Engagement metrics help you understand how visitors interact with your site beyond just loading it. These signals reveal how effectively your content captures attention, encourages interaction, and keep users involved.
What is returning users rate?
Returning users rate represents the percentage of users who come back to your site after their first visit. It measures how many people found your content or experience valuable enough to return, instead of just visiting once and moving on.
How is it measured?
Each user is assigned a unique identifier. If a user visits your site more than once over a defined period, they're counted as a returning user. The rate is calculated as: (returning users ÷ total users) × 100. For example, if you have 2,000 users in a given timeframe and 600 of them have visited before, your returning users rate is 30%.
Why it matters?
A high returning users rate signals loyalty, trust, and interest - it means users found something worth coming back for. Low return rates may suggest the experience was forgettable, irrelevant, or underwhelming. Performance also plays a role: slow-loading pages or clunky navigation can leave a poor first impression that discourages future visits. Tracking this metric helps you assess long-term engagement, improve first-visit experience, and drive repeat behavior through better speed, value, and usability.