What Is Dwell Time for SEO? A Complete Overview

Have you ever wondered how it is that some web pages seem to grab you instantly, hold your attention, and keep you interested, and others just…don’t? 

That’s the secret of dwell time. 

Dwell time highlights how well your content is meeting the needs of your users. 

If those users tend to stick around, you’re doing dwell time right. If they leave pages quickly, you may need to make some improvements. 

In this detailed guide, we’ll shed more light on what dwell time is and why it’s important.

Short on Time? Here’s What’s In This Article

• Understand what dwell time is and how it works.
• What’s the difference between dwell time and time on page?
• Why dwell time matters for SEO.

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What Is Dwell Time? 

Semrush defines dwell time as how long a user spends on your page after they click your link from the search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Essentially, it’s the time between the moment they click to navigate to your page and the moment they go back to the search engine.

Although major search engines like Google haven’t expressly said that dwell time is a factor they take into consideration when ranking pages, it nevertheless has at least an indirect effect on search engine optimization.

How Does Dwell Time Work?

If you’ve ever searched for something on Google or any other search engine, you’ve been affected by dwell time without even realizing it. 

Here’s how it works: 

• You search for something in a search engine. 
• The search engine returns results.
• You click on a result.
• You explore the page, read articles or otherwise interact with the content.
• At this point, you can either go back to the search results or visit other pages.

As a result of these steps, one of two things happened: 

1. A short dwell time means you didn’t find what you were looking for, either because the page took too long to load, didn’t have the information you were seeking, or otherwise didn’t provide you with the value or result you wanted. 

OR

2. A high dwell time meant the content met or exceeded what you expected, aligned with search intent, and otherwise gave more information that had you going deeper into the site to learn more. 

Either of these actions will tell the search engine certain things. 

• The instance of short dwell time indicates: that this page wasn’t relevant to that particular search.
• The scenario with a longer dwell time suggests: that this page was very relevant to that particular search.

Will your ranking change as a result of one person’s interaction with your site? Not likely. 

However, over time, these reactions can add up. So, dwell time could indirectly impact SEO and search engine rankings.

What’s the Difference Between Dwell Time and…

Learning about dwell time brings to mind other metrics that have similar functions. 

The truth is, that search engines have a lot of ways to measure “time spent on page” and what it means, including bounce rate, time on page, and session duration. 

Let’s compare the difference between dwell time and other key SEO metrics.

1. Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a page after only looking at one page. So, bounce rate is related to dwell time, however, it doesn’t account for how long a user stayed on a page before they left. 

2. Time on page

The time on page metric tracks how long users spend on a given page. Yet, it doesn’t account for whether they went back to the search engine results pages or kept browsing further into the site. 

3. Session duration

This is the total time that a user spends on your site. It includes all of the pages they visited. 

In comparison to bounce rate, time on page, and session duration, dwell time is in a unique niche all its own.

It’s the time between clicking on a search result and going back to that search result. 

It’s one of many elements that tell the search engine how relevant and engaging your content is. 

Why Does Dwell Time Matter for SEO?

Again, it’s important to note that search engines like Google haven’t officially confirmed that dwell time is a ranking factor that they take into consideration. 

However, it’s easy to understand why they would, since longer dwell times mean that the user finds the content valuable and interesting. 

Shorter dwell times may tell the search engine that this page isn’t matching the user’s search query, which means that over time, it will show up less and less in the SERPs. 

So what impacts dwell time and what could cause a low dwell time? Let’s take a closer look:

What causes low dwell time?

• Clickbait titles: Promising an amazing result and then under-delivering can deter users. So, if titles read like clickbait and the article or page doesn’t deliver people-first content that aligns with search intent, it could result in users leaving the page.
  
  
• Slow-loading Pages: Even something as little as a second delay can cause users to leave pages. One way to optimize that page speed is by minimizing image size.
  
  
• Low-Quality Content: Content that doesn’t match the user’s search can cause a lack of engagement. 

However, keep in mind that sometimes short dwell times can happen if your content provides an instant and accurate answer to a question. 

Other times, you may have in-depth, detailed content, but for whatever reason, it isn’t a match for what the user wanted and they leave. That’s not necessarily a reflection of content quality but rather a mismatch of user intent.

Reducing Dwell Time — Your Next Steps

Dwell time isn’t just another metric to add to the long list of things you should be measuring. It’s an indicator of how relevant your content is and how it resonates with your target audience. 

Take the time to better understand the key points that feed into dwell time, including user intent, content type, and user experience, so that you can maximize the time that users stay on your pages. 

The best part about reducing dwell time is that whether your overall goal is better SEO or higher conversions (or both!), more dwell time can help you improve. 

Creating the kind of content that people love is a smart step in the right direction, and dwell time can help you judge how well your content is performing in that respect. 

Optimize your content with the Originality.ai Content Optimizer and a suite of best-in-class publishing tools including AI detection, plagiarism checking, and grammar checks.

Then, learn more about content marketing and key SEO metrics:

• 11 Content Marketing Mistakes + Best Practices to Avoid Them
• 8 Best Practices for Writing a Listicle
• 7 Benefits of Lead Magnets in Content Marketing