Have you ever struggled to determine whether your website's bounce rate is too high or too low? Bounce rate is an essential metric for evaluating website performance, but its definition has changed significantly in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) compared to the previous UA (Universal Analytics).
This article systematically covers everything from the definition of bounce rate in GA4, to average benchmarks by industry and site type, common causes of high bounce rates, and specific improvement methods.
Bounce rate is a metric that represents the percentage of sessions in which a user visited your website without triggering any engagement. In GA4, it is defined as "the percentage of sessions that were not engaged sessions."
In GA4, "engagement" refers to sessions that meet any of the following conditions: sessions lasting longer than 10 seconds, sessions with one or more conversion events, or sessions with two or more page or screen views. Sessions that fail to meet any of these conditions are counted as "bounces."
In other words, bounce rate is the inverse of engagement rate: Bounce Rate = 100% − Engagement Rate. If a page has an engagement rate of 70%, its bounce rate is 30%.
The bounce rate in GA4 differs fundamentally from the previous UA (Universal Analytics). Understanding this difference is crucial to avoid making incorrect judgments when comparing with historical data.
In UA, bounce rate was calculated as "single-page sessions ÷ total sessions." Even if a user read the entire page, leaving without visiting another page counted as a bounce. Time on page and scroll depth were not considered at all.
In GA4, however, sessions with 10+ seconds of engagement, conversion events, or 2+ page views are considered engaged and are not counted as bounces. As a result, GA4 bounce rates tend to be lower than UA. Be careful not to directly compare bounce rate numbers between the two platforms.
Bounce rate is often confused with "exit rate." While both relate to users leaving a site, they measure different things.
Bounce rate measures the percentage of sessions without engagement relative to total sessions. Its unit of measurement is sessions, making it ideal for evaluating landing page effectiveness and first impressions of content.
Exit rate measures the percentage of sessions that ended on a specific page, calculated as exits ÷ pageviews × 100. Its unit is pages, making it useful for identifying problem points in user journeys.
For example, if a user navigates from a product listing page to a product detail page and then leaves the site, the detail page's exit rate increases. However, since multiple pages were viewed, engagement occurred and it's not counted as a bounce. Understanding when to use each metric is essential for effective analysis.
Average bounce rates vary significantly by site type and purpose. The overall average is generally considered to be 40–50%, but judging solely by this number without considering your site's characteristics is not appropriate.
E-commerce sites tend to have relatively low bounce rates of 20–45% because users browse multiple pages for product comparisons and checkout. B2B sites range around 30–50%, and corporate sites around 40–60%.
On the other hand, blogs and media sites tend to have higher bounce rates of 65–90%, since a single article often satisfies the user's search intent. Landing pages (LPs) similarly range around 60–90%. Dictionary and portal sites also tend to show higher bounce rates as users find specific information quickly and leave.
Bounce rate trends also vary by industry. Food and restaurant industry sites tend to have higher bounce rates (around 65%) because users can quickly find the information they need, such as store addresses and menus. Technology and IT sites range around 55–65%, and travel/hospitality sites around 45–55%. Real estate industry sites tend to have lower bounce rates (around 44%) because users browse and compare properties.
However, these figures are reference values only. Even within the same industry, numbers will vary based on site structure, content quality, and traffic sources. When evaluating your site's bounce rate, compare against industry averages but focus more on page-to-page comparisons and trends over time within your own site.
When bounce rates are high, several typical causes may be at play. Correctly identifying the cause is the first step toward improvement.
If users can't find the information they expected based on search keywords or the page title, they'll leave immediately. Verify that your incoming keywords match the actual page content.
When pages take too long to display, users leave without waiting. This is especially critical on mobile where connection speeds may be limited. Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to check speeds and optimize through image compression, cache configuration, and similar improvements.
The majority of internet users now access sites via smartphones. Sites designed only for desktop will suffer from layout issues and poor usability on mobile, driving up bounce rates. Responsive design and mobile-friendly UI are essential.
If the area visible when a page first loads (above the fold) fails to convey that the page contains relevant information, users will leave without scrolling. Make sure your headlines and introductory text clearly communicate the page's value.
When links to related pages and navigation are unclear, users can't take the next action and end up bouncing. Insufficient internal linking or confusing global navigation need improvement.
Improving bounce rate requires targeted solutions based on the root cause. Here are effective improvement methods for practical application.
Start by optimizing titles and introductory text to match user search intent. Analyze incoming keywords and clearly present the information users are seeking in your title and opening paragraph.
Next, improve page load speed through image compression, removing unnecessary JavaScript, leveraging browser caching, and implementing a CDN (Content Delivery Network). Monitor Core Web Vitals metrics while optimizing.
Improving content quality also directly reduces bounce rates. Use diagrams, tables, and images strategically, and add a table of contents for long-form content so users can quickly navigate to the information they need.
Additionally, review your internal linking and CTA (call-to-action) design. Place related content links naturally within article text, and position CTA buttons at appropriate locations to encourage users to take the next step.
Finally, don't forget to optimize for mobile users. Beyond responsive design, ensure fixed navigation, adequate tap target sizes, and a stress-free browsing experience on smartphones.
Bounce rate is not displayed in GA4's default reports, so you'll need to customize reports or use exploration reports to view it.
For standard reports, log into GA4, open any report from the left menu (such as "Pages and screens"), click the "Customize report" icon in the upper right, and add "Bounce rate" in the Metrics section.
For more flexible analysis, use exploration reports. Select "Explore" from the left menu, choose the "Blank" template, and add dimensions like "Landing page" or "Session default channel group" along with metrics like "Bounce rate" and "Sessions." This enables detailed analysis of bounce rates by landing page or traffic channel.
A lower bounce rate isn't always better. If your bounce rate is extremely low (10–20%), there may be an issue with your GA4 tracking setup. A common case is duplicate GA4 tags, which cause a single page view to be counted as two, artificially satisfying engagement conditions.
In such cases, check your GTM or site source code to verify that GA4 tags aren't duplicated. When bounce rate numbers seem off, always verify your tracking setup first.
Bounce rate in GA4 represents the percentage of sessions without engagement. It differs from UA's definition — sessions with 10+ seconds of activity or multiple page views aren't counted as bounces, resulting in generally lower numbers than UA.
Average benchmarks vary significantly by site type and industry, so evaluate your bounce rate in context. When rates are high, identify the root cause — whether it's search intent mismatch, page speed, mobile optimization, above-the-fold content, or navigation — and implement targeted improvements.
Rather than analyzing bounce rate in isolation, combine it with engagement rate, conversion rate, and average session duration to gain more accurate insights for site improvement.
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