First visit filter
The First visit filter matches visitors by when they first came to your site. Use is now to target brand-new visitors for their whole first visit, or a date window such as "was in the last 7 days" to target recent newcomers. It's the simplest way to split new and returning visitors.
Available on: all platforms.
How it's evaluated
Personizely records when it first sees a visitor and remembers it in a first-party cookie and browser storage. The filter compares that moment with your condition:
- is now matches during the visitor's entire first visit (session): every page they view until the visit ends. From their next visit on, it no longer matches.
- was / was not with a date window compares the date of the first visit with the window.
A visit lasts until the visitor closes every tab of your site. There's no inactivity timeout, so a visitor who keeps a tab open for hours is still on the same visit. See Visitor identity, sessions and storage.
Options
The filter reads: First visit was / was not / is now [date window].
Option | What it does | Values / default |
|---|---|---|
was / was not / is now | Whether the first visit falls inside the window, outside it, or is happening right now | was |
in the last N days | A rolling window: the last N × 24 hours | Default 3 days |
on or after | The first visit happened on the selected date or later | Date |
before | The first visit happened before the selected date | Date |
The date window isn't shown for is now.
Behavior details
- What makes a visitor new. A visitor is new when their browser has no Personizely visitor cookie for your site. Clearing cookies, using a private window, or switching browser or device makes the same person a new visitor. The cookie lasts 1 year by default (set in your website settings).
- Recognized later. If Personizely later recognizes a "new" visitor as someone it has seen before, for example when they identify themselves and match an existing profile, is now stops matching and the date modes use the older first-visit date.
- was / was not on new visitors. A brand-new visitor's first visit is today, so "was in the last 3 days" matches them and "was not in the last 3 days" doesn't.
- First visit vs First page view. The date modes of both filters compare the same date. They differ only in is now: First visit matches the whole first visit, First page view only the very first page.
- Returning visitors. To target everyone except new visitors, put "First visit is now" in a group set to don't match. It matches from the first page of their second visit.
Examples
- Welcome offer for new visitors: First visit is now, used in a Target rule on a popup with a first-order discount.
- Returning visitors only: a group set to don't match with First visit is now, used on a "Welcome back" bar.
- Recent newcomers: First visit was in the last 30 days, to keep showing a "new here?" guide during a visitor's first month. It includes brand-new visitors.