Web Analytics Glossary

Plain-English definitions of analytics terms. No jargon, no padding.

Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of sessions in which a visitor views only one page and then leaves with no further interactions.

CCPA

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a California state law that gives residents the right to know what personal data is being collected and how it’s being used.

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

Cumulative Layout Shift is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures visual stability. It captures how much the layout shifts during the loading of a page.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who completed a desired goal, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.

Cookie Consent

Cookie consent (or cookie consent banner) is the mechanism by which websites ask visitors to agree to the use of cookies.

Cookieless Analytics

Cookieless analytics measures website traffic without placing cookies in the visitor's browser, instead utilizing data from various privacy-respecting methods.

Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics defined by Google to measure user experience on the web, including loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

Custom Event

A custom event is an action tracked on your website beyond a standard pageview. Examples include button clicks, video plays, and form submissions.

Dead Click

A dead click is a click on a non-interactive element where the visitor expected something to happen but it did not.

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic refers to visits where no referring URL is known. This includes visitors who typed your website address directly into their browser.

Funnel

A conversion funnel is a multi-step sequence of actions that leads a visitor toward a goal, such as making a purchase.

GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union regulation that governs the collection and processing of personal data.

Goal

A goal in web analytics is a defined action you want visitors to complete, such as a signup, purchase, or form submission.

Heatmap

A heatmap is a visual overlay on a webpage that shows where visitors click and how far they scroll on the page.

INP (Interaction to Next Paint)

Interaction to Next Paint is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures responsiveness. It captures the time between a user’s interaction and the next frame being rendered.

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

Largest Contentful Paint is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures how long it takes for the largest content element to render on the screen.

Organic Search

Organic search traffic refers to visitors who arrived at your website by clicking an unpaid search result.

Pageview

A pageview is recorded each time a visitor loads a page on your website. If a visitor refreshes the page, it counts as an additional pageview.

Privacy-First Analytics

Privacy-first analytics is an approach to web measurement that prioritizes the privacy of website visitors.

Rage Click

A rage click is when a visitor clicks the same area repeatedly in quick succession, usually indicating frustration with a non-responsive element.

Referrer

A referrer is the URL of the page from which a visitor arrived at your website, helping to track the source of traffic.

Session

A session is a group of interactions a single visitor has on your website within a given time frame.

Session Duration

Session duration (also called time on site) is the total amount of time a visitor spends on your website during a session.

Session Replay

Session replay records a visitor's interactions such as mouse movements, clicks, and scrolls, allowing for analysis of user behavior.

Unique Visitor

A unique visitor is a single person who visited your website within a given time period, counted once regardless of how many times they visit.

Uptime Monitoring

Uptime monitoring checks whether your website is accessible and responding correctly at regular intervals, ensuring it is online for visitors.

UTM Parameter

UTM parameters are tags appended to a URL to track the source, medium, and campaign of traffic.