Exit Rate

What Is Exit Rate?

Exit rate is a website analytics metric that tells you the percentage of visitors who leave your site from a specific page. In other words, for any given page on your website, the exit rate indicates how often that page is the last one a user views in their session. 

Every page that a visitor views has the potential to be an “exit page” – the exit rate simply quantifies it. For example, if your blog post had 1,000 total views in a month and 400 of those visits ended on that page (with the user not clicking to any other page afterward), that page’s exit rate would be 40%.

It’s easy to confuse exit rate with bounce rate, but they’re not the same. 

A bounce is when a visitor lands on a page and leaves without viewing any other page – essentially a one-page session. Bounce rate is calculated only for entrance pages (the first page of a session). Exit rate, on the other hand, applies to all pages, regardless of how the user got there. 

A page could have a low bounce rate (meaning many visitors navigate into the site from it) but still have a high exit rate if people often leave after reading it. 

In short: bounce rate looks at single-page visits, whereas exit rate looks at the last page of multi-page visits as well. Both metrics are useful, but exit rate gives you a broader view of where people decide to say “I’m done here.”

Why Monitoring Exit Rate Matters

Improve your website’s content flow and user experience. 

If a particular page has a very high exit rate, it might be a sign that users aren’t finding what they need there – or that the page isn’t effectively guiding them to take another action on your site. For instance, if you notice that a lot of people exit on a product page (rather than proceeding to add the product to cart or learn more), it could indicate an issue like unclear information, lack of a clear call-to-action, or even a technical problem deterring further browsing.

On the other hand, context is important: not all high exit rates are bad. 

Some pages are naturally end-of-journey pages. Take a “Thank You” page after someone submits a contact form or completes a purchase – a high exit rate there is expected, because the user accomplished what they came to do. 

Similarly, a long, informative blog post might satisfy the user’s query completely, and they simply leave after reading (which isn’t necessarily a negative reflection on the content). The key is to identify which high exit rates are problematic. By analyzing exit rate alongside other metrics (like time on page or conversion rate), you can pinpoint where users are dropping off in an unwanted way.

Exit rates help you prioritize improvements. 

If you see that 70% of visitors exit your site on a specific page that is not meant to be a final destination, that page becomes a prime candidate for optimization. 

Lowering exit rates on important pages can keep users engaged longer, guide them toward conversions (like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter), and ultimately boost the effectiveness of your website. 

Especially in e-commerce or multi-step funnels, tracking where people exit can highlight obstacles in the path. It’s like watching where shoppers in a store decide to leave – if everyone’s leaving before checking out, you’d want to investigate why and fix it.

Best Practices for Finding and Fixing High Exit Rates 

1. Identify High-Exit Pages

Start by looking at your analytics to find which pages have the highest exit rates, especially for pages that also get significant traffic. 

In GA4, for example, you can go to the “Exit Pages” report to see the percentage of exits from each page.. Once you have the data, list out the top exit-prone pages. 

Ask yourself for each: Is this page intended to be an endpoint, or do I expect users to continue from here? 

This step helps you separate “healthy” exits (like on a receipt page) from problematic ones (like on a product category page where you’d hope they explore products).

2. Improve Content Relevance and Clarity

One common reason people leave a page is that it didn’t meet their expectations. Ensure that each page delivers what was promised, especially if the visitor came from a search engine or an ad. 

For example, if someone clicked a Google search result for “how to fix a leaky faucet” and landed on your blog post, but the content is actually a sales pitch for plumbing services, they’ll likely exit immediately. 

Make your content relevant, clear, and valuable to the visitor. Provide the information or functionality the page is supposed to offer, and do it in an easy-to-read way. Use headings, bullet points, images, and concise paragraphs so users can quickly find what they’re looking for. 

The more a page satisfies the visitor’s intent, the less likely they are to leave straight away.

3. Include Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

If you want visitors to take another step, you need to gently guide them. 

After a user has consumed the content on a page, what should they do next? If you don’t provide any obvious next step, many will simply exit. 

To reduce exit rates, include clear and relevant calls to action on the page. 

For example, on a blog post, you might add a CTA to read a related article, download a guide, or sign up for a newsletter. 

On a product page, the primary CTA could be “Add to Cart” or “Request a Demo,” but you can also suggest related products or link to reviews for more information. 

Even a simple “Learn more” link to another section of your site can keep interested visitors clicking instead of closing the tab. Make sure your CTAs stand out visually (using buttons or distinct links) and truly align with the visitor’s interest at that stage.

4. Enhance Navigation and Internal Linking

Good website navigation can reduce exits by helping users seamlessly find what they need next. Review your menus, sidebar links, or in-text internal links to ensure they make it easy for someone to continue their journey. 

