Definition
Dwell time is how long a visitor stays on a page after arriving from a search result, measured from the click to the moment they return to the results. A long stay suggests the page answered the query. A quick return suggests it did not. It is a behavioral read on satisfaction rather than a stated one.Why It Matters for AI Search
Search systems have long used what people do after they click as a check on whether a result deserved its place. Dwell time is one such signal, a piece of the engagement picture a ranking system builds from real behavior rather than from the page’s own claims. It cannot be gamed by markup, because it measures what a reader actually did. Writing that holds attention, answers the question, and gives a reader a reason to stay is the practical lever on it, and the same qualities that raise dwell time make a passage worth quoting.Related Terms
Engagement signal
Narrower term
Bounce rate
See also
Relevance signal
See also
Search intent
See also