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Exposure metrics

Learn about how exposure metrics are captured, and some exceptions that may impact the exposure of your zones.

What are Exposure metrics?

Exposure metrics show what zones are seen by users, during how long the zone was seen, and whether users click on the zone once they’ve seen it. 

The metrics included in the Exposure category are:

  1. Exposure rate: Number of page views that displayed the mid-height pixel-line of the zone for at least 150 milliseconds divided by (/)  Number of pageviews
  2. Exposure time: The time during which the mid-height pixel-line of the zone is visible when it is displayed after having at least spent 150 milliseconds on the zone”
  3. Attractiveness rate:Number of page views with the zone exposed and clicked at least once divided by (/) Number of pageviews with the zone displayed

The Mid-height Pixel-line of a Zone

To calculate Exposure metrics, the mid-height pixel line of a zone is used. A zone is considered ‘exposed’ when a user sees the mid-height pixel-line for at least 150 milliseconds. Once a zone has been exposed to a user for at least 150 milliseconds, data is being collected. 

The mid-height pixel-line of a zone is calculated when the snapshot is created. This means that if you and a colleague use the same zoning, you'll have the same metric results irrelevant of your screen size.

Note: In CS Live, the calculation for mid-height pixel-line depends on the individual users' screen size used at the time of the analysis. This mean that if you and a colleague are analyzing the same page at the same time, but with different screen sizes, the mid-height pixel-line may differ. This may lead to varying metric results between two CS Live analysis, and between CS Live and the Zoning Analysis.

Good to know

When using the Exposure metrics, there are a few exceptions to keep in mind:

  1. A zone stretches beyond visible on the screen: A zone won’t be counted as ‘exposed’ until the mid-height pixel line is exposed for at least 150 milliseconds. This means that if a zone (and the mid-height pixel line) stretches beyond the screen, the zone won’t be counted as ‘exposed’ even though users may have seen a part of it. 
  2. A zone is clicked without being exposed: If a user clicks on a zone of which the mid-height pixel line is not exposed, the zone will technically have been clicked without being ‘visible’ according to Contentsquare's definition . This may cause e.g. the Attractiveness rate for that zone to be more than 100%. 
  3. Sticky elements: The exposure metrics use the position of the zones to calculate the results. As the vertical position of sticky elements is dynamic, the exposure metrics are directly impacted.
  4. Two tabs open: If a user has the same page of your website open in two different tabs and is viewing the same zone, the Exposure time captured may vary depending on for how long each tab is opened and the zone is exposed. 
  5. CS Live: When you are using CS Live, the analysis is based on your screen size. This means that if you and your team member have different screen sizes, you might have different exposure metric results on the same zone.