What does 'bounce rate' indicate on a website?

The term 'bounce rate' is crucial for understanding user engagement on a website. It specifically indicates the percentage of visitors who visit a site and then leave without navigating to any other pages within that same session. A high bounce rate may suggest that the landing page is not relevant or engaging enough to encourage visitors to explore further. Monitoring bounce rate helps website owners identify issues with content or user experience, allowing them to make improvements aimed at retaining visitors.

In contrast, the other options describe different metrics that are not related to bounce rate. For instance, the number of pages each visitor views during a session reflects overall engagement but does not inform about single-page exits. Average time spent on the website is an important metric for gauging content effectiveness but does not directly relate to whether a user left after viewing only one page. The total number of visitors over a specific period measures traffic volume, which is a different aspect of website performance and does not give insights about user behavior on individual pages. Thus, option A precisely defines bounce rate in a way that highlights its significance in web analytics.