Are you new to the world of digital marketing? Check out our glossary to find the definitions of the most commonly used industry buzz words.
A
- A/B Testing
A method that compares two or more versions of content to determine which one performs better.
- Above the Fold
Above the fold is the top half of a webpage that a user can see without having to scroll down
- Absolute Link
In an absolute link, the entire url is displayed
- Adsense
Google AdSense is Google's advertising network
- Adwords
Google AdWords is Google's ad and link network
- AJAX
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, AJAX creates a more user-friendly webpage
- Algorithm
The rules to how webpages are ranked by a search engine is known as an algorithm
- Analytics
Google Analytics measure your return on investment and tracks your flash and video
- Anchor Text
Anchor text is when words are used to represent an url for a user to click on
- Automation
The use of technology platforms to automate marketing campaigns like email or texts.
B
- B2B (Business to Business)
Business between two or more companies
- Back Links
Back links link from a website to another website
- Bait and Switch
In regards to SEO, bait and switch gives a search engine one version of a page while another page may be shown to those viewing it
- Below the Fold
Below the fold is the bottom half of a webpage that a user can see when they scroll down on the page
- Blog
Blogs are an online journal that is periodically updated
- Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors to a website who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page. Bounce rate is also the percentage of emails that do not reach the intended recipient.
C
- Cache
Cache is the copy of a webpage that a search engine keeps stored
- Clustering
When a search engine groups together links in a search result to keep the page looking organized and easy to navigate, it is called clustering
- CMS (Content Management System)
Enables someone with little to no web management experience to be able to manage their business' website with relative ease
- COA (Cost of Acquisition)
The total cost of all the money spent to gain a new customer
- Comments Tag
Comments that are placed in the source code of a webpage
- Conceptual Links
Links that search engines attempt to understand past the words
- Conversion Goal
When the target goal is achieved by a visitor, it is known as the conversion goal
- Conversion Rate
Conversion rate measures the effectiveness of a conversion rate of visitors into buyers
- Cookie
Stores information about a user's visit to a website
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
A business strategy and technology platform that helps companies manage their interactions with customers.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheet)
Additional HTML code that enables more control over how a webpage looks to a user
- CTA (Call to Action)
An instruction to the audience to provoke an immediate response
- CTR (Click through Rate)
A metric that measures the percentage of email recipients who click on a link or call to action in an email.
D
- Database-Driven
When a webpage is connected to a database and takes some of its content from that database
- Database-Generated
Created in contrast to static HTML and is partially based off of a database in regards to content
- Deep Crawl
The way Google obtains information from your website is by deep crawling
- Description Tag
An HTML tag that gives a general description of a webpage
- DMOZ
Open Directory Project, the largest human-edited directory of websites
- Doorway Page
Sometimes called a bridge page, these pages are designed to rank high for a certain keyword and then will direct a user to the real webpage
- Drupal
Another type of CMS (content management system) that allows for easy website management in both creation and editing
- Dynamic Website
On this type of website, the content changes and is interactive with a user
E
- E-commerce
Electronic commerce, the trading of products or services via computer networks
F
- Flash
Flash technology enables a website to be animated and interactive
- Forum
A virtual community used for information exchange
- Frames
The frames tag allows two or more webpages to be displayed at one time
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
A way to transfer data between computers
G
- Gated
A strategy that restricts access to valuable online content until a user completes a specific action.
- Geo-Targeting
Advertising is based on geographic location
H
- Homepage
The home/main page of a website
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
A language used to create webpages and host them on the web
I
- Inbound Links
These links point from one website to another
- Index
The way search engines find a match to a user's search is through the index
- Infographic
A visual image like a chart or diagram used to represent information and/or data.
