Edit: Also, title was supposed to say "their userbase", as in the search engines. The way they see it, if people are so engaged in the site it must have valuable content to offer those who search for same topic queries, and keeps moving the site up in search as more people click it in search and then engage.
My daily page views is probably 15 and my daily time is probably 2 hours. Very much how it used to be on Reddit a couple years ago. Feels like home here.
That's correct, and it divides based on pages visited. Was hard to fit entire breakdown in title line though so just had to kind of summarize it while helping make sense at the same time.
It's not a vanity metric. It's one of the most useful metrics that you can know, and theres a reason Google Analytics and other website analytics measure it. When search results are provided it is the search engine that measures user activity after they click on a search result to their search queries. It knows how long a user stays on a page, how far they scroll down, how many pages deep they go, do they click back and keep looking for another search result that better fits their initial search query etc.
The bounce rate, which pretty much encompasses all of those user behaviors I just listed, tells the search engine how much your site fits their user bases' search queries of that and other similar queries. As user click your site from search results and dive deeper to other pages the search engine sees that your site holds value for these queries and not only moves you to higher placement in search results, but adds you to other search results based on more and more search queries because it has determined their user base finds value in your site. If they click back or leave quickly the search engine will deem your site not to hold much value to their userbase and move you lower in search results for search queries.
You see a set of search results may zero in on a specific page, or post, or thread etc, and its user base that clicks that result to your site may indeed tell the search engine that specific page is indeed what their search base finds useful, and the search engine will move that specific page for that set of search queries it finds useful. However, it will test the water more and more with other pages from your site on different search queries because of that initial page to see if you provide what their base is looking for on a regular basis. As different pages of your site show the search engine their base regularly finds what they are looking for in search when they click on your site's pages in search results the search engines will narrow down an overall theme of what exactly your site is about (ie Donald Trump for thedonald.win) and begin bringing your site up in search results for people searching for random search queries on that subject, because your site has time and again been considered an authority on that subject to their search base when they provided your site in search results.
When site's see they have shitty bounce rate they look to expand user engagement with valuable content and participation as well as navigation to get search traffic to click onto other pages with hyperlinks, subtabs, breadcrumbs, and other navigational means to help lower their bounce rate so search engines will deem their site more valuable and move them into more prominent search result positions, and ultimately, send them more and more organic (unpaid) search traffic to grow their site's own userbase.
This is one of several metrics used to move up in search results on search engines, but imo it's the heart because the others will come as a consequence of what makes you have a good bounce rate, not in spite of it.
Google will never reveal their algorithm, but you van be sure the user behaviors I mentioned, which are directly correlated with bounce rate, are used to impact search ranking. The data has been shown time and time again through demonstrations on Search Engine Land and SEOMoz.
This site is more addictive than when it was on Reddit, for some reason.
I used the reddit sync app on mobile so I never got to see the upvotes with the brick animations until I moved here.
Reddit's bounce rate is 42.9%.
Edit: Also, title was supposed to say "their userbase", as in the search engines. The way they see it, if people are so engaged in the site it must have valuable content to offer those who search for same topic queries, and keeps moving the site up in search as more people click it in search and then engage.
My daily page views is probably 15 and my daily time is probably 2 hours. Very much how it used to be on Reddit a couple years ago. Feels like home here.
It does now. When I first joined a few months ago, it was pretty dead. Now it’s hopping. Plus I like the submission changes, and images
To be exact bounce rate measures the number of people who hit the page, and then leave (i.e bounce) without visiting any other pages.
That's correct, and it divides based on pages visited. Was hard to fit entire breakdown in title line though so just had to kind of summarize it while helping make sense at the same time.
Many places state that sitewide Bounce is a vanity metric.
Thoughts?
It's not a vanity metric. It's one of the most useful metrics that you can know, and theres a reason Google Analytics and other website analytics measure it. When search results are provided it is the search engine that measures user activity after they click on a search result to their search queries. It knows how long a user stays on a page, how far they scroll down, how many pages deep they go, do they click back and keep looking for another search result that better fits their initial search query etc.
The bounce rate, which pretty much encompasses all of those user behaviors I just listed, tells the search engine how much your site fits their user bases' search queries of that and other similar queries. As user click your site from search results and dive deeper to other pages the search engine sees that your site holds value for these queries and not only moves you to higher placement in search results, but adds you to other search results based on more and more search queries because it has determined their user base finds value in your site. If they click back or leave quickly the search engine will deem your site not to hold much value to their userbase and move you lower in search results for search queries.
You see a set of search results may zero in on a specific page, or post, or thread etc, and its user base that clicks that result to your site may indeed tell the search engine that specific page is indeed what their search base finds useful, and the search engine will move that specific page for that set of search queries it finds useful. However, it will test the water more and more with other pages from your site on different search queries because of that initial page to see if you provide what their base is looking for on a regular basis. As different pages of your site show the search engine their base regularly finds what they are looking for in search when they click on your site's pages in search results the search engines will narrow down an overall theme of what exactly your site is about (ie Donald Trump for thedonald.win) and begin bringing your site up in search results for people searching for random search queries on that subject, because your site has time and again been considered an authority on that subject to their search base when they provided your site in search results.
When site's see they have shitty bounce rate they look to expand user engagement with valuable content and participation as well as navigation to get search traffic to click onto other pages with hyperlinks, subtabs, breadcrumbs, and other navigational means to help lower their bounce rate so search engines will deem their site more valuable and move them into more prominent search result positions, and ultimately, send them more and more organic (unpaid) search traffic to grow their site's own userbase.
This is one of several metrics used to move up in search results on search engines, but imo it's the heart because the others will come as a consequence of what makes you have a good bounce rate, not in spite of it.
Sorry for the book.
Not my words...
https://www.newbreedmarketing.com/blog/bounce-rate-and-4-other-vanity-metrics-youre-paying-too-much-attention-to
https://www.pegs.com/blog/common-vanity-metrics-in-hotel-marketing-and-what-to-measure-instead/
https://microventures.com/what-are-vanity-metrics-and-why-investors-should-stay-away
https://neilpatel.com/blog/pointless-marketing-metrics/
Bounce has little meaning on a primarily text site that you have to click on "next page" to read more than a few posts.
Also, Google does not use bounce in its algo.
Others would disagree with that assessment even though Google has denied it, and data backs it up.
https://moz.com/blog/do-website-engagement-rates-impact-organic-rankings
Google will never reveal their algorithm, but you van be sure the user behaviors I mentioned, which are directly correlated with bounce rate, are used to impact search ranking. The data has been shown time and time again through demonstrations on Search Engine Land and SEOMoz.
Hooray for the Mods and this site. Thank you.
Less than 5 minutes? What is this, Amateur Hour??