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Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, it's important to have a solid understanding of the terminology used in the world of digital marketing. After all, it's hard to track your marketing efforts and tell whether or not they’re effective if you’re not familiar with the jargon used. long right arrowCreated with Sketch. Schedule A Growth Strategy Session
keep up with the terms
We’ve put together this handy glossary of some of our most commonly-used marketing terms to help you keep up with the vocabulary and stay ahead of the game.
AI, or artificial intelligence, refers to computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. In digital marketing, AI is used for content creation, customer service chatbots, personalized recommendations, automated ad targeting, and data analysis. AI tools can help businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver better customer experiences.
AI automation refers to using artificial intelligence to perform repetitive marketing and business tasks without human intervention. This includes automated email campaigns, social media posting, lead scoring, customer segmentation, and ad optimization. AI automation helps businesses save time, reduce errors, and maintain consistent marketing activities.
AI ethics refers to the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence technologies, including considerations around privacy, bias, transparency, and fairness. For businesses, understanding AI ethics is important when implementing AI tools, ensuring customer data protection, avoiding discriminatory practices, and maintaining trust with customers and stakeholders.
Google’s AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results, significantly impacting organic click-through rates. They have now taken the place of, historically, what Google referred to as their “Featured Snippet” section.
The broader category of search engines powered by AI to generate conversational, contextual answers rather than a list of links.
ChatGPT is an AI-powered conversational tool developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text responses. Businesses use ChatGPT for content creation, customer support, email drafting, social media posts, and brainstorming ideas. It represents the growing category of generative AI tools that can assist with various marketing and business communication tasks.
Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can create new content, including text, images, videos, and audio. For businesses, generative AI tools can produce marketing copy, social media content, product descriptions, blog articles, and visual assets. This technology enables faster content creation and can help businesses scale their marketing efforts more efficiently.
A Large Language Model is a type of AI system trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like language. LLMs power tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI writing assistants. Businesses use LLMs for content creation, customer communication, translation, and various text-based marketing tasks.
Machine Learning is a subset of AI that enables computers to learn and improve from data without being explicitly programmed for each task. In marketing, machine learning algorithms analyze customer behavior, predict trends, optimize ad spending, and personalize content recommendations. This technology helps businesses make data-driven decisions and automate complex marketing processes.
NLP, or Natural Language Processing, is the branch of AI that helps computers understand, interpret, and generate human language. In marketing, NLP powers chatbots, sentiment analysis, voice search optimization, content analysis, and automated customer service responses. It enables businesses to better understand customer feedback and communicate more effectively.
A personalization engine uses AI to deliver customized content, product recommendations, and experiences to individual users based on their behavior, preferences, and data. These systems help businesses increase engagement, improve conversion rates, and enhance customer satisfaction by showing relevant content to each visitor or customer.
Prompt engineering is the practice of crafting effective instructions or questions to get optimal results from AI tools. Good prompts help businesses generate better content, more accurate responses, and more useful outputs from AI systems. Learning prompt engineering techniques can significantly improve the quality and relevance of AI-generated marketing materials.
An AI approach where a model retrieves information from external sources (like websites, databases, documents, or indexed content) and then uses that information to generate a response, rather than relying only on what it was trained on.
The backend of a website is the programming and database side of it which allows for its main functions. It is responsible for all the data handling, server-side scripting that powers both the front-end design and the content displayed to users.
A website cache is a system that stores static content such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files used to render web pages. By storing these elements, the cache helps to speed up the loading times of websites for repeat visitors. If you make any changes to your site, you may need to clear the cache before they’re visible.
A CMS, or content management system, is a software application that enables you to create and manage digital content. One very common CMS is WordPress.
A website domain is the unique address of a website, which enables users to access its content and services. It consists of a protocol (e.g. HTTP or HTTPS), followed by a domain name (such as example.com), and may also include a subdomain (e.g. blog.example.com). Together, these elements form the website domain, which is used to access a website.
The frontend of a website is the visible and interactive part of a website.
Website hosting is the process of storing, managing, and serving web content on the internet. It involves providing space for websites on a server, managing all technical aspects of running a website (including security, maintenance, and backups), as well as providing access to the website for visitors.
A website plugin is a piece of software that can be added to a website to extend its functionality. It typically consists of code written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and can be used to add additional features such as content management systems (CMS), search engines, e-commerce solutions, and social media integration. Plugins are designed to help website owners improve the performance and user experience of their websites.
An abandoned cart series is an email marketing strategy that helps to re-engage customers who have added items to their online shopping cart but have not yet completed the checkout process. It typically involves a sequence of emails, sent after a certain period of time, in an attempt to remind the customer about their incomplete purchase and persuade them to complete the transaction.
Email drip campaigns are automated marketing emails that are sent out to a targeted list of recipients on a predetermined schedule. Using email drip campaigns, businesses can send personalized messages to their customers or prospects at the right time in order to nurture relationships and drive sales.
