Item: Chartbeat
Rating: 8
Author: Kaley Roshitsh

Overall Satisfaction with Chartbeat

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Chartbeat is essential for tracking my and my colleagues' article performance, user retention, and source of visitation (where readers came from whether it's social media, Google search, etc.). The big board is a quick reference tool for viewing this type of information, but I also really like the historical feature that lets me peer back at past content, see what was trending and why. It gives me a chance to plan ahead based on that feedback!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Gives you a quick overview of on-site traffic and content performance.
Lets you generate in-depth reports.
Auto-email features for sending yourself reports.
Shows you where your readers came from!

Cons

Jumping in and out of historical pages is sometimes fussy.
Don't like the friction of sidebar navigation.
Some features seem either unnecessary or complicated.
Simple is best! Graphics are very pleasing.

Return on Investment

Higher on-site numbers.
More views on my stories.
Better SEO in general, I understand where users drop off and can make edits accordingly.
Tangible real-time improvements!

Real-Time Data

Having access to real-time audience data with zero lag is an essential feature and one of the highlights of Chartbeat. With this component, I am able to adjust articles in real-time (ex: adding imagery, breaking apart blocky text paragraphs, or editing SEO headlines) to further bump up my story on the big board. More story views plus longer reader time means everyone is happy!

Usability

Chartbeat is really pretty straightforward. The only things that may cause confusion are the string of sidebar features and tools at the left of the screen. I mostly use the big leader board in real-time and the historical feature (looking at the monthly or weekly performance of my team's content) and then generate reports automatically from there.

Content Optimization

My web content performance has significantly risen since using Chartbeat, but the key is you have to USE it and use it often. If you have no intention of looking at this daily, then try something else. The benefits are in real-time engagement metrics showing you exactly where you need to tailor a piece of content. I have found myself going into stories and adding images, videos, or keywords to improve reader engagement.

Engagement Metrics

The reader engagement metrics (including reader loyalty and engaged time) are something I look at daily and in historical reports. If I see a loyal reader is only spending 30 seconds on a story that took a lot of reporting and typically takes 7 minutes to read, then I know there is some adjustment needed, and further, I know what to do to maximize retention. Chartbeat's CTRs, concurrent, and quality clicks from past stories also determine the content I plan.

Alternatives Considered

Omnilytics

Omnilytics is more robust, detailed, and catered for an intermediate media user, while I think Chartbeat is a more user-friendly and beginner-oriented piece of technology. That being said, there is an impressive amount of lift for Chartbeat, and it's evident that simplicity is the key to using a software daily (which is absolutely the point in the content world).

Key Insights

Do you think Chartbeat delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Chartbeat's feature set?

Yes

Did Chartbeat live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Chartbeat go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Chartbeat again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Omnilytics, WordPress, Grammarly

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are looking for a tool that tracks traffic, content performance, author performance, and reader retention with a relatively simple interface and gleaming graphics then this is for you. Trickier things like report generation are made much more seamless now, and except for some friction in the sidebar navigation –– I find it to be a pretty flawless tool that I would recommend to friends or others in the media field. It's just a basic necessity to understand content these days, so Chartbeat is a great tool at that!

Comments

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Top of the charts, hard to beat!