Personalize Content with Audiences

Why personalization matters

A first-time visitor and a loyal customer have different needs. Showing the same hero banner to both wastes an opportunity to increase engagement. Personalization lets you display different content to different audiences based on their behavior, location, device, or profile, without creating separate pages for each group.

How audience-based personalization works

The CMS evaluates each visitor against a set of criteria (visitor groups or audiences) when they load a page. If the visitor matches a group, they see the content assigned to that group. If they do not match any group, they see the fallback content.

The flow works like this:

1. A visitor requests a page.
2. The CMS checks the visitor against each audience defined on that page.
3. The first matching audience determines which content variation the visitor sees.
4. If no audience matches, the visitor sees the default (fallback) content.

Personalize a content area

Content areas are the primary place where you apply personalization. Each content area on a page can show different blocks to different audiences.

1. Open the page you want to personalize.
2. Click on the content area where you want to add personalized content.
3. Click the Personalization button (person icon) on the content area toolbar.
4. Select Add Personalized Content or Add Group.
5. Choose a visitor group or audience from the list.
6. Drag a block into the content area for that audience. This is the content only members of this group see.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 for additional audiences.
8. Verify the fallback content. The default block (outside any audience group) shows to visitors who do not match any audience.
9. Click Save.

CMS

On CMS SaaS with Visual Builder, personalization options appear in the component panel when you select a content section. You can switch between audience views directly in the visual editor.

CMS

On CMS PaaS, personalized content areas display a colored bar indicating which visitor group each block targets. The bar color matches the visitor group icon in the configuration.

Set fallback content

Fallback content appears when a visitor does not match any audience. Never leave the fallback empty, or unmatched visitors see a blank area.

1. In the personalized content area, locate the Default or Fallback section.
2. Add a block that works for a general audience. This is often the most broadly relevant version of the content.
3. Save the page.
4. Verify the fallback by previewing the page without any visitor group selected.

Test personalized content

You need to verify that each audience sees the correct content before publishing.

1. Open the page in the editor.
2. Use the Preview mode.
3. Select a visitor group from the View as or Visitor Group dropdown in the preview toolbar.
4. Confirm the correct personalized content appears for that group.
5. Switch to a different visitor group and verify its content.
6. Select Anonymous or No group to verify the fallback content.
7. Repeat for every audience you configured.

Personalize for commerce discounts

If you use Optimizely Commerce, you can target discounts and promotions to the same visitor groups you use for content personalization.

1. Open the promotion or discount in the Commerce interface.
2. In the Conditions or Targeting section, select a visitor group.
3. Only visitors who match the group qualify for the discount.
4. Combine with personalized banners. Show a “Members Only: 20% Off” banner to the loyalty visitor group, and a “Sign Up and Save” banner to anonymous visitors.

CMS

Commerce discount targeting is available on CMS PaaS with the Optimizely Commerce add-on. Visitor groups must be configured in the CMS admin before they appear in Commerce discount conditions.

Best practices

• Start with two or three audiences. Adding too many groups makes testing and maintenance difficult.
• Always set fallback content. A blank content area damages the visitor experience for unmatched users.
• Prioritize audience order. If a visitor matches multiple groups, the CMS uses the first match. Put your most specific audiences at the top.
• Use meaningful names. Name visitor groups by behavior or intent (“Returning Customers,” “Mobile Visitors”) rather than by the content they see.
• Monitor performance. Use analytics or A/B testing to measure whether personalized content actually improves engagement compared to the fallback.

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Related content

Continue your journey with these related pages.

🔧Follow a guide

• Configure Visitor Groups
• Visual Builder Basics
• Manage the Blocks Library