XLOs are the future of digital monitoring: focus on real user experiences, not just uptime. Learn why XLO monitoring is the next evolution in digital performance tracking.
When it comes to monitoring the health of digital services, Experience Level Objectives (XLOs) are changing the game. We’ve all gotten used to system status dashboards showing “100% uptime,” only to hear complaints from users about slow pages or unresponsive features. That’s where XLOs come in—they go beyond basic infrastructure checks and focus on real user experience metrics.
Instead of tracking just server response times or CPU loads, XLOs measure what actually matters to users. Things like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) or Time to Interactive help teams see whether a site or app feels fast, smooth, and usable. And honestly, that’s what users care about—not whether a server stayed online all night.
A good real-world example? Think of an e-commerce checkout page. The server might be up, but if it takes 5+ seconds to load or respond, customers are going to leave—and sales suffer. By setting XLO targets (like keeping LCP under 2.5 seconds 90% of the time), teams can monitor performance that directly affects business outcomes.
Another reason I think XLOs are so important is that they help companies take a proactive approach. Instead of waiting for errors to spike, teams can track experience trends and fix issues before they impact users. It’s like checking your tire pressure before a road trip—not just waiting for a flat.
In today’s world where most interactions are digital, good experience isn’t just “nice to have”—it’s a business necessity. XLOs help teams deliver that quality consistently, with visibility across everything from third-party APIs to mobile networks. For organizations serious about improving digital performance, I’d say moving toward XLOs isn’t optional—it’s the next step forward.