Dwell time

Discover how Dwell Time refers to the length of time users spend on a webpage before returning to search results. While not an official ranking factor, it can provide valuable insight into content relevance and user engagement. Learn how to track, analyze, and optimize dwell time to improve user experience and potentially support better search performance.

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KPI Details for Dwell time

Category

Marketing
Type

Leading Indicator
Calculation

Dwell Time = Time spent on a page after clicking a search result before returning to the search results. Not directly measurable in most analytics tools.
Measure

Indicates how long users engage with a page after arriving from search before bouncing back to the SERP, offering insights into content relevance and user intent.
Data Sources:

Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, SEMrush.
Frequency

Tracked weekly or monthly to assess content effectiveness and improve user experience.

Example target

Increase average time on page to 2+ minutes in Q3 by improving content quality, enhancing readability, and optimizing internal linking.

Example Reports Use Case

An SEO Specialist monitors metrics like time on page and bounce rate to infer dwell time and measure content engagement. If engagement appears low, they may update content, add multimedia elements, or improve page structure to keep visitors engaged longer.

KPI Example

Best Practices for Dwell time

  • Create Engaging & High-Quality Content

    Ensure articles are informative, well-structured, and visually appealing.

  • Improve Readability & UX

    Use short paragraphs, subheadings, and bullet points to enhance readability.

  • Optimize Internal Linking

    Encourage users to explore related content to increase session duration.

  • Enhance Page Speed & Mobile Experience

    Ensure pages load quickly and are optimized for mobile users.

What is Dwell Time

Dwell Time is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the amount of time a user spends on a website page after clicking through from a search engine results page (SERP) or an ad, before returning to the search results. Unlike “time on page,” which tracks time between internal clicks within a site, dwell time specifically reflects the user’s engagement when no second internal click occurs. A longer dwell time generally indicates that users found the content relevant, valuable, and engaging, while a shorter dwell time may suggest that the content failed to meet their expectations. Dwell time is often tracked through web analytics tools like Google Analytics and is used to infer both user interest and the technical quality of a website.

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