Traffic
Exit rate
Also called percent exit.
Exit rate is the share of a page's pageviews that were the last in their session. It is computed per URL, so it has to be read page by page.
How it is measured
For a given URL, divide exits from that URL by its total pageviews in the period. A page seen twice in one session counts both pageviews in the denominator but at most one exit.
Because Tarsier settles exits after the visit goes quiet, the current day's rate can drift up after the day closes. Read yesterday, not this afternoon.
Worked example
A pricing page has 2,000 pageviews and 700 exits, a 35 percent exit rate. A checkout page has 400 pageviews and 220 exits, a 55 percent exit rate. The pricing page is a decision point and 35 percent is plausible. At 55 percent the checkout page deserves a look.
The team finds that a coupon field sent buyers to search for codes elsewhere.
How it differs
Exit rate is exits divided by that page's pageviews. Bounce rate is bounces divided by sessions that started on the page. A middle-of-funnel page cannot bounce, because bounces are sessions that began there, but it can have a high exit rate.
Common errors
Comparing exit rates between pages with different roles. Treating it as a bounce rate. Using it on pages with few views. Ignoring that some pages exist to end a visit. Mistaking an exit for a click on a link out.
In practice
Use it to rank the pages in a defined path, such as cart to payment. Fix the highest outlier inside the path first and leave end-of-journey pages alone.