Create a metric in Optimizely with the metric builder

The natural-language metrics builder in Optimizely Experiment and Optimizely Personalization lets you define and add metrics to your experiments and campaigns. It asks you to define a small set of parameters that tell Optimizely how to measure and report the results. These parameters include the following:

• The winning direction (increase or decrease).
• What you want to measure (the numerator).
• The rate at which you want to measure it (the denominator).

Before you begin

If your account has access to metrics hub, you must create your metric before adding it to an experiment or campaign unless you plan on using a one-time metric or cross-project metric. 

Metrics hub is a centralized tool that lets you create and manage reusable metrics across experiments and projects. Metrics you create in metrics hub use the same builder experience described in this article.

The metrics builder

Use the metrics builder to create your own metrics, either directly in your experiment or through metrics hub (if enabled for your organization). First, select your metric type, then fill out the rest of the builder with your information.

The metrics builder UI varies slightly between regular and ratio metrics. See the following sections for examples.

Regular metrics

Regular metrics include the following types: Click Event Metric, Custom Event Metric, Overall Revenue, and Page Event Metric.

1. Name
2. Event
3. Winning direction
4. Numerator (aggregator)
5. Denominator

If Filter this metric on event properties is selected, the following display:

6. Event property
7. Condition
8. Value being evaluated

Regular metrics

1. Event
2. Name
3. Winning direction
4. Numerator (aggregator)
5. Denominator

If Filter this metric on event properties is selected, the following display:

6. Event property
7. Condition
8. Value being evaluated

Ratio metrics

1. Name
2. Winning direction
3. Numerator (aggregator) event
4. How to count the numerator event. Options include the following:
   • Unique conversions
   • Total conversions
   • Total revenue
   • Total value 
5. Denominator event
6. How to count the denominator event. Options include the following:
   • Unique conversions
   • Total conversions

Winning direction

The winning direction parameter (Increase or Decrease) defines the desired outcome for the metric in your experiment or campaign. This direction indicates whether an increase or decrease in the metric value is preferable.

• Increase – For most metrics, such as revenue or conversions, a higher value signifies success. An increase in these metrics typically indicates positive performance.
• Decrease – For some metrics, like bounce rate or cart abandonment, lower values represent an improvement. A decrease in these metrics typically indicates a positive performance.

By setting the winning direction, you guide Optimizely in evaluating and reporting the success of your experiments based on the desired changes in your metrics.

Numerators

The metrics builder has different types of metrics templates, also called numerators. You should select your metric's numerator based on the specific questions you want your experiment to answer.

• Unique conversions – Number of visitors with at least one conversion.
• Total conversions – Total number of conversions.
• Total revenue – Total revenue generated. You must set up revenue tracking in Optimizely Web Experimentation or revenue event tags in Optimizely Feature Experimentation first.
• Total value – Total of any other numerical value. See Total value and other numeric metrics.
• Bounce Rate (Optimizely Web Experimentation only) – Total number of times where the page is viewed is the first and only page the visitor sees before leaving your site.
• Exit Rate (Optimizely Web Experimentation only) – Total number of times where the page is viewed is the last page the visitor sees before leaving your site.

For ratio metrics, numerators can include unique conversions (unique count), total conversions (total count), total revenue, or the total value of the event you have selected.

For more details on each metric type, see Types of metrics and when to use them.

Denominators

The metrics builder's denominators are the rate at which your metric measures its numerator. For example, you could measure unique conversions per session or total revenue per conversion.

Because of the inherent differences between metric types and the differences between Optimizely campaigns and experiments, not every denominator works with every numerator.

For ratio metrics, the choices for the denominator are total count (total conversions) or unique count (unique conversions) of a second event. 

Optimizely's Stats Engine uses false discovery rate control to reduce your chance of making an incorrect business decision or implementing a false positive among conclusive results. To learn how Stats Engine prioritizes primary metrics, secondary metrics, and monitoring goals, see Optimizely's Stats Engine approach to metrics and goals.

Event property

Event properties can be added to your event during creation. When you send Optimizely events, you can add additional information about the product or action performed. This lets you track and view additional information on the Optimizely Experimentation Results page. 

Condition

The event property's condition indicates how the value is evaluated. Depending on the event property's type, the following are the different possible conditions:

• String – Is, Is not, Contains, Does not contain
• Number – =, <, ≤, >, ≥
• Boolean – Is, Is not

Value being evaluated

You define what value the property event should or should not evaluate to count as a metric. 

Open the metrics builder in Optimizely Web Experimentation and Optimizely Personalization

With metrics hub

See Create metrics section of the metrics hub documentation.

Without metrics hub

1. Go to Experiments and click on the experiment. If using Personalization, go to Optimizations and choose your campaign or experiment.
2. Click Track > Metrics to open the metrics tab.
3. Select an event or click Add Metric to open the metrics builder.

Optimizely Web Experimentation and Optimizely Personalization offer several pre-built metrics and a flexible numerator called total value. If you are unsure which metric to choose, see Types of metrics and when to use them.

To learn how to edit your metrics when you build them, see Edit a metric.

Open metrics builder in Optimizely Feature Experimentation

With metrics hub

See Create metrics section of the metrics hub documentation.

Without metrics hub

1. Go to Flags and click on the flag.
2. Click the A/B test or multi-armed bandit rule.
3. Select the Metrics search box.
4. Select or create an event to open the metrics builder.