---
title: Audiences
slug: cms-12/docs/Cwkc-audiences
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-08-10T15:55:55.000Z
---

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**

This topic is for administrators and developers with administration access rights in Optimizely Content Management System (CMS).
:::

Personalization in CMS lets you target website content to selected *audiences* (formerly called *visitor groups*). The personalization feature is based on customized audiences that you create based on a set of **personalization criteria**. CMS provides a set of criteria, such as the number of visits and referring search phrases. You can also develop customized criteria.

See [Personalize a digital experience with audiences](docId\:wyCqTb22xPfbfyShuCwRm) for user scenarios when working with audiences.

## Manage audiences

You can manage audiences from the **Audiences** tab. When creating an audience, you select one or more criteria and define appropriate settings. Those criteria determine whether a user visiting the website is a part of that audience.

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**

You can make the editor a member of **VisitorGroupAdmins**. This group provides access to the **Audiences** tab.
:::

From CMS 12, this user interface has changed.

**CMS 12 and later**

![Manage audiences user interface for CMS 12](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/IdsNPBMX7vmjtwpJfQyQT-20260720-145513.png)

**CMS 11 and earlier**

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**

To see *visitor group* documentation for CMS 11 and lower, see [an older version of the CMS User Guide](https://webhelp.optimizely.com/latest/EN/content-cloud-for-administrators/visitor-groups.htm).
:::

![Manage audiences user interface for CMS 11](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/W2PogFiTleV2tvUZLnGaP-20260720-145513.png "Image: Audiences UI in CMS 11")

## Create an audience

1. Select **Audiences**.
2. Click **Create Audience**. The **Create Audience** view displays.

   ![Create Audience](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/U7A5xPfd74O7rrRMsfVeh-20260720-145513.png)
3. Give the audience a unique name to separate it from other audiences.
4. Name the audience you are creating in **Name**. When you select the content on a page, this name is displayed in the personalized content box.
5. In **Notes**, type a descriptive text about your intended audience, for example, its purpose. This description displays as a tooltip when the editor adds an audience to a page's content.
6. Select **Enable statistics** for this audience to track audience performance.

   :::hint{type="info"}
   **Note**

   When you enable statistics for audiences (visitor groups), the [Google Analytics](docId\:wFUh06JIAOp78oYK2AW43) app (GA v4) can analyze the traffic data to provide rich insights into website traffic and marketing effectiveness.
   ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/KgpwRanIx0X1wiiU5_4Cq-20260720-145513.png)
   :::
7. Select the **Make this audience available when setting access rights for pages and files** check box if you want this audience to be available when setting access rights for pages and files in the admin view.

   :::hint{type="info"}
   **Note**

   Audiences only have read access.
   :::
8. Click **Add criteria** to see a drop-down menu with available criteria. See [Audience criteria](docId\:TWeDby6nqiU_KHjE5rxQN).
9. From the drop-down menu, select a criteria and adjust its settings as necessary. Add more than one criterion if needed.
10. Select one of the following in the **Match** drop-down list.
    - **All** – Select this if you want all criteria met for a visitor to be included in the audience.
    - **Any** – Select this if it is enough that only one of the criteria is met for a visitor to be included in the audience.
    - **Points** – Use points if you want to set that some criteria are more important than others.
11. Click **Create Audience**.

## Edit an audience

1. Select **Audiences**.
2. Click the name of the audience you want to change.
3. Add a criterion for the audience, change the value for an existing criterion, or click ![delete icon](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/o51iNAnQzEK5coOLCZkkC-20260720-145513.png) to delete an existing criterion.

   ![Change audience](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/kYR-5QfROLIjOWTJBsGiz-20260720-145513.png)
4. Click **Save audience**.

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**

If you change the name of an audience available in the list for access rights, the settings for this audience no longer work.
:::

## Copy an audience

1. On the audience you want to copy, select **More** > **Duplicate**.

   ![Copy an audience](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/Ihhs_psdFaVRTBF4viTsn-20260720-145513.svg)
2. Confirm the copy action. The copy has the same name as the original but with the extension – *Copy*.
3. Rename and change the criteria for the audience you have copied.

