The term "high-performance document" refers to any piece PDF-based content that is particularly effective in serving its specific business purpose. Online content providers seeking a reliable way of creating high-performance documents need to adopt technology that facilitates the detailed measurement and analysis of reader behavior.
Defining document performance criteria
A document's performance must be judged in terms of the goals for which that document was created. Generally, businesses create documents with two key purposes in mind:
- Deliver content to as many readers as possible, within a targeted audience
- Engage those readers with content that is relevant, compelling and informative
However, every piece of online content is created with a different set of specific goals in mind, so the performance of any given document can be judged only according to its own unique set of criteria. The examples below illustrate this point by describing two high-performance documents that are achieving quite different goals with equal success.
A computer software firm makes a data sheet available on its website, to stimulate interest in a new product and inform potential customers. The document is downloaded by a large number of website visitors. Most read the entire document and many contact the company for more information.
A market research firm publishes a free report, hoping to demonstrate the expertise of its analysts to potential clients. Many readers find the report useful and often revisit it over the following months to check statistics. A significant number go on to purchase other reports published by the firm.
Optimizing document performance
Clearly, there is no "magic formula" for high-performance documents. Companies hoping to optimize their content need to establish processes, which allow them to
- Collect and analyze detailed data on how readers use and interact with content, in order to measure levels of engagement
- Test and adjust document style and content elements, in order to identify and emphasize those that engage readers most effectively
These processes will inevitably rely heavily on technology. Unfortunately, standard PDF technology offers no features that facilitate the collection and analysis of reader metrics.
Docmetrics: Optimize Your Electronic Content
Vitrium Systems has designed docmetrics to fulfill the need for document analytics technology that empowers content providers to measure and optimize the performance of their electronic documents. To learn more about the web-based docmetrics system and how it can benefit your business, simply click on the link below.
Learn More About Docmetrics
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