What is Pogo Sticking, Bounce Rate and Dwell Time
Pogo Sticking
Pogo-sticking in SEO refers to when a user quickly jumps between web pages and search engine results pages (SERPs), spending only a few seconds on each page.
For example, a user enters a search query on Google and clicks on a result leading to your page. However, if they quickly return to the SERP and click on another result, it indicates that your page didn’t meet their expectations. Google Search Console can help identify pages with high pogo-sticking behavior by analyzing metrics like click-through rate (CTR) and average time spent on the page.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is a key metric in web traffic analysis that measures the percentage of visitors who land on a website and leave without exploring other pages. It is calculated by dividing the number of single-page visits by the total number of visits, then expressing the result as a percentage.
Dwell Time
Dwell time in SEO refers to how long a visitor stays on a webpage before returning to the search engine results page (SERP). It serves as a measure of user engagement and content relevance, with longer dwell times indicating that the content effectively satisfies the user’s search intent, potentially influencing search ranking
Difference Between Pogo Sticking and Bounce Rate
Pogo-Sticking
Occurs when a user clicks on a search result, visits the page, but quickly returns to the search results to click on another link.
Indicates that the page didn’t satisfy the user’s query.
Considered a negative signal for search rankings because it suggests the content isn’t relevant or engaging.
Bounce Rate
Measures the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page, without interacting further.
A high bounce rate doesn’t always mean bad user experience; for example, a user reading a blog post and then leaving still contributes to bounce rate.
Unlike pogo-sticking, it doesn’t necessarily indicate dissatisfaction since the user may have found what they needed.
Key Difference
Pogo-sticking involves a return to search results and suggests a failure to satisfy the user’s intent.
Bounce rate simply measures single-page visits and doesn’t always indicate a bad experience.
If a user enters a website and spends a long time on the page and left without any action, is it still counted as a bounce rate?
Yes, it is still counted as a bounce because the user did not interact with the website or trigger any engagement events before leaving.
