How Chartbeat’s Engaged Time metric grows loyal audiences
Publishers want to improve how they engage audiences so they can reap the rewards (i.e., more subscriptions, ad revenue) that can result from more loyal readers of their content.
In the past, the conventional wisdom has been to use traditional analytics such as pageviews to inform these decisions. However, pageviews prioritize clicks over quality. So if not pageviews, then what? This very same question led us to create Engaged Time, the average amount of time visitors spend actively interacting with your content.
TL;DR: What is Engaged Time in real-time web analytics?
Engaged Time is Chartbeat’s proprietary metric that measures the average amount of time visitors spend actively interacting with digital content — including scrolling, typing, and mouse movement. Unlike traditional pageviews or passive session duration, Engaged Time tracks active attention, filtering out idle background tabs.
Learn how Engaged Time tracks active reader interactions — including what’s resonating with readers and what got them deeper into a website — and how, over time, it can create a clearer path to revenue.
How Engaged Time helps with audience development
Identify stories that are getting lots of clicks but aren’t being read
Doing so allows for troubleshooting, as this may come down to the presentation and promotion of that content.
See where readers are spending their time using historical Engaged Time data
Rather than ranking top stories by pageviews, rank top stories by how many minutes people read. For example, MLB.com discovered that while some fans simply want the score of a game, many stayed because they were drawn to key quotes and takeaways. This metric helps go beyond virality and helps you see the true value of your content.
Build a profile across channels
Engaged Time allows publishers to formulate an effective strategy around the dissemination of content across more channels. For instance, editors can give their most engaging stories new life on social when Engaged Time wanes hours after publishing by focusing on the dominant points of reader entry.
See what engages readers the most
Look at stories and see what they have in common. Was it the headline or lede? Did it tell a story? Did it have images and video? With enough practice, themes will quickly begin to emerge. For instance, the South China Morning Post uses real-time insights to optimize landing pages, elevating over-performing content ensure engaging content is placed in the most valuable real estate on those pages.
Extend the life of evergreen content
Older articles with low pageviews but high engagement are an opportunity to reinvigorate good content. Identify these pieces — they are prime candidates to be repromoted to capitalize on the momentum.
Why Engaged Time matters for growing loyal audiences
So why use Engaged Time? Readers who spend more than a minute reading content will recall more of its facts compared to those who spend less than 15 seconds. In contrast, pageviews can give you a snapshot of your readers, but make it difficult to adjust and optimize in real time.
Engaged Time also helps decode content issues that are discouraging readers from going further into your site. And, the better publishers become at quickly removing the hurdles to deeper engagement, the easier it will be to grow loyal audiences.
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