Bounce rate and engagement rate

Bounce rate was the share of visits where someone viewed 1 page and left, and Google Analytics 4 replaced it with engagement rate.

The old measure counted a visit as a bounce even if the person read for 5 minutes and got exactly what they came for.

That made it close to meaningless on a page whose job is to answer a question or produce a phone call.

GA4 counts a session as engaged if it lasts over 10 seconds, produces a key event, or includes 2 or more page views.

Engagement rate is the share that qualify, and bounce rate in GA4 is simply the inverse of it.

A contact page with a high bounce rate and a ringing phone is working perfectly.

What this means for you

Be wary of any report that leads with bounce rate. It's a number that can look alarming while the business has its best month.

This one sits under SEO.

I'll look at what you've got and tell you where it stands, in the same plain terms.