If you’re a SaaS founder running a tight ship, you know that metrics aren't just numbers on a dashboard—they're the lifeblood of decision-making.
When you’re trying to scale your SaaS, relying on gut feelings instead of data can be a costly mistake.
Understanding and tracking the right metrics isn't optional; it’s essential.
Take a look at Slack’s early growth story. In their first few years, Slack managed to skyrocket to over 8,000 users within 24 hours of launch and hit $1 million in ARR within just eight weeks.
How? They meticulously tracked KPIs that signaled product-market fit and user engagement, enabling them to fine-tune their strategy and outpace competitors.
This guide is designed to be your roadmap for implementing and tracking SaaS metrics on a weekly and monthly basis, empowering founders to make smarter, data-driven decisions and avoid the pitfalls of focusing on the wrong metrics.
To truly drive your SaaS growth, tracking your key performance indicators consistently is non-negotiable.
Establishing a regular cadence—whether it’s weekly, monthly, or both—keeps you in the driver’s seat, giving you visibility into emerging trends and uncovering opportunities before they slip away.
By being proactive rather than reactive, you’ll be well-equipped to catch potential issues early and make informed, data-driven decisions that fuel your company’s long-term success.
There are two main things to keep in mind when tracking your SaaS growth marketing metrics:
While there are plenty of fancy analytics tools available, sometimes simplicity is key.
Using a spreadsheet as your main source of truth keeps everything transparent and easy to manage. It also forces you to engage with the data in a hands-on way, which deepens your understanding of your company’s performance KPIs.
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Make sure to create a structured template where you input your KPIs each week or month. This way, you can track data like New Subs Revenue, Demo Show-Up Rate, and MRR Churn % side by side and spot trends over time.
You might wonder why it’s necessary to manually write down your SaaS metrics every week when you already have them available through various analytics platforms.
The reason is simple: engagement and focus. Manually inputting your data into a central dashboard forces you to engage actively with your numbers, encouraging deeper analysis and a more strategic approach.
When you measure and review your SaaS growth marketing metrics weekly, you’re not just glancing at data—you’re diving deep into the core of your growth drivers.
This practice allows you to understand the nuances of your performance, spot anomalies faster, and iterate on your strategies more effectively. Occasional, passive observation doesn’t give you the same insights or urgency to act.
By having a dedicated tracking routine, you ensure that metrics are not only recorded but also analyzed, discussed, and acted upon, ultimately driving better decisions and more consistent growth.
SaaS businesses live and die by their data. But not all SaaS metrics are created equal. Focusing on the right numbers will make a difference in your ability to scale effectively.
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Your website is your SaaS business's front line, where potential customers form their first impressions and begin their journey through your sales funnel.
Tracking the right SaaS metrics here helps you understand how well your site is performing and where there are opportunities to optimize for growth.
Let’s break down the KPIs you need to focus on:
Definition: Total number of people who visit your site.
Why It Matters: It’s your “top-of-the-funnel” metric. High visitor numbers are great, but they mean nothing if they don’t lead to engagement or conversions.
Actionable Insight: Use Google Analytics to identify high-traffic but low-conversion pages. Adjust content or calls-to-action (CTAs) to improve engagement.
Definition: People who navigate to your pricing page, indicating serious interest.
Why It Matters: A low percentage of visitors reaching this page could mean a disconnect in your messaging or funnel.
Actionable Insight: Experiment with clear, benefits-driven CTAs and run A/B tests to optimize the flow to your pricing page.
Definition: Users who land on your registration page, showing strong intent.
Why It Matters: A high drop-off rate here suggests friction in your registration process.
Actionable Insight: Simplify your form and consider social sign-ups. Reduce fields to only the essentials and test for improvements in completion rates.
Definition: Visitors who complete the registration and become users.
Why It Matters: This is your first significant conversion milestone, but quantity isn’t everything. Quality matters too.
Actionable Insight: Analyze which channels drive the highest quality registrations. Double down on the most effective sources.
Definition: Number of people who sign up for a free trial of your product.
Why It Matters: Converting trials into paying customers is your ultimate goal. If your conversion rate is low, your onboarding process may need work.
Actionable Insight: Use in-app messaging and personalized emails to guide users to experience your product’s value quickly.
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New subscription metrics reveal how well your marketing and sales efforts are converting interest into paying customers. But it’s not just about acquiring new users; understanding the quality and revenue impact of these subscriptions is just as important.
