Digital marketing glossary

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or marketing campaign to determine which performs better in terms of conversion or engagement.

The portion of a webpage that is visible without scrolling. Content or elements placed above the fold are considered more immediately visible to users.

Accessibility in the context of digital marketing refers to the design and development of websites, applications, and digital content in a way that ensures easy and equal access for all users, including those with disabilities. It involves creating digital experiences that can be navigated and understood by individuals with diverse abilities and disabilities, such as visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments.

The written content of an advertisement, including headlines, body text, and a call-to-action, designed to persuade and attract the target audience.

The number of times an ad is viewed by users, regardless of whether they click on it or not.

The process of delivering ads to a specific audience based on various criteria such as demographics, interests, behaviour, or location.

Adobe Inc. is a multinational software company renowned for developing a wide range of creative software solutions and digital tools. Founded in 1982, Adobe has played a pivotal role in shaping the digital landscape. The company's product offerings include industry-standard applications such as Photoshop (for image editing), Illustrator (for vector graphics), InDesign (for desktop publishing), Premiere Pro (for video editing), and Acrobat (for PDF creation and editing), among others.

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a WordPress plugin that extends the functionality of the WordPress platform by allowing users to easily add and manage custom fields. Custom fields enable users to tailor and enhance the content structure of their WordPress websites beyond the default options provided by the platform.

A performance-based marketing strategy where businesses reward affiliates for driving traffic or sales to their website through the affiliate's marketing efforts.

A branch of computer science that aims to create machines or software capable of intelligent behaviour. In digital marketing, AI is often used to analyse data, automate tasks, and enhance decision-making processes.

A marketing model that represents the stages a consumer goes through in the buying process, from capturing their attention to encouraging them to take action.

A set of rules or processes followed by search engines or social media platforms to rank and display content based on relevance and other factors.

Descriptive text added to an image's HTML tag to provide information about the image. Alt text is crucial for accessibility and SEO.

A project developed by Google that aims to create faster-loading mobile web pages by restricting the use of certain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript elements.

The collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to understand and optimize the performance of a website, marketing campaign, or online platform.

A set of protocols and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs are used to enable integration between different platforms and services.

An application, commonly referred to as an "app," is a software program designed to perform specific tasks or provide specific functions on a computer, mobile device, or other electronic devices. In the context of digital marketing, mobile apps are often developed to enhance user engagement, provide personalized experiences, and facilitate interactions between businesses and their audiences.

The process of optimizing a mobile app's visibility and performance on app stores, with the goal of increasing downloads and user engagement.

An audience refers to a group of individuals who are recipients or observers of a particular message, presentation, performance, or communication. In various contexts, such as marketing, entertainment, public speaking, and media, understanding and engaging with the audience is crucial for effective communication and achieving specific objectives.

Dividing a target audience into smaller groups based on characteristics such as demographics, behavior, or preferences to tailor marketing efforts more effectively.

A technology that superimposes computer-generated information, such as images, sounds, or text, onto the real world, often experienced through mobile devices or AR glasses.

In SEO, authority refers to the perceived credibility and trustworthiness of a website or page. High-quality content, backlinks, and positive user experiences contribute to building authority.

A website that is recognized as a reliable and credible source of information in a particular industry or niche, often ranking well in search engine results.

The use of software and technology to perform repetitive tasks or processes without manual intervention. Marketing automation, for example, involves automating marketing tasks such as email campaigns and social media posting.

A graphical representation or icon used to represent an individual in online forums, social media, or other virtual environments.

Refers to transactions or relationships between businesses, where one business sells products or services to another.

Describes commerce transactions between businesses and consumers, where businesses sell products or services directly to end consumers.

A hyperlink from one web page to another. Backlinks are crucial for SEO, as search engines often consider them as a measure of a website's authority and credibility.

A form of online advertising that involves displaying a graphical ad on a website, typically as an image or animation.

In web analytics, the visual representation of the path users take through a website, showing the sequence of pages they visit.

Dividing a target market based on patterns of behaviour, such as buying habits, product usage, or responses to marketing messages.

A digital advertising strategy that targets users based on their online behaviour, such as the websites they visit, the pages they view, or the actions they take.

A search engine owned and operated by Microsoft, serving as an alternative to Google for online searches.

A link placed in a social media bio that directs followers to specific content or pages, often used for marketing purposes on platforms like Instagram.

