Title: Alerts FAQs
Author: bethurban
Published: July 17, 2025
Last modified: September 18, 2025

---

 1. [User handbook](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/)
 2. [Tools and features](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/tools-features/)
 3. [Alerts](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/tools-features/alerts/)
 4. Alerts FAQs

#  Alerts FAQs

## When are alerts triggered?

You’ll receive an [alert](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/alerts/) if a post
published in the last 7 days exceeds the set [threshold](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/tools-features/alerts/faqs?output_format=md#threshold)
for a site, author, or section. The threshold is determined using the peak performance(
[page views](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/page-views/)
per minute) of other posts published in the past 90 days.

You’ll receive alerts in the following situations:

 * **1x traffic spike:** A post’s page views per minute first exceeds the threshold.
 * **2x+ traffic spike:** A post’s page views per minute doubles, triples, etc. 
   the threshold.
 * **Still going strong:** A post’s page views per minute remains above the threshold
   6 or more hours later.
 * **Back rising:** A post’s page views per minute falls below the threshold, but
   then surpasses the threshold again 6 or more hours later.

[⌊Types of alerts.⌉⌊Types of alerts.⌉[

Types of alerts.

For author and section alerts, you will receive alerts both when a post by that 
author or under that section surpasses the author/section threshold _and_ the site
threshold.

## What information is included in an alert?

The information included in an alert depends on a number of variables: Was it sent
because of a traffic spike, or because a post’s traffic revived? Is it for an author?
Was it sent in the mobile browser? Etc. Generally, Slack alerts include the most
information, while mobile and browser alerts have the least.

[⌊Information included in an alert.⌉⌊Information included in an alert.⌉[

Information included in an alert.

 1. Alert type: Indicates the traffic pattern (traffic spike, still going strong, back
    rising). Traffic spikes include an index score, which is a multiplier of the set
    threshold. If it’s an author or section alert, this text includes the author or
    section’s name (e.g., “2x traffic spike for Jane Doe”).
 2. Page views per minute.
 3. Percentile: This allows comparison of this post’s performance to posts published
    in the past 90 days.
 4. Ranking.
 5. Main [referrer](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/referrers-tab/).
 6. Post author.
 7. Post title.
 8. Publish date: In Slack, this is based on your computer’s time zone.

## Can I subscribe to one alert across my entire network of sites?

Currently, Parse.ly doesn’t support alerts on [the network level](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/navigating/sites-network/).

## Do alerts work in the Parse.ly iOS app?

Alerts are currently not supported in the [Parse.ly iOS app](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/ios-mobile-app/).
However, you can [set up alerts](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/alerts/#subscribe)
in a mobile browser.

## Will alerts trigger for posts published more than 7 days ago?

No, alerts only apply to posts published in the last 7 days. If you want to see 
what older posts are getting more attention now, schedule a [Top Performers](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/reports-guide/top-performers/)
or [Evergreen Content](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/reports-guide/evergreen-content/)
report.

## If a publication date changes, does that affect alerts?

This action can affect alerts. If you have a post that is older than 7 days and 
you’re re-publishing it, you may be interested in receiving alerts:

 1. Update the post’s publication date in your CMS.
 2. Ensure your [metadata](https://docs.parse.ly/metadata/) reflects the change on 
    the post.
 3. Trigger a [recrawl](https://docs.parse.ly/whats-a-recrawl/) to allow Parse.ly to
    update with the new metadata.
 4.  * Use a [webhook](https://docs.parse.ly/whats-a-recrawl/#3-trigger-a-new-article-crawl-from-the-parsely-api)
       to automate the process or manually recrawl from the [API Settings page](https://docs.parse.ly/api-settings/)
       of the [account menu](https://docs.parse.ly/account-management/).
     * Parse.ly’s [Metadata Change Detection](https://docs.parse.ly/automatically-update-metadata-changes/#h-unmonitored-metadata)
       system does not update publication dates.
 5. Await alert-triggering traffic to generate new alerts.

## Can alerts trigger when a post underperforms?

Parse.ly does not currently support alerting for underperforming posts.

## Why aren’t Slack alerts working?

It’s likely that Parse.ly is listed as a Restricted App in your Slack Workspace.
To list Parse.ly as an Approved App, your Slack [Workspace Owner or Admin](https://slack.com/help/articles/360018112273-Types-of-roles-in-Slack)
must:

 1. Visit [https://my.slack.com/apps/manage](https://my.slack.com/apps/manage).
 2. Find Parse.ly on the Restricted Apps list and click “Approve.”

## What are the thresholds? Can we adjust them?

Read more about the threshold definitions and settings [here](https://docs.parse.ly/tools-features/alerts/#frequency).
Parse.ly [admins](https://docs.parse.ly/account-management/users/roles-permissions/)
can adjust alert thresholds from the Alerts page of the [account menu](https://docs.parse.ly/account-management/).

Last updated: September 18, 2025