Email open rate is the percentage of emails that are opened out of a given total number of emails sent. It can be used to measure the effectiveness of an email marketing campaign and inform future decisions in order to optimize engagement. The higher the open rate, the better the results.
An email welcome series is an automated set of emails sent to subscribers who have recently opted in to a mailing list. The primary goal of the series is to welcome and introduce new contacts to your brand and establish a relationship with them.
When audiences see the same ads too frequently, reducing effectiveness.
CPC stands for cost-per-click, and is a metric used in digital marketing to measure the amount of money spent on an ad campaign divided by the number of clicks generated by that campaign. CPC allows you to understand how much you’re spending on each click your ad receives. This information can help you make decisions about where to allocate your budget in order to generate the most leads or sales.
A Google Ads campaign type designed to generate awareness and interest by showing visual and video ads across platforms like YouTube, Gmail, and Discover, helping advertisers reach potential customers earlier in the buying journey.
CPM stands for cost per thousand impressions. It’s a metric used to measure the effectiveness and affordability of digital advertising, and gives you an idea of how many potential customers you can reach given your budget.
CTR stands for Click-Through Rate and is a metric used in digital marketing to measure the success of an advertisement or an email campaign. It is typically expressed as a percentage, and is calculated by dividing the number of clicks that an ad receives by the number of impressions it gets. For example, if an ad got 100 total impressions but only 10 clicks, its CTR would be 10%.
A GCLID (Google Click Identifier) is a unique identifier assigned to each ad click that enables Google Ads to track conversions and attribute them to the correct campaign and ad. This identifier is passed through the URL when a user clicks on an ad, allowing Google Ads to accurately associate conversions with the ads from which they originated. The information associated with a GCLID can also be used to inform decisions about how to optimize campaigns for better performance.
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free service offered by Google that enables users to manage and deploy website tags, including analytics and marketing tags, quickly and easily. The platform allows users to create, edit, and manage tags from a single interface. GTM simplifies the process of adding code snippets to websites, allowing marketers to easily deploy changes to their website with just a few clicks.
Organic social is the process of reaching an audience using natural, unpaid methods. It relies on content that is shared organically through social networks. Organic social media techniques include producing valuable content that users naturally share with their friends and followers, creating meaningful relationships with influencers and customers, and optimizing posts for maximum visibility.
Performance Max is a type of campaign that allows you to use all of the Google Ads inventory in one campaign. It’s in place to help you convert more customers using the following Google channels: YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.
A Facebook Pixel is an analytics tool that allows businesses to measure the effectiveness of their advertising by understanding the actions people take on their website. It works by placing a piece of code, known as a “pixel,” on a website or web page. This code is used to track visitors and gather data about their activities, such as how they interact with different pages on the site. The pixel helps you measure and build audiences for your ad campaigns.
ROAS (return on ad spend) is a formula that calculates how much revenue you generate for every dollar you spend on advertising. This metric is essential for measuring the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
Google’s automated bid strategies that use machine learning (Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions) to increase performance.
FID, or fist input delay, is the measurement of how long it takes for your page to become interactive. Interactions could be clicking on a link, filling out a form, and picking a menu option.
An audience created by advertising platforms (like Meta or Google) that targets people who are statistically similar to your existing customers or high-value users, helping advertisers reach new potential customers more efficiently.
User generated content is any type of content that is created by users, as opposed to being produced by professional creators or the platforms themselves. This can include anything from blog posts and videos to tweets and social media posts. One of the biggest advantages of UGC is that it appears very natural, which builds trust with your target audience.
A 301 redirect is an HTTP status code that indicates a permanent redirect from one URL to another. When a user visits the original URL, they are automatically sent to the new URL without having to manually enter it in the browser. This type of redirection is beneficial for SEO purposes, as it allows search engines to update their records and ensure that all traffic is sent to the correct page. It also helps make sure that any backlinks and link building efforts are not wasted, as all links will be pointing to the new URL. Additionally, 301 redirects can help improve user experience by ensuring that visitors are directed towards the most up-to-date content on a website.
A 404 error is an HTTP status code indicating that the requested resource could not be found on the server. It is typically generated when a user attempts to access a page or file that does not exist, such as a mistyped URL or broken link.
This is the practice of optimizing content to be surfaced as direct answers by AI assistants and search engines (think Google’s AI Overview or Microsoft’s CoPilot). The primary purpose of this content is to gain that “position 0” of AI Overview sections so you’re front and center for your target audience.
CLS, or cumulative layout shift, measures the stability of a page while it loads. Have you ever been on a site and tried to click on something while it’s loading, then had the layout jump when it finished loading so you clicked on something else accidentally? That’s CLS.