Definition: The total number of customers who sign up for a new subscription.
Why It Matters: It reflects your marketing and sales effectiveness. Quality over quantity is key.
Actionable Insight: Evaluate which marketing channels yield most new subscribers and double-down.
Definition: Revenue generated from new sign-ups.
Why It Matters: It’s crucial for cash flow and financial health.
Actionable Insight: Segment revenue by customer type to see where the most value comes from. Optimize acquisition strategies based on these insights.
Definition: Average revenue per new user. Helps assess if pricing aligns with customer value.
Why It Matters: Low ARPU can indicate underpricing or a high volume of low-value customers.
Actionable Insight: Test different pricing strategies or feature packages to increase ARPU.
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Your business's long-term success depends not only on acquiring new customers but also on retaining and growing revenue from your existing base.
These SaaS metrics reflect how well you’re retaining customers and increasing their lifetime value.
Definition: Measures the number of customers who continue their subscription after the initial term.
Why It Matters: Consistent renewals are essential for revenue predictability. A high renewal rate signals customer loyalty.
Actionable Insight: If renewals drop, gather feedback and address customer pain points proactively.
Definition: Tracks customers moving to higher-tier plans or purchasing add-ons.
Why It Matters: Indicates potential for revenue growth without acquiring new customers.
Actionable Insight: Use product usage data to tailor upgrade offers. Highlight relevant features.
Definition: Gross Revenue is the total income your business generates before deductions like refunds or operational expenses. Net Revenue is what’s left after these costs.
Why It Matters: Gross Revenue shows the scale of your business, but Net Revenue gives a clearer picture of profitability. Both metrics are crucial for financial planning and assessing overall health.
Actionable Insight: Focus on strategies that can boost Net Revenue, such as reducing refund rates or optimizing operational costs.
Definition: Refunded metrics track how much revenue is lost due to refunds. They provide insights into customer satisfaction and product alignment with user expectations.
Why It Matters: High refund rates can damage your financial stability and indicate potential issues with your product or marketing promises.
Actionable Insight: If you notice a high volume of refunds, dig into the reasons. Are users feeling misled by your marketing? Are there product bugs or shortcomings?
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These SaaS growth marketing metrics give you a clear view of your financial health and highlight where your growth efforts are succeeding or where challenges are emerging.
Definition: Start MRR is the recurring revenue you have at the beginning of a specific period.
Why It Matters: It gives you a point of comparison to evaluate how effective your strategies are in driving revenue growth or minimizing churn.
Actionable Insight: Use Start MRR as a benchmark. If your revenue growth stalls, reassess your acquisition, retention, and expansion strategies to identify areas for improvement.
Definition: New MRR is the revenue gained from brand-new customer subscriptions in a given period.
Why It Matters: It directly reflects the success of your customer acquisition strategies and your ability to bring in fresh revenue streams.
Actionable Insight: If your New MRR is lower than expected, analyze your sales and marketing tactics.
Definition: Reactivations are revenue gained from customers who previously churned but have returned and resubscribed.
Why It Matters: It’s a valuable revenue stream that can boost your MRR without the high costs associated with acquiring brand-new customers.
Actionable Insight: Implement reactivation campaigns to win back former customers. Personalized outreach or exclusive offers can be effective in re-engaging churned users.
Definition: Expansion MRR is the additional revenue generated from existing customers who upgrade their subscriptions or purchase add-ons.
Why It Matters: It indicates how well your product is delivering continuous value and highlights the effectiveness of your upsell strategies.
Actionable Insight: Track product usage data to identify upgrade opportunities. Implement targeted marketing campaigns to encourage customers to move to higher-tier plans or add more features.
Definition: Churned MRR is the amount of recurring revenue lost due to customer cancellations.
Why It Matters: It shows the impact of churn on your revenue, making it crucial to understand and address retention issues.
Actionable Insight: Analyze the reasons behind customer churn. Use feedback to improve your product and support offerings, reducing the likelihood of future cancellations.
Definition: MRR Churn % is the percentage of your total MRR lost to churn over a period. Calculated as (Churned MRR / Start MRR) x 100.
Why It Matters: It’s a critical metric for understanding revenue loss and assessing the stability of your business.
Actionable Insight: A high MRR Churn % requires immediate action. Focus on improving customer onboarding, product value, and ongoing support to reduce churn.