Unethical and manipulative SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines, often resulting in penalties. Examples include keyword stuffing and cloaking.

A decentralized and distributed ledger technology that ensures the security and transparency of transactions. While not exclusive to marketing, it has implications for secure and transparent advertising and data management.

A regularly updated web page or site that publishes articles or posts on various topics. Blogs are commonly used for content marketing to engage audiences and improve SEO.

The percentage of visitors who navigate away from a website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate may indicate issues with the website or content.

The promotion of a brand by its customers who actively recommend and endorse the brand's products or services.

The extent to which a brand is recognized and known by potential customers. Brand awareness is a key marketing goal to enhance a brand's visibility.

Brand guidelines, also known as brand style guides or brand manuals, are comprehensive documents that provide detailed instructions and specifications on how a brand should be represented visually, verbally, and experientially. These guidelines serve as a reference for internal and external stakeholders to ensure consistent and cohesive brand representation across various touchpoints.

The process of creating a unique and identifiable image and name for a product or company to distinguish it from competitors.

A single email message sent to a large group of recipients, often used for marketing or communication purposes.

A software application used to access and view information on the internet. Examples include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

The amount of money allocated for a specific marketing campaign or overall marketing efforts.

A fictional representation of a business's ideal customer, created by analysing demographic and psychographic information to guide marketing strategies.

A type of online ad format that allows advertisers to display multiple images or videos in a single ad unit, often used in social media advertising.

Marketing through messaging apps and chat platforms to engage with customers, provide support, and deliver personalized content.

A computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, often used for providing automated customer support or engagement on websites.

Illegitimate clicks on online ads with the intention of exhausting an advertiser's budget or falsely inflating click-through rates.

The percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it. Calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions and multiplying by 100.

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a distributed network of servers strategically located across various geographical regions to deliver web content, such as images, videos, stylesheets, and scripts, to users more efficiently. The primary goal of a CDN is to enhance the performance, reliability, and speed of content delivery by reducing latency and distributing the load across multiple servers.

CMYK is a colour model used in colour printing and describes the printing process itself. The abbreviation stands for the four ink plates used in colour printing: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black). In this model, colours are created by combining percentages of these four ink colours in varying intensities.

A schedule that outlines the planned content to be created and shared over a specific period, helping with content strategy and organization.

A Content Management System (CMS) is a software application that enables users to create, manage, and modify digital content on a website without requiring extensive technical knowledge. The primary purpose of a CMS is to simplify the process of content creation and maintenance, allowing multiple users to collaborate on a website's content.

A marketing strategy that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience.

Tailoring content to individual users based on their preferences, behaviour, and demographics to enhance the user experience and increase engagement.

The process of distributing and publishing content across multiple platforms, websites, or channels to reach a wider audience.

The desired action that a user takes on a website, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter.

The process of optimising a website or landing page to increase the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

A small piece of data stored on a user's device by a web browser, often used to track and remember user behaviour for website analytics and advertising.

The cost of acquiring a customer through a specific marketing campaign. Calculated by dividing the total campaign cost by the number of acquisitions.

The amount of money an advertiser pays for each click on their online ad.

The cost of 1,000 impressions in online advertising. It is a common metric for display advertising.

Crawling refers to the automated process by which search engines systematically discover and analyse web pages. It's like having a team of robots roaming the internet, following links from one page to another, and collecting information about the content they find. This information is then stored in a massive database, forming the foundation for search engine results.

Creative Cloud is a subscription-based suite of software and services offered by Adobe Inc. It provides a comprehensive set of creative tools used by professionals and enthusiasts in various fields, including graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, and more. The Creative Cloud suite includes popular applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and many others.

A technology and strategy for managing a company's interactions with current and potential customers. It often involves data analysis and customer segmentation.

A sales strategy where a company promotes additional products or services to existing customers, often related to their initial purchase. For example a user may be purchasing a coffee machine, obvious cross-sell's would be products like coffee beans, coffee mugs, machine cleaner, etc.

A style sheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in HTML or XML. CSS defines how elements should be displayed on a webpage, including layout, colours, fonts, and spacing. It allows for the separation of content and presentation, making it easier to maintain and update the visual aspects of a website. CSS is essential for creating visually appealing and responsive web designs.

