Factor 3 of 7 · AUG framework

Engagement audit

Are activated users actually using the product? Engagement is the bridge between first-session conversion and long-term retention. Weak Engagement = retention cliff forecast.

What this measures

Every measurable user action after Activation in the same session — and across sessions in the same week. Depth of interaction. Time spent on tasks that matter. Whether the product's core loop is being completed, not just initiated.

Why this matters

Engagement is the leading indicator of Retention. A user who completes 3 actions in session 1 is ~4× more likely to return in session 2 than a user who completed only the signup. Strong Engagement also feeds SEO (low bounce rate + long active time = ranking signal) and Monetization (multi-page sessions = more ad impressions for ad-supported archetypes).

The 10 engagement metrics

1. Bounce rate — % sessions with 1 pageview. Target <45%. HCU signal above 70%.
2. Pages per session — Target ≥2.1. AdSense RPM scales with this.
3. Average active time — Excludes idle + tab-away. Target ≥90s on content pages.
4. Session duration — Total active seconds per session. Target ≥180s.
5. Scroll depth — Max % scrolled per page. Target ≥65% reach 75%+.
6. Event rate — Interactions per session. Target ≥3 events.
7. Core-loop completion — % sessions completing the core action. Target ≥55% for utilities, ≥35% for reference.
8. Exit-page quality — Are top exits expected endpoints (result pages) or frustration exits (404s, mid-task)?
9. Inbound click-depth — % sessions entering on non-homepage. Target ≥60% indicates long-tail SEO health.
10. Pogo-sticking rate — % sessions that return to SERP <10s. Critical SEO signal. Target <15%.

How it's scored (1-10 rubric)

Composite across the 10 metrics. Each metric contributes 0-1 point based on whether it meets, partially meets, or fails the target.

• 1-2: Bounce >70%, PV/session <1.3 — content not matching intent OR site broken on mobile.
• 3-4: Bounce 55-70%, PV/session 1.3-1.8 — mediocre. Top-funnel not converting into depth.
• 5-6: Bounce 45-55%, PV/session 1.8-2.4 — healthy. Internal linking working.
• 7-8: Bounce <45%, PV/session ≥2.5 — strong. Core loop completing regularly.
• 9-10: Bounce <30%, PV/session ≥3.5 — excellent. Users exploring deep; product is finding-out-more interesting.

Common friction patterns

• Auto-scroll / forced scroll animations. Breaks user agency. Cuts scroll depth 30%+.
• Infinite scroll without pagination fallback. SEO + UX hit. Pagination + load-more = better.
• Modal pop-ups mid-scroll. Newsletter capture that interrupts reading kills depth metrics.
• Content hidden behind “click to expand” for key info. SEO risk + active-time drop.
• Long text blocks without subheadings. Scroll depth drops 40%+ on unbroken walls of text.
• Heavy JavaScript blocking first interaction. INP >500ms kills event rate.
• 404 pages without suggested next steps. Recovery rate drops to ~10% from a default broken-link page.

The 15 highest-leverage engagement lifts

Ranked by lift per hour of implementation:

1. Related results / “see also” section — +0.8 PV/session
2. Internal linking hub-and-spoke — +0.6 PV/session
3. Table-of-contents with anchor links — +35% scroll depth
4. Breadcrumb navigation — +0.3 PV/session
5. Embedded calculator within content pages — +40% time on page
6. Sortable/filterable tables — +120% event rate on data pages
7. Previous/next page links at article end — +0.4 PV/session
8. “You might also calculate” widget — +0.5 PV/session
9. Sticky in-page navigation — +18% scroll depth
10. Related-question FAQ inline — +25% time on page
11. Comparison links (X vs Y vs Z) — +0.7 PV/session on comparator types
12. Chart/graph instead of table — +15% time on page
13. Reading-progress bar at top — +12% scroll depth
14. Lazy-load images/charts below fold — +10% session duration
15. 404 pages with suggested next steps — +25% recovery from broken links

Previous: Factor 2 — Activation. Next: Factor 4 — Retention. Or run the full 7-factor audit.