Marketing Glossary

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or ad against each other to determine which one performs better. Also called split testing.

The portion of a webpage visible without scrolling. Critical for placing key messages and CTAs where users see them immediately.

The average number of times a user sees your ad. High frequency can lead to ad fatigue, while low frequency may not build awareness.

Google's formula for determining ad position in search results, based on bid amount, Quality Score, and expected impact of extensions.

A performance-based marketing strategy where businesses reward affiliates for each customer brought by the affiliate's marketing efforts.

Google's AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results, synthesizing information from multiple sources. Formerly called SGE.

A set of rules used by search engines and social platforms to determine content ranking, visibility, and relevance to users.

Descriptive text added to images for accessibility and SEO. Helps search engines understand image content and assists visually impaired users.

The rule or set of rules that determines how credit for conversions is assigned to touchpoints in the customer journey.

Dividing a target audience into distinct groups based on demographics, behaviors, or interests for more targeted marketing.

Marketing and sales activities between businesses rather than between a business and individual consumers.

Marketing and sales activities directed toward individual consumers rather than other businesses.

A link from one website to another. High-quality backlinks from authoritative sites remain a key SEO ranking factor.

The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page. High bounce rates may indicate poor content relevance or UX.

The extent to which consumers recognize and remember a brand. Often measured through surveys and social listening.

A semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about existing customers.

The total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses divided by the number of new customers.

A prompt that encourages users to take a specific action, such as 'Buy Now,' 'Sign Up,' or 'Learn More.'

The preferred version of a webpage URL that tells search engines which version to index when duplicate content exists.

The percentage of customers who stop using a product or service during a given time period. Critical for subscription businesses.

The ratio of users who click on a link compared to the total number who view it. Calculated as clicks divided by impressions.

A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a target audience.

When a user completes a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a form.

The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action. Calculated as conversions divided by total visitors, multiplied by 100.

The process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action through testing and optimization.

Google's metrics for measuring user experience: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

The average cost to acquire one customer or conversion. Total campaign cost divided by number of acquisitions.

The amount paid each time someone clicks on a pay-per-click ad. Total cost divided by number of clicks.

The cost per thousand impressions. Used in display advertising to measure the cost of reaching 1,000 viewers.

The process by which search engine bots discover and scan web pages to understand their content for indexing.

Software and strategies for managing customer interactions, data, and relationships throughout the customer lifecycle.

The predicted total revenue a business can expect from a single customer account throughout their relationship.

Social sharing that occurs through private channels like messaging apps, email, and SMS, making it difficult to track.

Marketing strategies focused on creating awareness and interest in a company's products or services to build a pipeline.

Website visitors who arrive by typing a URL directly or through bookmarks, rather than from referrals or search.

Visual ads (banners, images, videos) shown on websites, apps, and social media platforms through ad networks.

A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results.

A series of automated emails sent on a schedule or triggered by user actions to nurture leads over time.

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google's framework for evaluating content quality and credibility.

Using email to promote products, share content, and build relationships with customers and prospects.

A metric measuring user interaction with content, typically calculated as total engagements divided by reach or followers.

Content that remains relevant and valuable over time, continuing to drive traffic long after publication.

A highlighted answer box at the top of Google search results that directly answers a user's query. Also called 'Position Zero.'

Data collected directly from your audience through owned channels like websites, apps, and CRM systems.

The customer journey from initial awareness through consideration to purchase. Often visualized as awareness, interest, decision, action.

Google's current analytics platform using event-based tracking and machine learning for cross-platform measurement.

Delivering content or ads to users based on their geographic location, from country-level to specific neighborhoods.

A free tool for businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Maps. Formerly Google My Business.

A marketing approach focused on rapid experimentation across channels to identify the most efficient ways to grow a business.

HTML elements that define headings on a webpage. Proper hierarchy helps users and search engines understand content structure.

A visual representation of user behavior on a webpage, showing where visitors click, scroll, and spend time.

The number of times content is displayed to users, regardless of whether it was clicked or engaged with.

A strategy that attracts customers through valuable content and experiences, rather than interruptive advertising.

The process by which search engines store and organize web content to display in search results.

Partnering with individuals who have significant social media followings to promote products or services to their audience.

A Core Web Vital measuring responsiveness. It tracks the time from user interaction to the next visual update.

The purpose behind a user's search query: informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional.

Optimizing JavaScript-heavy websites so search engines can properly crawl, render, and index dynamic content.

Words or phrases users type into search engines. Targeting relevant keywords helps content rank for related searches.

When multiple pages on the same website compete for the same keyword, potentially hurting rankings for all of them.

A metric estimating how hard it would be to rank for a specific keyword based on competition and domain authority.

Measurable values that demonstrate how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.