Definition: End MRR is the total monthly recurring revenue at the end of the period, accounting for all changes throughout the month.
Why It Matters: It’s a comprehensive indicator of your revenue health and highlights whether your growth strategies are working.
Actionable Insight: Consistently monitor your End MRR. If it’s not increasing, identify which components (new sales, churn, or expansions) are underperforming and make strategic adjustments.
Definition: New Net MRR is the net revenue gained after accounting for new subscriptions, expansions, and churned revenue.
Why It Matters: It provides a clear picture of your overall MRR growth efficiency and helps you understand whether your strategies are net positive.
Actionable Insight: If your New Net MRR is low, prioritize reducing churn or enhancing expansion efforts. Analyze customer behavior and adjust your approach to maximize growth.
Definition: MRR Growth measures the percentage increase or decrease in MRR over a specific period.
Why It Matters: It’s a key metric for tracking overall business growth and evaluating whether your efforts to scale are successful.
Actionable Insight: To boost MRR Growth, maintain a balanced focus on acquisition, retention, and expansion. Regularly review your performance and adapt your strategy to sustain healthy, consistent growth.
Tracking your advertising metrics helps you understand the effectiveness of your campaigns and where you should allocate your budget for the best impact. Let’s look at the key metrics to focus on for optimizing your ad spend.
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Your Facebook Ads campaigns can be a significant growth driver if managed efficiently. Analyzing the right metrics ensures your advertising dollars are well spent and driving the desired outcomes.
Definition: The total number of users who visit your website or landing page from Facebook Ads.
Why It Matters: High traffic from ads is great, but you need to assess the quality. Are these visitors engaging and converting, or just bouncing off your site?
Actionable Insight: Use Facebook Ad Manager to track landing page views to your website and optimize click-through rate with better ad hooks.
Definition: The total amount of money spent on Facebook Ads over a given period.
Why It Matters: Tracking ad spend helps you effectively manage your budget.
Actionable Insight: Regularly review your Facebook Spend to ensure it aligns with your return expectations. If certain campaigns aren’t delivering, reallocate your budget to higher-performing ones.
Definition: The cost incurred for each click on your Facebook Ads.
Why It Matters: A high CPC indicates that your targeting is off or ads aren’t resonating with audience.
Actionable Insight: A/B test different ad creatives and audience segments to lower your CPC.
Definition: The total number of purchases attributed to your Facebook Ads.
Why It Matters: It shows the effectiveness of your ads in driving actual conversions and revenue.
Actionable Insight: Dig into which ad sets drive the most purchases and double down on successful strategies. If conversion rates are low, test different landing pages or messaging.
Definition: The percentage of people who clicked on your ad and completed a desired action, such as signing up or making a purchase.
Why It Matters: A low conversion rate could suggest a mismatch between your ad content and landing page or an unclear call to action.
Actionable Insight: Align your ad creative with the landing page experience and test variations.
Definition: The total revenue generated from conversions directly attributed to your Facebook Ads.
Why It Matters: It helps you assess the direct financial impact of your advertising efforts.
Actionable Insight: Compare your Facebook Revenue to your Facebook Spend to understand your profitability. If revenue isn’t scaling with spend, optimize your campaign targeting and creative.
Definition: The cost of acquiring a new customer through Facebook Ads.
Why It Matters: It’s crucial for understanding whether your ad spend is yielding a sustainable return.
Actionable Insight: If your Facebook CAC is too high, revisit your ad funnel and consider targeting higher-intent audiences. Simplifying the user journey can also help reduce acquisition costs.
Definition: The total profit from Facebook Ads after subtracting spend from Facebook Revenue.
Why It Matters: It gives you a clear picture of whether your campaigns are delivering a net positive impact on your business.
Actionable Insight: Focus on campaigns with the highest profit margins.
Definition: The revenue earned for every dollar spent on Facebook Ads.
Why It Matters: It’s a key metric that shows how well your ads are converting spend into revenue.
Actionable Insight: If your ROAS is lower than desired, review your ad strategy and optimize elements like targeting, bidding, and creatives. Small tweaks can have a significant impact.
Definition: The percentage of total purchases attributed to Facebook Ads compared to other channels.
Why It Matters: Helps you compare Facebook ads purchases with the total number of purchases.
Actionable Insight: If a large percentage of your purchases come from Facebook, ensure you’re diversifying your advertising channels to mitigate risk.
