Dwell Time: what it is, how it is measured, and how it impacts SEO
It is the average length of time a user stays on a web page reached by the SERP before going back. Today we delve into the concept of dwell time, a figure that recurs frequently when we talk about SEO and user engagement and that can help us evaluate the effectiveness of our content, because it measures reader engagement and interest in the pages we have published.
What dwell time is
The term “dwell time” literally refers to the amount of time people stay or, in fact, dwell in a particular place. In the context of digital marketing and SEO, this expression has been adopted to describe how much time a user spends on a web page reached after a click from a link, before turning back or navigating elsewhere.
In its most frequent meaning, dwell time measures the time elapsed from the time a visitor lands on a web page he or she arrived at after clicking on a search result in SERP until the time he or she returns to Google’s search results or heads precisely to other sites.
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Thus, dwell time represents the average length of time a user stays on a web page he or she found by launching a query on a search engine. Simply put, it indicates the amount of time a visitor spends reading and exploring content before going back to the search results or navigating to another page.
Generally speaking, a high dwell time indicates that the content was useful to the visitor, while a low dwell time suggests that the content was not useful-although there are various distinctions and considerations to be made in this regard, as we shall see.
What dwell time means for SEO
Although not officially confirmed by Google as a direct ranking factor – but probably used in this capacity by other search engines such as Bing – dwell time is commonly interpreted by SEO experts as an indicator of the quality and relevance of the content offered by a web page with respect to the query made by the user.
The sense is that, as we said earlier, the longer the dwell time, the more likely the content was found useful or interesting by the user. If a visitor spends a long time on a page before returning to the search results, he or she is likely to have found the content interesting and relevant to his or her needs; conversely, if he or she leaves the page after only a few seconds, it may indicate dissatisfaction or lack of relevance.
With this in mind, this metric is not just a number to be monitored, but rather a signal that can tell us a lot about the quality of the content and the effectiveness with which a web page meets users’ information needs. Having a high dwell time can indicate (and communicate) that users find content interesting and engaging and spend more time delving into it; consequently, even without a direct correlation, websites with a high dwell time tend to rank better in search results.
Why it is important to know dwell time
Knowing dwell time can serve as a kind of barometer of user interest and engagement, providing valuable insights for optimizing content, design and SEO strategies and beyond.
In SEO, we mentioned it, this metric could provide a “quality signal” for our content: users who stay on the page for a long time and interact with the content send information to search engines about the liking of the page itself, reinforcing its relevance and relevance to the initial query.
But dwell time also has a more practical application in content strategy, because it can help publishers understand what types of content keep users engaged for the longest time: if a particular category of articles shows a higher-than-average “dwell time,” it might be useful to produce more content of that type or adopt a similar style in other topics. This also applies to social media, where analyzing posts, stories or videos that capture user attention for extended periods are key indicators of user engagement with that particular content.
Understanding dwell time can help map the user’s path through the site: if the value is high on specific pages, it could indicate strengths in the path that lead to conversions or other important goals; conversely, a low figure could highlight areas where users get lost or lose interest.
Even more specifically, a low dwell time could be a sign that the user experience or user interface needs improvement: perhaps the page is overloaded with information, difficult to navigate, or doesn’t load properly on mobile devices, and a deeper analysis can give us clues on how to optimize the design for a better user experience.
How is dwell time calculated and estimated?
Preface: there is no specific formula for calculating dwell time.
In general, it is taken as the time spent by a user on a web page before going back to search results or navigating to another page, remembering that dwell time begins and ends with the SERP.
According to benchmarking estimates, the average dwell time is considered to be between 2 and 4 minutes, and a positive dwell time is considered to be more than 2-3 minutes. Usually, this is the time it takes to explore a Web site and get a feel for the design.
The estimate of the precise dwell time may also vary depending on the tool used, but it needs to be remembered that we intend to measure the amount of time it takes a user to scan a Web page before clicking again to view search results. In order for it to be considered dwell time, in short, the user has to look at the SERP, click on a page, stay there for a while, then click on the SERP again or otherwise exit the page.
The tools for measuring dwell time
In short, it is neither easy nor immediate to understand even the concept of dwell time, let alone calculate it precisely.
Basically, we can use some useful tools such as heatmap tools, analytics tools with user session recordings, custom JavaScript scripts, although perhaps the simplest and most straightforward way is to use Google Analytics, which provides data on the average dwell time for each page on the site.
The platform automatically calculates this metric in minutes and seconds, showing it in both the “Snapshot Report” screen and the “Engagement Overview“: in both cases, it is a value that measures the “average engagement duration per active user for the selected time period.” As specified before, however, the true dwell time can only come from SERPs, while this data could also include the time spent on the page by a user who arrived from another landing page, a social media page, or a link in email: therefore, to skim the figure correctly, simply set a traffic source filter, setting it to “Google.”
Simple and reasoned guide to calculate dwell time
Let’s try to briefly describe the steps required to effectively understand and calculate this useful indicator.
- Step 1: Understand Dwell Time
First of all, it is essential to understand what we mean by dwell time. By now we know that the expression indicates the amount of time a visitor spends on a web page before returning to search results or proceeding elsewhere, and that generically a longer dwell time is usually interpreted as a signal of relevant and useful content.
- Step 2: Collect the necessary data
Calculating dwell time requires access to site analytic data. Tools such as Google Analytics can provide detailed information about user behavior on the site, including dwell times.
- Step 3: Analyze dwell times
Once the data has been collected, the next step is to analyze it to determine the average time spent on the site’s pages. This is done simply by calculating the average time spent by users on each page. Significant periods, such as the last month or quarter, should be considered to get a more accurate measure.
