- Number of social media followers
- Number of likes or reactions on posts
- Website traffic (without tracking conversions)
- App downloads (ignoring active usage)
- Page views (without engagement or goal completion)
- Email list size (without open/click rates)
- Press mentions or PR coverage
- Event attendees (without measuring ROI)
- Time spent on site (without actions taken)
- Ranking on trending charts (but no revenue impact)
They can feel rewarding, but they don’t tell you if your business is actually making money or retaining customers.
In business, vanity metrics are numbers that look impressive on the surface but don’t truly reflect growth, profitability, or customer value.