Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is one of KPI defined by IFABC for web analytics of the commercial websites.

Definition
Beside official (and sometime a little complex) definitions
 * The bounce is a visit lasting exactly 1 page view (entry page = exit page).

In other words a visitor visit only 1 page on the website and she/he leaves it immediately after and she/he is not going to visit another page during the same visit. (or session time exceeded 30 minutes of inactivity or visitor connected from an another browser).

Interpretation
While bounce rate is a useful tool for e-commerce sites, it is of more questionable value for sites such as news and information, where many visitors go to scan headlines and conduct research, and can find what they want immediately on the entry page.

Indeed, for any kind of informational site, sophisticated users are likely to bookmark a page within the site, which then becomes their personal entry page, check it (e.g., for sports scores, the price of pork bellies, etc.), then bounce right off. The page will have done its job, but might still have a bounce rate above 80%, bringing up the average for the whole site. For such sites, metrics such as returning visitors vs. new visitors might be more informative and should be used to understand the overall picture better.