Engagement Metrics
Nielson/Netratings have decided to drop the page view as a ranking measure, with the increase in use of online video players and AJAX. Both of these reduce the number of page views even if the user is seeing as many pages of content; the functionality of the widget and code means they stay on one page. Instead they are moving towards having time spent as their key ranking measure.
I’ve been looking at engagement metrics, looking for a way to see if the user interacts with the brand, for a while and the numbers I’ve been playing with do not include page views. Instead The following areas are being looked at
- return visitors
- time spent on site
- visits certain sections (this can vary depending on what we are driving towards
- opts-in to receive more communication
- gets to the site directly instead of via a referal link or search (indicating book marking or URL retention)
- adds to the site via comments, ratings etc (depending what is on the site)
Now, all of these are in-site metrics as they can be indexed back to visitors. One consequence is that you can see the impact of drivers - something like a sample offer or a contest may drive a lot of visitors but they are not necessarily there for the brand but for the freebie or the chance to win things. (Look at your referrals when running sweeps etc, you’ll always find contest sites ranking high). Just using page views, then that time period would be a success, but the longer term engagement metrics may indicate that you’ve not made that much impact.
Moving outside the site, there’s no baseline to index against but the same principles can apply. Interactions in banner ads or sponsored sites, blog and message board mentions, video views and comments can all add to the engagement pciture. They need to be looked at holistically, although it can be tempting to try for a single figure to pull everything into one trackable number - that’s far easier to explain! But knowing the environment and context of the interactions is key to understanding why they are being done and whether they are helping your brand.
Tags: Metrics and Research, nielson_netratings, page_viewsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Engaging the Customer, Metrics and Research
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