--- title: Personalize a digital experience with audiences slug: cms-12/docs/personalize-a-digital-experience-with-audiences docTags: createdAt: 2026-08-10T15:56:02.000Z --- One way to personalize a digital experience in Optimizely is to create an *audience* (formerly called a *visitor group*) with criteria for that group. For example, you can design a product banner specifically for first-time visitors or for visitors from a geographic region or market. See [Audience criteria](docId\:TWeDby6nqiU_KHjE5rxQN). ## Create an audience You can create an audience based on many types of criteria such as number of visits to a specific page. Optimizely CMS includes several criteria by default, see [Audiences](docId\:LobkK1ZzP8EBsvztqwifN). Developers can also create their criteria through code, see [Create custom audience criteria](https://docs.developers.optimizely.com/content-management-system/docs/developing-custom-visitor-group-criteria). ![Create an audience](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/R2VIzmLi6vcvflVLTxB1k-20260720-145538.png) In Optimizely Content Management System (CMS), you can personalize any type of content in the [rich-text editor](docId\:nlEKXoyI1idW3Bsc2hkge). You can personalize part of a text, an image, or a block in the CMS rich-text editor, or personalize an image, a block, or a page in a content area if these are in your web pages. If you have multiple audiences, a visitor may match more than one. You then use recommendation groups to group content to avoid displaying the same content twice and display fallback content to visitors who match no audiences. The [preview](docId\:q4HhINW0rTUAwtdaBrhqp) option lets you preview the personalized content, as the audiences see it before [publishing](docId\:IAQMaKQIeHjFyf57lmTsL). ## Apply personalized content You can apply audiences to content, such as a block, which then displays only to visitors matching the criteria you define. For example, you can show one price for visitors browsing to your website from the UK, another price for visitors from the US, and a third price for other visitors: ![Apply audiences to content](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/hRdF1Q8sgaSvT1dC7RzI9-20260720-145538.png "Image: Example of personalized content") You can preview your page as it looks to different audiences. ![preview your page as it would look to different audiences.](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/SeQxUfn78EbFn8iYwE4qR-20260720-145538.png) ### In the rich-text editor 1. In CMS, [open the page for editing](docId:-Qs20xfXplnbZ6duZu55R) and select the content you want to personalize in the editor area. 2. Click **Personalized Content** ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/PSnFcklsnQ1V4NM0BPGNt-20260720-145538.png) in the [editor toolbar](docId\:nlEKXoyI1idW3Bsc2hkge). 3. Click the **Select Audiences** field to display available audiences. Select one or more audiences from the list. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/c76D18JfAHpcXS_f9gL6Z-20260720-145538.jpg) 4. Click **Save** to save your selection. 5. Click **View** > **Audiences** to see the content according to the audience criteria. Select [Preview](docId\:q4HhINW0rTUAwtdaBrhqp) to display the personalized content as the visitor sees it. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/3utabpBcfyXNL-kB4tsry-20260720-145538.png) ### In the content area 1. [Open the page for editing](docId:-Qs20xfXplnbZ6duZu55R) and select the content you want to personalize in the content area. 2. Select **Personalize** from the context menu. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/8-NadFBDqI8mTZ83BUt05-20260720-145538.png) 3. Select one or more audiences from the list. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/LVQ2TYApFgOfrDk1W4A9b-20260720-145538.png) 4. Click **View** > **Audiences** to see the content according to the audience criteria. Select [Preview](docId\:q4HhINW0rTUAwtdaBrhqp) to display the personalized content as the visitor sees it. ## Target audiences for discounts You can also use audiences for targeted discounts in Optimizely Commerce campaigns. Create an audience called *Returning customers*, and set the audience criteria to *Order Frequency: Ordered at least 2 times within the last 45 days*. You can then use this audience in the **Personalization** part of the **Edit Campaign** view when creating a campaign. This makes the campaign only available to customers who have made purchases at least twice within the last 45 days. ![Edit campaign view - Target audiences for discounts](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/MfS0BIWI15htv6fCniOQG-20260720-145538.png "Image: Edit campaign view") ## Edit and remove personalized recommendation settings ### In the rich-text editor Click **Edit** for the personalized content, update the personalized recommendations settings, or select **Remove Personalization**. ### In the content area Expand the desired **Personalized Group** section and click the desired audience link to edit the settings. To exclude content from personalized recommendations, drag it outside the group or select **Move Outside Group** in the context menu. **Rich-text editor example**: Display content to multiple audiences without a fallback. The non-personalized text at the top of the rich-text editor in this example displays. The personalized text displays only to visitors matching any of the audiences **UK Audiences** and **US Audiences**. