Marfeel Recommender: Ranking profile types explained

The Marfeel Content Recommender provides pre-configured ranking profiles that each weight ranking signals differently to deliver content suited to specific audience needs. This guide explains every profile type so you can choose the right one for your content strategy.

Simple Rankers

Most Read	Highlights the articles that achieved the highest traffic in the selected period of time to attract users to content with proven broad appeal.
Latest	Features the most recently published articles on your site to promote breaking news and ensure users see the newest updates first.
Oldest	(Amplify only) Displays articles in publication order, starting from the oldest ones, ideal for automated social feeds or progressive content publishing.

Algorithm Rankers

Popular	Prioritizes articles with high traffic while also factoring in engagement and other signals.
Trendy	Features articles with a sharp increase in traffic over short periods to lever current momentum to engage users.
Similar	Recommends articles closely related to the one being viewed so users keep exploring content they’re already interested in.
Highest CTR	Surfaces articles that have performed well in terms of click-through rate to boost visibility of articles users are more likely to click on.
Personalized	Tailors recommendations to the user’s interests, preferences and behavior to increase engagement by aligning recommendations with user preferences.
Balanced	Provides well-rounded recommendations for broad audiences, ensuring all types of content get visibility without over-prioritizing one signal.

To keep recommendations fresh and engaging, the recommender system automatically excludes articles that a user has already read. This maximizes recirculation by encouraging users to explore new content rather than revisiting what they have already seen.

1. Most Read

The Most Read ranking profile highlights articles based solely on their overall traffic. It sorts articles from the highest number of views to the lowest over a specified period (e.g., last 24 hours, last week).

Ideal for

1. Showcasing your site’s top-performing content that resonates with a broad audience.
2. Highlighting evergreen or cornerstone articles that consistently attract high traffic.
3. Increasing page views by promoting content that has already proven popular.

Example usage

1. On your homepage, display a “Most Read Articles” section to attract new visitors with content that others find valuable.
2. Use sidebar modules to display the day’s most read articles, such as breaking news stories or viral features.
3. Include top-performing articles in newsletters to encourage click-throughs.

2. Latest

The Latest ranking profile prioritizes the recency of articles, ensuring that the newest content is presented to users first. It uses the publication date as the primary factor, regardless of other signals like popularity or personalization.

Ideal for

1. News websites or sections where timely information is crucial, such as breaking news or other time-sensitive content.
2. Keeping frequent visitors up-to-date with sections like “Latest News” or “Fresh Updates”.
3. Highlighting new content to boost initial visibility.

Example usage

1. A “Latest News” section that automatically updates with new articles as they are published.
2. On category or section pages, display the newest articles related to that topic.
3. A tech site can use this to display updates on the latest gadgets or industry announcements of any selected topic.

3. Popular

The Popular ranking profile highlights articles that are consistently performing well across multiple metrics. While it heavily weights the popularity ranking signal (based on visits), it also considers engagement and similarity to ensure a balanced selection of high-performing content.

Ideal for

1. Showcasing articles that are both widely read and highly engaging.
2. Promoting content that has sustained interest over time, not just short-term spikes.
3. Balancing proven popularity with content similarity to appeal to each specific audience.

Example usage

1. Use the Popular ranking profile in a “Popular Articles” section to highlight content that consistently resonates with readers.
2. Feature popular articles in email digests to drive engagement with proven performers.
3. Display popular content in sidebar widgets to keep users engaged with high-quality, contextually relevant articles.

4. Trendy

The Trendy ranking profile identifies articles with a sharp increase in traffic over short periods. It focuses on the trend ranking signal, spotting articles that have seen a recent spike in traffic that indicates growing interest. It balances recent activity with overall popularity to surface content that is on the rise.

Ideal for

1. Surfacing articles that are “on the rise” in interest.
2. Capturing viral content or topics that are suddenly in demand.
3. Engaging users with what is currently hot or newsworthy.
4. Encouraging users to read articles that others are finding interesting right now.

Example usage

1. A “Trending Now” or “What’s Hot” section to showcase articles gaining traction.
2. Push notifications or alerts for articles that are rapidly increasing in popularity.

