Back to all workWEditorial reporting Contributors4 Articles updated33 Net words recorded+3,480
WordPress and WooCommerce
Editorial contribution tracker
A clearer record of who contributed what.
Standard reports credited the whole article to its original author, even when other people had written or edited it. We built a WordPress reporting tool that records the words each person actually contributes.
Contribution tracker
Editorial overview
ContributorActivityNet words
AMAlex MorganEditor
12 articles+1,284JRJamie ReedEditor
9 articles+936SPSam PatelEditor
7 articles+742TCTaylor ChenEditor
5 articles+518Illustrative reporting data
The requirement
An article total could not explain who did the work.
Adding a few words to an existing article could be recorded as the full article length. Shared work was also credited to the original author, leaving managers without a dependable view of individual contributions.
- Record the words each editor actually contributes
- Credit the active editor rather than the original author
- Show contribution history by person and article
- Include selected article and FAQ content
- Provide reports that editorial managers can use
The reporting problem
From article totals to actual contributions.
The important change was not another dashboard. It was recording editorial work in a way that reflected how shared publishing actually happened.
BeforeWhole-article reporting
- ×Credits the final article length
- ×Uses the original post author
- ×Can inflate totals after small edits
Article length2,460 words
AfterContribution reporting
- ✓Records the net words contributed
- ✓Credits the active editor
- ✓Keeps a dated article history
Editor contribution+86 words
What we built
Reporting that follows the editorial workflow.
Managers can start with a contributor overview, then open a person’s history to see which articles changed and by how much.
Contributor reports
A clear total and chronological contribution history for each WordPress user.
Article history
Each record shows the article, net words contributed and the date of the change.
Article and FAQ content
Selected FAQ fields are included alongside the main article without double counting.
Useful exports
Contribution history can be paged, reviewed and exported as a CSV file.
AM
Contributor reportAlex Morgan
ArticleNet wordsDate
Planning useful customer interviews+18614 May
Building an editorial calendar+9412 May
A practical guide to content reviews−288 May
Writing clearer service pages+1323 May
Illustrative reporting data
How it works
From saved edit to useful report.
The tracking happens as part of the normal WordPress editing process, without asking writers and editors to maintain a separate record.
- 01
Edit the content
A writer or editor updates an article or its related FAQ content in WordPress.
- 02
Measure the change
The newly saved version is compared with the previous one, so only the net contribution is counted.
- 03
Credit the editor
The contribution is recorded against the person making the change, not simply the original article author.
- 04
Review and export
Managers can review totals, inspect article-level history and export the contribution record when needed.
The outcome
A more credible record of editorial work.
The tracker gives managers a practical contribution history while recognising the difference between writing, editing, publishing and revising.
Right contributor
Work is credited to the person making the change.
Actual change
Net words replace misleading article totals.
Useful history
Contributions can be reviewed by person and article.
Exportable record
Managers can take the reporting into a CSV file.
Technology
The technology behind the tracker.
WordPress- PHP
- MySQL
- Advanced Custom Fields
- Custom data model
- CSV export
About this project
- Category
- WordPress and WooCommerce development
- Services
- Plugin development, reporting and editorial workflow design
- Architecture
- Custom WordPress plugin with dedicated contribution records
- Content
- Standard post content and selected Advanced Custom Fields
Need clearer reporting from WordPress?
Tell us what needs to be recorded, who needs to review it and where the current report falls short.