For instance, if you have an article about “10 tips for SEO” and one of those tips is briefly explained, consider linking that section to another page or detailed guide about that specific subtopic. 

This way, readers who are curious to dive deeper have somewhere to go instead of leaving to search elsewhere. A “Related Posts” section or “Customers who viewed this also viewed…” widget can proactively present options to the visitor. 

The goal is to anticipate what else a user might want after viewing that page and serve it up conveniently. Simplifying your site’s menu labels and structure can also prevent frustration. A confusing navigation can cause someone to give up and exit, whereas a well-organized menu encourages exploration.

5. Optimize Page Load Speed and Mobile Experience

Sometimes users exit not because of content, but because of poor user experience issues. Two big ones are slow page load times and poor mobile optimization. 

If a page takes too long to load, visitors may abandon it before they even see your content. 

Regularly test your key pages with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix and address any performance issues (such as large images, render-blocking scripts, or server slowdowns). 

Likewise, check your pages on mobile devices. A page with a high exit rate might be due to a layout that’s hard to navigate on a smartphone or text that’s too small to read. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly: use responsive design, legible fonts, and buttons that are easy to tap. 

By smoothing out these technical aspects, you remove external reasons for exits, letting your content take center stage.

6. Monitor and Test Changes

Reducing exit rate is often an ongoing process of tweaking and learning. Once you’ve made some changes – say, improved the content or added CTAs – keep an eye on the exit rate of that page over time. 

Has it improved? Use A/B testing when possible to try different versions of a page. For example, test two variations of a call-to-action or a page layout to see which one retains visitors better. 

Collect qualitative feedback too; tools like on-site surveys or session recordings can reveal why people are exiting. 

Maybe users report that a page was confusing, or perhaps a crucial link was not visible enough. By continuously monitoring and iterating, you’ll learn more about your audience’s behavior and can steadily bring exit rates down on pages where you want users to stick around.

FAQs about Exit Rate

Q: How is exit rate different from bounce rate?

A: Exit rate applies to all pageviews and tells you the percentage of visits that ended on that page. Bounce rate only looks at visits where the page was the only one viewed (entry and exit on the same page). In short, bounce rate is a subset – it’s an exit that happens with no other pages involved. Every bounce is an exit, but not every exit is a bounce.

Q: What is considered a “good” exit rate?

A: It really depends on the type of page and its purpose. For pages in the middle of a conversion funnel (like a product details page or sign-up page), you’d want a lower exit rate since you hope visitors continue onward. 

Something like 20-40% might be reasonable there. Content pages like blog posts often have higher exit rates (even 60-80%) because many people read and leave. The key is to compare against expectations and industry benchmarks if available, rather than aiming for one magic number.

Q: How can I find the exit rate for my pages in Google Analytics?

A: In Universal Analytics, you can navigate to Behavior > Site Content > Exit Pages. That report will show a list of pages with the number of exits and the “% Exit” for each. In GA4, Google has changed things a bit – you might need to use the Explorations or check the Pages and Screens report, which can show the number of exits. GA4 doesn’t show a direct “exit rate” percentage by default, but you can derive it by looking at exits versus pageviews for each page.

Q: If a page has a high exit rate, does it mean it’s a bad page?

A: Not necessarily. You have to consider the page’s role. If it’s supposed to lead to further interaction (like a shopping cart page where you’d want them to proceed to checkout), a high exit rate is a red flag. But if the page is meant to be self-contained (like a help article that fully answers a question), a high exit rate could simply mean people got what they needed. Look at other indicators too: Are users spending time on the page? Are they scrolling and reading content? These clues combined with exit rate give a fuller picture of page performance.

Q: Will lowering exit rates improve my SEO?

A: While exit rate itself isn’t a direct Google ranking factor, it correlates with user experience, which search engines do care about. 

If you reduce exit rates by making pages more engaging and useful, you’re likely also improving metrics like time on site and reducing pogo-sticking (where a user quickly bounces back to search results). 

Those factors can indirectly influence SEO. Plus, keeping users on your site longer can increase conversions, which is a win in itself. So, think of exit rate optimization as an SEO-friendly practice, even if there’s no “exit rate score” in Google’s algorithm.

Q: What are some quick fixes to try if a page’s exit rate is too high?

A: A few things you can do right away include: ensuring the page has a clear next step (add a prominent CTA or link to another relevant page), improving the headline to better match what visitors expect (so they immediately see they’re in the right place), checking the page for any errors or slow loading elements, and adding engaging elements like images or videos to hold interest. Even adjusting the layout to make content easier to consume (shorter paragraphs, clear subheadings) can help. After quick fixes, monitor the impact and be prepared to do a deeper analysis if the problem persists.

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