Clicks refer to the number of times users click on your website’s link in search engine results pages (SERPs). This metric is tracked in Google Search Console and other SEO tools, and represents actual traffic driven from search results to your website. Click data helps measure the effectiveness of your title tags and meta descriptions in attracting users, and can indicate whether your search listings are compelling enough to encourage user engagement.
Core Web Vitals are a series of standardized metrics Google uses to grade the user experience on your website. There are three measurements Google looks at: largest contentful paint, cumulative layout shift, and first input delay.
Domain authority refers to a metric used by some of our tools to measure the credibility and strength of a website. It is an indication of how well a website ranks in search engine result pages (SERPs). Domain authority is based on various factors, such as link profile, content quality and relevance, and trustworthiness.
Google’s quality framework for evaluating content, especially important post-Helpful Content updates.
FID, or fist input delay, is the measurement of how long it takes for your page to become interactive. Interactions could be clicking on a link, filling out a form, and picking a menu option.
GEO refers to optimizing content to appear in AI-generated answers (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.). It’s closely related to AEO but broader in scope.
The Google Algorithm is a set of unknown-to-us calculations and rules which are used to improve the performance of Google’s search engine. It helps in providing relevant search results for users. The algorithm takes into account numerous factors, such as page relevance, keyword usage, link popularity, user behavior, site structure and so on. Google frequently updates the algorithm, which changes websites’ rankings.
A Google Business Profile is a tool created by Google that allows businesses to create online profiles featuring important information about their business, such as contact details, hours of operation, photos, videos, reviews and more. These profiles appear in search results when people search for the business, and also on Google Maps.
Keywords are words or phrases that are used to describe a specific topic and help users to find relevant information. They are an integral part of any content, since they allow search engine algorithms to identify relevant material and surface it in search engine result pages (SERPs).
Impressions are the number of times your website’s pages appear in search engine results, regardless of whether users click on them or not. This metric shows how often your content is being displayed to potential visitors in SERPs. High impressions with low clicks might indicate that your titles and descriptions need optimization, while high impressions generally suggest good keyword visibility and search engine ranking.
LCP, or largest contentful paint, is how long it takes a page to load for the viewpoint of a visitor. This data point measures the time it takes from clicking on the link to seeing the content load on your computer, phone, or other device.
Link building is the process of getting links to your website from other websites. A link is a way for people to go between pages on the Internet. Search engines use links to find new websites and new pages on websites.
Link equity is a ranking factor used by search engines. It is based on the idea that certain links can pass value and authority from one page to another. The amount of value passed depends on factors such as the linking page’s authority and relevance. Link equity is also sometimes referred to as “link juice.”
A meta description is an HTML attribute that provides a brief summary of a web page’s content. It appears below the title tag in search engine results and helps users understand what the page is about before clicking. While meta descriptions don’t directly impact rankings, they significantly influence click-through rates and user engagement from search results.
Off site SEO is a set of activities that are conducted outside of the website in order to help boost its overall visibility and performance in SERPs. It involves strategies like building backlinks from other websites, creating content on external platforms, and submitting websites to directories and review sites.
Onsite SEO (also known as on page SEO) is the process of enhancing the visibility of a website or webpage in search engine result pages. It usually involves optimizing an individual page’s content with specific keywords and phrases that are relevant to search queries and are likely to be used by searchers. Onsite SEO may involve optimizations to meta tags, internal linking, site structure, and more.
Organic traffic, also known as “natural” or “unpaid” traffic, is the opposite of paid search engine traffic. It refers to website visitors that arrive at a website via unpaid or natural search results in search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing. Organic traffic is often the result of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts that can be implemented over time.
Schema markup is structured data code that helps search engines better understand and interpret website content. It can enhance search listings with rich snippets, such as star ratings, prices, or event dates, making them more attractive and informative to users. Schema markup can improve click-through rates and help websites stand out in search results.
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page, which is the page displayed by search engines in response to a user’s query. SERPs typically include organic search results, paid advertisements, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and other search features. Understanding SERP features and optimizing for them is crucial for improving visibility and click-through rates.
The underlying goal behind a search query (informational, navigational, transactional). It refers to the “why” behind “what” someone is searching.
Technical SEO is a strategy aimed at helping search engines crawl, index, and rank web pages. It focuses on a website’s structure, content management system (CMS) settings, coding practices, and loading speed. Technical SEO also looks at optimizing internal link structures, redirects, canonicalization policies, XML sitemaps, and other elements of a website’s architecture.
A title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page. It appears as the clickable headline in search engine results and in browser tabs. Title tags are one of the most important on-page SEO elements, as they help search engines understand the page’s topic and influence both rankings and click-through rates.
Searches where users get their answer directly on the SERP without clicking through to a website. This ties directly into GEO/AEO (think about how Google’s AI Overview section can now answer your question, giving you the information you need without clicking through to a website.  Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin-in