Objectives and saved objectives

Every experiment is measured on objectives: the events your website sends, like purchase or add_to_cart. You choose them on the Objectives card, under the experiment's Settings tab.

Primary and secondary objectives

Primary objective. This is what decides the experiment's result. The winner and its significance are worked out on this event. Each experiment has exactly one primary objective.

Secondary objectives. These are reported next to the primary as supporting evidence, in the order you list them. They never change the result. Use them to check what else a change affected, for example whether a new checkout button that raises purchases also lowers newsletter sign-ups.

An event can't be both the primary and a secondary objective in the same experiment.

Choosing the primary objective

1. 1Open the experiment and go to Settings.
2. 2In the Objectives card, click the Primary objective field.
3. 3Pick an event, or type to search.

The list is grouped:

• Website default: follows the conversion event set in your website's settings. The event it uses is shown next to it. If nothing is set, purchase is assumed.
• Mapped as primary: events your website has marked as primary objectives.
• Mapped as secondary: events marked as secondary objectives. You can still use one as the primary, because what matters most can change from one experiment to the next.
• Not mapped: every other event your website has sent.

Adding secondary objectives

1. 1In the Objectives card, click Add secondary objective.
2. 2Pick an event, or type to search. Events mapped as secondary are listed first, then events mapped as primary, then events that aren't mapped.
3. 3To remove one, click the × on its row.

Secondary objectives appear in the report in the order shown, numbered 1, 2, 3 and so on.

Using an event that isn't mapped

If you pick an event your website hasn't mapped yet, it's saved on the experiment straight away. A short prompt then asks whether to map it on your website too:

• Map as secondary (or Map as primary): the event is offered near the top of the list for every experiment on this website. Mapped secondary events are also added automatically to new experiments.
• Not now: only this experiment uses it, and your website's mapping stays as it is.

You can also change mapping at any time in your website's settings.

Objectives are locked while an experiment is running

Once an experiment starts, its objectives can't be changed. The card shows a lock note and the fields become read-only.

The lock is there for two reasons:

• Pertento starts collecting your chosen events when the experiment starts.
• A result calculated on an event that was only measured for part of the run wouldn't be reliable.

To measure something else, duplicate the experiment and start the copy.

Set your objectives before you start. Every objective chosen before the start is measured from the first visitor, mapped or not.

Saved objectives

If you often measure the same set of events, save it once and load it onto other experiments on the same website. Use the Saved objectives menu at the top right of the Objectives card.

Save the current objectives

1. 1Click Saved objectives, then Save as new…
2. 2Give it a name, for example "Checkout funnel". Names must be unique on the website.
3. 3Click Save objectives.

The card now shows Loaded from Checkout funnel.

If the primary objective is Website default, it's saved as Website default. Each experiment that loads it then follows its own website's default event.

Load saved objectives onto an experiment

1. 1Open another experiment on the same website and go to Settings.
2. 2Click Saved objectives and pick one under Load · replaces current, or choose Search all saved objectives… to see them all.
3. 3Check the box listing what will be removed and added, then confirm.

Loading replaces the experiment's current primary and secondary objectives. Right after loading, a message with Undo appears for 8 seconds if you change your mind.

You can't load saved objectives onto a running experiment, because its objectives are locked.

Edit after loading

You can still change objectives after loading them. When you do, the card shows Edited since load.

To keep your changes in the saved set, click Saved objectives and then Update "Checkout funnel". Experiments that loaded it earlier keep their own copy and aren't changed.

Rename or delete

Open Saved objectives, then Search all saved objectives…. Hover over an entry and use the pencil to rename it or the bin to delete it.

Deleting a saved set doesn't change any experiment that already loaded it.

Good to know

• Saved objectives belong to one website. You can only load them onto experiments on that website.
• Loading copies the objectives onto the experiment. Later edits to the saved set never change experiments that already used it.
• If you can't see the Saved objectives menu, your account has view-only access. Ask an admin on your team.
• An event only appears in the lists after your website has sent it at least once.