Digital Marketing Glossary

Here, we’ll decode the cryptic language of digital marketers, from the arcane arts of SEO to the mystical realms of PPC, and everything in between. In this digital marketing glossary, you’ll learn why “cookies” aren’t just for snacking, how “organic” isn’t only for groceries, and why “bouncing” isn’t as fun as it sounds. We’ll dive deep into the heart of the internet, where “crawlers” aren’t creepy, “ghosting” is not rude, and “hashtags” aren’t breakfast fare.

A

• Affiliate Marketing: A marketing arrangement by which an online retailer pays commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its referrals.
• Analytics: The process of analyzing data to gain insights into marketing performance, often used to guide marketing decisions and strategies.
• AdWords: Now known as Google Ads, it’s Google’s online advertising platform that allows advertisers to display ads on Google’s search engine results pages and network of partner sites.

B

• Backlink: An incoming hyperlink from one web page to another website. Backlinks are significant for SEO because they represent a “vote of confidence” from one site to another, indicating the content’s credibility.
• Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors to a website who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page, indicating engagement levels.
• Brand Awareness: The extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services.

C

• Content Marketing: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience.
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who take a desired action on a website, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
• Cookies: Small pieces of data stored on the user’s device by the web browser while browsing a website. Cookies are designed to remember information about the user, such as login details, what’s in their shopping cart, and their preferences for future visits. They play a crucial role in enhancing and enabling usability and website processes, facilitating targeted advertising and tracking user activity across the web for analytics purposes.
• CPC (Cost Per Click): A method used to bill for advertising where the advertiser pays only when their ad is clicked on.
• Crawlers: Also known as spiders or bots, crawlers are automated software programs used by search engines to visit websites and collect information about them to index their pages. Crawlers help in understanding the content of a site, including its pages, links, and other data, which is then used to rank the website in search engine results based on relevance and authority.
• CTR (Click-Through Rate): The percentage of people who click on a specific link out of the total number of people who see the link. It measures the success of an online advertising campaign or the effectiveness of email campaigns.

D

• Digital Marketing: The component of marketing that utilizes the internet and online-based digital technologies to promote products and services.
• Domain Authority: A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engine result pages (SERPs).
• Dynamic Content: Website or email content that changes based on the viewer’s past behavior or preferences. It allows for a more personalized user experience.

E

• Email Marketing: The act of sending commercial messages, typically to a group of people, using email to promote products or services, or to nurture leads.
• Engagement: The interaction between users and brands on online platforms. Engagement can be measured in likes, shares, comments, and other forms of user interaction.

F

• Facebook Ads: An online advertising platform offered by Facebook, allowing advertisers to deliver ads to the social network’s users based on their activity, demographic information, device use information, advertising and marketing partner-supplied information, and off-Facebook activity.
• Funnel: A marketing model which illustrates the theoretical customer journey towards the purchase of a product or service.

G

• Ghosting: In digital marketing, ghosting refers to the practice where ads or content unexpectedly disappear or are not displayed to the audience, often due to being blocked or filtered by ad blockers, or when platforms restrict visibility due to policy violations or quality issues. It can also refer to the abrupt end of communication with no explanation in the context of professional relationships or online interactions.
• Google Analytics: A web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, providing insights into user behavior and website performance.

H

• Hashtags: A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media platforms to identify messages on a specific topic. Hashtags categorize content, making it more discoverable and allowing users to connect with others based on common interests or themes. They are instrumental in amplifying the reach of social media posts, participating in trending conversations, and engaging with a broader audience beyond one’s followers.

I

• Inbound Marketing: A business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them, rather than pushing products or services on them.
• Influencer Marketing: A form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placements from influencers, people and organizations who possess an expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field.

K

• Keyword: Words or phrases used in digital content to improve search engine rankings. Keywords are used in SEO and SEM strategies to attract and drive targeted traffic to websites.

L

• Landing Page: A standalone web page created specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign, where a visitor “lands” after they click on a link in an email, or ads from Google, Bing, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or similar places on the web.
• Lead Generation: The process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into someone who has indicated interest in your company’s product or service.

M

• Marketing Automation: The technology that manages marketing processes and multifunctional campaigns, across multiple channels, automatically.
• Mobile Marketing: Marketing activities designed specifically for delivery to and interaction with mobile devices and smartphones.

O

• Organic Search: The process of gaining traffic to your website without the use of paid advertising, often through SEO practices.

P

• PPC (Pay Per Click): A model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. Essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your site.

R

• Remarketing: A tactic that involves showing ads to individuals who have visited your website, used your mobile app, or given you their email address, but did not make a purchase, with the aim of bringing them back to complete a transaction.
• ROI (Return on Investment): A measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment, calculated by dividing net profit by the cost of the investment.

S

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results.
• Social Media Marketing: The use of social media platforms to connect with your audience to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.

T

• Target Audience: A specific group of consumers most likely to respond positively to your marketing campaigns. This group is defined by similar characteristics, such as demographic and psychographic traits.

U

• User Experience (UX): The overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or a computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use.
• User Generated Content (UGC): Content created and shared by consumers about brands or products. It’s often shared via social media and can include testimonials, reviews, pictures, videos, and more.

V

• Viral Marketing: A business strategy that uses existing social networks to promote a product. Its name refers to how consumers spread information about a product with other people, much in the same way that a virus spreads from one person to another.

W

• Webinar: An interactive online seminar or workshop where participants engage in discussions or educational sessions over the internet.