> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.referly.so/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Choose ranking criteria > Choose what your affiliate leaderboard ranks by: number of referrals, revenue, sales, earnings, or conversion rate. Learn what each metric measures and when to use it. The ranking criteria is the single metric your leaderboard uses to decide who's on top. Every affiliate is measured by the same criteria, and the leaderboard's metric column changes to match it. Choosing the right one points your affiliates at the behavior you actually want more of — raw sign-ups, real revenue, or efficient promoters. You set the criteria for your **default leaderboard** in its settings, and you choose one separately for each [contest](/docs/help-center/gamify/contests/create) when you create it. ## Where to set it Open **Leaderboards** from the left sidebar, then select the gear (settings) icon in the toolbar. Under **Ranking criteria**, pick a metric from the dropdown. A short line underneath explains what the selected metric measures. Select **Save changes** and the leaderboard re-ranks right away. ## The five metrics Ranks by how many customers each affiliate referred. This is the default, and a good fit when you care most about volume — getting as many new people through the door as possible, regardless of what they spend. Ranks by the total revenue each affiliate generated. Best when you want to reward the affiliates who bring in the highest-value customers, not just the most of them. Ranks by how many sales an affiliate brought in. A sale counts even when its revenue is zero — so free trials, \$0 plans, and fully discounted orders still move an affiliate up the board. Use this when the action matters more than the amount. Ranks by how much each affiliate has earned in commissions. This mirrors your affiliates' own goal — take-home pay — so it's the most motivating metric for many programs. Ranks by each affiliate's conversion rate, based on unique converting customers rather than repeat purchases. This rewards efficient promoters — the affiliates who turn the highest share of their traffic into customers — rather than whoever simply has the biggest audience. It comes with an extra choice, below. ## Conversion rate basis When you rank by conversion rate, you also pick what that rate is measured against: * **Click → sale** — unique converting customers divided by clicks. Use this to reward affiliates who convert the traffic they send. * **Signup/referral → sale** — unique converting customers divided by referrals in the period. Use this to reward affiliates who convert the leads they've already referred into paying customers. Both count each converting customer once, so a customer who buys repeatedly doesn't inflate the rate. Conversion rate rewards efficiency, not size, so an affiliate with just a handful of clicks can top the board. If you'd rather reward overall output, rank by referrals, sales, or earnings instead. ## Related How the leaderboard works from end to end. Share your leaderboard as a public page. Pick a ranking metric for a time-boxed competition. Dig deeper into affiliate performance.