A prompt or instruction that encourages the audience to take a specific action, such as clicking a button, filling out a form, or making a purchase.

In WordPress, a Custom Post Type (CPT) is a content type that users can define and create to extend the default post types such as posts and pages. Custom Post Types allow for the organization and presentation of diverse types of content on a WordPress website, going beyond the standard blog posts and static pages.

The complete experience a customer has with a brand, from initial awareness and consideration to purchase and post-purchase interactions.

A detailed and semi-fictional representation of a brand's ideal customer, including demographics, behaviours, and preferences.

Refers to the sharing of content through private channels such as direct messaging or email, making it challenging for marketers to track and attribute the source of traffic. Analytics tools may struggle to capture dark social interactions accurately.

Statistical data used to describe and categorize a population based on characteristics such as age, gender, income, education, and other factors. Demographic information is often used in target audience segmentation for marketing campaigns.

A region or geographic area used by broadcasters and advertisers to define television and media markets. DMAs help in targeting specific audiences for advertising purposes.

A type of online advertising that includes visual elements such as images, banners, or videos. Display ads are shown on websites, social media platforms, and other digital channels to promote products or brands.

The system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, allowing computers to locate and connect with each other on the internet. DNS is crucial for accessing websites and other online resources.

A type of hyperlink that passes authority and SEO value from one webpage to another. Dofollow links contribute to the link profile of a website and can positively impact its search engine rankings.

A metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). It is based on factors such as the quality and quantity of backlinks and overall site authority.

A subsidiary of Google that provides ad management and ad serving solutions. DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) and DoubleClick Ad Exchange are commonly used by publishers and advertisers for managing and optimizing digital advertising.

An email marketing strategy that involves sending a series of pre-written, automated emails to leads or customers over time. Drip campaigns are often used for nurturing leads and guiding them through the sales funnel.

Content that appears in more than one place on the internet, either within the same website or across different websites. Search engines may penalize websites for having duplicate content, as it can affect the accuracy of search results.

The amount of time a user spends on a webpage before returning to the search results or navigating to another site. Dwell time is considered a user engagement metric and can impact search engine rankings.

Content that changes based on the characteristics, behaviour, or preferences of the user. Dynamic content is often used in email marketing and website personalization to create more targeted and relevant experiences.

A feature in online advertising platforms that allows advertisers to automatically insert the search query or keyword into the ad copy. This customization aims to make ads more relevant to users.

Short for electronic commerce, it refers to buying and selling goods and services over the internet. E-commerce platforms enable online transactions and are a significant aspect of digital business.

Media coverage or attention that a brand receives through word-of-mouth, publicity, or organic sharing, as opposed to paid advertising. Earned media includes mentions, shares, and positive reviews.

Short for electronic book, an ebook is a digital publication that can be read on electronic devices. Ebooks are often used in content marketing to provide in-depth information and generate leads.

An email marketing platform that provides tools for creating, sending, and tracking email campaigns. Elastic Email is designed to be scalable and adaptable to the needs of businesses.

A digital marketing strategy that involves sending emails to a group of people with the goal of promoting products, services, or building relationships. Email marketing can include newsletters, promotional offers, and personalized content.

The use of emojis in marketing content, such as social media posts, emails, or advertisements. Emojis can convey emotions, add personality to messages, and increase audience engagement.

A marketing strategy that focuses on building relationships and fostering engagement with the target audience. It emphasizes personalized, interactive, and value-driven interactions.

A metric that measures the level of interaction and involvement users have with content, typically expressed as a percentage. Engagement rate considers actions such as likes, shares, comments, and clicks.

Content that is temporary and available for a short duration, often used in social media stories or disappearing posts. Ephemeral content is designed to create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate engagement.

The promotion of a brand or product through live events, such as conferences, trade shows, or sponsored gatherings. Event marketing aims to create in-person experiences and connect with the target audience.

Content that remains relevant and valuable over an extended period. Evergreen content doesn't become outdated quickly, making it suitable for long-term use and continual audience engagement.

A popup displayed on a website when a user is about to leave the page. Exit intent popups often contain offers or messages designed to retain the user's attention or encourage further interaction.

A hyperlink on a webpage that, when clicked, directs the user to another website or page. Exit links are often strategically placed to guide users to relevant external content.

A web analytics metric that indicates the percentage of visitors who leave a website from a specific page. It helps identify pages where users are more likely to exit the site.