Interpret Bounce Rate and Engaged Sessions
Understand why a visit can count as both a bounce and an engaged session in Hardal.
Bounce rate and engaged-session rate describe different rules. Read them together when evaluating single-page landing pages, content, and lead forms.
Compare the definitions
| Metric | Rule to check |
|---|---|
| Bounce rate | Sessions with exactly one page_view, divided by all sessions in that report scope |
| Engaged sessions | Sessions containing at least one event in the shared Key Events / Engaged events selection |
Hardal's bounce definition does not require a session to contain only one event. Scrolls, clicks, or a form event can occur alongside a single page view.
For example, a visit with one page_view, a scroll, and a successful generate_lead can count as a bounce and as an engaged session when one of those business or interaction events is selected. That combination is consistent with these definitions.
Review the selection
Open Engagement → Events → Key Events, then inspect the same selection under Sessions. The automatic interaction events are selected by default, but saved choices can differ. Use Choose Key Events to decide which actions represent engagement for your analysis.
When comparing Pages and Sessions, check their populations: Pages describes page-active visits, while Sessions covers the selected visit scope. Keep source, dates, and timezone aligned.
Apply it to a landing page
Use paid landing-page analysis to connect page metrics to a confirmed outcome. A high bounce rate on a single-page form is not enough to conclude that the campaign failed. Check the completed action and funnel before making that decision.