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Length of stay

seo glossary from digital now gmbh

What is a dwell time?

The dwell time is the average time a user spends on a website. The duration begins when the page is accessed and ends when the user leaves. If a user clicks on subpages of a domain, the dwell time is measured for the entire visit. Google's Webmaster Tool is used to analyze the dwell time if the corresponding Google Analytics code has been integrated into the website.

What significance does dwell time have for SEO?

The dwell time is one of the most important ranking factors. It tells Google and other search engines whether a website is relevant and interesting for users.

Search engine optimizers have the task of always keeping an eye on the dwell time. If optimization measures are taken, they can determine whether the measures have a positive or negative effect on the length of stay. If the dwell time increases, it shows that the user feels comfortable and is getting along well on the site. This fact is often rewarded with a better ranking.

If, on the other hand, users bounce early, it shows that visitors are either not satisfied with the content, the page is loading too slowly or something else is not right. If there are high bounce rates, this has a negative effect on the ranking in the SERPs. This is why SEOs must always try to contribute to a long dwell time.