Scroll Depth Vs Time Spent

Scroll Depth vs Time Spent compares how long visitors spend at different depths of a tracked page.

Overview

Use the chart to understand whether visitors pause, read or move quickly as they progress through a page.

The horizontal axis shows scroll depth from 0% at the top of the page to 100% at the bottom. The vertical axis shows the average number of seconds recorded per qualifying session. Separate lines show desktop, mobile and tablet activity when more than one device is included.

This is an aggregated behaviour report. It does not show an individual visitor’s journey or replay a session.

Access and scope

Scroll Depth vs Time Spent is workspace-, website- and page-aware.

The active workspace controls which websites are available.
The website selector controls which tracked pages are available.
The page selector determines which page the chart analyses.
The selected page must belong to an accessible website in the active workspace.
Markets are not used.

Wheremore checks workspace and page access again whenever the chart loads.

Before you begin

You need:

A website in the active workspace.
The Wheremore pixel installed on that website.
Tracking enabled.
The page added in Manage Session Tracking.
Processed scroll and time activity for the selected filters.

New activity can take time to pass through collection and background aggregation before it appears.

Quick start

Open the User Behaviour Dashboard.
Confirm the active workspace.
Select a website.
Select a tracked page.
Leave Referrer set to All Referrers.
Select an audience.
Select a date range.
Choose a device or leave the device filter set to All.
Review where the lines rise, fall or contain gaps.
Compare the pattern with the page’s structure and purpose.

Apply the filters

Website and page

The chart requires a specific tracked page. Selecting a different website reloads the available pages, and selecting a different page replaces the chart data.

The page list comes from Manage Session Tracking. It is not a list of every discoverable URL on the live website.

Audience

Choose:

All traffic to include all qualifying activity;
Prospects to include activity not classified as authenticated or identified; or
Identified visitors to include activity classified as authenticated or identified by the tracking configuration.

The audience classification depends on the Cookie or Cookieless setup, authenticated-user rules and exclusions configured in Manage Session Tracking.

“Identified” is an audience classification. It does not mean the chart reveals a visitor’s private identity.

Date range

Choose:

7 days
30 days
60 days
90 days

The selected range includes the current day. Longer ranges provide a larger sample but can combine activity from different versions of the page.

Device

Choose:

All
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet

When All is selected, each device with qualifying data appears as a separate line. A device does not appear when no matching data exists.

Referrer

Scroll Depth vs Time Spent currently supports All Referrers only.

The underlying scroll-time records do not contain a session-level referrer identifier. Wheremore therefore does not estimate or falsely attribute scroll behaviour to a selected referrer.

When a specific referrer is selected, the chart displays an explanatory message instead of potentially misleading data. Return the selector to All Referrers to view the report.

How the chart is calculated

The page is divided into 5% scroll-depth buckets:

0%;
5%;
10%;
and so on through 100%.

For each bucket and device, Wheremore:

totals the recorded time;
finds the corresponding qualifying session count; and
divides total time by session count.

The result is the average recorded time per qualifying session for that part of the page.

This weighted calculation prevents a day with very few sessions from having the same influence as a day with many sessions.

Understand the lines

A rising line

A rise means visitors spent more time in that part of the page than in the preceding measured bucket.

This can indicate:

useful or engaging content;
a section that requires more reading;
an important interactive element;
confusion or hesitation; or
a slow-loading component.

Use the page’s content and purpose to decide which explanation is most plausible.

A falling line

A fall means average time was lower in that part of the page.

Visitors may be:

scanning quickly;
moving through a simple section;
skipping content;
leaving the page; or
reaching the area in too few sessions to establish a reliable pattern.

Compare the chart with Scroll Depth, Clicks vs Scroll Depth and Session Replay before drawing a conclusion.

A gap in a line

A gap means no qualifying measurement exists for that 5% bucket and device.

Wheremore does not join the line across missing buckets because doing so would imply measured behaviour where none exists.

