GLOSSARY
Every issue, explained — and exactly how to fix it
CRO9 runs 33 checks across nine categories. This is what every one of them means in plain language, what it actually costs you when it fails, and the steps to fix it yourself. You do not need us to do it — and if you would rather we did, that is what the product is for.
Crawlability
can they found? · 5 checks- robots.txtQuick fixA plain text file at yoursite.com/robots.txt that tells automated visitors — Google, Bing, ChatGPT — which par…
- XML sitemapQuick fixA machine-readable list of every page you want found, usually at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. It is an index, not…
- noindex tagQuick fixA hidden instruction in the page telling search engines "do not put this in results". Sometimes deliberate — a…
- Canonical tagQuick fixA line in the page that says "this is the real address of this content". It resolves the fact that the same pa…
- HTTPS / SSL certificateQuick fixThe padlock in the address bar. It encrypts the connection between your visitor and your site.
AI Access
can they read? · 3 checks- llms.txtQuick fixA newer convention — a plain text file at yoursite.com/llms.txt that describes your business and your key page…
- AI crawler accessModerateWhether AI crawlers — GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and others — are actually allowed to fetch your pages.…
- Server-side renderingDeveloperWhether your page content exists in the HTML the server sends, or is only drawn afterwards by JavaScript in th…
Content
can they answered? · 5 checks- H1 headingQuick fixThe single main heading of the page — the title a reader sees at the top, not the tab title.
- Heading structureQuick fixThe outline of your page — H1 for the title, H2 for main sections, H3 for points inside them, in order and wit…
- Content depthModerateHow much substantive text the page carries. Not padding — actual answers.
- Answer-first opening (BLUF)Quick fixBottom Line Up Front — stating the answer in the opening two sentences instead of building up to it.
- Internal linkingQuick fixLinks from this page to other relevant pages on your own site.
Metadata
can they clicked? · 2 checksSchema
can they quoted? · 4 checks- Structured data (JSON-LD)ModerateA small block of hidden, machine-readable facts in the page — your business name, address, opening hours, pric…
- Page type schemaModerateDeclaring specifically what kind of page this is — Product, Service, LocalBusiness, Article — rather than leav…
- FAQ schemaQuick fixMarking up question-and-answer pairs on the page so machines know which text is a question and which is its an…
- Breadcrumb schemaQuick fixThe "Home → Services → Emergency Plumbing" trail, marked up so search engines can display it.
Social
can they shared? · 2 checksSpeed / CWV
can they loaded? · 4 checks- Real-user performance dataModerateSpeed measured from actual visitors' devices and connections, collected by Google, rather than from a test mac…
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)ModerateHow long until the biggest thing on screen — usually your hero image or headline — has finished loading. Targe…
- Lighthouse performance scoreModerateGoogle's overall 0–100 lab score for the page, run on a simulated mid-range phone.
- Time to First Byte (TTFB)DeveloperHow long the server takes to start replying at all, before any rendering begins. Target is under 800 milliseco…
Mobile / A11y
can they usable? · 2 checksConversion
can they asked? · 6 checks- Call to actionQuick fixThe one thing you want a visitor to do — call, book, buy, request a quote — presented clearly and early.
- Lead captureModerateA form, chat widget or booking tool that lets an interested visitor reach you without picking up the phone.
- Behavioural analyticsQuick fixMeasurement of what visitors DO — where they hesitate, what they rage-click, which form field they abandon — a…
- Contact informationQuick fixA visible phone number, email or address — not buried on a separate contact page.
- Trust signalsQuick fixThe proof that you are safe to deal with — testimonials, review scores, guarantees, accreditations, a returns…
- Broken linksQuick fixLinks on the page that lead to pages which no longer exist and return a 404.