Jargon Buster

Ad Network

A platform connecting advertisers with publishers who want to host their ads. The advertiser pays the network every time an agreed event takes place, such as an ad impression, a click or a sale. The network then shares the revenue generated from the advertiser with the publisher, after deducting the network fees.

“We chose an ad network for our display campaigns, so we could get our ads out to a wide range of websites quickly.”

App (Application)

A program designed to run on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

Example: “My house needs painting, so I used a local app to find a reputable service near me.”

Banner Ad

A form of advert found on web pages and mobile applications, available in a variety of formats (such as images, animated GIFs and rich media).

Example: “I’m using banner ads to bring new customers to my website.”

Analytics or Web Analytics Tools

The analysis of data generated by people’s activity on websites or mobile apps, for the purpose of discovering ways to improve websites and marketing campaigns.

Example: “I’m using a web analytics tool to understand how to improve certain web pages with the goal of increasing customer engagement on my website.”

Avatar

An image used to represent a person, business or organisation on social media.

Example: “When I click on my avatar it brings me back to my profile.”

A regularly updated website with posts written by an individual or a business, typically in a conversational style and focused on a specific subject.

Browser

A computer program used to navigate the Internet on computers, tablets and smartphones. Examples include Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.

Example: “I’m not sure why my website looks different depending on the browser a person is using.”

Click-through Rate (CTR)

The number of times people click on an item of interest, like an advert, in comparison to the number of times users are exposed to that item.

Example: “My click-through rate on ads about external painting is 2%, but my CTR on ads about indoor murals is less than 1%.”

Content Marketing

Creating online content such as blogs, videos or infographics to attract and engage a defined audience.

Example: “My click-through rate on ads about external painting is 2%, but my CTR on ads about indoor murals is less than 1%.”

Conversion Optimization

The process of improving your digital strategy in order to increase the percentage of visitors who complete your goals.

Example: “Once I add a new line of faux finishes to my website, I’m going to start focusing on conversion optimization.”

Cost per Click £

The amount of money required to produce a single click on a digital advertisement.

Example: “Cost per click prices seem to be higher during weekends, so I’m only running my campaigns during the week.”

Chatbot

A computer program that simulates human conversation often over the Internet.

Example: “We created a chatbot to answer common customer questions and help with customer service.”

Content

The digital material available to users, via text, video, audio, images, etc.

Example: “I’m adding more image and video content to my site, so it’ll be more engaging.”

Conversion or Goal

The action you want visitors to perform. Examples include e-commerce purchases, form submissions, phone calls, and video views.

Example: “My main goal is for people to book a consultation on my website, but signing up for my email newsletter would also be considered a conversion.”

Conversion Rate

The ratio of conversions to visits, often used to measure digital performance.

Example: “I’m not sure why, but my conversion rate on external painting is very low for male visitors.”

Crawler or Spider

A program designed to systematically browse content on the Internet and collect information about it to help searchers find what they’re looking for.

Example: “I’m scared of spiders, but not the ones that help my website appear in search engines.”

A nonmobile computer.

Example: “I prefer to use a desktop at home, but when I travel I use my laptop.”

Email

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language. A language used by web developers to create websites.

Example: “My website was written using HTML.”

Index

A searchable catalogue of web pages and digital content used by a search engine to provide relevant results.

Example: “Before my site appeared in the search engine’s index, people couldn’t find my website when they searched for foyer murals.”

The sale of products and services online.

The introductory or “main” page of a website.

Example: “On my home page, visitors can see examples of my most beautifully painted houses.”

Impressions

The number of times an advert is displayed.

Example: “My new marketing campaign for home-baked dog treats received thousands of impressions, but I’m not sure if I’ve made any sales yet.”

Keyword

A word or a phrase typed into a search engine, which businesses can target as part of their advertising campaigns.

The first page on a website that a person usually sees—not necessarily the home page of that website.

Example: “I’m directing people who click my ad to a landing page with a discount coupon so that these visitors will be encouraged to buy.”

A text or image that provides a link from one web page or website to another.

Example: “When a major home decor blog linked to my website, I got a lot more visitors.”

Natural Listings or Organic Listings

Results from a search engine that are not paid adverts.

Example: “The higher my website ranks in a search engine’s natural listings, the more website traffic I’ll get.”

PayPerClick (PPC)

An advertising system in which advertisers pay for users to click on their advertisements.

Example: “I’m going to use payperclick adverts to promote my new faux finishes.”

Ranking

A listing’s position on a search engine results page.

Example: “With a lot of work, I’m hoping to get my website to the #1 ranking on search engines.”

Paid Listings

Advertisements that appear on search engines results pages.

Example: “I’m thinking about paying to have my website appear in the paid listings, so that I can bring more customers to my website.”

Query or Search Term

The keyword or phrase a user types into a search engine in order to find what they’re looking for.

Example: “When people use the search term ‘hairdresser’ they might be looking for tips on how to do it themselves or a service to do it for them.”

Return on Investment (ROI)

A calculation an advertiser uses to try to identify if their online marketing campaigns are profitable. One common formula used for calculating ROI is the following: return on investment = (gain from investment – cost of investment) / cost of investment.

Example: “The sales driven by our display advertising campaigns have demonstrated positive ROI this quarter”.

Search Engine

A tool that indexes and returns relevant digital content in response to users’ keywords. Popular Internet search engines include Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Baidu, Yandex and more.

Example: “I use search engines to look for trends in home decor.”

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

A form of advertising that allows you to bid for your advertisement to show along with search results for keywords that people are typing in. This lets businesses be seen by people at the very moment they’re searching for the things a business offers.

Example: “SEO is a long process, but using SEM helped me get a lot more website traffic really quickly.”

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The practice of making changes to web pages, content, and the promotion of that content to improve visibility in the organic —or unpaid—search engine results.

Example: “Investing in SEO helped my website get a higher ranking in search engine results.”

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

A list of results appearing in a search engine in response to a user’s search query.

Example: “After I searched for ‘buy high gloss paint in bulk’ I noticed that the SERP had both natural listings and paid listings.”