The marketing industry is full of terms which may sound complicated to the human ears but in a real sense are quite simple and fairly straight forward.
Here is a list of some of the most important digital marketing terms which I have taken the time to create in this simplified digital marketing glossary/wiki.
Comparing two variants of a webpage, email, or advertisement to determine which works better.
AIDA (Attention Interest Desire Action)
AIDA is a popularly used term in the marketing & advertising industry to represent the stages of consumer behaviour from the initial moment he/she is aware of a product or brand to the time of purchase
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
Accelerated mobile pages (AMP) is actually a lighter HTML version of your existing website that aims to provide a faster load time.
Algorithm
The secret sauce powering search engines, influencing what you see online.
B
BANT (Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline)
It’s a structure commonly used to ascertain how qualified a lead is to work with a business and figure out how leads should be prioritized. Here’s a video which explains BANT in simple terms.
Backlink
Also known as an inbound link,is a link of a website referenced on another page of the same website or a different website for purpose of improving the context of the content. It is one of the key factors for improving SEO.
Bounce Rate
In simple terms, it means the percentage of visitors who open a website and then exit or leave the website without doing any kind of action such as viewing other pages, clicking on buttons or even scrolling on the page
Brand Safety
Taking measures to make sure that promotional information doesn’t show next to offensive or harmful stuff.
Brand voice
Brand voice is the unique personality your brand shows in all its communication, like a friendly tone in your social media posts or a professional style in your website copy.
Branding
The practice of giving a business or product a personality so that consumers can recognize and trust it is known as branding. Think about Apple, whose reputation has been cultivated through sophisticated, approachable technology.
C
CPC (Cost Per Click)
The actual price you pay for each time your ad is clicked. PPC is a marketing model and CPC is the performance metric.
CPM (Cost per Mille)
Also known as cost per thousand impressions, is a simple term used to indicate the price you (a user) would pay for every 1,000 impressions on an Ad you published.
Call to Action (CTA)
It’s an activity which persuades a user to take the desired action. Mostly referring to the usage of words or terms on any marketing materials. Example: button(s) on a website linked to various actions such as call, email, filling out a form, sign up, subscribe etc.
Campaign
In terms of marketing, it is the effort set forward by a marketer to drive traffic, engagement or conversions (leads) which in turn contributes to the revenue of the company.
Cascading Style Sheet (CSS)
A programming language which is utilised to add style (e.g., fonts, colours, spacing) on a website(s).
Click Through Rate (CTR)
It is the number of users who click on a link divided by the total number of users who have viewed the page, ad(s) or email. It is one of the metrics to determine the success of a campaign. CTR = Sum of Clicks / Sum of Impressions.
Cloaking
 A deceptive SEO technique where different content is shown to search engine crawlers than to actual users. This practice is against Google’s guidelines and can result in penalties. Stick to ethical and transparent website development.
Content
The foundation of digital marketing; developing engaging content for your target audience.
Content Management System (CMS)
A Content Management System is an online software which lets you (user) to create a website, edit content and publish it on the web with no coding knowledge or expertise. Using a CMS like WordPress you can create a website just like this one.
Conversational Design
The skill of creating conversational interfaces, such as chatbots and voice assistants, naturally and interestingly is known as conversational design.
Conversion Rate
It is basically the percentage of users who visit a website and complete a goal (action considered to be a conversion – example filling a form) divided by the total number of visitors who come to a website.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
A method for optimizing a website’s landing page experience based on a user(s) behaviour. It helps to improve the possibility of a visitor to take the desired action(s) on a page.
Cookieless Tracking
Strategies for tracking user behaviour without relying on browser cookies.
Copywriting
Copywriting is the process of composing text (reader-focused information ) for the purpose of advertisement or building awareness.
Cost Per Action (CPA)
An online advertisement model which allows an advertiser to charge you (user) only if a specified action is taken on an ad by a customer. Example: Filling out a form, subscribing to a newsletter etc.
Crawl Budget
The quantity of URLs from your website that search engines, such as Google, can retrieve and index in a specific amount of time. By making your website’s content and structure as optimised as possible, search engines can more effectively direct their crawl budget towards the most important pages.
Customer Experience (CX)
It is a relationship that a business builds with a customer over a period of time. It starts from the time he/she (customer) interacts with your business until the time they continue to use the product or service. This process also includes the interaction with the customer service team which plays an important role to build a good customer experience
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
It is a business proposal which helps companies improve relationships with existing customers and acquire new customers quicker. In order to improve customer relationships, CRM software(s) such as Salesforce CRM, Zendesk and Hubspot has been built to ease CRM processes.Â
D
Data Monetization
Generating revenue by selling or utilising data insights.
Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing is the method of promoting products or services using different digital channels. A detailed blog is available for your reference
Domain Authority (Domain Score)
It is a search engine ranking score created by Moz. It projects the possibility of a website to rank on SERPs (search engine result pages). Domain score of a website ranges from 1 to 100, which states that the higher the score of a website the better its chances to rank on Google.
Domain Name Server (DNS)
It is a naming structure that converts a domain name(s) to an IP address(es) so that web browsers can load resources from the Internet. DNS is what connects your hostings IP to a domain(website).
Domain Rating (DR)
 A score (1-100) developed by Moz that estimates the overall strength and authority of a domain based on various factors like backlinks, website traffic, and domain age. While not a direct ranking factor, DR can be a helpful benchmark for website authority comparison.
E
EEAT
 EEAT stands for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Google uses these factors to assess the quality of information on a web page and its overall authority on a specific topic. Focus on high-quality content, relevant expertise, and an established reputation to improve your EEAT.
Email marketing
Email marketing is the process of sending customised emails to your intended recipient list.
Engagement Rate
Engagement rate indicates how many people interact with your social media content.
F
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
Creating urgency to encourage immediate action.
File Transfer Protocol
A network protocol that allows a user to transfer a file(s) from a computer(s) to an IP/TCP network, in simple terms the Internet. FTP clients like Filezilla allow users to transfer images, HTML codes etc to a website with a simple drag and drop option.
Funnel
The process through which a customer moves on your website from their first visit to purchase.
G
Geo-targeting
Tailoring content to a specific location or audience.
Geotargeting
Content delivery to a particular geographic or population.
Google Analytics
It is a free web analytics software which can be installed on a website to help you (user) to analyze and track your website stats such as traffic, user behaviour and more.
Google Tag Manager
A free tool which allows a website user to manage a variety of tags (such as Analytics from different platforms, optimization & other JavaScript tags) without editing the code of a site.
Guest Blog/Post
It is when a user contributes content for a company’s/ website, in the form of a blog post.
H
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language), which serves as the industry standard for web page creation
I
Impressions
The number of times a piece of content is displayed, which indicates reach.
Influencer marketing
A person with a significant following on the internet who could promote products and services from your business.
Interactive Content Marketing
Content that engages users actively, such as polls, quizzes, and interactive videos.
K
Key Performance Indicator
A KPI is a set of quantifiable measurements which explains how efficiently a business is achieving its key objectives. It helps a business to determine its performance in terms of finance, strategy and operations.
Keyword(s)
It means a word or a group of words you (user) would use to execute a search on a search engine.
L
Landing Page
The page that visitors get to after clicking an advertisement or link.
Landing Page
A conversion-oriented website.
Link Building
Strategically acquiring quality links to boost SEO.
Local SEO
 Local SEO optimises your online presence to reach nearby customers, like adding your address to your website and claiming your Google My Business listing.
Long-tail keyword
Long-tail keywords are specific search phrases people use, like “best running shoes for women with wide feet.” They attract fewer searches but are more likely to convert to sales.
M
Meta Description
An overview that shows up in search engine results.
Metrics
Data-driven insights measuring the success of your campaigns.
Micro-influencers
Micro-influencers are individuals with smaller but extremely active followings on social media who specialise in a particular subject.
Mobile Optimization
Ensuring your website is user-friendly on mobile devices.
N
Native Advertising
Seamlessly integrating ads into the user’s online experience.
Neuromarketing
Using behavioural and neurological concepts to optimise marketing tactics is known as neuromarketing.
Niche
A concentrated market segment or demographic.
O
Opt-In
When users give permission to receive emails or newsletters.
Optimisation
Improving the performance of your digital assets.
Organic Search
Also known as natural search, refers to the results on a search engine for a search term (word) that is based on relevance to that word. It excludes ads.
Organic Traffic
A termtypically used to describe the users (visits) who come on to a website from a search engine’s organic result. (anything which doesn’t have the word ‘ad’ written on)
Organic Visibility
Also known as SEO visibility is a metric that indicates what percentage of all organic clicks (from SERPs) a website gets for a given keyword on a search engine.
Outbound Link
It a link on your website referencing to an external website (link). An outbound link for you indicates its an inbound link (backlink) for someone else and vice versa.
P
Page Authority
It is a score created by Moz that projects the possibility of a specific page to rank on the search engine result pages (SERP).
PageView(s)
It is a metric which indicates the total number of times pages on a website are viewed by its visitors.
