Title: Understanding Parse.ly calculations
Author: joshua
Published: December 6, 2023
Last modified: December 16, 2025

---

 1. [User handbook](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/)
 2. [Measuring and reporting performance](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/)
 3. Understanding Parse.ly calculations

#  Understanding Parse.ly calculations

Throughout the [Parse.ly Dashboard](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/), you’ll encounter
averages, projections, comparisons, and other numbers. Knowing what these [metrics](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/)
mean and how they’re calculated is key to putting them to work to improve content
strategies, help with editorial decisions, and understand performance.

**Note**

If questions remain on Dashboard metrics and calculations, contact Parse.ly Support
at [support@parsely.com](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/support@parsely.com?output_format=md).

## Timeline averages and projections

Timelines seen in the [Overview tab](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/overview-tab/)
and other Dashboard tabs ([Posts/Pages](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/posts-tab/),
[Authors](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/authors-tab/), [Sections](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/sections-tab/),
etc.) show data comparisons and projections. For deeper comparisons, use Parse.ly’s
[Comparison Mode](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/comparison-mode/) and [Benchmarks](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/benchmarks/).

### Overview timeline averages

The Overview timeline allows data comparison using a gray area to represent traffic
averages, along with a green value for current traffic. Depending on the Time Range
Preset chosen in the [Customize Overview panel](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/overview-tab/customize/),
the timeline looks different.

![Adjust the Time Range Preset in the Customize Overview panel.](https://docs.parse.
ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Customize-Overview-time-range.png)

Adjust the Time Range Preset in the Customize Overview panel.

Overview’s [Sentiment Headline](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/overview-tab/sentiment-headline/)
also summarizes traffic performance and compares it to previous periods.

#### Today

When Overview is set to Today, it collects the previous 8 weeks of data for today’s
weekday, then calculates the average and draws the gray area on the timeline. For
example, if today is Tuesday, Overview uses data from the previous 8 Tuesdays to
calculate the average and draw the gray area to compare today’s green line against.

![The Overview timeline is a line graph when set to "Today."](https://docs.parse.
ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Overview-today-gray-area.png)

The Overview timeline is a line graph when set to “Today.”

#### This Week

When set to This Week as the Time Range Preset, Overview collects the previous 8
weeks of data, then calculates the average for each weekday. Gray bars represent
these daily averages alongside the green bars of the current week’s daily traffic.

![The Overview timeline is a bar graph when set to "This Week."](https://docs.parse.
ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Overview-this-week-gray.png)

The Overview timeline is a bar graph when set to “This Week.”

#### This Month

Setting Overview to This Month collects the previous 8 months of data, then calculates
the average for each day of the month. Gray bars represent these daily averages 
alongside the current month’s daily traffic in green bars.

![The Overview timeline is a bar graph when set to "This Month."](https://docs.parse.
ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Overview-this-month-gray-bars.png)

The Overview timeline is a bar graph when set to “This Month.”

### Timeline projections

When viewing pages other than Overview in the Dashboard — [Posts/Pages](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/posts-tab/),
[Authors](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/authors-tab/), [Sections](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/sections-tab/),
[Tags](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/tags-tab/), [Referrers](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/referrers-tab/),
etc. — switching the view to [Historical](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/navigating/pulse-vs-historical/)
and the Daily time range preset reveals a bar graph representing daily traffic through
previous weeks up to today.

![](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/image-145-scaled.png)

Viewing a page other than Overview with the Historical Daily setting displays a 
bar graph.

The bar at the far right representing today on this graph begins as a green outline
that fills as traffic logs throughout the day. The outline represents the projected
amount of traffic for today. This projection is found by collecting the data for
the same weekday over the previous 8 weeks and calculating the average. For example,
if today is Tuesday, the traffic projection for today will be the average of traffic
over the previous 8 Tuesdays.

![](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/image-146.png)

The outline of today’s bar represents the traffic projection for the day.

## Factoids

Factoids appear on many Dashboard tabs, including [Overview](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/overview-tab/),
[Posts/Pages](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/posts-tab/), [Authors](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/authors-tab/),
[Sections](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/sections-tab/), etc. These numbers are
meant as a snapshot of important calculated [metrics](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/).
Hovering over each will display the full number (if it’s been rounded in the factoid
display), as well as an option to copy the value.

On Overview, the displayed factoids can be adjusted using the [Customize Overview panel](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/overview-tab/customize/).
On other tabs, the [drop-down “Sort by” menu](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/navigating/filter/)
affects which factoids are displayed.

![](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/image-147.png)

Factoids on the Overview tab.

![Factoids on the Tags tab.](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/
06/Tags-factoids.png)

Factoids on the Tags tab.

### Comparisons using factoids

When viewing the Dashboard in [Historical](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/navigating/pulse-vs-historical/)
mode, a date range can be selected using the calendar icon or by clicking and dragging
a date range on the bar graph. If selecting 31 days or fewer, this displays comparison
bars beneath factoids of the relative change between the current factoids and the
average of previous data. For deeper comparisons, use Parse.ly’s [Comparison Mode](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/comparison-mode/)
and [Benchmarks](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/benchmarks/).

![](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/image-148-scaled.png)

Comparison bars displayed with factoids.

 1. View a tab in Historical mode.
 2. Set a date range of 31 days or fewer using the calendar icon.
 3. Or click and drag a date range of 31 days or fewer on the graph.
 4. Comparison bars appear, reflecting the relative change from the average of previous
    data.

When choosing a date range in the Historical view, the comparison bars’ data will
be pulled from the previous 4 comparable time ranges. Examples: If choosing a single
day (Tuesday), the previous 4 Tuesdays’ data will be averaged for the comparison
bars. If choosing a single month of 31 days (July), the previous 4 periods of 31
days will be averaged.

## Calculating goal progress

After setting up [Goals](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/goals/), which are
targets for content performance, certain calculations are used to track progress.
Active goals as are labeled by Parse.ly as “Behind,” “On-Track,” or “Ahead.”

These labels are determined based on the `pace`, calculated as follows:

`time_passed_percent = time_so_far / goal_total_time`

`expected_number = goal_number * time_passed_percent`

`pace = current_number / expected_number`

If `pace` is lower than 0.9, the goal is labeled as “Behind.” If it’s larger than
1.1, the goal is “Ahead.” Otherwise, it’s “On Track.”

![Goal progress labels.](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/
Goal-labels.png)

Goal progress labels.

Additionally, clicking an active goal in the Dashboard opens a pop-up view with 
more details on that goal, including a description of its progress — either above
the goal’s expected metric or below.

![This goal is above its expected pace.](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/
sites/5/2025/06/Goal-above.png)

This goal is above its expected page-view pace.

![This goal is below its expected conversions pace.](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/
uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Goal-below.png)

This goal is below its expected conversions pace.

## Calculation disagreements

Some calculations and numbers in the Dashboard may not seem to agree with each other.
There are many calculations running on each Dashboard tab in real-time, so it’s 
possible to find some calculated results lagging behind others. In addition, not
all metrics are suitable to add up to find total traffic, due to factors like the
statistical “[hotel problem](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/visitors/hotel-problem/).”

Last updated: December 16, 2025