The 3 metrics we actually track

The vanity metric problem

Dashboards full of green arrows. Traffic up. Followers up. Impressions up. Conversion rate down. Revenue flat. Most growth dashboards optimise for the feeling of progress, not actual progress.

Metric 1: Revenue per visitor

Traffic is not a business metric. Revenue per visitor is. It combines conversion rate and average order value into a single number that tells you whether your site is getting more efficient over time.

Metric 2: Customer acquisition cost by channel

Total marketing spend divided by new customers acquired — broken down by channel. This tells you which channels are scaling efficiently and which are hitting diminishing returns.

Metric 3: Net revenue retention

For subscription and repeat-purchase businesses, NRR measures whether your existing customer base is growing or shrinking in revenue terms. NRR above 100% means your business grows even without new customers.

How to build a metric-first culture

Agree on three to five metrics before you start any growth programme. Assign ownership. Review weekly. Do not add new metrics without removing one. Simple is sustainable.

Conclusion

You do not need more data. You need fewer metrics, more clearly owned, more consistently acted upon. The goal is not a perfect dashboard — it is a team that knows what matters and why.