- Internal Links
Link from a site to another page within the same website
- IP (Internet Protocol)
Ensures that data sent between two different destinations is readable
- IP Address
The code that each webpage and user's browser has to identify itself
- ISP (Internet Service Provider)
The company that provides you with your internet access
J
- Java Applets
Programs that are in java language and embedded into webpages
- Javascripts
The scripting language that is widely used on the world wide web
K
- Keyword
The word that represents what a user could possibly be looking for in query
- Keyword Density
The density on a page of how much on a page is specifically chosen for keywords
- Keyword Popularity
How many times a keyword has been searched in a set period of time
- Keyword Stuffing
Stuffing a keyword many times into copy
- KPI (Key Performance Indicators)
Items that measure the progress of how goals are being achieved
L
- Landing Page
The page that a user lands on after clicking on a link
- Lead
A prospect, person or organization that has interacted with a brand and has the potential to become a customer.
- Link Building
Building a database of places you have your link listed on the internet
- Linkbait
Targeting specific users to click things on your site like advertisements or promotions
- Long Tail Keyword
A combination of 3-6 keywords that create a specific phrase
M
- Meta Tag
A tag placed in the head section of a webpage
- Metrics
Quantifiable values used to measure performance of campaigns or websites.
N
- Navigation Bar
The section on a website to help direct a spider through a website
O
- Off Page SEO
Items that influence a website's ranking but is not found on the website itself
- On Page SEO
Items that influence a website's ranking and are found on the website itself
- Organic Search
Results that appear after a search because of their relevancy and are not advertisements
- Outbound Links
A link from a site to another website
P
- Pagerank
An algorithm used by the Google search engine to measure the authority of a webpage
- PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor)
Used to add interactivity to webpages
- PPC (Pay Per Click)
A pricing model for ads where a company only pays for the number of times a user clicks on their ad
- Public Relations
The way a company communicates with external audiences to spread information, maintain a positive image and influence people’s perceptions.
Q
- Query
What a user types to search, usually a keyword or phrase
R
- Reciprocal Link
When a website lists their link on another website, with an agreement that the first website will reciprocate the advertisement on their site of the other website's link
- Redirect
When a user is directed from one page to another
- Referral Rate
A measurement by which to determine which channel (i.e. search engine, PPC, link) is most effective at driving traffic to your website
- Relevance
How useful a search engine's results page is to a user
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Metric that measures the revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising
- ROI (Return On Investment)
How much return you see from every marketing dollar spent
S
- Script
Writing that performs a specific function on a webpage
- Search Directory
Similar to a search engine, a search directory only lists pages that are directly submitted to it
- Search Engine
A way to find information on the internet
- SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Marketing a website within search engines
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Strategic actions that are done in order to improve a webpage's page ranking
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The results found based upon the query you have entered
- Server Logs
Shows a website's traffic and sources
- Short Tail
A combination of 1-2 keywords that are broad search terms/keywords
- Sitemap
The breakdown of a website that maps out where pages are located within the website
- Social proof
The psychological phenomenon that people are influenced by other people in their decision making.
- Spam
Unsolicited advertising that is usually unethical and not aimed to a specific audience
- Spider
Run by a search engine, this software examines pages and all of its links to make the website entirely indexed
- Static Website
Unchanged content on a website that makes a website slightly dull and outdated
T
- Target Audience
The market where the advertiser is aiming to target
- Title Tag
Title writing seen in the blue bar at the top of a webpage which is the most important text to search engines
- TLD (Top Level Domain)
The domains that end in .com, .net, .gov, .edu and .org
- Toolbar
A toolbar is an optional browser add-on that typically is provided by a search engine
- Tracking
The ability to monitor audience response to an ad throughout the life of its campaign
- Traffic
The amount of visitors that visit a website
U
- UGC (User Generated Content)
Content created by customers of brand advocates, rather than the brand itself to be used in marketing
- URL (Uniform/Universal Resource Locator)
The address to where a website is located
- Usability
How user-friendly a website is
- UX (User Experience)
Overall experience a user has when interacting with a company’s digital products and services
V
- Visibility
How easily your website is visible within search engine results