# Metrics explained guides

> Exact definitions of bounce rate, engagement rate, sessions, users, pageviews and conversion rate, and how GA4 and other tools count them.

Source: https://datacenter.so/guides/metrics

Bounce rate, sessions, users and conversion rate sound standard, but each tool defines them a little differently. These guides give the exact definitions, so a report means what you think it means.

- [Bounce rate in GA4: what it means now, and when to worry](https://datacenter.so/guides/bounce-rate-ga4.md): GA4 defines bounce rate as the share of sessions that were not engaged. The rule, the formula, how it differs from the old one, and when it matters.
- [Visitors, sessions and pageviews: how each tool counts them](https://datacenter.so/guides/sessions-users-pageviews.md): What a user, a session, a visit and a pageview are in GA4, Shopify and privacy-first tools, why the counts differ, and which one to report.
- [Average session duration and time on page: how each tool measures it](https://datacenter.so/guides/session-duration-time-on-page.md): Why GA4, Universal Analytics and privacy tools report different session durations and time on page, the method each uses, and which to trust.
- [How to set up goals and conversions without a developer](https://datacenter.so/guides/goals-without-a-developer.md): Four ways to count sales, leads, bookings and signups without writing code, how to do each in GA4, and the checks that keep a goal honest.
- [Funnel analysis: find the step where people leave](https://datacenter.so/guides/funnel-analysis.md): How a conversion funnel is counted, open versus closed funnels, time windows, which drop-offs are normal, and how to read one without fooling yourself.
- [Cohorts and retention: do the people you win come back?](https://datacenter.so/guides/cohort-retention-analysis.md): How a cohort table is built, how to read it by row, column and diagonal, three ways to count retention, and how to compare sources by customer.
- [Ask your analytics in plain words: MCP and AI assistants](https://datacenter.so/guides/mcp-ai-assistants-analytics.md): What the Model Context Protocol is, how an AI assistant reads your analytics through it, what it answers well, and the safety rules for keys.