meistgelesene

Meistgelesene is a German term meaning “most read” and is commonly used as a label for lists or sections that display the content with the highest readership on a website, app, or publication. The term applies to articles, posts, or other content types and is typically generated by web analytics systems that track reads or views.

These lists are usually updated according to a defined period, such as in real time, daily, weekly, or monthly, and may be scoped to a single publication or to an entire site. The primary purpose is to highlight popular material, assist reader discovery, and provide publishers with a gauge of engagement. Meistgelesene sections can influence navigation by steering readers toward widely read pieces and can correlate with higher traffic and monetization opportunities.

Limitations include the fact that popularity does not equal quality, and rankings can be affected by sensational headlines, recency bias, or traffic manipulation if bots and non-genuine views are not filtered. Many platforms apply filters or thresholds to improve accuracy, such as excluding automated traffic or deduplicating views from the same user.

Variants of the concept exist in other German terms, such as Leserfavoriten or meistgeklickt, and analogous “most read” sections appear across German-language news portals, magazines, and other digital media. Meistgelesene serves as a snapshot of audience interest and a tool for content discovery within digital journalism and online publishing.