What is Bounce Rate in SEO & How to Measure It?

Published: 19 Sep 2025

Many people in SEO get confused when they hear the word “bounce rate”. Some think it is about traffic going up and down. Some believe it is about people leaving the website quickly. The truth is simple: bounce rate in SEO means the number of visitors who open your site but leave without going to any other page.

Table of Content

What is Bounce Rate?
How to Calculate Bounce Rate?
1. Example 1:
2. Example 2:
Why Bounce Rate is Important in SEO
Current Benchmarks & Average Bounce Rates (2025)
Causes of High Bounce Rate
How to Reduce Bounce Rate
Tools & Metrics to Monitor
1. Best Tools:
2. Important Metrics to Watch:
Conclusion
FAQs

This guide will explain what is bounce rate in SEO, how it is counted, why it matters for ranking, and how you can reduce it step by step.

What is Bounce Rate?

Bounce rate in SEO is the percentage of people who come to your website and then leave without opening a second page.

Think of it like this:

A visitor enters your site.
They see only one page.
They close the tab or go back.
That visit is called a “bounce”.

So, bounce rate shows how many visitors left after just one page compared to the total visitors.

How to Calculate Bounce Rate?

The calculation of bounce rate in SEO is very easy. You only need two numbers:

Total Visitors (all the people who came to your site).
Single-Page Visitors (the people who left after seeing just one page).

Formula:

Bounce Rate = (Single-Page Visitors ÷ Total Visitors) × 100

Example 1:

Total Visitors = 100
People who left after 1 page = 34
People who visited more than 1 page = 66

Bounce Rate = (34 ÷ 100) × 100 = 34%

Example 2:

Total Visitors = 500
People who left after 1 page = 200
People who visited more than 1 page = 300

Bounce Rate = (200 ÷ 500) × 100 = 40%

Why Bounce Rate is Important in SEO

Bounce rate is very important in SEO because it tells you if visitors are happy with your website or not.

High bounce rate means many people are leaving after just one page. This shows they did not find what they wanted, or the page was not good enough.
Low bounce rate means visitors are staying and exploring more pages. This is a good sign that your website is useful.

Google does not take bounce rate as a direct ranking factor. But if users leave quickly, it shows poor user experience. This can hurt your ranking because Google wants to show websites that keep people engaged.

In simple words:

Less bounce rate = website is doing well.
More bounce rate = dangerous for your ranking.

Current Benchmarks & Average Bounce Rates (2025)

Bounce rate is not the same for every website. It depends on the type of site and industry. Here are some updated numbers from 2025:

Adilo Report (2025): Average bounce rate across all websites is about 44.43%.
Databox Report (2025): Median bounce rate across industries is about 44.04%.

CausalFunnel (By Industry):

E-commerce sites: 30% – 45%
Blogs & Content sites: 65% – 90%
SaaS / Software sites: 35% – 55%
Food & Beverage sites: 56% – 65%
Apparel & Fashion sites: Around 45%
Media & News sites: 60% – 85%

HostingAdvice: Good bounce rate is 26% – 40%. Most websites fall between 26% – 70%.

Interpretation

Below 30% – 40%: Very good, shows people are exploring your site.
40% – 60%: Normal range, depends on the type of website.
Above 60%: Needs improvement, unless it’s a blog, news, or single-page site where high bounce is normal.

What Bounce Rates Are Normal by Industry

Since every site is different, here are some common patterns:

E-commerce / Online Shops: 30% – 45% (low bounce is best here).
Blogs / Content / News: 65% – 90% (people often read one article then leave).
SaaS / Software: 35% – 55% (depends on how strong your call-to-action is).
Food & Restaurant Sites: 56% – 65% (people check menu or info and go).
Media & News: 60% – 85% (high bounce is common).

When High Bounce Rate is Not Always Bad

A high bounce rate does not always mean failure. Sometimes it is normal:

Single-page satisfaction: A visitor gets full information on one page (like address, recipe, or definition) and leaves.
Landing pages: Made for one action like sign-up or download, so bounce rate can be high.
Blogs & News: People usually read one post and exit, which is expected.

Causes of High Bounce Rate

There are many reasons why people leave a website after one page. Some common causes are:

Slow loading speed: If your site takes more than a few seconds, people leave.
Poor mobile design: If it does not open well on phones, users bounce.
Wrong content: Title or description promises one thing, but page shows something else.
Hard navigation: Visitors cannot find what they need.
Too many ads or pop-ups: Annoying design makes people close the site.
No internal links: Nothing guides them to read more.
External links in same tab: When users click, they leave your site fully.

