Metric definitions, denominators and dashboards
Every marketing rate is a numerator divided by a denominator over a period with filters. Learn to state those parts, recalculate a figure from clearly defined inputs, compare cohorts fairly when conversions lag, spot mix effects, and check a dashboard number before you repeat it.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 60 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 1 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- State a metric's numerator, denominator, period and filters before reporting it
- Calculate click, conversion and cost metrics from clearly defined inputs and show the working
- Explain why two correct figures differ when their denominators differ
- Compare lead cohorts at the same age instead of by calendar month
- Recognize a mix (segment) effect and a likely data problem on a dashboard
- Write a metric definition card a colleague could reproduce
Course outline
- 1.Every rate has a denominatorVideo · 3 min
- 2.Every rate has a denominatorLesson · 16 min
- 3.Funnels, cohorts and lagLesson · 16 min
- 4.Reading and checking a dashboardLesson · 15 min
- 5.Metric definitions, denominators and dashboards: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 18 questions
- 6.The conversion rate that jumped overnightScenario
- 7.Final exam9 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Google Analytics Help: Engagement rate and bounce rate (engaged session definition)
- Google Analytics Help: About key events
- Kohavi, Tang and Xu: Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments: A Practical Guide to A/B Testing (Cambridge University Press, 2020)
- General marketing and sales practice (starter content; have a subject expert review it)
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.