Get up to speed on all the essential digital marketing terms and definitions.
From SEO, PPC, and content marketing to social media and analytics, this comprehensive list will help you understand the latest trends in digital marketing.
A/B Testing: A method of comparing two versions of a website or advertisement to determine which one performs better.
Analytics: The measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data from a website or advertising campaign.
B2C: Business-to-consumer, a type of commerce transaction where a business sells a product or service to an end-consumer.
Banner Ad: A graphical web advertisement displayed on a website.
Blog: A website or section of a website featuring regularly updated content, typically written in an informal or personal style.
Bounce Rate: The percentage of website visitors who leave after only visiting one page.
Branding: The practice of creating a name, symbol, or design that identifies a product and differentiates it from others.
Budget: The amount of money allocated for a particular campaign or project.
Call-to-Action (CTA): An instruction to the audience designed to provoke an immediate response, such as “Call Now” or “Download Here”.
Campaign: A coordinated series of digital marketing efforts with a specific goal, such as increasing website traffic or sales.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The number of clicks on a specific link divided by the number of times the link was viewed or served.
Conversion: A successful completion of a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
Cookie: A small text file stored on a user’s computer by a website, used to remember information about the user’s visit.
Cost per Click (CPC): A pricing model in which an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on one of their ads.
CTR: See “Click-Through Rate”.
Customer Journey: The series of interactions and experiences that a customer goes through in relation to a company or brand.
Dashboard: A visual display of data, usually in real-time, that provides an overview of a particular metric or set of metrics.
Demographic: A statistical category that describes a population based on factors such as age, gender, income, education, and location.
Display Advertising: A form of online advertising that involves embedding an advertisement into a web page.
Email Marketing: A form of direct marketing that involves sending emails to prospects and customers.
Engagement: The level of interaction and involvement that a user has with a piece of content or a brand.
Event Tracking: The process of tracking user interactions with website elements, such as button clicks or form submissions.
Exit Rate: The percentage of website visitors who leave a site from a specific page.
Facebook Advertising: A form of online advertising that involves creating and displaying advertisements on the Facebook platform.
Funnel: A visual representation of the different stages in a customer’s journey, from initial awareness to purchase.
Geo-Targeting: The practice of delivering different content or advertisements to users based on their geographic location.
Google AdWords: An online advertising platform developed by Google, where advertisers bid on keywords in order to display their ads in Google search results.
Google Analytics: A web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic.
Google Profile: A tool offered by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps.
Hero Image: A large, eye-catching image that is typically the first visual element a user sees when they arrive on a website.
High Bounce Rate: A high percentage of website visitors who leave a site after only visiting one page.
Impression: A single instance of a display ad being served to a user’s browser.
Instagram Advertising: A form of online advertising that involves creating and displaying advertisements on the Instagram platform.
Inbound Marketing: A marketing strategy that focuses on attracting customers through relevant and helpful content, as opposed to interruptive advertising.
Influencer Marketing: A form of marketing in which brands work with individuals who have a large following on social media to promote their products or services.
Interactive Content: Content that invites the user to engage with it, such as quizzes, polls, or interactive videos.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI): A metric that is used to evaluate the success of a specific marketing campaign or strategy.
Keyword: A word or phrase that describes the content of a webpage and is used by search engines to categorize and rank pages in search results.
Keyword Research: The process of discovering the words and phrases that people are searching for in order to better understand their needs and inform content creation and SEO efforts.
Landing Page: A standalone web page that is designed to serve a specific purpose, such as collecting leads or making a sale.
Lead: A potential customer who has shown interest in a business or product.
Lead Generation: The process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into leads, usually through the use of landing pages and forms.
Long-Tail Keywords: Keywords or phrases that are highly specific and targeted, often containing three or more words.
Metrics: Data that is collected and analyzed in order to measure the success of a marketing campaign or strategy.
Micro-Influencer: An individual with a small but dedicated following on social media platforms.
Organic Traffic: Traffic to a website that comes from non-paid search engine results.
Outbound Marketing: Traditional forms of marketing that involve reaching out to potential customers, such as advertising, cold calling, or direct mail.
Paid Search: A form of online advertising in which advertisers bid on keywords in order to display their ads in search engine results.
Paid Social: Paid social refers to advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where advertisers pay to display their content to users.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC): A model of online advertising in which advertisers pay each time a user clicks on one of their ads.
Personalization: The customization of a marketing message or experience to meet the specific needs and interests of an individual customer.
Re-Targeting: A form of online advertising that involves displaying advertisements to users who have previously visited a website or engaged with a brand.
Responsive Design: A design approach that enables a website to adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
Return on Investment (ROI): A metric used to measure the return on investment (ROI) of a marketing campaign, expressed as a ratio of revenue to investment.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The practice of optimizing a website in order to rank higher in search engine results and to increase organic traffic.
Search Engine Results Page (SERP): The page of results that a user sees after they perform a search on a search engine.
Sitemap: A sitemap is a diagram or list of pages on a website that helps users and search engines navigate and understand the site’s structure and content.
Social Media Marketing: The use of social media platforms to promote a product, service, or brand.
Subscriber: A person who has signed up to receive emails or updates from a business or brand.
Target Audience: The group of individuals or organizations that a marketing campaign or strategy is intended to reach and engage.
Testimonials: Statements from satisfied customers that provide social proof and credibility for a product or service.
Targeting: The process of identifying and reaching the specific audience that a marketing campaign or strategy is intended to engage.
Top-of-Funnel (TOF): The first stage of the customer journey, in which potential customers are made aware of a product or service and begin to consider it as an option.
Traffic: The number of visitors or unique users who visit a website or mobile app.
Traffic Source: The origin of traffic to a website or mobile app, such as search engines, social media, or referral traffic.
Unique Visitor: A measurement of the number of distinct individuals who visit a website or mobile app, regardless of the number of visits or page views.
User Experience (UX): The overall experience of a user with a website or mobile app, including ease of use, accessibility, and satisfaction.
Video Marketing: The use of video content to promote a product, service, or brand.
Virtual Reality (VR): An artificial environment that is created using computer technology and is experienced by a user as if it were real.
Voice Search: A type of search that is performed using voice commands, such as through a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa.
Web Analytics: The collection, analysis, and interpretation of data from a website in order to understand user behaviour and improve the performance of a marketing campaign or strategy.
Website Optimization: The practice of optimizing a website in order to improve its performance and user experience.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing: The promotion of a product, service, or brand through personal recommendations and referrals from satisfied customers.
