Metadata: The Secret Sauce for Smarter Optimization

Why Metadata Makes a Huge Difference in Large Catalogs

Metadata lets you group outcomes for smarter, faster optimization—especially if you have a lot of products but limited traffic per product.

Real-World Scenario

You sell 400 different screen protectors for various devices, like mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

If you run a classic A/B test, you’d have to send a large volume of traffic to each individual product to get meaningful results. That means you’d need hundreds of thousands of visitors just to test every outcome, which isn’t practical for most businesses.

But in reality, you probably care more about certain product attributes—like what type of device the protector is for—than about each individual SKU.

Here’s where metadata shines:

• Suppose 20% of your screen protectors are for computers, 30% for tablets, and 50% for mobile phones.

• Instead of testing every single product as a unique outcome, you add a "device" field to each outcome’s metadata:

  • {"device":"mobile"}
  • {"device":"tablet"}
  • {"device":"computer"}

What happens next:

• The optimizer groups performance data across all “mobile” products, all “tablet” products, etc.
• Now, instead of spreading your test traffic across 400 possible outcomes, you’re optimizing across just 3. That means each group reaches statistical significance much faster—even if you only get a few hundred clicks per day.

You can go even further:

• Add more fields to metadata for even smarter grouping, like brand or product texture:

  • {"device":"mobile","brand":"Apple","texture":"matte"}

• The optimizer can then learn which combinations perform best, multiplying your insights while still requiring less traffic than any traditional A/B testing tool.

TIP

The more metadata you add, the more powerful the optimization becomes.

This is a central feature of Performance Now! that sets it apart from traditional A/B testing tools.

Bottom line:

If you use metadata grouping, Performance Now! gives you reliable optimization results with much less traffic.

You’ll spend less on ads, see results sooner, and make smarter business decisions—no developer or complex setup required.