bounce isn't necessarily bad.
Definitions have also evolved. Google Analytics 4 reframed the concept around 'engaged sessions,' defining bounce rate as the percentage of sessions that were not engaged. No conversion, no visit lasting ten seconds or longer, and fewer than two page views. As a result, bounce numbers aren't always comparable across tools or time periods.