- Step 4: Compare with sttore benchmarks
It is useful to compare dwell times with standard times in the vertex industry or niche. Each industry has different benchmarks: what is considered a good dwell time in one may not be in another, and only by having the right benchmarks can we really understand how our site ranks.
- Step 5: Implement strategies to improve
If we find that dwell time is lower than expected, it may be time to adopt strategies to improve it. Some of the first actions include optimizing content to make it more interesting and relevant, improvements in page loading speed, and controls on the layout of the site so that it is intuitive and easy to navigate. In addition, adding interactive elements, such as videos or quizzes, can encourage users to spend more time on the pages
- Step 6: Monitor changes and continue to improve
After implementing strategies to improve dwell time, it is vital to monitor how these changes affect visitor dwell time. To do this, we will use the same analytical tools mentioned earlier, which will help us track improvements. If we notice a significant increase, we are on the right track. However, if there is no change or if dwell times decrease, we may need to revisit the strategy and try different approaches.
How to improve dwell time: SEO tactics and best practices
And so, being able to ensure a high dwell time through quality content and an optimal user experience can become a basic goal not only to improve a site’s position in search results, but also to increase visitor engagement.
But how is this achieved?
In general, SEO best practices call for constant work to improve the attractiveness and usability of sites, both from the standpoint of readability and concrete usability, then also focusing attention on aspects of content quality, which must provide added value to users, satisfying their informational or entertainment needs in an effective and efficient manner.
Said another way, in order to optimize dwell time, it is essential to focus on the quality of the content offered: this content must be useful, informative, well-written and relevant to the queries for which you want to be found. At the same time, the structure of the site and its usability play a key role: intuitive navigation, fast loading times and good responsiveness on mobile devices are all elements that can incentivize the user to stay longer on the page.
We therefore have a few ways to positively influence this metric and increase the time spent on our site, which we can summarize as:
- Create high-quality content. Content should be informative, engaging and relevant to search keywords, able to effectively answer users’ questions or needs.
- Optimize text structure and readability. Using headings, subheadings, bulleted lists and boldface can make content easier to read and scan, encouraging greater page exploration and interaction.
- Include internal links. Internal links to related content can encourage users to explore the site further.
- Take advantage of videos, images and infographics. Multimedia content can enrich text, increase users’ interest and encourage them to stay on the page longer.
- Promote interaction. Invite users to comment, share, or sign up for newsletters to increase engagement.
- Provide an optimal user experience. Ensure that the website is fast to load, responsive, and easy to navigate on all devices to avoid disruption and long wait times that can discourage users from staying on the site.
Understanding dwell time: what it is and what it is not
At this point it is appropriate to dwell on the “theory” again and clarify some doubts and misinterpretations that can sometimes arise when we talk about dwell time.
Many people, in fact, mix up the meaning of “dwell time” with bounce rate, time spent on the page or pogo sticking, which, however, all mean different things.
Although they have a similar goal – measuring user engagement – these metrics consider different parameters and thus provide different information, an alternative angle of view on user engagement and satisfaction.
To be precise:
- Dwell Time. As we have discussed, dwell time is the time a user spends on a page after clicking on a link in search results and before returning to SERPs. It is an indirect measure that can suggest how engaging or useful the content was to the user.
- Bounce Rate. The “bounce rate” is the percentage of visitors who enter a page and then leave the site without interacting with the page or navigating to other pages on the site. A “bounce” is thus a single page view where the user has not interacted with any element. A high bounce rate may indicate that the page is not relevant or does not meet user expectations, but it can also be normal for certain types of content, such as blog articles.
- Pogo Sticking. “Pogo sticking” occurs when a user clicks on a search result, quickly visits the page, and then returns to the previous SERP to click on another result. This behavior may indicate that the user did not find what they were looking for on the first page and is “jumping” between results to find a more appropriate answer.
- Time Spent on Page. “Time spent on page” is a direct measure of the time a user spends on a specific web page. Unlike “dwell time,” this metric does not consider what the user does after leaving the page, and it can be measured for all visits to the page, not just those from search results.
Dwell time and SEO, how to strategically evaluate the metric
We have said it many times: the concept of dwell time has many facets to be fully explored and understood and is more than just a metric. It is a potential indicator of the quality of user experience, which can provide relevant insights for our needs.
According to classic guidelines, a high dwell time suggests that content is relevant, engaging, and meets user expectations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a low dwell time might indicate that the content failed to capture the user’s interest or that the page did not provide the information sought, leading to early site abandonment.
Yet, the reality is not so simple, and dwell time must be interpreted according to the specific context of the site and content.
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For example, a low dwell time does not necessarily indicate that the page was such a failure that the person immediately hit the Back button. Instead, there is a lot of content that quickly exhausts the user’s need for information, which then quickly returns to the SERP: in these cases, the page did what it was supposed to and fully met the user’s search intent, which is exactly what Google wants to happen.
In addition, we must also learn to assess when dwell time actually becomes evidence of a meaningful visit, even in the absence of a precise or universally accepted threshold on this figure.
First, it is necessary to consider the nature of the content on the page: for example, long, detailed articles or videos that take longer to consume in full should have higher dwell times than pages with concise information or bulleted lists. Therefore, a high dwell time on pages with in-depth content may indicate that users find value in what is offered and spend time reading or viewing in full, while contrary values are a red flag.
Another aspect to consider is the action taken by the user after the visit: a long dwell time followed by a positive action – a conversion – such as subscribing to a newsletter, filling out a contact form or making a purchase indicates not only interest but also engagement and satisfaction with the content or service offered.
This means that dwell time alone may not provide a complete understanding of user interest and engagement, but the metric becomes meaningful when combined with the type of content explored and the actions taken subsequent to the visit. This metric, therefore, should not be considered a mere statistic, but as a broader indicator to assess the user’s perceived interest and relevance within an overall strategy to improve content quality and site usability.
