Our dictionary of terminology

A/A testing is a method of experimentation where two verions of a webpage (or the same version) are shown to a specified set of visitors and compared to test the accuracy of a testing tool.

A/B testing is a method of experimentation where two versions of a web page, A & B, are shown to different sets of visitors at the same time and compared to see which variation drives the highest conversion rate.

A/B/n testing is a method of experimentation where multiple versions of a web page are shown to different sets of visitors at the same time and compared to see which variation drives the highest conversion rate.

Above the fold refers to the web content that is visible when the page first loads.

Average order value refers to the average amount of money your customers spend in a single transaction.

Bayesian is a statistical model that is used by testing tools to update the probability for a hypothesis as more evidence or information becomes available.

Below the fold is the portion of the web page that is only visible once a visitor scrolls down the page.

Bounce rate is the percentage of site visits that view only one page before exiting the site.

Call to action is a prompt on a website that encourages the user to undertake a specified action.

Churn rate, also known as rate of attrition, is the percentage of customers that stop doing business with an entity over a specific period of time.

Click through rate is the percentage of website visitors that click on an element that they have been exposed to.

Client side testing refers to any type of testing that occurs in the user's browser.

A conversion is when a visitor completes a predetermined action on your site.

Conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the total number of visitors.

Conversion rate optimisation is the process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action.

Customer journey mapping is the process of mapping all of the customer touchpoints to create a visual story of your customers' interactions with your brand.

A digital experience platform is a software platform that allows digital experiences to be managed across multiple digital touchpoints.

Drop-off is the point at which a website visitor leaves an intended flow or journey.

An exit pop up is a website overlay that appears on a visitor's screen when they attempt to leave the site, with the purpose of convincing them not to leave.

Exit surveys are a method of gathering visitor feedback, by asking a small number of questions prior to the visitor leaving the site.

Experience optimisation is the systematic process of providing the best possible experiences for your customers through analytics, user research, A/B testing and personalisation.

Eye tracking is the process of measuring where one is looking. Eye tracking technology allows a computer or other device to detect the presence, attention and focus of the user.

Feature testing involves testing a new feature that is introduced to a website or application, to track it's impact on the visitors and on conversion rates.

Form testing is the process of testing the design, copy and length of the forms on your website through A/B testing.

Friction is caused when visitors get distracted, confused or frustrated with elements of a website. This can result in them abandoning the site, and therefore a loss in conversion. Friction points can be found throughout the journey, from a confusing navigation bar, to a lack of clarity on a search bar, to a badly laid out checkout page.

Funnel testing is when you run A/B tests on multiple pages of a website, thereby testing in the journey across the website funnel.

Galvanic skin response (or GSR) is a measure of the changes in sweat gland activity and electrical characteristics of the skin, that reflects varying levels of emotional state.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area. This legal framework sets the guidelines for collecting and processing personal information.

Growth hacking is a marketing term in which several strategies are combined to achieve growth in a short space of time. Businesses will use a mix of experimentation, product and content marketing and search engine optimisation strategies to innovate, prioritise and identify channels for acquisition, measure success and scale growth.

Headline testing is the process of testing the header or title element on a webpage. Headline testing is usually developed as a multi-variant test, where several slightly differing elements run against each other. These can also be tested on multiple audiences to find out which has the best performance across the different variations.

A heatmap is a colour-coded map that shows areas of activity, based on a set of values. Heatmaps are commonly used as an analytical method to show user behaviour on specific webpages.

A hero image is a banner or image used at the top of a webpage. These are usually used on homepages, or main product landing pages.

A hypothesis is a statement based on supposition, with limited evidence, that can be tested to see whether it will prove true.

An impression is created each time a visitor lands on a page, or views a piece of content (ad, feature, page etc.).

Incremental revenue is the additional revenue generated by an increase in sales. This can be used to calculate the increase in sale generated during an A/B test, marketing campaign or new feature roll out.

A javascript variable is a temporary location in which you can store a piece of data.

A landing page is a page on a website that a user lands on, either via a search engine, a different website, or from the same website. A landing page usually has a focus and purpose in the customer's journey through a website, and will provide information to the customer.

Landing page optimisation is the act of improving, or optimising, a website landing page, through the use of a/b testing, user research, design etc, and improving the different elements on that page to increase the overall conversions.

