SEOs have been talking about dwell time since 2011, when Bing Senior Project Manager Duane Forrester first acknowledged that it can play a role in search engine results page (SERP) rankings.
Logically, it makes sense that dwell time, or the amount of time a visitor spends on a webpage before returning to the SERP, can be an indication of user engagement, which, in turn, can influence search visibility.
Dwell time’s specific impact on SEO has never been especially clear. Google doesn’t publicly acknowledge it as a ranking factor, but the fact that we’re still talking about it fifteen years after it first entered the conversation says something.
Dwell time is intrinsically linked to everything we know about SEO best practices – search intent alignment, creating high-quality content, and internal linking, just to name a few.
So, how can we use dwell time to our advantage? Find out how small tweaks to your existing SEO strategy can improve dwell time and the overall organic performance of your site.
What is Dwell Time (& Why It’s Not the Same as Bounce Rate)
Dwell time is commonly confused with bounce rate. While both are user engagement metrics, they are not the same thing.
Bounce rate = The percentage of visitors who leave a webpage without taking any further action.
It doesn’t matter where they came from, how long they stayed on the page, or where they navigate to next.
Dwell time = the amount of time between when a user clicks from the SERP to a website and when they return to the SERP.
Dwell time is specific to traffic coming from search results. It measures how engaged users are and how well content matches search intent.
Think of it this way:
If a user searches for women’s wool scarves and clicks to a page with a neatly presented selection of wool scarves, they are more likely to spend longer browsing than they would on a page with all types of scarves – not just wool – or on a page that is hard to navigate. In the second scenario, they would likely quickly click back to the search results to find what they’re looking for elsewhere. That, in a nutshell, is what dwell time is all about.
What Does Google Say About Dwell Time?
Google has not publicly confirmed that dwell time is used as a ranking factor. But it also has not denied that it has an impact.
Here’s what we know:
- Google uses aggregated, anonymized interaction data to assess page relevance.
- Google utilizes systems like NavBoost to track user signals, evaluating satisfaction via data points such as “good clicks” (where a user clicks a result and stays there) and “bad clicks” (where a user instantly hits the back button, also referred to as “pogo-sticking”).
- Google can track “long click” behaviors, e.g., how long a user spends on a page before clicking away.
While we can’t say for certain that Google uses long clicks to measure dwell time or that increasing time on page directly improves rankings, we can work towards creating pages that genuinely engage users and notice how that impacts overall organic performance. By doing this, we can create truly helpful, original content targeted toward users, which is ultimately what Google tells us it wants from us.
How Dwell Time Impacts SEO
Dwell time on its own does not have a direct effect on SERP rankings. But, when combined with other metrics like bounce rate, time on site, pages per session, click-through rate, and scroll depth, it can be an indication of overall user satisfaction and engagement.
When a page has a low bounce rate and high average engagement time and pages per session, these are signs that users are sticking around, indicating a healthy dwell time.
On the flip side, a page with a high bounce rate, low session duration, and low pages per session likely also has a poor dwell time.
How to Improve Dwell Time
The same fundamentals of SEO apply to improving dwell time. It’s all about creating a positive user experience that delivers on the search.
Use this 3-pronged strategy as a guide:
- Create useful content that matches search intent
- Ensure a user-friendly site experience
- Add engaging “extras” that increase the page’s value
1. Create High-Quality, Helpful Content
When it comes to creating content, the key is to write for real people, not search engines. Google confirmed this with its 2022 Helpful Content Update, which emphasized the importance of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) in content creation.
Increasing your page’s dwell time starts with immediately hooking visitors with a clear and engaging introduction. Then, follow through with useful, accurate content that matches the specific search intent.
Increase dwell time on product landing pages by:
- Clearly listing essential product info (price, materials, sizes, etc.).
- Using strong product imagery
- Optimizing the placement of the “Add to Cart” button
Increase dwell time on blog posts and resource pages by:
- Directly addressing the search query
- Adding unique expertise (advice, educational information, etc.)
- Spreading calls-to-action throughout
- Strategically using internal links
It’s also important to regularly update your content, whether that’s editing an article to include the latest news or trends, or auditing your product pages to make sure all information remains accurate.
2. Optimize The User Experience
No one is going to stick around on a page that is hard to read or slow to load. To keep visitors on your site longer, try making improvements to any of these areas:
- Navigation: Is it easy to find the information you need?
- Page Formatting: Does the page encourage scrolling through scannable text, bulleted lists, and digestible sections of content?
- Internal Linking: Are you sending visitors to other relevant pages on your site when you can?
- Mobile Responsiveness: More than 50% of users interact with websites using a mobile device. Does your content display well on phones, tablets, and other devices?
- Page Speed: Is your average page load time under 2.5 seconds? Look into what technical improvements can possibly be made here.
- Conversion Elements: Do you have clear and obvious CTAs throughout your page? Whether you’re trying to capture leads or sell products, you need to include multiple pathways for conversion.
3. Add Multi-Media Elements
The final way to improve dwell time is by adding valuable “extras” to your pages. This can take the form of embedded video tutorials, infographics, FAQs, product reviews, a “Related Products” module, a featured posts blog widget, or a multitude of other elements that encourage visitors to stick around longer.
Create Pages Worth Exploring to Drive Organic Performance
Dwell time may not be a confirmed Google ranking factor, but focusing on how to improve it can only help how visitors view your site, which, in turn, can be advantageous to your SEO efforts. When your content answers the searcher’s question, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate, visitors are more likely to explore further and engage more, leading to stronger performance overall.
