Media Content Performance

Measure content performance to understand what resonates with your audience and inform editorial decisions.

Content Performance Dashboard

Key Content Metrics

Metric	Definition	What It Tells You
Pageviews	Total loads	Reach/volume
Unique Viewers	Distinct readers	Audience size
Avg Time on Page	Time spent reading	Content quality
Scroll Depth	% of article seen	Engagement
Exit Rate	Left from article	Content satisfaction
Shares	Social amplification	Viral potential

Performance Formula

Calculate a content score:

// Content performance score
function calculateContentScore(article) {
  const weightedScore =
    (article.pageviews / avgPageviews) * 0.2 +
    (article.timeOnPage / avgTimeOnPage) * 0.3 +
    (article.scrollDepth / 100) * 0.25 +
    (article.shares / avgShares) * 0.15 +
    (article.comments / avgComments) * 0.10;

  return Math.min(100, weightedScore * 20);
}

Analyzing Top Content

Top Articles Dashboard

View in Analytics → Content → Top Articles:

Article	Views	Time	Scroll	Score
Major Event Coverage	45K	5:20	82%	95
Expert Analysis	32K	6:45	88%	92
Photo Gallery	28K	3:10	45%	78
Quick News	55K	1:20	35%	65

Filter by Time Period

Compare performance over time:

• Today vs yesterday
• This week vs last week
• This month vs last month
• Custom date ranges

Sort by Different Metrics

Not all content goals are the same:

• Reach: Sort by pageviews
• Engagement: Sort by time on page
• Quality: Sort by scroll depth
• Virality: Sort by shares

Content Lifecycle Analysis

The Content Curve

Track how content performs over time:

Time Since Publish	% of Total Views
Hour 1	15%
Hours 2-6	30%
Hours 6-24	25%
Days 2-7	20%
Week 2+	10%

Evergreen vs Breaking

Breaking News Pattern:

Views peak in hours, decay quickly
Day 1: 80% of all views
Day 7: 2% of all views

Evergreen Pattern:

Steady views over time
Day 1: 10% of all views
Month 6: Still getting views

Track Content Age Performance

// Track by content age
zenovay('track','article_viewed', {
  article_id: 'art_12345',
  days_since_publish: 45,
  is_evergreen: true,
  last_updated: '2025-01-10'
});

Category Performance

Compare Categories

Category	Articles	Avg Views	Avg Time	Avg Score
Breaking	120	15K	1:45	72
Analysis	45	8K	5:30	85
Opinion	60	5K	4:20	78
Lifestyle	80	6K	3:00	70

Category Insights

• Breaking: High volume, lower engagement
• Analysis: Lower volume, higher engagement
• Opinion: Polarizing (shares OR bounces)
• Lifestyle: Steady performer

Author Performance

Author Leaderboard

Author	Articles	Total Views	Avg Score	Best Article
Sarah Chen	24	320K	82	Expert Analysis
Mike Johnson	35	280K	75	Event Coverage
Lisa Park	18	190K	88	Deep Dive

Author Analytics

Track per author:

• Publishing frequency
• Average performance
• Best performing topics
• Audience engagement

Content Type Analysis

Compare Content Types

Type	Avg Views	Avg Time	Scroll	Cost/View
Long-form	8K	6:00	75%	$0.05
Short news	15K	1:30	40%	$0.02
Listicle	12K	2:30	55%	$0.03
Video	6K	4:00	N/A	$0.15
Gallery	10K	3:00	N/A	$0.04

Format Optimization

Different formats for different goals:

• Traffic: Short news, listicles
• Engagement: Long-form, video
• Social: Listicles, galleries
• Subscriptions: Analysis, exclusives

Headline Testing

A/B Test Headlines

// Track headline variant
zenovay('track','headline_test', {
  article_id: 'art_12345',
  variant: 'B',
  headline: 'You Won\'t Believe What Happened Next',
  shown_to: 'test_group_b'
});

Measure Headline Performance

Variant	Impressions	Clicks	CTR	Time on Page
A: Informative	50K	3.5K	7.0%	4:30
B: Curiosity	50K	4.8K	9.6%	2:45

Insight: Curiosity headlines get more clicks but lower engagement.

Content Recirculation

Track Internal Navigation

// Track how readers move between articles
zenovay('track','recirculation', {
  from_article: 'art_12345',
  to_article: 'art_67890',
  method: 'related_articles',
  position: 2
});

Recirculation Metrics

Method	Clicks	% of Traffic
Related articles	45K	35%
Category links	28K	22%
Author articles	12K	9%
Trending widget	18K	14%
Recommendations	25K	20%

Content Decay Analysis

Identify Declining Content

Track content that needs refresh:

// Compare current vs historical performance
zenovay('track','content_decay', {
  article_id: 'art_12345',
  views_30d_ago: 500,
  views_current: 50,
  decay_rate: 90, // percent decline
  is_evergreen: true,
  needs_refresh: true
});

Refresh Opportunities

Article	Age	Current Views	Peak Views	Action
Guide to X	180d	20/day	500/day	Refresh
Best Y of 2024	365d	5/day	1000/day	Update
How to Z	90d	100/day	200/day	Monitor

Content Attribution

Traffic Source by Content

Source	Top Content Type	Engagement
Google Search	Evergreen guides	High
Google News	Breaking stories	Medium
Facebook	Lifestyle, visual	Low
Twitter/X	Breaking, opinion	Medium
Email	Curated picks	Highest

SEO Performance

Track search-driven content:

• Ranking keywords
• Search traffic trend
• Click-through rate
• SERP position

Content Goals

Set Content Goals

1. Go to Goals → Create
2. Set content goals:
   • Pageviews per article
   • Average time on page
   • Scroll depth threshold
   • Shares per article

Goal Examples

Goal	Metric	Target
Reach	Pageviews	10K/article
Engagement	Avg time	3+ minutes
Quality	Scroll 75%+	40% of readers
Virality	Shares	100/article

Content Reporting

Weekly Content Report

Include:

• Top 10 articles
• Category breakdown
• Author performance
• Traffic sources
• Trending topics
• Recommendations

Monthly Analysis

Deep dive:

• Content themes that worked
• Format comparisons
• Seasonal trends
• Investment ROI

Editorial Insights

Data-Driven Decisions

Use data to inform:

• What to cover: Topics that resonate
• How to cover: Optimal format/length
• When to publish: Peak engagement times
• Who should write: Author-topic fit

Content Calendar Optimization

Day	Best Content	Engagement
Monday	Analysis	High
Tuesday	How-to	Medium
Wednesday	News	Medium
Thursday	Opinion	Medium
Friday	Lifestyle	High
Weekend	Evergreen	Medium

Best Practices

Content Measurement

1. Define success per content type

   • News: Speed, reach
   • Analysis: Engagement, shares
   • Guides: Evergreen traffic

2. Track the full lifecycle

   • Publish to peak
   • Peak to decline
   • Refresh opportunities

3. Connect to business goals

   • Subscriptions driven
   • Ad revenue generated
   • Audience growth

Avoid Vanity Metrics

• Pageviews alone aren't success
• Consider quality metrics
• Balance reach and engagement

Next Steps

• Audience Engagement
• Subscription Conversion
• Scroll Heatmaps