Analytics metrics, defined and explained
Most measurement arguments are definition arguments. Two people say "active users" and mean different things, so the numbers never reconcile. These pages fix the definition first, then the formula, then the decision the metric is supposed to drive.
16 guides in 4 parts
Part 01
Metrics versus analytics
The distinction that decides how you structure everything else.
- 01Metrics vs Analytics: What Is the Difference?
A metric commits to a denominator. Analytics is the discipline of refusing it and recomputing.
- 02How to Pick the Right KPIs: Start with Your Business, Not Your Dashboard
Learn a systematic process for selecting KPIs that matter. Covers the most common KPI mistakes and how to avoid tracking too many metrics.
- 03The North Star Metric: Finding the One Number That Defines Your Growth
Learn how to identify and track a North Star Metric that aligns your entire team around sustainable growth.
- 04The Danger of Vanity Metrics: Why Pageviews and Visitors Do Not Matter
Learn to identify vanity metrics that look impressive but do not drive decisions.
Part 02
Usage and engagement
Who is active, how often, and whether that is going up.
- 01What Is MAU? Monthly Active Users Defined and Calculated
MAU (monthly active users) counts unique users who take a qualifying action in a 30-day window.
- 02Product Adoption Dashboard: The Metrics That Show Whether Users Actually Get Value
Beyond DAU/MAU - building a product adoption dashboard that tracks activation, feature discovery, time-to-value, habit formation, and expansion readiness.
- 03Product-Led Growth Metrics: What to Track When Your Product Is Your Sales Team
Learn which metrics matter for PLG companies. Covers activation, expansion triggers, viral coefficients, and self-serve revenue tracking.
- 04Activation Rate Optimization: Getting New Users to Their Aha Moment
Learn how to define, measure, and improve your product activation rate.
Part 03
Retention and churn
Who comes back, who leaves, and how early you can tell.
- 01What Is Customer Churn? Definition, Calculation, and Prevention Strategies
Understand customer churn rate, how to calculate it, industry benchmarks, and proven strategies to reduce churn.
- 02Net Revenue Retention: The Most Important SaaS Metric Investors Look At
Learn what net revenue retention (NRR) is, how to calculate it, and why it matters more than growth rate for SaaS businesses seeking sustainable expansion.
- 03Cohort Analysis: How to Track User Groups Over Time and Why It Matters
A comprehensive guide to cohort analysis. Learn how to group users by behavior or time period and track how their engagement changes over weeks and months.
- 04SaaS Churn: How to Diagnose, Measure, and Fix Your Retention Problem
A comprehensive guide to SaaS churn analytics. Covers churn rate calculation, cohort analysis, leading indicators, and proven retention strategies.
Part 04
Growth and lifecycle
The metrics that describe a business rather than a page.
- 01Growth Metrics: What to Track, Formulas, and Benchmarks
Growth metrics fall into five categories: revenue growth, acquisition, activation, retention, and efficiency.
- 02Customer Life Cycle Stages: The 6 Stages Explained
The six customer lifecycle stages are awareness, acquisition, activation, retention, revenue, and referral.
- 03Cost Per Acquisition for SaaS: Why You Need Customer Analytics to Get It Right
Learn how to calculate true CPA for SaaS including multi-touch attribution, channel-level analysis, and the relationship between CPA and customer lifetime value.
- 04Marketing ROI: How to Measure What Matters and Prove Your Impact
A practical framework for measuring marketing ROI beyond vanity metrics.
Definitions used in this guide
Power Users, Engagement Score, Purchase Frequency, Retention Analysis, Real-Time Analytics.