Optimization Glossary
The optimization space is full of acronyms and jargon, and Optipedia is here to help. Our optimization glossary is a dictionary of the terminology most commonly used by optimization professionals.
Expand your optimization vocabulary today!
Want to know the difference between A/B Testing, Split Testing, and Multivariate Testing? Or what the heck CRO, LPO, and EXO stand for? Maybe you're looking for a refresher on Statistical Significance and Sales Funnels? Browse our optimization glossary and learn to speak the language of optimizers!
A
A/A Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or mobile app experience against each other in order to test the accuracy of the testing tool.
A/B/N Testing
A method of comparing multiple versions of webpage or mobile app against each other to determine which performs best.
Above The Fold
The top most portion of a webpage that is visible without users having to scroll.
A/B Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or mobile app experience against each other to determine which performs best.
Account Based Marketing
A business marketing strategy that concentrates resources on a set of target accounts within a market.
Ad Viewability
The concept of how visible ads on a website or mobile app are to users.
App Personalization
The process of building a mobile application to meet the needs of specific audiences.
Average Order Value
The average dollar amount spent each time a customer places an order on a website or mobile app.
B
Below The Fold
The portion of a webpage that is not immediately visible when the page loads, that users must scroll to see.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of site visits that are single-page sessions, with the visitor leaving without viewing any other pages.
Bucket Testing
A method of testing two versions of a website or app against one another to see which one performs better on specified key metrics. Synonym for split testing.
C
Call To Action
A call to action or CTA is a prompt on a website that tells the user to take some specified action.
Click-Through Rate
The percentage of people that click on an element that they have been exposed to.
Content Management System
An application that allows multiple contributors to create, edit and publish web content.
Continuous Delivery
A software development process for getting code changes into production quickly and safely.
Conversion Rate
The number of conversions on a webpage or app divided by the total number of visitors.
Conversion Rate Optimization
The process of increasing the percentage of conversions from a website or mobile app.
D
Decision Fatigue
When the mind becomes fatigued after a sustained period of decision making, such as when faced with too many options on a website.
E
Experience Optimization
The process of providing your customers with the best possible experience across all touchpoints through analytics, user research, A/B testing, and personalization.
F
Feature Flags
A software development technique that turns certain functionality on and off, without deploying new code.
Feature Rollout
The software development process of introducing a new feature to a set of users.
G
Growth Hacking
The use of resource-light and cost effective marketing tactics to help grow and retain an active user base, sell products and gain exposure.
H
Headline Testing
The process of developing multiple title variations for an article or piece of online media to determine which one performs the best.
Heatmap
A graphical representation of data such as clicks and scrolls that uses a system of color-coding to represent different values.
Hero Image
An oversized image or video at the top of a website, often extending full-width and featuring a CTA and/or value proposition.
I
How to Improve Conversion Rates
Learn how to improve your conversion rates through A/B testing to drive your business objectives.
Inbound Marketing
A marketing methodology that is designed to draw visitors and potential customers in, rather than outwardly pushing a brand, product or service onto prospects.
Information Scent
Visual and textual cues that provide website vistors with hints on what information a site contains.
iOS A/B Testing
The process of running a controlled experiment comparing one or more versions of an iOS app against the original to improve certain metrics.
L
Landing Page Optimization
The process of improving elements on a landing page to increase conversions.
Lead Generation
The process of generating consumer interest for a product or service with the goal of turning that interest into a sale.
Lifetime Value
An estimate of the average revenue that your customers will generate throughout their lifespan as a customer.
M
Marketing Automation
The replacement of repetitive manual marketing processes and tasks with solutions that are automated, especially in regards to e-mail marketing.
Marketing Technology Stack
A grouping of technologies that marketers leverage to conduct and improve their marketing activities.
Mobile App A/B Testing
The practice of using A/B testing to test different experiences within mobile apps.
Multi-Armed Bandit
A form of A/B testing that uses machine learning algorithms to dynamically allocate traffic to variations that are performing well.
Multivariate Testing
A technique for testing a hypothesis where multiple variables are modified, in order to determine the best combination of variations on those elements of a website or mobile app.
Multivariate Testing vs A/B Testing
Learn about the key differences between A/B testing and multivariate testing, and when is the best time to use each approach.
O
Online Marketing
The strategy for leveraging web-based channels to spread a message about a company’s brand, products, or services to its potential customers.
R
Revenue Per Visitor
A metric for website performance calculated by dividing the total revenue by the total number of visitors to your website.
S
Sales Funnel
The path taken by a potential customer through a website or app as they move towards becoming a customer.
Search Engine Marketing
A digital marketing strategy used to increase the visibility of a website in search engine results pages, especially with regards to paid advertising.
Search Engine Optimization
The art and science of getting pages to rank higher in search engines such as Google and Bing.
Server-Side Testing
A form of experimentation where unlike in client-side testing, the variations of a test are rendered directly on the web server before it is delivered to the client.
Shopping Cart Abandonment
When a potential customer starts a check out process for an online order but drops out of the process before completing the purchase.
Social Proof
Evidence that a product or service is popular with a large number of people.
Split Testing
A strategy for conducting controlled, randomized experiments with the goal of improving a conversion metric on a website or mobile app.
Squeeze Page
A landing page which is specifically designed to 'squeeze' e-mail addresses out of visitors and prospects.
Statistical Significance
The likelihood that the difference in conversion rates between a given variation and the baseline is not due to random chance.
Visitor Segmentation
The process of dividing your visitors to your website based on a specific criteria, such as demographics or user behavior.
T
Type 1 Error
A statistics term used to refer to an error that is made in testing when a conclusive winner is declared although the test is actually inconclusive.
Type 2 Error
A statistics term used to refer to a testing error that is made when no conclusive winner is declared between a control and a variation when there actually should be one.
U
Unique Selling Point
The competitive differentiators that a business has over its competitors.
Usability Testing
A method of evaluating a website or app’s readiness for release by testing it with real users who are part of your target audience.
User Flow
The path taken by a prototypical user on a website or app to complete a task.
User Journey Map
A diagram of the entire user experience, starting with initial contact or discovery, and continuing through the process of engagement into long-term loyalty and advocacy.
V
Value Proposition
The essence of the value that your product or service provides to the customer.
Viewable Impression
A standard measure of ad viewability defined by the IAB to be an ad which appears at least 50% on screen for more than one second.
W
Web Analytics
The measurement and analysis of data to inform an understanding of user behavior across web pages.
Website Optimization
The process of using controlled experimentation to improve a website's ability to drive business goals.
Website Personalization
The process of creating customized experiences for visitors to a website.