How we track topics
      Back to home
      1. Help Center
      2. How we track topics

      Managing content categories

      Follow these steps to set up content categories to track the qualities of your content

      You have your organizational strategy and a list of categories and options on hand, and you’re ready to add them to Metrics for News. The steps below will walk you through the steps. 

      To learn more about the fundamentals behind content categories and autotagging, visit our article, Finding the stories that spark engagement.

      Please note: Only admin-level users can reach the settings to manage content categories. If you aren’t an admin, please contact your site admin or you can reach out to support@metricsfornews.com for help. 

      How do I add or manage content categories?

      1. Log in to Metrics for News.
      2. Go to Settings > under Content, select Content categories. 
      3. From here, you can add a new category, edit existing categories, or add options to existing categories. To add a new category, click “Add New Category”. Follow the instructions on the edit page. Tips for each step can be found on the page.  
      4. To edit an existing category, click “Edit Category”. Make adjustments on the edit page. 
      5. To add or edit an option to a category, please continue reading. 

      How do I add or manage content category options?

      Content category options are flexible and customizable, making them an incredibly powerful tool at your fingertips. Options are the individual items that make up the broader content category itself. 

      You can add autotagging rules to options to filter in or out specific content. Metrics for News offers a wide range of rule types to give you maximum flexibility. You could filter by rules ranging from metadata to entities to HTML or JavaScript. You can even combine them. 

      To add or edit an option to a category, go to an existing content category and select the green button named “Set Options” for the category you want.

      1. Add new option.
        1. Add website sections as topics: Select from the list of website sections automatically detected from your content. 
        2. Add artificial intelligence-based options: Select from pre-defined broad categories as the rules for this option. Select one to create the option. You can always change this later. 
        3. Add a custom option: Select this option to set your own rules for which content will be filtered into an option. 
          1. When you click “add a custom option”, a pop-up appears. 
            1. Fill in the fields for the name and description of this option (you can always change this later). 
            2. Click Save Topic. The option will be added to the list along the right. 
            3. Click Back to Topic options. 
          2. Find the option you just added and click Edit. 
          3. On the edit page, fill in the remaining fields: 
            1. Is this a combined option? You can create an option that includes other existing options. 
            2. Autotagging rules: Click Edit to open the page to manage autotagging rules. The instructions on this page explain which rules can be used, as well as formatting and syntax hints. 
            3. Artificial Intelligence tagging categories: These are the same pre-defined broad categories mentioned earlier. Choose them here to be used with or as the autotagging rules. 
            4. Status: Is in active use. This is checked by default to indicate an active option. 
              1. Uncheck this box if you no longer wish to tag this characteristic of future content. Historical data will be preserved for your reports. 
            5. Click Save Option.
      2. Import options: Choose this to bulk import options using a CSV file. 
        1. Create a new, blank CSV file. 
        2. In the header row, label a column with for name, description, and autotagging rules. We recommend using the labels suggested on the edit page. 
        3. Populate the spreadsheet with the options and save.
        4. Upload the file. 
        5. Return to the previous page and you should see the options appear shortly. You may need to refresh the page. 

      Remember that you can edit these anytime. Changes go into effect once you save, meaning they will apply to all newly imported content moving forward after saving. For historical content, contact us about re-tagging.

      How do I view the metrics for content categories? 

      1. For the default Topics category, you can view the dedicated dashboard available by selecting the menu across the top of Metrics for News.


      2. Under “More Dashboards”, look on the Categories page for content categories you’ve created.


      3. When viewing the Stories dashboard, the “Topics” column will tell you which topics each story has been tagged with.
      4. At the story level, you’ll find the topics here at your fingertips as well.
      5. Under “More Dashboards”, select the custom report function. Here, you can select any of the content category options you have manually created to populate a report.

      What should I consider when troubleshooting content categories? 

      Here are a few common things to look at when you are troubleshooting issues with your topics. 

      • Check the settings in the content category option to ensure they are set up correctly. Are your rules working as expected? Is the syntax exactly correct (an extra letter or missing punctuation can stop it from working properly)? If you’re unsure, email support@metricsfornews.com for a review.
      • Look at the published content that has been imported. Are any stories missing? Inspect stories that should have been included but weren’t to see if you can pinpoint why they were not included. Compare the story to the rule to see why it wasn’t filtered in. 

      Has your CMS gone through updates recently? Sometimes these changes impact the autotagging rules. For example, if a rule was using HTML, and now the HTML no longer exists in the story, you may need to update the rule.