On content sites a high bounce rate is normal, because many readers come for one article and leave satisfied. Time on page, measured while the page is visible, is the better signal of whether the article was read. Watch them together and by source rather than as site-wide averages.
Bounce rate is the most misread number in publishing. A recipe, a news story or a how-to guide can do its job perfectly in a single pageview.
Definitions
- Bounce rate: the share of sessions with one pageview and no interaction event.
- Time on page: how long the page was visible to the reader. Modern tools measure it with the browser's visibility events, so the last page of a visit is counted too.
- Session duration: the sum of time on page within a session.
The exact definitions PubPulse uses are on the metrics page.
What is a "good" bounce rate?
There is no universal good value. As a rough picture, single-article visits from Discover and social are often 70–90% bounce; visits from search to evergreen guides somewhat lower; newsletter and direct readers lower still. Compare a page with similar pages and the same source, not with the site average.
Signals that a page underperforms
| Pattern | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| High bounce and short time on page | the page does not match the promise of the headline or the search |
| High bounce and long time on page | the page answers well; add next-step links |
| Low time on page from one source only | that source sends the wrong audience |
| Time on page falls after a template change | layout, ads or speed problem |
Improving engagement
- Answer the question in the first paragraph, then go deeper.
- Add two or three related links where they are useful, not only at the end.
- Keep ads from pushing the first paragraph below the fold on mobile.
- Check page speed on a mid-range phone.
Measure by source and by page type
Averages hide the story. Look at time on page by source (Discover vs search vs AI assistants) and by category. In PubPulse, every report can be filtered by source and split by any custom dimension, so you can see, for example, that AI-assistant readers spend twice as long on your guides as Discover readers.
Try PubPulse free for 30 days
Every feature, no pageview limit, no credit card. Paste one line of code and your first visits show up within seconds.
Start your free trialor click around the live demo first, no sign-up needed