# What is Bounce rate?

> Bounce rate is the share of website visits where the visitor did not engage, and in Google Analytics 4 it means sessions that were not ‘engaged’.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/bounce-rate
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: bounce, engagement rate, exit rate.

In older versions of Google Analytics, a bounce was someone who viewed one page and left. In Google Analytics 4, a bounce is any visit that was not ‘engaged’: it lasted under 10 seconds, viewed only one page and did not trigger a key event such as a form submission.

A high bounce rate is not automatically bad. Someone who lands on your contact page, finds your number and rings you might count as a bounce, even though that is the best possible outcome.

It is most useful as a comparison: if one service page has a much higher bounce rate than similar pages, something about it is putting people off.

## Why it matters for a small business

Cold-callers love quoting a ‘high bounce rate’ to make a site sound broken. Treat it as a clue, not a verdict. What really matters is whether visitors are getting in touch, which is why tracking calls and forms beats staring at bounce rate.

**Example:** A café's opening hours page has a high bounce rate. That is fine: people check the hours and leave. Their private hire page having one is more worrying, because those visitors should be enquiring.