What is Exit Rate?
Exit rate is the percentage of all pageviews for a given page that were the last pageview in the session. In other words, it measures how often a specific page is the final page a visitor sees before leaving your site.
How to calculate Exit Rate
Exit Rate = (Number of exits from a page / Total pageviews of that page) x 100
For example, if a product page received 5,000 pageviews in a month and 1,500 of those were the last page viewed in the session, the exit rate is 30%.
Exit Rate vs. Bounce Rate
These two metrics are frequently confused. Bounce rate measures single-page sessions where a visitor arrives and leaves without any engagement. Exit rate measures the last page viewed in any session, regardless of how many pages the visitor viewed before.
A page can have a low bounce rate but a high exit rate. For example, a checkout confirmation page will have a near-zero bounce rate (nobody lands there directly) but a very high exit rate (nearly everyone leaves after seeing it — which is expected).
The distinction matters because it changes the diagnosis. A high bounce rate on a landing page means the page itself is failing. A high exit rate on step 3 of a 4-step checkout means something on that specific step is causing users to abandon the flow.
Why it matters for eCommerce and SaaS
Exit rate is most valuable when analyzed in the context of a conversion funnel. By comparing exit rates across funnel steps, you can pinpoint exactly where users are dropping off. This is especially useful for multi-step processes like checkout flows, signup sequences, and onboarding wizards.
For eCommerce, high exit rates on the shipping options page or payment page often reveal specific friction points — unexpected costs, limited payment methods, or trust concerns. For SaaS, high exit rates on the pricing page may indicate confusion about plan differences or sticker shock.
How to use Exit Rate effectively
- Benchmark by page type — A blog post with a 90% exit rate is normal. A checkout step with a 60% exit rate is a problem.
- Compare across funnel steps — Plot exit rates for each step in your checkout or signup flow. The step with the highest relative exit rate is your biggest optimization opportunity.
- Segment by device and source — Exit rates often spike on mobile for specific funnel steps, revealing device-specific UX problems.
- Pair with cart abandonment data — High exit rates at checkout validate cart abandonment trends and help narrow the root cause.
How acceleroi approaches it
At acceleroi, exit rate is a core diagnostic metric in our CRO audit process. We map exit rates across every step of the conversion funnel and compare them to expected benchmarks for each page type. When we find a step with an abnormally high exit rate, we dig deeper with session recordings and heuristic evaluation to identify the specific friction causing users to leave.
Related resources
- Get a free CRO audit to identify where visitors are exiting your funnel
- Read our blog for guides on reducing exit rates at key conversion points