5. Similar

The Similar ranking profile leverages the similarity ranking signal to recommend articles closely related to the one being viewed. It analyzes shared topics, sections, authors, and content similarity to suggest articles that are closely related to the current one.

Ideal for

1. Keeping users engaged with content on the same topic.
2. Deepening user exploration within a specific topic or category.
3. Increasing session duration by encouraging sequential reading.

Example usage

1. Inserting in-article suggestions that link to similar content.
2. “Related Articles” modules at the end of an article to encourage further reading.
3. If a user is reading an article about “healthy recipes,” this recommender might suggest other recipes, articles on nutrition, or cooking tips.

6. Highest CTR

The Highest CTR ranking profile emphasizes the Recirculation Modules Click-Through Rate (CTR) ranking signal. It surfaces articles that perform exceptionally well when recommended, indicating high user interest when the article is presented in recirculation modules.

Ideal for

1. Promoting content that has proven appeal in your recommendation modules.
2. Optimizing recirculation modules for higher overall CTR.
3. Highlighting articles that effectively capture user attention.

Example usage

1. Populating sidebar or footer recommendation widgets with high-CTR articles.
2. A shopping site might use this to display products or articles with the highest CTR in specific categories.
3. Testing different content placements to see which articles consistently get clicks.

7. Personalized

The Personalized ranking profile uses the personalization ranking signal to tailor recommendations to each user’s interests, preferences, and behavior. It considers the user’s browsing history, favorite topics, authors, and sections to suggest content that aligns with their individual interests.

Ideal for

1. Providing a unique experience for each user.
2. Increasing user loyalty by consistently delivering relevant content.
3. Encouraging return visits by catering to user preferences.
4. Logged-in users or returning visitors.

Example usage

1. A “Recommended for You” section that updates based on the user’s reading habits.
2. Email newsletters personalized with articles matching the subscriber’s interests.
3. A fashion site might recommend articles about brands, styles, or designers a user frequently views.

8. Balanced

The Balanced ranking profile integrates various signals, including threshold, base value, trend, pageview value, and CTR, to provide well-rounded recommendations. It does not overly emphasize any single factor, taking a holistic approach instead. For sites that need to fine-tune how these signals interact, the advanced configuration options allow adjusting individual signal weights.

Ideal for

1. General-purpose recommendations when no specific strategy is needed.
2. New users or anonymous visitors without personalization data.
3. Situations where a balance between popularity, relevance, and freshness is desired.

Example usage

1. General recommendation modules when no specific strategy is required.
2. Sites with diverse content or audiences.
3. Filling recommendation slots on pages where specific targeting is not required.
4. Serving content to users when personalization data is limited or unavailable.

9. Oldest

Amplify only

The Oldest ranking profile displays articles in their original publication order, starting from the oldest. It is primarily designed for automated social feeds or cases where chronological sequencing of content is needed.

Ideal for

1. Automated or scheduled social feeds that progressively share older articles.
2. Content campaigns that follow a chronological storyline.
3. Maintaining consistent order when publishing content in series.

Example usage

1. Automatically sharing archived articles from oldest to newest across social platforms.
2. Cycling through legacy or evergreen content in time order.
3. Feeding external systems that rely on chronological publishing logic.

Which Marfeel Recommender ranking profile should I use?

It depends on your content strategy. Use Most Read for proven popular content, Latest for breaking news, Trendy for viral or rising topics, Similar for deeper topic exploration, Highest CTR for optimizing recirculation widgets, Personalized for returning visitors, and Balanced for general-purpose recommendations without a specific strategy.

What is the difference between Most Read and Popular ranking profiles?

Most Read ranks articles solely by total traffic (pageviews) over a time period. Popular also heavily weights traffic but factors in engagement and similarity signals, providing a more balanced selection of high-performing content.

Does the Marfeel Recommender exclude articles users have already read?

Yes. The recommender system automatically excludes articles a user has already read from their recommendations, maximizing recirculation by encouraging users to explore new content.