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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.
CRO Optimization

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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 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.
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A/B Testing

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or mobile app experience against each other to determine which performs best.
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A/B/N Testing

A method of comparing multiple versions of webpage or mobile app against each other to determine which performs best.
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Above The Fold

The top most portion of a webpage that is visible without users having to scroll.
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Ad Viewability

The concept of how visible ads on a website or mobile app are to users.
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App Personalization

The process of building a mobile application to meet the needs of specific audiences.
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Average Order Value

The average dollar amount spent each time a customer places an order on a website or mobile app.
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Below The Fold

The portion of a webpage that is not immediately visible when the page loads, that users must scroll to see.
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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.
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Call To Action

A call to action or CTA is a prompt on a website that tells the user to take some specified action.
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Click-Through Rate

The percentage of people that click on an element that they have been exposed to.
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Content Management System

An application that allows multiple contributors to create, edit and publish web content.
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Conversion

When a user completes some predetermined action on your site.
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Conversion Rate

The number of conversions on a webpage or app divided by the total number of visitors.
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Conversion Rate Optimization

The process of increasing the percentage of conversions from a website or mobile app.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Headline Testing

The process of developing multiple title variations for an article or piece of online media to determine which one performs the best.
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Heatmap

A graphical representation of data such as clicks and scrolls that uses a system of color-coding to represent different values.
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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.
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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.
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Information Scent

Visual and textual cues that provide website vistors with hints on what information a site contains.
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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.
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Landing Page Optimization

The process of improving elements on a landing page to increase conversions.
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Lead Generation

The process of generating consumer interest for a product or service with the goal of turning that interest into a sale.
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Lifetime Value

An estimate of the average revenue that your customers will generate throughout their lifespan as a customer.
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Marketing Automation

The replacement of repetitive manual marketing processes and tasks with solutions that are automated, especially in regards to e-mail marketing.
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Marketing Technology Stack

A grouping of technologies that marketers leverage to conduct and improve their marketing activities.
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Mobile App A/B Testing

The practice of using A/B testing to test different experiences within mobile apps.
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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.
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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.
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Revenue Per Visitor

A metric for website performance calculated by dividing the total revenue by the total number of visitors to your website.
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Sales Funnel

The path taken by a potential customer through a website or app as they move towards becoming a customer.
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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.
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Search Engine Optimization

The art and science of getting pages to rank higher in search engines such as Google and Bing.
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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.
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Social Proof

Evidence that a product or service is popular with a large number of people.
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Split Testing

A strategy for conducting controlled, randomized experiments with the goal of improving a conversion metric on a website or mobile app.
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Squeeze Page

A landing page which is specifically designed to 'squeeze' e-mail addresses out of visitors and prospects.
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Statistical Significance

The likelihood that the difference in conversion rates between a given variation and the baseline is not due to random chance.
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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.
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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.
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Unique Selling Point

The competitive differentiators that a business has over its competitors.
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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.
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User Flow

The path taken by a prototypical user on a website or app to complete a task.
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Value Proposition

The essence of the value that your product or service provides to the customer.
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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.
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Visitor Segmentation

The process of dividing your visitors to your website based on a specific criteria, such as demographics or user behavior.
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Web Analytics

The measurement and analysis of data to inform an understanding of user behavior across web pages.
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Website Optimization

The process of using controlled experimentation to improve a website's ability to drive business goals.
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Website Personalization

The process of creating customized experiences for visitors to a website.
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