Digital Marketing Dictionary
Your comprehensive guide to digital marketing terms, acronyms, and industry jargon.
A
A/B Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or app against each other to determine which one performs better in terms of user engagement or conversion rates. This testing methodology is crucial for data-driven marketing decisions.
Algorithm
A set of rules or processes followed by search engines to determine the ranking of websites in search results. Algorithms consider numerous factors including content relevance, site structure, and user experience signals.
Attribution
The process of identifying which marketing touchpoints or channels contribute to a conversion, helping marketers optimise their campaigns for better ROI.
Audience Segmentation
Dividing a target market into distinct groups based on demographics, behaviours, or interests to deliver more personalised marketing messages.
Automation
The use of software and technology to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as email campaigns, social media posting, and lead nurturing.
B
Backlink
A link from one website to another. Search engines consider backlinks as votes of confidence in your content quality, making them a critical factor in SEO ranking algorithms and domain authority.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who navigate away from a site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate may indicate poor user experience, irrelevant content, or technical issues that need addressing.
Brand Awareness
The extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of a particular brand. Building brand awareness is a key goal of digital marketing.
Buyer Persona
A semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
Blog
A regularly updated section of a website used to publish articles, news, and insights, often optimised for SEO to attract organic traffic.
C
Call to Action (CTA)
A prompt that encourages users to take a specific action, such as 'Sign Up', 'Download Now', or 'Contact Us'. Effective CTAs drive conversions and engagement.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. Conversion rate optimisation is a core focus of digital marketing.
Content Marketing
A strategy focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.
CPC (Cost Per Click)
A digital advertising model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad. CPC is a key metric in paid search and social campaigns.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Software and strategies used to manage and analyse customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle, improving relationships and retention.
D
Domain Authority
A search engine ranking score that predicts how well a website will rank on SERPs. Higher domain authority indicates greater trust and visibility.
Display Advertising
A form of online advertising that uses visual ads, such as banners or videos, to promote products or services on websites and social media platforms.
Drip Campaign
A series of automated emails sent to leads or customers over time, designed to nurture relationships and guide them through the sales funnel.
Dynamic Content
Website or email content that changes based on user behaviour, preferences, or demographics, enhancing personalisation and engagement.
Duplicate Content
Blocks of content that appear in more than one location on the internet. Duplicate content can negatively impact SEO rankings.
E
Email Marketing
The use of email to promote products or services, build relationships, and drive conversions. Effective email marketing is personalised, targeted, and value-driven.
Engagement Rate
A metric that measures the level of interaction users have with your content, such as likes, shares, comments, and clicks.
Evergreen Content
Content that remains relevant and valuable over time, consistently attracting organic traffic and backlinks.
E-commerce
The buying and selling of goods or services using the internet. E-commerce marketing includes SEO, paid ads, and email campaigns.
Exit Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave your site from a specific page. High exit rates may indicate issues with content or user experience.
F
Funnel
The marketing funnel represents the stages a customer goes through before making a purchase, from awareness to consideration to decision.
Frequency Capping
A technique in digital advertising that limits the number of times a specific user sees an ad, preventing ad fatigue and improving ROI.
Featured Snippet
A highlighted search result at the top of Google's SERP, providing a quick answer to a user's query. Optimising for featured snippets can boost visibility.
First-Party Data
Data collected directly from your audience or customers, such as website analytics, CRM data, and purchase history.
Facebook Pixel
A piece of code placed on your website to track conversions, optimise ads, and build targeted audiences for Facebook advertising.
G
Google Analytics
A free tool from Google that tracks and reports website traffic, user behaviour, and conversion data, essential for data-driven marketing decisions.
Growth Hacking
A set of marketing techniques focused on rapid experimentation and scalable growth, often used by startups and SaaS companies.
Geo-targeting
Delivering content or ads to users based on their geographic location, improving relevance and engagement.
Gated Content
Content that requires users to provide information, such as an email address, before accessing it. Used to generate leads and build email lists.
Google Tag Manager
A tag management system that allows marketers to add and update website tags without modifying the code, streamlining analytics and tracking.
H
Heatmap
A visual representation of how users interact with a webpage, showing where they click, scroll, and spend the most time. Useful for UX and CRO.
Hashtag
A word or phrase preceded by a hash (#) symbol, used on social media to categorise content and increase discoverability.
Header Tags
HTML tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) used to structure content and signal topic hierarchy to search engines, improving SEO.
