Back to the glossary
Vanity metrics
Numbers that reliably go up, that feel like progress, and that no business decision has ever been made from.
Follower count, impressions and total likes are the usual three. They share a shape: they only ever grow, they can be bought, and they do not move when the business has a bad quarter.
The test is whether the number can fall for a good reason. Conversations can. Saves can. Profile visits can. A follower count that only ever climbs is measuring accumulation, which says little about performance.
They still have some value. Keep them where they belong, as context underneath the numbers that answer a question somebody actually asked.
We do this
Analytics & Reporting
Make smart decisions based on real data from your site and social networks
See the service