WikiQueer:Pageview statistics

Pageview stats refers to the number of times a particular page is viewed.

Page stats can help determine how popular a page is. But in no way, shape, or form is it an indication of a page's notability or inclusion under any other guidelines. If a page is viewed little, it is not a reason to consider it for deletion. At the same time, being viewed a lot is not a reason to save a page from deletion.

WikiQueer's inclusion guidelines are not about popularity. They are about coverage found in reliable sources, verifiability, and neutrality.

What factors can increase a page's viewing
There are many factors that affect the popularity of a page. These include:
 * General popularity: A subject well known to most people will probably get more views than one that is naturally more obscure. For example, an article about a head of state is likely to get more views than one about the mayor of a small town. An article about a star athlete is likely to get more views than one about a minor leaguer. An article about a musician with one of the top hits in the country is likely to get more views than that of a local street performer.
 * Current events: The subject of or related to a current event will likely get many more views during a time when it receives media coverage than a time when it is little discussed by the public. This sometimes explains spikes in stats during periods of time when such an event is taking place. For example, most Olympic athletes will get many more views during the Olympics than at other times. Articles on topics pertaining to a particular holiday may get more hits around the time of year that holiday takes place. And during an election year, anything somehow related to that election may be read more than at other times.
 * Even without a fixed schedule, a subject with an already existing article on a subject that previously laid low but has been thrust into the spotlight by a sudden, unexpected event may get readership spikes from the amount of media coverage that may continue as long as the news does or even for a long period of time thereafter. For example, Costa Concordia had an article dating back to 2006, but its readership greatly grew on January 13, 2012, the date of its sinking that became front page international news. Previously, the article was receiving around 1000 hits a month, but it passed 1 million in January 2012.


 * Incoming links from other WikiQueer pages. A page is more likely to get viewed when other WikiQueer pages link to it. These includes links found in the text itself, in a see also section, or in navigational templates. Readership may fluctuate as other articles are edited, and links to the page are increased or reduced.
 * Categories to which the page belongs, and the popularity of those categories
 * Also see Search engine optimization for more ideas.

How can I increase a page's stats?
See WikiQueer:Drawing attention to new pages and WikiQueer:Orphan for more information.

Relationship to numbers of edits
Increased readership has the potential to increase editing. But having a high level of pageview stats does not necessarily mean the page will receive more editing, and having a lower level does not necessarily mean it will receive less editing.

If a page you created or contributed to is receiving little or no editing, it is nothing to take personally.

A page may be read a lot, but receive little or no editing for a long time simply because no one feels any editing is needed during that time. Some topics are of interest to many to read, but few have the expertise to write about them. Protected and semi-protected pages get less editing while they are protected because fewer people are able to edit them. Some pages may simply be "complete" and not need any editing at the time.