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/59eW2FcLaMs65wcSj1rvM-20260720-145538.jpg) In the content area, **UK Audiences** see the **Recipe Block**, and **US Audiences** see the **Event List**. An audience that does not match any group does not see content in this content area. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/qULdagWgkIuRp9JDj9mGE-20260720-145538.png) ## Display content to multiple audiences with fallback To display specific information to visitors from the UK and US and other information to visitors from other countries, use a personalized recommendations group for fallback content. This avoids displaying information twice for UK and US visitors. The order in which the personalized content is placed within a personalized recommendations group is not important, but placing the fallback content at the end simplifies following the personalized recommendations flow. **In the rich-text editor** Select the fallback price information text and personalize it without selecting an audience. Instead, create a *Pricing* personalized recommendations group and apply the group. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/0wcW2RES58bC6-rhFIpEi-20260720-145538.png) Personalize the price information texts for the UK and US audiences and include them in the **Pricing** personalized recommendations group. The personalized recommendations group displays to the right. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/70EqlzfkMzVZdFqN4ZhRA-20260720-145538.jpg) The personalized recommendations for this content match within the same personalized recommendations group. **In the content area** The following example shows information as individual blocks, and the **Default pricing** displays as the fallback content to visitors from countries other than the UK and the US. Select **Personalization** in the context menu for a block to create a personalized recommendations group, and drag the other blocks into the group. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/28KL42DLReISQgj3slZnV-20260720-145538.png) Personalize each block within the group by applying the appropriate audience. Use the **Everyone** option to display the fallback content that displays to visitors who do not match any audience. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/b52nxrNPt7vh0Qo7zfRNG-20260720-145538.jpg) ## Search engine index and audiences Search engines crawl your website to index your content. If you personalize your content through audiences, what does the search engine crawler see? It depends on how Optimizely assesses the audience at the point of crawl. If you have an audience *Visitors from the UK*, the crawler indexes the content personalized for the UK if the crawler's IP is in the United Kingdom. Otherwise, the crawler does not index that content. Another example is when you apply date/time audience criteria. If you have a *weekend-only* audience, the crawler indexes the content if it comes along at the weekend; otherwise, it does not. If something needs to display (or be crawled) in an area of the page, have *Everyone* content in a group. ## Provide access to content using audiences Administrators can grant access to specific content using audiences. For example, the administrator can make a page or a block accessible only to audiences from the UK. See [Access rights](docId\:BuM7TW9cDn5dk53OVH-PE). ## Personalize Optimizely Commerce Connect content with audiences If Optimizely Commerce Connect is active, it provides additional audience criteria for ecommerce scenarios. See [Commerce Connect-specific criteria](../../content-recommendations/faq/commerce-connect-specific-audience-criteria.mdx). ## Personalize with connector add-ons and audiences You can personalize content through [marketing automation connectors](docId\:lw3KOQMT4bS88DycCZNow), for example, if Marketo is active on your website. See examples in the following video tutorials. ::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/5MJkKSMDoDmL7Aws3ZLjw-20260720-145538.svg" size="100" alt=" " isUploading="false" showCaption="false" indent="2"} :::Paragraph{indent="1"} Video tutorial: [Personalize content with Optimizely and the Eloqua database](https://episerver.wistia.com/medias/rwoebpuiim). (2:15 minutes) ::: ::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/up80judKPjSPTu5-bOXYI-20260720-145538.svg" size="100" alt=" " isUploading="false" showCaption="false" indent="2"} :::Paragraph{indent="1"} Video tutorial: [Personalize content with Optimizely and HubSpot](https://episerver.wistia.com/medias/4ahpgqfsce). (2:34 minutes) ::: ::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/hJxj9Hcsbon3Z_VJtpv9N-20260720-145538.svg" size="100" alt=" " isUploading="false" showCaption="false" indent="2"} :::Paragraph{indent="1"} Video tutorial: [Personalize content with Optimizely and Marketo](https://episerver.wistia.com/medias/ynncd0tul2). (2:56 minutes) :::