Dwell Time
In one line
Dwell time is how long a searcher stays on a page before bouncing back to the results — frequently cited as an indirect signal of whether the page actually satisfied the query.
Going deeper
Dwell time is the span between a searcher clicking a result and returning to the results page. The unit of analysis is the loop — 'SERP → click → time on page → back to SERP'.
Google has never publicly named dwell time as a direct ranking factor, but the industry consensus is that fast pogo-sticking back to the SERP reads as a strong negative signal that the page missed the query's intent.
It is easy to confuse with average session duration or time on page in GA, but the meanings are different. Dwell time lives inside the SERP context; GA metrics describe whole-site behaviour. In SEO analysis it is safer to keep them separate.
Related terms
Impression
Impressions count how many times your pages were shown in the search results — the foundational metric in Google Search Console, paired with clicks, CTR and average position.
SEOGoogle Algorithm
Google's algorithm is the layered system of hundreds of ranking signals that decides what shows up where in the SERP — periodically reshaped by core and topic-specific updates.
SEOKnowledge Panel
The Knowledge Panel is the SERP feature that surfaces entity info — brands, people, works — in a card on the right of the results, rendered directly from Google's Knowledge Graph.
SEOLocal Pack
The Local Pack is the SERP block that surfaces three nearby businesses on a map for queries with local intent — and the headline visibility surface for local SEO.
SEOSearch Intent
Search intent is the underlying goal behind a query — typically grouped as informational, navigational, commercial or transactional — and matching it is what separates pages that rank from pages that don't.
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