What is Engagement Rate?
Engagement Rate is the share of sessions that qualify as engaged. In most modern stacks (e.g., GA4), an engaged session meets at least one criterion: it lasts longer than 10 seconds, triggers at least one conversion, or contains 2+ pageviews or screen views. Privacy-first tools like Plausible, Matomo, or Simple Analytics use similar logic, but thresholds and event names may differ. This metric flips the old idea of “bounce rate” on its head and aligns better with event-driven analytics and SPAs.
How to calculate Engagement Rate?
Formula:Engagement Rate = Engaged Sessions / Sessions × 100%
Steps:
- Count engaged sessions using your platform’s rules (often based on Engagement Time, events, and depth).
- Divide by all sessions in the period.
- Multiply by 100.
Example: if you have 3,200 engaged sessions out of 4,000 total, Engagement Rate = 80%.
How does Engagement Rate work in practice?
- Optimization lens: Pair it with Conversion Rate to see if campaigns attract the right audience before they convert.
- UX diagnostics: Drops may indicate slow content, weak first paint, or confusing user flows.
- Channel quality: Compare by source/medium, UTM-tagged campaigns, or by new vs. First Visit cohorts.
- Content depth: Correlate with Pages Per Session and engaged Active Users.
Tool-specific nuances
- GA4 default: ≥10s active, ≥1 conversion event, or ≥2 views. Naming: Engaged sessions and Engagement rate (Engaged Sessions uses the same rule).
- Alternatives: Some platforms let you redefine “engaged” via Custom Events or timers. Ensure your Tag Management setup mirrors business intent.
- Data plumbing: For deeper analysis, stream events to BigQuery and model engagement alongside Attribution / Attribution Models.
Tips
- Calibrate thresholds for long-form content vs. quick tools.
- Track key interactions as conversions (not just form submits).
- Audit SPA routing to avoid undercounted views (see Screen View).