Dwell time describes how long a user spends on your website after clicking your result in Google, before returning to the search results.
Put simply:
- the user clicks your result
- the user stays for X seconds or minutes
- the user returns to Google
That span of time is the dwell time.
Why does dwell time matter?
Dwell time gives an indirect indication of whether your page satisfies the search intent.
- short dwell time: the user does not find what they were looking for
- long dwell time: the content appears relevant and useful
Google has never officially confirmed dwell time as a direct ranking factor, but it counts as a strong quality signal.
In an SEO context that is exactly the point: ranking alone is not enough. The content has to meet the expectation the result created.