A recorded value of zero is different from missing data:

zero seconds is plotted on the baseline;
missing data creates a gap.

Different device patterns

Desktop, mobile and tablet visitors can encounter different layouts, navigation and content ordering. Compare device lines separately before changing a page.

A strong difference can reflect responsive layout rather than audience intent.

Interpret the result carefully

More time is not automatically better.

Long average time can mean:

visitors are engaged;
the content is complex;
an interaction requires attention;
the section is confusing; or
the page remained open while the visitor was inactive.

Short average time can mean:

the content is easy to understand;
visitors are scanning;
the section is not relevant;
visitors did not reach it in sufficient numbers; or
the page encouraged a quick next action.

Use the chart as a diagnostic signal, not a standalone success score.

Recommended workflow

Start with All traffic, 30 days, All devices and All Referrers.
Identify large rises, falls and gaps.
Compare the same page by desktop and mobile.
Compare Prospects with Identified visitors when both audiences have enough data.
Review Scroll Depth vs Time Spent alongside Clicks vs Scroll Depth.
Open Page Engagement to see scroll, time and click activity over the stored page screenshot.
Use Session Replay to understand the sequence behind an aggregate pattern.
Use Page Optimisation when a specific section needs deeper review.
Check conversion reporting before treating longer time as a positive outcome.

Data timing

The chart uses processed aggregate data rather than live events.

Recent visits may not appear immediately. A page, device or audience with a small sample can also produce a sparse line with several gaps.

Changing workspace, page or filters clears or replaces the previous result. An unfinished older request is discarded so that it cannot overwrite the latest selection.

What should I do next?

Use Page Engagement to place scroll and time behaviour over the page screenshot.
Use Session Replay to inspect individual visitor journeys.
Use Clicks vs Scroll Depth to compare reach with interaction.
Use Page Optimisation when content structure or clarity needs attention.
Use the Conversions Dashboard to determine whether engagement contributes to an outcome.
Use Manage Session Tracking when a website or page is unavailable.

Troubleshooting

The chart asks me to select a workspace

Confirm that an active workspace is selected. The chart does not fall back to data from other accessible workspaces.

The chart asks me to select a page

Select a website and then a tracked page. If the page is missing, add or enable it in Manage Session Tracking.

A specific referrer produces a message instead of a chart

This is expected. Set Referrer to All Referrers. Exact referrer attribution is not available in the chart’s current aggregate source.

No data appears

Confirm the page is tracked.
Confirm tracking is enabled.
Select All traffic.
Select All devices.
Increase the range to 30, 60 or 90 days.
Confirm Referrer is set to All Referrers.
Allow recent activity to finish processing.

Identified visitors show no data

The selected page and date range may contain no activity classified as identified. Check the authenticated-user configuration in Manage Session Tracking, increase the date range or try another page.

One device is missing

No qualifying aggregate data exists for that device under the current page, range and audience selection.

The line contains gaps

This is expected when a 5% bucket has no qualifying measurement. Gaps are deliberately retained rather than estimated.

The values differ from Page Engagement

Check that both reports use the same page, date range, device and audience. Page Engagement presents 2% page zones over a screenshot, whereas this chart groups data into 5% buckets and separates device lines.

Frequently asked questions

Does the chart show total time?

No. It shows weighted average time per qualifying session for each 5% scroll-depth bucket.

Does it show how many visitors reached each depth?

Not directly. Use Page Engagement or a scroll-depth report to assess reach.

Does a high value mean the section is successful?

Not necessarily. It can indicate engagement, complexity, hesitation or inactivity.

Why are missing points not joined?

Joining them would visually invent measurements. Missing buckets remain as gaps.

Can I filter by market?

No. Markets relate to search tracking and do not scope this behaviour chart.

Can I filter by referrer?

Only All Referrers is supported. Exact session-level referrer attribution is not stored with the chart’s scroll-time data.

Can I see an individual visitor?

No. Use Session Replay for individual recorded sessions.

Does this report change my website?

No. It is a read-only report.