If you want to know how users are engaging with your website, one of the metrics you should know is the average engagement time per session. It refers to the amount of time that your users are actively using your website in each session, measured by how much time a user spends with your web page in focus. Though this metric is not available by default on Looker Studio, you can add it as a custom metric. This quick and easy guide will show you how to add the average engagement time per session metric in your Looker Studio reports!
How to Add Avg. Engagement Time per Session in Looker Studio Reports
Insert an Element
Click on the Metric
Click on "CREATE FIELD"
Name your Metric (Avg. Engagement Time per Session)
Insert this formula: User engagement / Sessions
Click on "Apply"
➡️ You can now apply the metric to any element such as scorecards or charts.
Frequently Asked Questions on Avg. Engagement Time per Session in Looker Studio Reports
What are common use cases for Avg. Engagement Time per Session in Looker Studio reports?
Common use cases for Average Engagement Time per Session include:
Evaluating user engagement trends over time.
Comparing engagement across different traffic sources or campaigns.
Assessing the effectiveness of content strategies based on user interaction.
Segmenting users by demographics, behavior, or device type to tailor content and marketing strategies.
Identifying pages with high engagement but low conversion rates, indicating potential issues in the conversion funnel that need addressing.
Benchmarking performance against competitors, historical data, or industry standards.
Pinpointing pages where users tend to drop off, allowing for targeted improvements.
Measuring impact of UX/UI changes.
Can Avg. Engagement Time per Session be segmented by different dimensions?
Yes, you can segment it by dimensions such as user demographics, traffic sources, device types, content types, location, campaigns, time of day/day of week, and more to gain deeper insights into how different user groups interact with your site or app.
What should I consider when interpreting Avg. Engagement Time per Session?
When interpreting this metric, consider:
The context of the data (e.g., time period, user segments, content type, traffic sources, user intent).
Comparisons with other engagement metrics, such as total sessions or page views.
The overall user experience on your site or app.
Benchmarks with competitors, industry, and historical data.
Potential discrepancies with GA4 data due to different calculation methodologies.
What factors can affect Avg. Engagement Time per Session?
Factors that can affect Avg. Engagement Time per Session include:
Type of content
Quality and relevance of content
User interface design & user experience
Site performance
Target audience, user segmentation & user intent
Traffic sources
Device type & browser
Personalization
External factors (seasonality, current events, trends)
How do I interpret high or low Avg. Engagement Time per Session?
High engagement time often indicates that users are finding your content valuable and spending more time interacting with it. This can suggest effective content strategies, user-friendly design, and relevant information that resonates with your audience. Longer engagement times also produce higher chances of conversions, as users are more likely to explore products or services.
Use this insight to optimize calls to action (CTAs) and conversion paths on high-engagement pages. If you analyze engagement time along with the type of users (new vs returning users), high engagement from returning users may indicate loyalty and interest in your offerings, so you can focus on strategies to retain these users, such as personalized content or loyalty programs.
Low engagement time might suggest that users are not fully engaging with your content or that there are usability issues. Review and analyze the content to identify areas for improvement, such as clarity, relevance, depth, slow loading times, poor navigation, or a confusing layout. If users are leaving quickly, it may indicate that they are not finding what they expected or that the landing page does not meet their needs.
Low engagement may suggest that the traffic being driven to the site is not well-targeted, leading to mismatched user intent. You should reassess your marketing strategies to ensure you are attracting the right audience through appropriate channels.
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