Preserve views when moving content

Content analytics keep view history when content moves between sites

Content analytics now keep a page's full view history when it moves from one site to another. This applies to all content types, including pages, events, and albums.

What changed

Previously, moving content to another site reset its analytics to zero. A page that had been live for 10 months and read by hundreds of people would suddenly show zero views, as if it had just been created. This sent content managers chasing content that looked unseen but had already been widely read, and it made lifetime engagement impossible to trust once content changed sites.

View history now belongs to the content permanently. Each view records the site where the content lived at the moment the view happened, but the site doesn't own or erase those views. You can move content as many times as needed, and its lifetime history stays intact.

What you'll see

For content that has lived in more than one site, a new site control appears at the top of the content analytics view. Use it to choose which view you want.

• All sites shows the full lifetime picture and is the default. You see unique viewers, total views, and average views per person, counted across every site the content has lived in.

• Current site shows how the content performs with its current audience, as percentages of that audience.

• A previous site shows how the content performed while it lived in that site, as counts.

Content that has never moved keeps the same dashboard as before, with no new controls.

How counts and percentages work

Counts, such as unique viewers, total views, and consumption over time, include everyone who has ever viewed the content. They never drop when content moves.

Percentages are always measured against the current site's audience. This is why you may see a high lifetime view count next to a modest percentage. The count shows how much attention the content has earned overall, and the percentage shows how much of the current site's audience has seen it. Both are accurate.

Current site views is the only percentage in the All sites view. It shows the share of the current site's audience who have viewed the content. Every other metric in the All sites view is a lifetime metric.

How audiences are handled

• Public and private sites. A public site's audience includes Members, Followers, and Others. A private site's audience includes Members only. Percentages and role breakdowns follow this automatically.

• People who left the site. If someone viewed the content and later left the site, their view still counts in the totals. They're excluded from percentages, and a note shows how many viewers are no longer in the audience.

• Inactive users. Views from deactivated accounts stay in the lifetime counts, with a note that shows how many viewers are inactive. Inactive users are excluded from percentages, which only use active audience members.

Filters

Every view includes a date range filter. The Current site view also includes an audience role filter, with Members, Followers, and Others on public sites, or Members only on private sites.

Site-level and app-level analytics

App-level analytics, which show organization-wide totals, stay the same. Site-level analytics credit each view to the site that hosted the content when the view happened. Views are never reassigned to another site later.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Do I need to do anything to turn this on?
Ans: No. It applies automatically. Content that has never moved looks the same as before. Content that has moved gets the site control and its preserved history.

Q: Will the numbers for my existing content change?
Ans: For content that was moved before this update, the lifetime history is restored.

Q: Why is the lifetime view count much higher than the percentage?
Ans: They measure different things. The count includes every view the content has received across every site. The percentage only covers the current site's audience. Content can have thousands of lifetime views and still show a modest current site percentage, and both numbers are accurate.

Q: What does Current site views mean?
Ans: It's the share of the current site's audience who have viewed the content. It measures reach, not compliance, and isn't a governance requirement.

Q: If someone viewed the content and then left the site, do they still count?
Ans: Yes, in the counts, because the view happened. They're excluded from percentages because they're no longer part of the current audience, and a note shows how many viewers this applies to.

Q: How are inactive users handled?
Ans: Their past views stay in the counts, with a note that shows how many viewers are inactive. They're excluded from percentages, which only use active audience members.

Q: How does this work on a private site?
Ans: A private site's audience includes members only, with no followers or others. The Current site view shows a members-based percentage alongside the count metrics.

Q: Can I still filter by date range or audience role?
Ans: Yes. Every view includes a date range filter. The Current site view also includes an audience role filter, with Members, Followers, and Others on public sites, or Members only on private sites.

Q: Does this change site-level or app-level analytics?
Ans: App-level totals stay the same. Site-level analytics credit views to the site that hosted the content when each view happened, and never reassign them later.