Engagement
Engaged session
Also called qualified session.
Engaged session is a session that passed the time, page or conversion thresholds you configured. Under the newer model it is the opposite of a bounce.
How it is measured
A session counts as engaged if it lasts longer than a set number of seconds, has more than one pageview, or fires a conversion event. The thresholds are your choice, so the result is only as meaningful as the rule.
Tarsier's engagement pings supply visible seconds and its events supply actions. Because events do not change bounce counts, build the engaged rule yourself from those two inputs and keep it next to the bounce figure.
Worked example
A podcast site sets the rule at 10 seconds, two pages, or a play event. Of 8,000 sessions, 5,100 are engaged. Nearly all the non-engaged ones come from an old forum thread that sends 1,400 sessions to a retired page.
The team redirects that page to the show index. The engaged share rises to 67 percent, though not one new listener arrived.
How it differs
An engaged session passes the rule. A bounce fails it. Engagement rate is the percentage of sessions that pass. The three describe the same split from different angles.
Common errors
Setting the threshold so low every session passes. Copying a vendor default without checking it. Changing the rule mid-year. Comparing with someone else's rule. Leaving bots in the pool.
In practice
Choose a threshold that matches how long your simplest task takes. Keep it for a full quarter, and write down the date if you change it.