A standalone webpage designed for a specific marketing campaign, focused on driving a single conversion action.

A potential customer who has expressed interest in a product or service, typically by providing contact information.

The process of attracting and converting prospects into leads through marketing activities and content.

A free item or service offered in exchange for contact information, such as an ebook, template, or webinar.

Building relationships with prospects through targeted content and communications to guide them toward purchase.

The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own, a key factor in SEO and domain authority.

Optimizing content to appear in AI-generated responses from large language models like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews.

Longer, more specific keyword phrases with lower search volume but higher conversion potential due to clear intent.

A targeting option that finds new users similar to your existing customers based on shared characteristics.

Software and technology that manages repetitive marketing tasks automatically, such as email, social media, and ad campaigns.

The stages a customer goes through from first awareness to purchase: typically awareness, consideration, and decision.

A lead deemed more likely to become a customer based on engagement and fit criteria set by marketing.

An HTML attribute providing a brief summary of a webpage's content, displayed in search results below the title.

HTML elements that provide metadata about a webpage to search engines and browsers, including title, description, and robots directives.

Google's practice of primarily using the mobile version of a website's content for indexing and ranking.

Predictable revenue a company can expect to receive every month, crucial for subscription-based businesses.

Paid content that matches the form and function of the platform where it appears, designed to look like organic content.

Keywords that prevent ads from showing for irrelevant searches, improving ad targeting and reducing wasted spend.

A metric measuring customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a company on a 0-10 scale.

A link attribute telling search engines not to pass ranking credit (PageRank) to the linked page.

Providing a seamless, integrated customer experience across all channels and touchpoints, online and offline.

Unpaid search results earned through SEO, as opposed to paid search advertising.

Traditional marketing methods that push messages to audiences, such as TV ads, cold calls, and direct mail.

How quickly a webpage loads. A critical ranking factor and user experience metric affecting bounce rates and conversions.

Google's original algorithm for ranking web pages based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to them.

An advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked, common in search and social advertising.

A Google Ads campaign type using AI to optimize ads across all Google properties including Search, Display, and YouTube.

Tailoring content, products, or experiences to individual users based on their preferences, behavior, or demographics.

A comprehensive webpage covering a broad topic in-depth, linking to related cluster content for topical authority.

A small piece of code placed on a website to track visitor behavior and enable retargeting. Common examples: Meta Pixel, Google Tag.

Google Ads metric rating the quality and relevance of keywords, ads, and landing pages on a 1-10 scale.

The word or phrase a user types into a search engine when looking for information.

The total number of unique users who see your content or ad. Different from impressions, which counts total views.

Showing ads to users who have previously visited your website or engaged with your content.

Web design that automatically adjusts layout and content to provide optimal viewing across all devices and screen sizes.

Revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. Calculated as revenue divided by ad spend.

A measure of profitability calculated as net profit divided by total investment, expressed as a percentage.

Enhanced search results that display additional information like ratings, prices, or images extracted from structured data.

A lead vetted by both marketing and sales as ready for direct sales engagement.

Structured data code added to websites to help search engines understand content and display rich results.

Marketing efforts to increase visibility in search engines, including both SEO and paid search advertising.

The practice of optimizing websites to rank higher in organic search results and drive quality traffic.

Dividing audiences or customer bases into groups based on shared characteristics for targeted marketing.

The page displayed by search engines in response to a query, containing organic results, ads, and SERP features.

A group of user interactions with a website within a given time frame, typically ending after 30 minutes of inactivity.

A brand's visibility compared to competitors, measured by mentions, ad impressions, or search rankings in a market.

Google Ads' automated bid strategies using machine learning to optimize for conversions or conversion value.

The psychological phenomenon where people copy the actions of others, used in marketing through reviews, testimonials, and user counts.

Data collected by entities without a direct relationship with users, often aggregated and sold for advertising targeting.

The awareness stage of the marketing funnel where potential customers first discover a brand or product.

An SEO content strategy organizing related content around a central pillar page to build topical authority.

The visitors who come to a website, categorized by source: organic, paid, direct, referral, or social.

The overall experience a user has when interacting with a website or product, including usability, accessibility, and satisfaction.

Content created by users rather than brands, including reviews, social posts, and testimonials.

Tags added to URLs to track the source, medium, campaign, and other details of traffic in analytics.

A statement explaining why customers should choose your product or service over competitors.

Marketing strategies designed to encourage rapid sharing of content, spreading like a virus across networks.

A live or recorded online seminar used for lead generation, education, or thought leadership.

Ethical SEO practices that follow search engine guidelines, as opposed to manipulative 'black hat' tactics.

A file listing all important pages on a website, helping search engines discover and crawl content efficiently.

A search where the user finds their answer directly on the SERP without clicking through to any website.