Phygital Experiences
 Blending physical and digital elements to create immersive and interactive brand experiences.
Podcast
A digital audio or video file that can be streamed or downloaded.
Product copy
The product copy is also known as sales copy is the content written to persuades customers to purchase a product/service.
Programmatic Audio Advertising
Automated buying and placement of digital audio ads.
Q
QR Code
A scannable code that can direct users to a website or information.
Quality Score
Google’s rating determines the relevance of your ads.
Query
a word or phrase entered into a search engine.
R
Response Design
Ensuring your website looks good and works well on all devices.
Retweet
When a tweet on twitter is shared or reposted it is referred to as a retweet.
S
SEO
Search Engine Optimization is the method of increasing organic traffic on a website. It also focuses on improving traffic quality for better conversions. For a detailed read, check out my blog.
SERP
Also known as Search Engine Results Pages refers to pages of a website which appear on a Search Engine (Google) when a user runs a searches query. Example: Click Here.
SWOT
It a method for evaluating four aspects (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat) of a business. It can be even implemented in a digital marketing strategy. Here is an example for your reference.
Search Console
Also known as Google Search Console, is a free tool that allows you (a user) to monitor, manage, and troubleshoot a site’s appearance in Google Search results
Search Engine
A software that allows you (a user) on the internet to search for content in an online database by usually typing in words. Popular Search Engines: Google, Bing & Baidu.
Search Engine Marketing
A marketing activity focused on improving the visibility of a website(s) or a link on a search engine mainly through paid ads. Example: Paid Ads.
Search Term
It is a word or a combination of words, a user types out on a search engine such as Google to carry out a search
Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the core ideas that initiate a search journey, acting as the foundation for building broader keyword strategies. They are typically short, general terms that reflect a user’s initial query or interest in a particular topic.
Session(s)
It is a set of interactions (such as page views, events, social share etc.) a user has with a website in a given timeframe. The sum or total of the set of interactions is collectively referred to as sessions.
Skyscraper Technique
A content strategy where you create an even better version of existing high-performing content on your chosen topic. This involves analysing competitor content, improving upon it with unique insights and value, and promoting it strategically for wider reach.
Social Media Optimization
It is the process of using social media networks to create content which builds awareness, creates an online presence, drives traffic to a website and generates leads for a business
Social Share
It refers to the sharing of content on social media by its users to their group(s) or connection(s).
Social media marketing
Social media marketing involves using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to connect with your audience, promote your brand, and drive sales.Â
T
Target Audience
The specific group of people you aim to reach with your marketing efforts.
Topical Authority
 Demonstrating expertise and trust in a specific niche or topic. This can be achieved through high-quality content creation, backlinks from relevant sources, and consistent engagement within the topic area. Building topical authority can improve your website’s ranking for related keywords.
Tweet
A post created on twitter is referred to as a tweet.
U
URL
Also known as Uniform Resource Locator is the address of a website (ex: www.itzfizz.com). It is used to access the resources for a website using the internet.
UTM
Also known as the Urchin Tracking Module, is a set of URL (domain) parameters used by digital marketers to track the source of traffic and publishing media. It’s easy to build a UTM link using Google’s Campaign Link Builder
Unique Visitor (Users)
A term in analytics which is used to refer to a user who visits a website in the selected timeframe. A Visitor is considered unique based on the IP address he uses to access the website.
User Interface (UI)
It is a process designer(s) use to design the interface (outline) of a website/product so that it is easy to use and is compatible with devices with different resolutions. Example of a good UI: Medium.com
User Persona
A detailed representation of your ideal customer.
User-Generated Content
As the name indicates, it is when users contribute content in the form of blogs, images, social media posts, and testimonials for a brand/website generally for the purpose of promoting the brand. These type of content creators are generally unpaid contributors.
V
Viral
When content spreads rapidly across the internet
Visual Search Optimization
Visual search optimisation is the process of making information more search engine friendly by emphasising visuals over text.
Voice Search
Using voice search optimisation to pose online questions. Take Google Assistant, for instance
W
Web design
Web design refers to your website’s visual and functional layout, like how easy it is to navigate and how visually appealing it is.
Webinar
A live, online seminar or workshop.
White Hat SEO
White Hat SEO is the ethical way of increasing a website’s search ranks by focusing on user experience and following search engine guidelines. It includes creating high-quality content, naturally acquiring backlinks, and optimising site structure for both users and search engines.
X
XML Sitemap
A file that helps search engines understand your website’s structure.
Y
Yelp
Yelp is an online platform for customer reviews and business recommendations.
Z
Zero Moment of Truth
The critical point when a consumer decides to purchase online research.
