There are hundreds of metrics you can track to understand how well your website is performing.

For nearly 20 years, the focus has been on keywords, but as Google and AI get smarter. The game is always changing.

One of the most underestimated factors in modern SEO is how much Google cares about the actual human experience on your website.

Time on Page (And Why Google Cares)

Google uses over 200 ranking factors in its algorithm to determine where a website appears in search results.

You know the usual suspects:

• High-quality content
• Backlinks
• Mobile usability
• Site security etc.

But hidden among them is a powerful metric that reflects user satisfaction: Time on Page, also known as Dwell Time.

Time on Page measures exactly what it sounds like: how long a person spends on a single page before moving on.

Think of it as a conversation. If someone asks you a question and you give a long, engaging answer, they'll stick around. If you're confusing or irrelevant, they'll leave.

If I go to a website and spend 5 minutes slowly reading the content and then move on, that's a good signal.

It tells Google, "Hey, this guy found what he was looking for, was immersed in the content, and probably got what he needs. It must be a good web page. I'll start putting it in front of other people like Andy".

Whereas if I go to a website, quick scroll and bounce within a couple of milliseconds?

Google thinks, "That's not what that person was looking for. Let's try a different result next time and put that one down further in the rankings because that guy clearly didn’t like it."

The outcome is simple: webpages with a higher Time on Page tend to rank better over the long term because they prove their value to both users and search engines.

So, how can you make sure this powerful metric works in your favor?

1. Answer the Question First

Have you ever asked someone a question and they give you minutes of context and backstory before finally giving you the answer?

It's frustrating. Don't let your website do the same thing.

Structure your content like a pyramid, with the most important information right at the top.

Answer the user's core question in the first couple of sentences. Once you've delivered that initial value, you can then provide more context and detail to draw them further down the page. If you bury the lead, most visitors will leave before they ever find it.

2. Improve Readability

The majority of your visitors are viewing your content on a mobile device.

People don't read websites; they scan them. Your job is to make that scanning process as easy and engaging as possible.

Break up giant walls of text. Use clear, descriptive subheadings (like the ones in this post!), bullet points, and short paragraphs.

Making your content easy to digest visually hooks the reader's line of vision and encourages them to engage instead of feeling overwhelmed.

3. Embed Valuable and Engaging Media

Text alone can be dry.

To keep visitors on your page longer, embed valuable media that stops the scroll and demands attention. This could be anything that adds value and breaks up the text (images, videos, calculators).

These elements create natural pause points, keeping the user engaged and increasing the overall time they spend interacting with your content.

Finding What Works

All three of these strategies point to a single, powerful principle: respecting your visitor's time and delivering value makes them stay.

You can find this data in your Google Analytics account. Look for pages that already have a high average Time on Page. These are your high-performing assets.

Analyze them, understand what makes them so engaging, and create more content like them.

When Google sees that your pages consistently deliver what people want, it will feel more confident showing them to a wider audience.