HUD metric definitions
What each metric means
Slots and posts
The HUD measures two different things: slots and posts. Knowing which one you are looking at is the key to reading the HUD correctly.
- A slot is a position on the page, such as the lead story spot or the third item in a rail. Slot metrics count clicks on that position, no matter which story sits in it. Use slot metrics to judge placement: is this story earning its spot?
- A post is the story itself. Post metrics show how the story currently in the slot performs across your site. Use post metrics to judge the story: is it finding an audience, from this page or anywhere else?
A strong story in a weak slot can show a low click-through rate (CTR) and a high number of page views at the same time. Both numbers are correct. They answer different questions.
Slot metrics
All slot metrics are based on clicks from the page you are viewing. The time range selector (5 minutes to 6 hours) sets the window, unless noted otherwise.
| Metric | What it measures | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks/interval | The number of clicks on this slot during the selected time range. With a 30-minute range, it is the number of clicks in the last 30 minutes. | A quick scan of raw volume: what visitors are choosing right now. |
| Clicks/min | How fast visitors are clicking this slot right now: the average clicks per minute over the last 2 minutes. The time range selector does not affect it. | Breaking news and fast-moving pages, when momentum matters more than a total. |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | The percentage of page views of this page, in the time range, that led to a click on this slot. Calculated as clicks on the slot divided by page views of the page. | Fair comparisons across busy and quiet hours, because CTR adjusts for how often the page was viewed. |
| % of page clicks | This slot’s share of all clicks on the page in the time range. Calculated as clicks on the slot divided by total clicks on the page. All slots together add up to 100%. | Seeing how attention splits across the page, and which slots outperform their neighbors. |
| Historical CTR | The CTR this slot normally gets, based on past days. This is the benchmark for the position. Historical CTR ignores the current time range and uses the comparison settings instead. See Comparison settings for historical and change metrics. | Learning what a normal CTR looks like for each position on your page. |
| Historical % of page clicks | The share of page clicks this slot normally gets, based on past days. It also uses the comparison settings. | Understanding the long-term value of each position. |
| Change in CTR | Current CTR minus Historical CTR. A positive number means the story in the slot beats what that position usually gets. A negative number means the story underperforms the position. | Deciding what to swap. Change in CTR separates the story’s performance from the advantage of its placement. |
| Change in % of page clicks | Current % of page clicks minus Historical % of page clicks. | The same decision as Change in CTR, measured as share of attention on the page. |
Comparison settings for historical and change metrics
Historical and change metrics compare the slot against a benchmark. Choose how the benchmark is calculated:
- Average: Compares against the slot’s typical performance over the past 1 to 7 days. Use it for a stable benchmark.
- Same period: Compares against the same length of time, 1 to 7 days ago. For example, with a 30-minute range and 7 days selected, the comparison is the same 30 minutes one week ago. Use it when traffic patterns vary by time of day or day of week.
Change metrics display as absolute or relative change:
- Absolute: Shows the difference in percentage points (pp).
- Relative: Shows the percent change from the benchmark. If a slot has no benchmark yet, relative change shows a dash.
For example, a slot that goes from 2% to 3% CTR shows +1 pp absolute change and +50% relative change.
Metric or ranking
Show any slot metric as its value or as a ranking among the slots on the page. A ranking of 1 means the slot is the top performer on the page for the selected metric.
Post metrics
Post metrics describe the story currently in the slot, for the selected time range.
| Metric | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Views | Page views of the story. Supports device (desktop, tablet, or mobile) and channel filters. |
| Visitors | The number of unique visitors who viewed the story. Supports the channel filter. |
| Engaged Time | The total engaged time visitors spent on the story, in minutes. Supports the channel filter. Available for time ranges of 30 minutes or longer. |
Filters
By default, post metrics count all traffic to the story from every source. To count only visitors who arrived from the page you are viewing, turn on the filter for referrals from the current page.
If your account tracks more than one channel, such as your website, a mobile app, or Apple News, filter any post metric to a single channel. The channel list matches the Channels page in the Parse.ly Dashboard. The channel filter does not affect slot metrics, because Parse.ly tracks slot clicks only on your website.
Quick guide
- What are visitors clicking right now? Use Clicks/interval or Clicks/min.
- Is this story earning its spot? Use Change in CTR. Green means the story beats the position’s usual performance. Red means consider a swap.
- Which positions on my page matter most? Use Historical CTR or Historical % of page clicks.
- How is the story doing overall, not only from this page? Switch to the post metrics.
- How is the story doing in your app? Switch to the post metrics and filter by channel.
Last updated: September 23, 2026