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Google Ads can be a powerful way to reach high-intent customers, but you need to track key SaaS metrics to ensure your campaigns are profitable and efficient. Here’s what to focus on:
Definition: The total number of visitors driven to your site from Google Ads.
Why It Matters: It helps you measure effectiveness of your campaigns in driving website traffic.
Actionable Insight: Monitor which keywords bring in quality traffic. If engagement metrics are poor, adjust your keyword targeting or ad copy.
Definition: The total amount of money spent on Google Ads within a specific period.
Why It Matters: Managing your spend is essential for maximizing the ROI of your ad campaigns.
Actionable Insight: Set daily or campaign-level budgets to control costs. Review spend regularly and pause underperforming campaigns to optimize budget allocation.
Definition: The cost for each click on your Google Ad.
Why It Matters: High CPCs can quickly eat into your budget, making it important to control costs.
Actionable Insight: Use negative keywords to filter out bad clicks and bid on high-converting kws.
Definition: The number of conversions or purchases resulting from Google Ads.
Why It Matters: It measures the direct impact of your ad campaigns on driving sales.
Actionable Insight: Analyze which keywords and ads drive the most purchases and allocate more budget to these. If conversions are low, revisit your landing page experience.
Definition: The percentage of ad clicks that result in a desired action, like a purchase or signup.
Why It Matters: A low conversion rate indicates low ad relevance or landing page experience.
Actionable Insight: Test different ad copy and landing page designs to improve conversion rates.
Definition: The revenue generated from conversions directly attributed to Google Ads.
Why It Matters: It’s a measure of how effectively your ad campaigns are turning traffic into revenue.
Actionable Insight: Track which campaigns bring in the highest revenue and focus on scaling those. If revenue isn’t scaling, consider adjusting your keyword strategy or ad targeting.
Definition: The cost of acquiring a new customer through Google Ads.
Why It Matters: Understanding CAC helps you determine if your ad spend is sustainable.
Actionable Insight: If Google Ads CAC is too high, optimize your ad targeting or improve the post-click experience. Streamlining the conversion path can lead to lower acquisition costs.
Definition: The profit earned from Google Ads after subtracting ad spend from Google Ads Revenue.
Why It Matters: It gives a clear view of whether your Google Ads campaigns are profitable.
Actionable Insight: Focus on maximizing profit by reallocating budget to high-ROI ones.
Definition: ROAS for Google Ads, showing how much revenue is made for every dollar spent.
Why It Matters: It’s a crucial metric for understanding the efficiency of your ad campaigns.
Actionable Insight: If ROAS is below target, reassess your bidding strategy and ad quality. Improving ad relevance and targeting can significantly boost returns.
Definition: The percentage of total purchases attributed to Google Ads compared to other channels.
Why It Matters: It helps you identify the percentage of Google ads-attributed purchases out of your total purchases.
Actionable Insight: If Google Ads account for a large percentage of purchases, ensure you’re diversifying your marketing efforts. This reduces dependency on a single channel and spreads risk.
Definition: The combined customer acquisition cost from both Facebook and Google Ads.
Why It Matters: It provides a comprehensive view of how much you’re spending to acquire customers through paid advertising.
Actionable Insight: If ADS CAC is unsustainable, assess which platform is delivering better returns and adjust your budget accordingly.
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Demo engagement and conversion SaaS metrics will give you insight into the effectiveness of your sales process and how well your team is closing deals. Here’s what to pay attention to:
Definition: The total number of people who visit your demo scheduling page.
Why It Matters: This metric indicates the level of interest your marketing efforts are generating in your product. However, it’s not just about traffic volume; it’s about ensuring these visitors are high-quality leads who are likely to convert.
Actionable Insight: If you have a high number of Demo Visitors but few conversions, evaluate your messaging on the demo page.
Definition: The number of demo calls that have been scheduled.
Why It Matters: This metric is a strong indicator of how well your marketing and sales efforts are working to generate qualified leads.
Actionable Insight: Make it easy for visitors to schedule demos by reducing friction, such as implementing one-click scheduling or offering flexible time slots.
Definition: The total number of demo calls completed, regardless of the outcome.
Why It Matters: Completed demos are a key step in the sales funnel, and tracking this metric helps you gauge the effectiveness of your team’s follow-through and customer interest.
Actionable Insight: If you have a high no-show rate, consider sending reminder emails or SMS messages. Offering a personalized follow-up email immediately after scheduling can also help increase the likelihood of attendance.
