News organizations seeking to measure their websites’ success typically have focused on two metrics: page views and time spent on the site. But data collected and analyzed from the Medill Subscriber Engagement Index indicates that such an approach is misguided.
The data, collected from 106 outlets in various-sized markets, shows that the most important factor in trying to get people to pay for news is reader regularity. What’s more, increases in page views and time spent may actually have a negative impact on subscribers and revenues.
“This was a stunning finding for us, and first I didn’t believe it,” said Edward Malthouse, research director of the Medill IMC Spiegel Research Center. “But then we started to unpack it.”