How to Reduce Bounce Rate

If your bounce rate is high, do not worry. You can fix it step by step:

Improve speed: Make sure your website opens fast on all devices.
Mobile friendly design: Pages must look good on phones and tablets.
Internal linking: Add links inside your content to guide users to other pages.
Show related posts: Suggest similar articles or products.
Strong call to action: Use clear buttons like Read More, Buy Now, or Learn More.
Interactive tools: Add quizzes, polls, or calculators to keep visitors engaged.
Special offers: Give discounts, free guides, or bonuses to hold attention.
Fix external links: Open them in a new tab (_blank) so visitors don’t leave your site.

These small steps can slowly bring your bounce rate down and make users stay longer.

Tools & Metrics to Monitor

To check and improve bounce rate in SEO, you need the right tools. These tools show how visitors behave on your site.

Best Tools:

Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Shows bounce rate, engagement rate, pages per session, and session time.
Google Search Console: Helps you see search traffic and which pages bring visitors.
Hotjar / Microsoft Clarity: Heatmaps and session recordings to see where users click or drop off.
Semrush / Ahrefs: Extra SEO tools to compare bounce rate with other site metrics.

Important Metrics to Watch:

Bounce Rate – % of visitors leaving after one page.
Engagement Rate – % of visitors staying and interacting with your site.
Pages per Session – Average number of pages each visitor views.
Average Session Duration – How long people stay on your site.
Conversion Rate – How many visitors complete actions (buy, sign up, etc.).

By checking these tools and metrics, you can understand why people leave and what makes them stay.

Conclusion

So buddies, now you clearly know what is bounce rate in SEO, how to calculate it, and why it matters. I have been working with many websites, and from my own SEO experience, I can tell you one thing: do not panic when you see bounce rate. First understand your website type, then judge if the number is really bad.

For example:

If you run a blog, don’t worry if bounce rate is 70% or even more. That is normal.
But if you run an online shop or business site, keep bounce rate as low as possible (under 40–45%).

My personal recommendation for all my SEO buddies:

Always check your speed and mobile design first.
Use strong internal linking and related posts to keep visitors moving.
Add simple CTAs like Read Next, See More, Shop Now.
And please, always open external links in a new tab.

Remember, SEO is not about chasing perfect numbers. It’s about giving visitors a smooth and happy experience. If people enjoy your site, the bounce rate will naturally go down.

So, focus on value, keep testing, and your website will shine in Google rankings.

FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions related to bounce rate in SEO:

What is bounce rate in SEO with example?

Bounce rate in SEO means the percentage of people who leave your website after looking at only one page. For example, if 100 visitors come to your site and 60 of them leave without clicking anywhere else, your bounce rate is 60%.

What is a good bounce rate in SEO?

A good bounce rate depends on the type of website. For blogs and news sites, it’s normal to see higher rates, around 60–70%, because people often read one article and leave. For business or e-commerce sites, under 50% is usually considered good. In simple words, the lower the bounce rate, the more visitors are staying to explore.

What is the bounce rate formula?

The formula to calculate bounce rate is very simple:

Bounce Rate = (Single-page sessions ÷ Total sessions) × 100

How to improve bounce rate in SEO?

You can improve bounce rate by:

Write clear and easy content.
Make pages load fast.
Add simple menus and buttons.
Use helpful images or videos.
Give what people are really searching for.

How to reduce bounce rate on website?

Here is how you can reduce:

Use catchy titles and headings.
Keep text short and friendly.
Add related posts or products.
Make the design clean and simple.
Show visitors the next step clearly

What is exit rate vs bounce rate?

Bounce rate and exit rate sound similar but are not the same. Bounce rate means a visitor only looked at one page and left right away. Exit rate shows how many people left your site from a specific page, even if they had already viewed other pages before. Bounce = single-page leave, exit = last page leave.

What is a bounce rate checker?

A bounce rate checker is a tool that shows your site’s bounce rate. The most common tool is Google Analytics, which gives exact numbers for each page. There are also other SEO tools like Semrush or Ahrefs that provide bounce insights. These checkers help you track, compare, and improve your performance.