> Visits, clicks, read time.
> > Novel writers?
> Sales, reviews.
> > Pop song composers?
> Hits.
These are all proxies for revenue. So, you could just measure revenue.
Then you fall into the trap of producing mediocre creative work to try to maximize revenue.
It might be satisfying to deliver a hyper-optimized end product, using optimal algorithms everywhere, with everything tuned so that it delivers the maximum performance with the minimum resource usage. But is that what your customer is paying for? Or are they paying for a website that works well, and is operational at the end of the month?
Not everything has to be a work of high art. Pop art is fine too.