How is Your Dwell Time?

Many, many factors contribute to a website’s success.  Search marketers agree that user interaction is one of those important factors, with dwell time being one of the key metrics Google utilizes to measure that interaction.

So, what is dwell time?  Most people assume it’s the amount of time a visitor spends on your website but actually Google uses a combination of session duration and bounce rate to formulate a dwell time value. While a dwell time metric is not readily accessible, we can view both session duration and bounce rate through Google Analytics with the intent to improve one or both for a better dwell time metric.

Why is it important to improve dwell time?  Studies show that sites with higher dwell times can expect to see more conversions.  Simply put, the longer a visitor stays on a site, the more likely they are to take action.  That action could be calling your company, completing a contact form, requesting a quote, or even a sale!

What should my goal or target be for dwell time?  There isn’t one right answer because all websites are different, but here’s a test you can do.  Figure the average time it takes a visitor to read a few pages of your site.  Are people sticking around that long?  If not, take some steps to improve that dwell time.

How do I keep visitors on my site longer?  When a visitor reaches your site, you want them to stay!  The most recommended method is to provide exciting, fresh, engaging content.  See our article:  Five Ways You Can Add Quality Content to Your Website.  Also be sure your website provides an exceptional user experience with an easy to follow navigational structure and highly visible calls to action.

Need more ideas?  Contact our team!