Dwell Time
Dwell time is how long visitors stay on your page and actually engage with your content. It's a quality signal that tells platforms whether your content is useful.
Why dwell time matters:
When someone clicks your ad or search result and stays for 3 minutes reading, that's a positive signal. If they leave after 5 seconds, that's a negative signal.
Platforms use this data to determine content quality. Longer dwell time = better rankings and lower ad costs.
What affects dwell time:
- Content quality and relevance
- Page load speed
- Readability (formatting, font size, spacing)
- Mobile experience
- Visual engagement (images, videos)
How to improve dwell time:
- Hook them fast: Make the first paragraph count
- Use visuals: Break up text with images and videos
- Format for scanning: Headers, bullets, short paragraphs
- Match intent: Deliver what your ad or headline promised
- Add depth: Give them a reason to keep reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Time on page measures any visit length. Dwell time specifically measures how long someone stays after clicking a search result or ad before returning. It's a quality signal that indicates if your content satisfied their intent.
Indirectly. Longer dwell time signals quality content, which improves your landing page experience scores. This can lower costs on platforms like Google Ads and improve organic rankings.