Lead generation is the process of finding and converting prospects to generate interest in your product or services.

Leads are contacts (either an individual or organisation) that are interested in your product or services, and could become customers. They are also known as prospects.

Lifetime value is a metric used by businesses to understand how much revenue a single customer account will generate throughout their lifespan.

Marketing technology stack is a group of different marketing tools, that once combined can help you achieve your marketing goals and objectives. The use of a group of technologies can give you a better data landscape to work with, and ease the processes you have to measure and improve your marketing activities.

Mobile app A/B testing is the process of A/B testing on mobile apps, by segmenting the audience into groups to learn how different variations affect user behaviours.

Multi-armed A/B testing, also known as a multi-armed bandit solution (MAB) is a form of testing that utilises machine learning, dynamically learning from the data and allocating more traffic to the best performing variation.

Multivariate testing is similar to A/B Testing, however a multivariate experiment has a higher number of variations. It enables you to gather more insights and determine which combination of changes works best.

On-page surveys are surveys that pop up on a web page, and are used to gather feedback from your website visitors. They are a useful tool to understand your customers' likes and dislikes, and can compliment your analytics data with qualitative insights.

Organic traffic comes from visitors that land on a website via a search engine, and not through a paid ad.

Personalisation is a type of testing that focuses on optimising a website to suit the visitors' requirements. This can apply to one element (such as a banner), as well as a whole website journey. By using personalisation, it increases the users' engagement with your content and is more likely to increase conversions.

Qualitative research is the humanistic, non-numerical first-hand collection of data by a researcher. Methods of research include usability testing, focus groups, user interviews and ethnographic studies.

Quantitative research is the numerical analysis of a product to understand general user behaviour and provide holistic views. Analytics tools, graphs and charts are typically used to present this quantifiable data.

Responsive website design is the approach taken to adapt the layout of a website to provide an optimal viewing experience for users regardless of the device that they are using (e.g desktop/mobile/tablet).

Revenue per visitor is the average revenue that a customer brings to a company each time their website is visited. It's calculated by dividing the total revenue by the number of visitors over a given period of time.

The sample size is the number of visitors required to make statistical inferences on a given test.

Segmentation is the grouping of a set of users through a given criteria such as demographics or behaviour.

Server side testing refers to a form of testing whereby a test variation(s) is rendered on the server itself as opposed to within the user's browser.

A session recording is live capture of user behaviour in a specific session to gather insights. This is generally obtained using analytics tool such as ContentSquare, SessionCam, Decibel Insight and more.

Social proof is the concept that users will validate other users' behaviour to be 'the right thing' and henceforth adapt and conform their own behaviour to be similar.

Split testing is another word for A/B Testing.

Statistical significance is the confidence in which the given result of a test is not due to random chance.

Test duration is the length of time, usually in days, that a test has been live.

A test hypothesis is a theorised statement that forms the foundation of a test. A good test hypothesis is structured as follows: Given [EVIDENCE], we believe [RATIONALE], so that [IMPROVEMENT].

Unique visitors is the distinct number of visitors to a website in a given time period (additional returning visits for a user are excluded).

Upsell is a sales technique to persuade a customer (or an about-to-be customer) to upgrade and/ or purchase additional items.

Usability is the measure of how well a product or website can serve its purpose.

Usability testing is a form of qualitative research in which a product/ website's function is tested by a real customer under the eye of a moderator (researcher).

User flow is a visual representation of the linear workflow/ path that a user takes to complete a task.

User generated content is content which has been produced and submitted to a website by its users; an example of UGC would be a product review with an attached image.

A user journey map is a visual representation of all touchpoints that a user may encounter in their interaction with a product and/or brand. User journey maps also consider a user's feelings, pain points and moments of delight.

Web analytics refers to the analysis of user data and behaviour on websites.

Website optimisation is the process of using strategies, tools and experiments to continually improve business goals and targets.

Website personalisation is the dynamic adaptation of the visuals/ content of a webpage for a given user, typically utilising their previous habits and behaviour.

Whitespace refers to the negative spacing/ gaps around images, text and other content on a webpage. Designers typically use whitespace on a page to direct attention to specific content.

A widget is a small piece of software that can sit on a website or app.