It is good because they also show you mis spelled keywords some users use to go to your site, the only cons is if you are using a free on because data would be very limited.

Doug,

With all due respect, what do you base the idea that google does not look at the bounce rate as a ranking factor?

No one knows for sure, but here is what I have found:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/06/beyond-pagerank-graduating-to.html

Michael

You will notice that article you referenced does not say that Google uses bounce rate in their ranking algorithm. Google's employees have been very consistent is saying exactly what that article says - "Looking at the bounce rates of different pages across your site can help you identify content that’s underperforming and point you to areas of your site that may need work."

Matt Cutts has come out a few times and said quite explicitly that Google does not use bounce rate in the algo. If you search Google you should have no trouble finding those comments.

When you think about it, as far as Google is concerned a visitor leaving a site without exploring every nook and cranny (bouncing) can be a good thing. It can just as easily mean that the visitor found what they were looking for right away. That landing page must have been a perfect match for the keywords being used.

A low bounce rate is actually better for Google because it means that people visit more pages on a site and view more ads. If people are not finding what they want they are more apt to click on ads and make Google money. A low bounce does not mean that the organic search result was good however so why not believe Google when they say they don't use it in the algo?

Hey Doug,

I cant find a reference where they say specifically they do not use it which to me is...... well you get what I am saying. The reference I stated does seem to indicate that it could count, though again its not clear. Yet we both agree that a low bounce rate is a good thing so .. that's what I shoot for on our sites.

Here is another analysis :http://www.webpronews.com/google-algorithm-bounce-rate-ranking-signal-2011-05



Agreed, we don't know but its good to have a low bounce rate ?

Aimiyo

Again the article you reference does not say bounce rate = good rankings. They are written from the perspective that a low bounce rate may be desirable if you have ads on your site. The more ads a visitor sees the better.

"The rankings team does not use bounce rate in any way". Matt Cutts from Google is being very clear here. How can you derive the idea that a low bounce rate is essential for good rankings from that?

If you search Google for "Matt Cutts bounce rate" (without the quotes) You will find him saying that over and over again.

Thanks for the information.
Furthermore, I want to add a point from my side. I believe on the results of Google Analytics. The Bounce rate shown in Analytics indicates two problems, first the site is not good to attract visitors. They are hitting the landing pages, and not seeing what they exactly want and after that, moving on. If these are potential visitors, then you are losing the business. The landing pages require a review to be more attractive to visitors to stay on the page.

The second one could be that, your advertising is reaching to those who are not interested in what you are presenting them. This means your site getting in-organic traffic, and you are wasting money for ads that will not lead to efficient buyers. In this condition, you have to focus on your ads by location, topic, keywords and so on.

[quote=eppraisal.com]A bounce is defined by Google as a visitor that visits a single page on your site. Therefore, if your form has analytics on it and the confirmation does not, a person arriving to your form, completing the form and receiving confirmation would be a bounce. If they visit any other page with the analytics script on it, they would not be a bounce. [/quote]

If you are using forms you should set up "goals" in analytics so GA can assign you an accurate bounce rate and track your conversions properly.

The higher the bounce rate the worse the quality of traffic you are receiving to your website. You want the bounce rate to be as close to zero as possible. You will never have a zero bounce rate, but anything under 60 is pretty good.

Bounce rate tells you the quality of the traffic to your website. A 100% bounce means that none of the visitors are interested in your website. The lower the bounce rate the better.