The video is in the works. Until then, the guide will get you there.
Step-by-step guide
Where to find the Entry pages report
In the side menu, click "Behavior".
A submenu opens. Choose "Entry pages" there.
The Entry pages report opens.
What is an entry page?
The first page a visitor opens on your website. And that is by no means always your home page. Somebody who comes across a blog article through Google enters right there. Somebody who clicks a newsletter link may land straight on a product page.
In short: the entry page is the first impression. If something is off here, the visitor never sees any of the rest of your website.
The period being analyzed always follows the date selection at the top. Set a different period there, and the entire report adjusts immediately.
When you should check here
Whenever you want to know where your visitors come in. The Pages report shows you every page that was opened. The Entry pages report filters out the decisive question: which page was the beginning?
Fits questions like: which content do new visitors find me through? Which page is my strongest door opener? And is the first impression good enough for somebody to stay?
The table
For each entry page you see a row with the URL (and the page title, if there is one) plus these columns:
| Column | What is behind it |
|---|---|
| Entries | How often this page was the first page of a visit. |
| Unique visitors | How many different visitors entered here. |
| Bounce rate | The share of visitors who left right after this entry page without looking at anything else. |
| Ø Time on entry page | How long visitors stayed on the entry page on average. |
Together these values tell you whether an entry page is doing its job or whether the visitors disappear again before anything happens.
Related report
Below the table you find a link that lets you switch the perspective:
| View | What you see with it |
|---|---|
| Entry page title | Your entry points bundled by page title instead of by individual URL. |
Click "Related report: Entry page title" to switch. All URLs with the same title are then bundled into one row, so campaign parameters no longer distort your numbers. "Back to entry pages" takes you to the URL view again.
That way you see your entry points either per individual address or cleanly bundled per piece of content.
What you can set here
- Switching views: through the "Related report" link, see above.
- Sorting: click a column heading to sort ascending or descending.
- Entries per page: at the bottom you choose how many rows are shown (10, 25, 50 or All).
- Paging: with long lists you page through at the bottom.
Aha moments you will recognize
This is where it gets interesting, because the numbers show something you would not have expected:
- A page brings plenty of entries but keeps nobody. The visitors pour in, and the bounce rate is high anyway. That means the hook pulls, but the page does not deliver on the promise. Take a look at whether the content really gives people what the click promised.
- A page you would never have seen as a starting point sits at the very top. Often that is an old blog article Google keeps serving up. For a lot of visitors it is the front door to your website, without you knowing. A find like that deserves some care.
- Your home page is not the most common entry page at all. Completely normal as soon as search engines and campaigns send visitors straight to individual content. This is exactly where it pays to check whether those subpages guide visitors onward or end in a dead end.
What is in it for me?
The Entry pages report shows you where your visitors arrive. And that is worth more than it sounds at first:
- The first impression on the test bench. A high bounce rate on the entry page means the entry is not convincing. That is where you start.
- Find your best door openers. Which pages bring in new visitors most often? Those pieces of content deserve your attention.
- Stay or go? The time on page tells you whether visitors look around on the entry page or are gone right away.
In short: you do not just see that somebody was there, you see which door they came in through and whether that door is inviting enough.
Common questions
What is the difference between an entry page and a regular page in the Pages report?
The Pages report counts every view of a page, no matter where in the visit it happened. The Entry pages report only counts when that page was the starting point. So a page can have plenty of views and still rarely be the entry.
Why is my home page not the most common entry page?
Because visitors today often land straight on subpages through Google, newsletters, or shared links. Your home page is then only one of many front doors. That is normal and usually a good sign that your other content is being found too.
Is a high bounce rate on the entry page always bad?
Not necessarily, but on an entry page it is a stronger warning sign than anywhere else. Because this is where it is decided whether a visitor stays or leaves right away. On a pure information article that somebody reads and then closes satisfied, it can be fine. On a page that is supposed to lead somewhere, less so.
Why do the entries differ from the page views?
Because only the first view of a visit counts as an entry. If the same visitor opens the page again later, that raises the page views but not the entries.
What does switching to "Entry page title" mean?
All entry pages with the same page title then get bundled into one row, regardless of the exact URL. Handy when the same page is opened through several campaign links and you want the overall picture per piece of content.