When was the last time you looked at your API metrics? If you’re like most companies, you probably checked your uptime, response times, and maybe your daily active users. But here’s the thing – those numbers, while important, don’t tell you if your developers are actually successful.
Let’s dive into the metrics that really matter for your API’s success, and why they might be the difference between growth and stagnation.
The Most Important Metric You’re Not Tracking
Meet TTHW (Time to Hello World) – the golden metric of API usability. It measures how long it takes a new developer to go from signup to their first successful API call. Think of it as the “first impression” metric.
We recently worked with a client who thought their API was doing great based on traditional metrics. But when we started tracking TTHW, we discovered it was taking developers an average of 2 hours to make their first successful call – for what should have been a 15-minute process. After some investigation, we found the culprit: a complicated authentication process buried in unclear documentation.
Beyond the First Call
Getting that first API call right is crucial, but what happens next? This is where Adoption Velocity comes in. It’s not enough that developers can use your API – they need to be consistently increasing their usage and exploring more features.
Good adoption velocity looks like:
- A steady increase in API calls over the first 30 days
- Exploration of different endpoints
- Transition from test to production environment
Poor velocity often means developers are stuck or, worse, just using your API for a single basic feature.
The Error Patterns That Matter
Raw error rates can be misleading. Instead, look at error patterns. Here’s what we’ve learned matters most:
A spike in 401 errors from new users? Your authentication docs probably need work. Seeing lots of 429s from established users? Time to have a conversation about rate limits and pricing tiers.
The most telling pattern is often the “cascade” – when a developer hits one error, then rapidly hits several others in succession. This usually means they’re getting frustrated and trying different approaches randomly. It’s a key indicator that your error messages aren’t helpful enough.
Support Tickets Tell a Story
Your support tickets are a goldmine of analytical insights. One of our clients was seeing steady ticket volume growth and assumed they needed to hire more support staff. When we analyzed the data, we found that 40% of tickets were about the same three issues. The solution wasn’t more support staff – it was better documentation and clearer error messages.
Retention: The Ultimate Success Metric
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: most APIs lose about 70% of new developers within the first month. But that’s an average, and you don’t have to be average.
Track these retention checkpoints:
- Day 7: Are they still making calls?
- Day 30: Have they moved to production?
- Day 90: Are they expanding usage?
If you’re losing developers at any of these points, that’s your signal to investigate why.
Making These Metrics Actionable
Having data is one thing. Using it effectively is another. Here’s a simple framework:
- Track TTHW religiously – it’s your canary in the coal mine
- Monitor error patterns weekly
- Review support tickets monthly for systemic issues
- Check retention quarterly to spot trends
What Good Looks Like
Based on our work with successful API companies, here are some benchmarks:
- TTHW: Under 30 minutes for basic APIs
- 30-day retention: Above 40% for new developers
- Support ticket ratio: Less than 1 ticket per 100 active developers
- Error rates: Below 1% for authenticated calls
Taking Action
Ready to improve your API metrics? Start here:
- Set up proper tracking for TTHW and error patterns
- Create a simple dashboard for your key metrics
- Establish regular review processes
- Set clear improvement targets
The Path Forward
Great API analytics aren’t about collecting every possible metric – they’re about measuring what matters for developer success. At ThatAPICompany, we help organizations identify and track the metrics that drive real improvement in their API programs.
Want to know how your API metrics stack up against industry standards? We offer free API analytics audits to help you identify your biggest opportunities for improvement. Let’s talk about making your API metrics work for you.
No obligation free 30 min call: aden@thatapicompany.com
