Introducing typical time - a different way to understand engagement (SWOOP for SharePoint)

Understanding Average Time on Page: What You Need to Know

Many of you may recognise "average time on page" as a common metric for gauging visitor engagement on websites. While it seems straightforward to use a single number to indicate how long users spend on a page, this approach can be misleading.

The Challenge with Averages

User engagement varies significantly, and factors like leaving pages open in a browser can skew the average time reported. For instance, consider a scenario where 10 people view a page: eight spend just 1 minute, while one spends 10 minutes and another spends 12 minutes. The average time calculated here would be: (1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+10+12) / 10 = 3 minutes.

If this page was a news article intended to be read in about 3 minutes, reporting an average time of 3 minutes could falsely suggest that most users engaged with the content, when in fact, 80% of visitors barely skimmed it.

The Importance of Typical Time Ranges

To provide a more accurate picture of engagement, we present a “Typical Time” range. This metric reflects the time that the majority of visitors spend on a page, smoothing out anomalies and delivering a clearer indication of how users interact with intranet content.

In our earlier example, while the average suggests a reading time of 3 minutes, the typical time would show that most users engaged for only 1 minute. This perspective gives a more realistic understanding of content engagement.

Why We Choose Typical Time

While it may feel unconventional not to rely on a single figure, using a typical time range helps you better understand visitor behavior. This approach encourages more informed decision-making regarding content adjustments.

Remember, while our example may seem extreme, it highlights the importance of accurately representing user engagement. In most cases, the time spent on a page will vary, and using typical time ranges offers insights that averages simply cannot provide.