The landing page & CRO glossary
Short, practical definitions of the terms you'll meet when improving a landing page, with what to do about each one.
A
- A/B testing
Showing two versions of a page to randomly split traffic at the same time and measuring which one converts better.
- Above the fold
The part of a web page visitors see before they scroll. It decides whether they understand the offer and keep reading.
B
- Bounce rate
In GA4, the percentage of sessions that were not engaged. It is the inverse of engagement rate.
C
- Call-to-action
The button or link that asks a visitor to take the next step, such as booking a call, starting a trial or buying.
- Click-through rate
The percentage of people who click a link, ad, search result or button after seeing it: clicks divided by impressions.
- Conversion rate
The percentage of visitors or sessions that complete a goal, such as a purchase, sign-up or form submission.
- Conversion rate optimization
The practice of improving a page or funnel so a larger share of visitors take the action you want, using evidence rather than guesswork.
- Core Web Vitals
Google's three user-experience metrics for loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS), measured on real visits.
- Cumulative Layout Shift
A Core Web Vital that measures how much visible content unexpectedly moves while a page is in use. Good is 0.1 or less.
E
- Exit-intent popup
A popup that appears when a visitor seems about to leave a page, offering a reason to stay or leave contact details.
F
- Form friction
Anything in a form that makes it harder or less appealing to complete, such as too many fields, unclear labels or a vague submit button.
H
- Heatmap
A visual overlay that shows where visitors click, move or how far they scroll on a page, with warmer colours for more activity.
- Hero section
The top section of a page, usually with the main headline, a supporting line, a visual and the primary call-to-action.
I
- Interaction to Next Paint
A Core Web Vital that measures how quickly a page responds visually to clicks, taps and key presses. Good is 200 ms or less.
L
- Landing page
A standalone page built for one campaign or offer, with a single goal such as getting leads, bookings or sales.
- Largest Contentful Paint
A Core Web Vital that measures when the largest image or text block in the viewport appears. Good is 2.5 seconds or less.
- Lead magnet
A free, useful resource offered in exchange for contact details, such as a guide, checklist, template, quote or audit.
M
- Microcopy
The small pieces of text on a page, such as button labels, form hints, error messages and reassurance lines, that guide visitors to act.
R
- Risk reversal
Moving the risk of a purchase from the buyer to the seller with guarantees, free trials, refunds or no-commitment terms.
S
- Sales funnel
The series of steps a person takes from first discovering you to becoming a customer, with fewer people at each stage.
- Social proof
Evidence that other people use and value your offer, such as testimonials, reviews, client logos and case studies.
- Squeeze page
A short landing page whose only job is to collect an email address, usually in exchange for a lead magnet.
- Statistical significance
A test of whether a difference between variations is larger than random chance would usually produce, judged against a threshold set in advance.
T
- Trust signals
Page elements that show a business is real, safe and accountable, such as contact details, HTTPS, reviews and guarantees.
U
- Unique selling proposition
The specific reason a customer should choose you over the alternatives, stated in a way competitors cannot easily copy.
V
- Value proposition
A clear statement of what you offer, who it is for and why it is worth choosing, usually expressed in the headline and subheadline.
Put the theory to work
Run a free audit and see which of these issues your landing page has.