Engagement metrics

What engagement metrics tell you

In Google Analytics 4, bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that weren't "engaged". GA4 counts a session as engaged if it lasts longer than 10 seconds, includes a key event or includes two or more page or screen views. So bounce rate is the opposite of engagement rate, as Google's engagement help page explains. Older Universal Analytics defined it differently.

Where to find them

In GA4, add engagement rate or bounce rate to your landing page report and filter to organic traffic. Look for pages with plenty of visits and unusually low engagement. Then open them on a phone and ask what's stopping people. Check your key events too, because they tell you more than engagement alone.

Reading it in practice

An electrician's EICR page has low engagement. Looking closer, the page loads slowly on mobile and the price information is hidden behind a tab. Fixing both raises engagement and, more importantly, increases enquiries from landlords.

Misreadings to avoid

• Comparing GA4 bounce rates with old Universal Analytics figures.
• Treating a high bounce rate as automatically bad.
• Believing bounce rate is a direct Google ranking factor.
• Ignoring the device split, since mobile and desktop often differ.

Why it’s worth tracking

Engagement figures help you spot pages that aren't working, such as a landing page people leave almost immediately. But they're easy to misread. A contact page where people find the phone number and call straight away may show a "bounce" even though it did its job perfectly.

The definition change between Universal Analytics and GA4 also causes confusion in old reports and articles. If you see bounce rate advice from before 2023, check which definition it uses.

Terms you’ll see alongside it

• GA4: Google Analytics 4, Google's tool for measuring traffic and conversions.
• Conversion rate: Share of visits that complete a goal such as an enquiry.
• UX and SEO: Overlap where usability, speed and clarity support search performance.