One key theme keeps surfacing — somewhat ironically — as we talk more about AI: We need a laser focus on the customer, now. This should be high on the agenda for 2026. 

As Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour reminded me during our conversation at the INMA World Congress: “If you’re talking about traffic, you’re losing. These are people. Our customers.”

It’s a message that is simple but we need to keep hearing. Amid all the talk of AI disruption, changing platforms, and new revenue models, the one thing that remains entirely in our control is the experience we offer our readers. And yet, the way we measure success doesn’t always support that mission.

Across the industry, we’re still optimising for old metrics. Unique Page Views prioritise volume over value. Daily, weekly, and monthly active users track activity, but not depth. Time on site can reward stickiness — but not necessarily in a good way. And while ad teams are targeted on revenue, editorial teams often chase visit frequency or time spent.

These competing incentives create friction and risk pulling us away from what actually matters: delivering a great experience for the people we serve.

The problem with many of these metrics is they don’t account for the variety of ways readers engage. A loyal user might spend hours exploring your journalism — or they might just want a quick headline briefing before work. In that moment, a better experience is faster, not longer. But our KPIs don’t often reflect that.

If we truly want to optimise for the customer, we need to rethink what we measure. There’s no silver bullet, but there are smarter, more nuanced options to explore.

Composite metrics like frequency, recency, and volume (The FT’s RFV) can give a richer picture of engagement. Brand affinity — measuring depth of connection and likelihood to recommend — can capture value in ways time-on-site never will. And lifetime value (LTV) can help teams focus on sustainable growth, not just quick wins.

OpenAI seems to be optimising for customer utility. Social media opted for engagement.  Can we learn from this ruthless pursuit of one metric? Should we?  

Maybe the answer isn’t a single metric but a strategy — one that aligns everyone in the organisation around customer value while giving teams the space to focus on what matters most to them. Editorial might target habitual usage. Product might optimise for satisfaction. Commercial teams might focus on LTV. 

Or, as Katharine Bailey, global head of product and design at Condé Nast, told us at the INMA Product & Tech Town Hall: “We’re moving from MAU to WAU.” They are moving from engagement to loyalty. 

The key is all efforts ladder up to the same overarching goal: delivering an outstanding, relevant, user-centric experience. Because in the end, it’s simple: When we stop chasing traffic and start designing for people, everything else — loyalty, growth, revenue — has a much better chance of following. 

If you’d like to subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, INMA members can do so here. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .