# Authors

The Web Analytics **Authors** page shows how the articles of each author perform. Use it to see which writers earn the reads and which kind of article works best.

## Before you start [#before-you-start]

- Install the Web Analytics script. See [Analytics script](/connect/analytics-script). Without the script, the page shows **Install Web Analytics to see which authors earn the reads**.
- Verify the domain. See [Verify ownership](/getting-started/domain-setup/verify-ownership).
- In the sidebar, select **Web Analytics** > **Authors**.
- Select the dates in the filter dock. You can also turn on the comparison with an earlier period.
- Your pages must name their author in their structured data. Web Analytics reads the byline from a JSON-LD article, or from a `<meta name="author">` tag on a page that declares itself an article.

A page that does not declare itself an article credits nobody. For this reason, a home page, a category page or a checkout page never shows here.

### Where authors come from [#where-authors-come-from]

Web Analytics stores the byline as the page writes it. An author can be a person, an organization or a desk name. If a page credits several people, each person gets a row.

VitalSentinel collects bylines from the moment collection starts, and it does not add them to older traffic. A long date range can show few authors at first.

Owners and admins can stop the collection of bylines with **Do not store article authors** in the tracking settings. See [Domain settings](/domain/settings).

## Who brings the reads [#who-brings-the-reads]

The Web Analytics **Authors** page starts with one sentence about how the reads spread across authors. Examples: **Three authors bring 92% of all reads; Anna Smith alone more than half** or **Anna Smith brings 95% of all reads**.

The **?** explains the sentence: it names the fewest authors that together bring at least 90% of all reads that carry a byline. Reads count for every credited author, so a shared article counts for each. If you need every author to reach 90%, no sentence shows.

## Authors at a glance [#authors-at-a-glance]

The Web Analytics **Authors** page shows four tiles. With the comparison on, each tile shows the change against the earlier period.

| Tile | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Authors** | People credited on at least one article that was read in the period |
| **Reads** | Page views of articles with an author credited |
| **Top author's share** | The share of all credited reads that go to the most read author |
| **Read rate** | The share of measured reads that got at least halfway down the page |

A high **Top author's share** means that your site depends on one writer. A falling **Read rate** means that readers leave before they finish.

## Reach and depth per author [#reach-and-depth-per-author]

The Web Analytics table **Reach and depth per author** lists each author. Two tabs sort the table: **Reach** sorts by reads, and **Depth** sorts by read rate.

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Author** | The author name. Click it to open the author's articles |
| **Reads** | Page views of articles this author is credited on |
| **Share** | The author's share of all reads that carry a byline |
| **Readers** | How many different people did the reading |
| **Articles** | How many different articles by this author were read in the period |
| **Per article** | Reads divided by articles. **Above** or **Below** marks authors far from typical |
| **Avg time** | How long a reader was active on the page, on average. Counted only while the tab is in focus |
| **Avg scroll** | How far down the page readers got, on average |
| **Read rate** | The share of measured reads that got at least halfway down |

**Above** means at least 1.5 times the reads per article of the typical (middle) author. **Below** means at most half. A **Few reads** chip marks authors with too few reads to rank fairly. Their depth figures can change a lot with a few readers.

A dash in **Avg time**, **Avg scroll** or **Read rate** means that nothing was measured. High reads with a low read rate means that the headline does better than the content.

### Counted twice over [#counted-twice-over]

A co-authored article gives its full reads to each of its authors. The **Reads** column then adds up to more than your site's page views. A note under the table shows this, such as **Counted twice over: +8% from co-authored articles**.

**Share** uses that larger total, so all shares still add up to 100%. When the table shows only some authors, the visible rows add up to less.

## Author articles [#author-articles]

When you click an author, a panel opens with **Articles, most read first**. The panel uses the dates and filters of the page.

Tiles at the top show **Articles**, **Reads** and **Reads per article**. The table lists each **Article** with **Reads**, **Readers**, **Avg time**, **Avg scroll** and **Read rate**. A **Shared article** chip names the co-authors.

If nothing by this author was read, the panel shows **No articles in this period**. Try a wider date range.

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

### Why does Authors show "No authors found yet"? [#why-does-authors-show-no-authors-found-yet]

Web Analytics found no byline in the structured data of your pages in this period. Check that your articles publish the author in JSON-LD or in a `<meta name="author">` tag. Also check that **Do not store article authors** is off in the tracking settings.

Owners and admins see **Name your authors to see who earns the reads** and the button **Open Tracking settings**. Authors appear within minutes of the first read of an article with a byline.

### Why do the reads add up to more than my page views? [#why-do-the-reads-add-up-to-more-than-my-page-views]

A co-authored article counts its full reads for each author. Pages without a byline are not counted at all. So the reads do not match your site's page views.

### Why is Read rate blank for an author? [#why-is-read-rate-blank-for-an-author]

No reader of this author sent an engagement reading. A visitor who closes the tab at once sends none. A dash means that nothing was measured.

### Why does Authors say "No authors match these filters"? [#why-does-authors-say-no-authors-match-these-filters]

Your filters leave no read with an author. Change or clear a filter in the dock.

## Related [#related]

- [Overview](/web-analytics/overview) - the Web Analytics pages and the most read pages
- [Engagement](/web-analytics/engagement) - reading depth for all pages
- [Domain settings](/domain/settings) - the tracking settings for bylines
- [Analytics script](/connect/analytics-script) - install the script