## Delete an audience

1. On the audience you want to delete, select **More** > **Delete**.
2. Confirm the deletion.

## Personalize content with an audience

When you have created an audience, you can use it to personalize content, target a discount, create Optimizely Visitor Intelligence segments, and so on. See [Personalize with audiences](docId\:wyCqTb22xPfbfyShuCwRm).

## Example: Site criteria and points

Using Points, you can set a value for how much an action is worth, such as a visited campaign page. In this example, a visitor who matches 8 of the 12 points of criteria is included in the audience.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/j3csgEVGeVioot6I9bC1f-20260720-145513.png)

1. In the **Match** menu, select the criteria to match **Points**.
2. Enter a **Threshold** of **8** points.

   :::hint{type="info"}
   **Note**

   The example gives 12 points-worth of criteria and the visitor must match at least 8 of the 12 points to be included in the audience.
   :::
3. Click **Add Criteria** and select **Site Criteria** > **Number of Visits**.
   - Select **More than** > **4** > **In total**. (To create an audience for visitors who have never visited the page, select **Less than** > **1** > **Since \[date]**.)
   - Enter **2** points, and select whether or not the criterion is required.
4. Click **Add Criteria** and select **Site Criteria** > **Selected Language**.
   - Select **Is** > **English**.
   - Leave the default 0 and select **Required**.
5. Click **Add Criteria** and select **Site Criteria** > **Visited Page**.
   - Click **Select Page** and select a page (*Become a reseller*).
   - Enter **4** points.
6. Click **Add Criteria** and select **Site Criteria** > **Visited Page**.
   - Click **Select Page** and select a page (*Find a reseller*).
   - Enter **2** points.
7. Click **Add Criteria** and select **Site Criteria** > **Downloaded file**.

   - Enter a file that you want the visitor to download (`/reseller-application-form.pdf`).
   - Enter **4** points.

   :::hint{type="info"}
   **Note**

   By giving 4-point values to *Become a reseller* and the downloaded file, it stresses that these criteria are more important (higher value targets) than the *Find a reseller* criterion.
   :::
8. Click **Create Audience**.

## Example: Referrer

The HTTP Referrer is based on pages like those used in a campaign. For example, you can target content to visitors who...

- search for *optimizely and cms* on `Google.com`
- from the search result page, click the Optimizely landing page link

1. Click **Add Criteria** and select **URL Criteria** > **Referrer**.
2. Select **URL** > **Equals** > the URL of the search engine result page, for example, `https://www.google.se/#hl=sv&source=hp&biw=1338&bih=790&q=optimizely+cms`.

   ![Audience referrer](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/MyHjfMi1rlzs6izmfEUGx-20260720-145514.svg)
3. Click **Save**.

## Example: Form and form values

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**

[Optimizely Forms](docId\:KVnsZDpxrq5wlYjBejT3W) and the [Optimizely Forms Samples package](docId\:iuBeFWU1XVa80qHBgxw9i) must be installed for the forms audience criteria to work.
:::

- You can base an audience on whether the visitor has (or has not) submitted a particular form or form value. For example, you can target content to a visitor who **Has submitted** a **Job Application**.
- You can target content to visitors that give you a low rating on a Satisfaction Survey.
  - Selected form > Satisfaction survey
  - Selected field > Multiple/Single choice
  - Condition > equals
  - Value > 1

## ![Optimizely Customized Commerce icon](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/yNILiwMA30GDJJlcSoKUS-20260720-145513.png "Optimizely Customized Commerce") Optimizely Commerce Connect audience criteria

Audience criteria specific to ecommerce include customer properties, markets, and order frequency criteria. See [Personalization for Optimizely Commerce Connect](../../content-recommendations/faq/commerce-connect-specific-audience-criteria.mdx).

## ![Optimizely Marketing Automation icon](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/QkuHNrDe27Sn49g8wg1Ui-20260720-145513.png "Optimizely Apps & Integrations") Optimizely Marketing Automation audience criteria

Audience criteria specifically designed for [marketing automation](docId\:lw3KOQMT4bS88DycCZNow).