Vanity metric
Measurement and data
Measurement and data
A vanity metric is a number that looks good but says nothing about results, such as followers, likes or total visitors.
Vanity metrics rise easily and feel like progress, but you can't make a decision on them. They can go up while revenue or enquiries stay flat.
Use them at most as an early signal, always next to a number about results, such as conversion rate, cost per customer or customer value.
Tip
Ask of every number: what would I do differently if this doubled or halved? If you don't know, it doesn't belong at the top of your report.
Related terms
- EngagementEngagement is the interaction on your content: comments, saves, shares, watch time and clicks — a signal that people actually do something with your post.
- Conversion rateConversion rate (CR) is the share of visitors who take the desired action: buy, request, call or subscribe.
- RPVRPV (revenue per visitor) is revenue divided by visitors. With €20,000 revenue and 10,000 visitors, RPV is €2.