Hreflang
An HTML attribute that tells search engines the language and regional targeting of a webpage, important for international SEO.
HTML Sitemap
A user-facing page that lists all important pages on a website, helping both users and search engines navigate the site.
I
Impression
A metric that counts how many times an ad or piece of content is displayed to users, regardless of whether it is clicked.
Inbound Marketing
A strategy focused on attracting customers through valuable content and experiences, rather than interruptive advertising.
Indexing
The process by which search engines add web pages into their database, making them eligible to appear in search results.
Influencer Marketing
A form of marketing that leverages individuals with large online followings to promote products or services to their audience.
Interstitial
A type of ad that appears between content pages, often used in mobile apps and websites to capture user attention.
J
JavaScript SEO
The practice of optimising websites built with JavaScript frameworks to ensure they are crawlable and indexable by search engines.
Journey Mapping
A visual representation of the steps a customer takes from initial awareness to conversion, used to optimise the user experience.
JSON-LD
A method of encoding linked data using JSON, commonly used for adding structured data to web pages for SEO.
Jargon
Specialised language used within a particular industry. Avoid excessive jargon in marketing content to improve clarity and accessibility.
Jump Link
A hyperlink that takes users to a specific section of a page, improving navigation and user experience.
K
Keyword
A word or phrase that users enter into search engines. Keywords are the foundation of SEO and content marketing strategies.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.
Knowledge Graph
A knowledge base used by Google to enhance search results with semantic-search information gathered from a wide variety of sources.
Keyword Stuffing
The overuse of keywords in content in an attempt to manipulate search rankings. This practice is penalised by search engines.
Kanban
A visual workflow management method used to optimise and track marketing projects and campaigns.
L
Landing Page
A standalone web page designed to capture leads or drive conversions, often used in paid advertising and email campaigns.
Lead Magnet
A valuable resource offered to prospects in exchange for their contact information, such as an ebook, checklist, or webinar.
Link Building
The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own, a key strategy for improving SEO and domain authority.
Long-Tail Keyword
A keyword phrase that is longer and more specific, often attracting highly targeted traffic with higher conversion potential.
Lifetime Value (LTV)
A prediction of the net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer.
M
Meta Description
A brief summary of a webpage's content, displayed in search engine results. Well-written meta descriptions improve click-through rates.
Mobile Optimisation
The process of ensuring a website is fully functional and visually appealing on mobile devices, crucial for SEO and user experience.
Marketing Automation
The use of software to automate repetitive marketing tasks, improving efficiency and personalisation.
Multivariate Testing
A method of testing multiple variables simultaneously to determine the best-performing combination for conversions.
Micro-Conversion
A small action that indicates user engagement, such as signing up for a newsletter or downloading a resource.
N
Nofollow
An HTML attribute that tells search engines not to follow a specific link, often used for paid or untrusted links.
Native Advertising
A type of paid advertising that matches the look, feel, and function of the media format in which it appears.
Newsletter
A regularly distributed email that provides subscribers with news, updates, and valuable content related to your business or industry.
Negative Keyword
A keyword that prevents your ad from being triggered by a certain word or phrase, improving ad targeting and ROI.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A metric that measures customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking how likely they are to recommend your business.
O
Organic Traffic
Visitors who arrive at your website through unpaid search results. Growing organic traffic is a primary goal of SEO.
On-Page SEO
The practice of optimising individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines.
Open Rate
The percentage of recipients who open a specific email out of the total number sent. A key metric in email marketing.
Outbound Link
A hyperlink that points from your website to another site. Outbound links to reputable sources can improve SEO and credibility.
Opt-In
The process by which a user gives explicit permission to receive marketing communications, such as subscribing to a newsletter.
P
PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
An online advertising model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad. PPC is commonly used in search and social campaigns.
Page Speed
The amount of time it takes for a webpage to load. Faster page speeds improve user experience and SEO rankings.
Personalisation
Customising marketing messages and experiences based on user data, preferences, and behaviours.
Programmatic Advertising
The automated buying and selling of online advertising using software and data-driven algorithms.
Pixel
A small piece of code placed on a website to track user behaviour and conversions for analytics and advertising purposes.
Q
Quality Score
A metric used by search engines and ad platforms to measure the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages.
Qualified Lead
A prospect who has shown interest in your product or service and meets certain criteria, making them more likely to convert.
Query
A word or phrase entered into a search engine by a user. Understanding search queries is essential for effective SEO.
