Definition of Average Time on Site

he average time on site is a number that is designed to provide website owners with an idea as to how long the average individual spent looking at their website. It has been calculated in a number of different ways in an attempt to provide a more accurate idea that is useful to the website owner. Today’s method of calculating the average time on site is the same as the one that has been used for many years. It includes all visitors to the website, even those who bounce.

People who bounce from a website are those who only hit one page and then leave. It does not matter how long they spent looking at that single page. It only matters that they never went beyond that page. Visitors who bounce are counted as having spent no minutes looking at a website. This is due to the fact that the calculation only counts time from opening one page to the next page. Therefore, single page views and last page views are never included in the calculation.

External links:

• Google Analytics Blog
• What Is the Industry Average "time-on-site"?
• An article about average time on site