Definition: The percentage of scheduled demos that are actually attended by prospects. Calculated as (Demos Done Total / Demos Scheduled) x 100.
Why It Matters: A low show-up rate can be a major bottleneck in your sales process and waste valuable time for your team.
Actionable Insight: To improve your Demo Show-Up Rate, experiment with different follow-up strategies, like sending engaging reminders that emphasize the value of the demo.
Definition: The number of purchases made by prospects who attended a demo.
Why It Matters: This metric directly correlates with the success of your demo calls and your team’s ability to convert interested leads into customers.
Actionable Insight: If Demo Purchases are low, review your demo script and process. Ensure your sales team is clearly communicating the product’s value and addressing pain points.
Definition: The total revenue generated from purchases made by prospects who attended a demo.
Why It Matters: This metric helps you understand the financial impact of your demo calls and whether they’re attracting high-value customers.
Actionable Insight: If Demo Purchase Amounts are lower than expected, consider offering premium packages or highlighting features that justify higher pricing.
Definition: The percentage of demo attendees who convert into paying customers. Calculated as (Demo Purchases / Demos Done Total) x 100.
Why It Matters: This metric reveals how persuasive and effective your demo process is. A high conversion rate indicates a well-structured demo, while a low rate suggests there may be room for improvement.
Actionable Insight: To boost your Demo Call Conversion Rate, train your sales team to tailor demos to each prospect’s specific needs. Use storytelling and relevant examples to make a compelling case.
The SaaS growth marketing metrics you choose to prioritize aren’t just numbers—they’re the building blocks of your company’s future.
Tracking KPIs like MRR, CAC, and LTV with precision allows you to unlock insights that can and should inform every aspect of your business—from optimizing your acquisition strategies to enhancing customer retention and driving upsell opportunities.
And here’s the reality: In a hyper-competitive market, relying on gut feelings or anecdotal evidence simply won’t cut it. Companies that thrive are those that make proactive, strategic decisions grounded in data.
But remember, it’s not just about gathering information; it’s about turning that data into a continuous feedback loop for experimentation, learning, and iteration.
Adopt a Metrics-First Culture: Make metrics an integral part of your company’s DNA. This means regular, intentional reviews and a commitment to using insights to guide every major business decision.
Balance Growth Levers: Ensure you’re not leaning too heavily on acquisition without equal investment in retention and expansion. A balanced focus protects against growth stalls and amplifies your revenue potential.
Iterate Relentlessly: Use your data to fuel a relentless cycle of improvement. The best founders know that what works today might not work tomorrow, so continuous testing and adaptation are non-negotiable.
By turning data into a strategic weapon, you’ll set your SaaS business on a path of compounding growth and long-term success.
Taking action is easier when you have the right resources.
Here are some essential tools and templates we believe will help you streamline tracking your SaaS growth marketing metrics:
Google Analytics: For tracking website metrics like traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. Set up custom dashboards to monitor key performance indicators at a glance.
Stripe / ProfitWell: For tracking and analyzing revenue metrics like MRR, churn, and LTV. Integrates seamlessly with Stripe to provide detailed insights into your SaaS financial performance, making it easy to spot trends and identify areas for revenue optimization.
Mixpanel or Amplitude: Ideal for tracking user engagement and product metrics. These platforms help you understand how users interact with your product and where there are opportunities for optimization.
HubSpot: A robust tool for tracking lead generation, customer lifecycle stages, and sales performance, making it a go-to for acquisition KPIs.
Step 1: Identify the metrics most relevant to your business stage and goals. Avoid clutter by focusing on what matters—like New MRR and Demo Call Conversion Rate if you're early-stage, or LTV ratio if you're scaling.
Step 2: Customize your dashboard to highlight key metrics, making it easy to spot trends and anomalies. Use graphs and color coding to quickly understand your data.
Step 3: Schedule regular review sessions to analyze your metrics. Make data analysis a collaborative effort, involving team members from marketing, product, and customer success to gain diverse insights.
When choosing analytics tools, consider your business size and resources. Early-stage startups might be better off with simple, cost-effective solutions like spreadsheets or basic analytics tools.
As you grow, investing in more sophisticated platforms with automation capabilities can save time and offer deeper insights.
Our free growth marketing plan is an opportunity to dig deep into your SaaS and uncover growth opportunities. No strings attached, just value.