Quora Marketing
The use of the Q&A platform Quora to build authority, drive traffic, and generate leads through valuable answers and content.
Quick Win
A marketing tactic that delivers fast, measurable results with minimal effort or investment.
R
Retargeting
A form of online advertising that targets users who have previously visited your website, encouraging them to return and convert.
ROI (Return on Investment)
A measure of the profitability of a marketing campaign, calculated by dividing net profit by total investment.
Responsive Design
A web design approach that ensures a website looks and functions well on all devices and screen sizes.
Rich Snippet
A type of search result that displays additional information, such as ratings or images, to enhance visibility and click-through rates.
Referral Traffic
Visitors who arrive at your website from external sources, such as other websites, blogs, or social media platforms.
S
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
The practice of improving a website's visibility in search engine results pages through on-page, off-page, and technical strategies.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page displayed by a search engine in response to a user's query, listing organic and paid results.
Schema Markup
Structured data added to a webpage to help search engines understand its content, improving rich results and SEO.
Social Proof
Evidence that other people have used and found value in your product or service, such as reviews, testimonials, or case studies.
Split Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or ad to determine which performs better for a specific goal.
T
Traffic
The number of visitors to your website. Increasing high-quality traffic is a primary objective of digital marketing.
Tag Manager
A tool that allows marketers to manage and deploy marketing tags (snippets of code) on their website without modifying the codebase.
Tracking Pixel
A small, invisible image or code snippet used to track user behaviour and conversions on a website.
Target Audience
A specific group of people most likely to be interested in your product or service, defined by demographics, interests, and behaviours.
Top of Funnel (TOFU)
The earliest stage in the marketing funnel, focused on building awareness and attracting potential customers.
U
UTM Parameters
Tags added to a URL to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing media.
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience a user has when interacting with a website or app, including usability, accessibility, and satisfaction.
Unique Visitor
A metric that counts each individual user who visits a website during a specific period, regardless of how many times they visit.
Upsell
A sales technique that encourages customers to purchase a more expensive or upgraded version of a product or service.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Content created and shared by customers or users, such as reviews, testimonials, or social media posts.
V
Viral Marketing
A strategy that encourages users to share content, leading to rapid and widespread distribution across the internet.
Value Proposition
A clear statement that explains how your product or service solves customers' problems and delivers unique benefits.
View-Through Conversion
A metric that tracks users who view an ad but do not click, yet later convert on the website.
Video Marketing
The use of video content to promote products, educate audiences, and drive engagement across digital channels.
Voice Search Optimisation
The process of optimising content to appear in voice search results, often using conversational keywords and structured data.
W
Webinar
An online seminar or presentation used to educate, engage, and convert prospects into customers.
Whitepaper
An authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and offers a solution, often used for lead generation.
Website Optimisation
The process of improving a website's performance, user experience, and search engine rankings through technical and content enhancements.
Workflow Automation
The use of technology to automate business processes, increasing efficiency and reducing manual effort.
Web Accessibility
The practice of designing websites that are usable by people of all abilities and disabilities, improving inclusivity and SEO.
X
XML Sitemap
A file that lists all important pages of a website, helping search engines crawl and index content more efficiently.
X-Frame-Options
A security header that protects websites from clickjacking attacks by controlling whether a page can be displayed in a frame.
XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
A security vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language)
A stricter, XML-based version of HTML used to create web pages.
X-Robots-Tag
An HTTP header used to control how search engines index and serve a webpage, similar to the robots meta tag.
Y
YouTube Marketing
The use of YouTube as a platform to promote products, share educational content, and build brand awareness through video.
Yield Optimisation
The process of maximising revenue from digital advertising by optimising ad placements, formats, and targeting.
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)
A Google term for pages that can impact a person's health, finances, or safety, requiring higher standards of trust and accuracy.
Yandex
A popular search engine in Russia, important for international SEO strategies targeting Russian-speaking audiences.
Yahoo! Gemini
A native advertising platform from Yahoo! that combines search and display advertising.
Z
Zero-Click Search
A search result that answers the user's query directly on the SERP, resulting in no click-through to a website.
Z-Index
A CSS property that controls the vertical stacking order of elements on a web page.
Zapier
A tool that connects different apps and automates workflows, commonly used in marketing automation.
Zoom Webinar
A video conferencing platform used for hosting online seminars, workshops, and marketing events.
Zettabyte
A unit of digital information storage equal to one sextillion (10^21) bytes, highlighting the scale of big data in digital marketing.
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