Marketing glossary
Marketing terms, plainly explained
Commonly used marketing terms in one list. Short answer first, then the explanation and what it means in practice.
274 terms
A
15- A/B testConversion and UXIn an A/B test you show two versions of a page or element to comparable groups of visitors and measure which performs better on one predefined goal.
- Above the fold(ATF)Conversion and UXAbove the fold is the part of your page visible without scrolling: the first screen a visitor sees.
- ACoSAdvertisingACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) is ad spend divided by the revenue those ads generate, as a percentage.
- AdAdvertisingAn ad is a paid message placed on a platform or website to earn attention, visits or a purchase.
- Affiliate marketingAdvertisingIn affiliate marketing you pay partners a fee per sale or lead they bring in, usually through a tracking link.
- AI agentAIAn AI agent is a system that uses a language model not only to answer but to act: fetch data, use tools and perform actions in other systems.
- AI automationAIAI automation means setting up processes where an AI model takes over steps that used to be manual: sorting, summarising, drafting, routing.
- AI Operating System(AIOS)AIAn AI Operating System (AIOS) is the layer that brings models, data, tools and permissions together, so agents and people work from the same sources and rules.
- AI OverviewsSEO and AI visibilityAI Overviews are Google's generated summaries at the top of the results page, with links to the sources used.
- AIDA model(AIDA)Strategy and planningAIDA is a classic model splitting a buying decision into four steps: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
- APIWebsite and technologyAn API is an agreed way for two systems to exchange data, for example your webshop passing orders to your accounting software.
- Artificial intelligence(AI)AIArtificial intelligence is the umbrella term for software that performs tasks normally requiring human judgement: understanding language, recognising patterns, predicting and deciding.
- AttributionMeasurement and dataAttribution assigns the value of a conversion to the channels and touchpoints that preceded it.
- Auth codeWebsite and technologyAn auth code (also EPP code or transfer code) is the unique code you use to move a domain name from one provider to another.
- Average order value(AOV)E-commerceAverage order value is revenue divided by number of orders. Alongside traffic and conversion rate it's the third lever you can pull.
B
17- B-rollContent and brandB-roll is supplementary footage you cut over or between your main footage (the A-roll): atmosphere shots, details and actions that show what the story is about.
- B2B marketing vs B2C marketing(B2B/B2C)Strategy and planningB2B marketing targets organisations buying for their business, B2C marketing targets consumers buying for themselves. The real differences are the number of decision makers, the sales cycle and how much a choice has to be justified.
- BacklinkSEO and AI visibilityA backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines read it as a recommendation, provided the source is relevant and trustworthy.
- BenchmarkMeasurement and dataA benchmark is a reference value you compare your performance against: your own history, competitors or an industry average.
- BHAGStrategy and planningA BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is one large, concrete long-term goal — often 10 to 25 years out — that guides all smaller choices.
- Bottom of the funnel(BoFu)Strategy and planningBottom of the funnel (BoFu) is the bottom of your funnel: someone wants to buy or enquire and is only choosing who from.
- Bounce rateMeasurement and dataBounce rate is the share of visits where someone leaves without further action. In GA4 it is exactly the inverse of the engaged-session rate.
- Brand awarenessContent and brandBrand awareness is how far your audience knows your brand and mentions it spontaneously when thinking about your category.
- Brand bookContent and brandA brand book documents how your brand must be used: logo, colours, typography, imagery, tone of voice and examples of right and wrong.
- Brand identityContent and brandBrand identity is how your brand looks, sounds and behaves: logo, colours, typography, imagery, language and how you treat customers.
- BrandableContent and brandBrandable means suitable to be run as a brand: a name that is distinctive and memorable, instead of a description of what you sell.
- BrandingContent and brandBranding is deliberately shaping how people think and feel about your brand — through positioning, identity, language and behaviour.
- Break-evenMeasurement and dataBreak-even is the point where revenue and costs are equal. In advertising you translate that into a break-even ROAS or a maximum cost per order.
- BriefContent and brandA brief is the assignment on paper: goal, audience, message, constraints and exactly what you expect as output.
- Business intelligence(BI)Measurement and dataBusiness intelligence (BI) is collecting, combining and visualising company data so you decide on numbers instead of gut feeling.
- Business Model Canvas(BMC)Strategy and planningThe Business Model Canvas is a nine-block framework that captures on one page how your organisation creates, delivers and captures value.
- Buyer personaContent and brandA buyer persona describes a typical buyer: their role, goals, doubts and the questions they ask before deciding.
C
42- Call to action(CTA)Conversion and UXA call to action is the button or line that moves a visitor to the next step: request a quote, call, add to cart, book a call.
- CampaignStrategy and planningA campaign is a set of connected activities with one goal, one message and a start and end date — online, offline or both.
- CanonicalWebsite and technologyA canonical tag tells search engines which URL is the main version of a page that is reachable at several addresses.
- Cart abandonmentE-commerceCart abandonment is when someone adds products but doesn't complete the order. In webshops this happens to the majority of carts.
- ChatbotAIA chatbot is software that answers questions through a chat window. Simple ones follow fixed choices; AI chatbots understand free language and draw on your own information.
- CheckoutE-commerceThe checkout is your shop's payment flow: from cart to confirmation. This is where most of the revenue you almost had disappears.
- ChurnEmail and CRMChurn is the share of customers or subscribers leaving within a period. It's the counterpart of retention.
- Cialdini's principlesConversion and UXRobert Cialdini described seven principles that influence choices: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, scarcity and unity.
- Citation Flow(CF)SEO and AI visibilityCitation Flow is a Majestic score (0–100) indicating how many links point to a page or domain, regardless of their quality.
- ClaudeAIClaude is Anthropic's family of language models, usable through a chat interface or via the API in your own applications and agents.
- ClusterContent and brandA cluster is a group of pages on one theme, with a main page explaining the topic broadly and separate pages each covering one sub-question in depth.
- CMSWebsite and technologyA CMS is the system you use to manage your website's content without programming: pages, copy, images and menus.
- CommissionStrategy and planningCommission is a fee per sale or result, usually a percentage of order value: for affiliates, sales people, marketplaces or brokers.
- Competitor analysisStrategy and planningA competitor analysis maps who else is asking for the same customer, what they offer and promise, and where there is room you can take.
- Consent ModeMeasurement and dataConsent Mode is how Google tags adapt their behaviour to a visitor's cookie choice, with modelled figures for those who decline.
- ConsultancyStrategy and planningConsultancy is paid advice from outside your organisation: a consultant analyses a question, advises on the approach and often helps with the execution too.
- ContentContent and brandContent is everything you publish to inform, help or persuade someone: text, images, video, audio, tools and everything in between.
- Content calendarContent and brandA content calendar plans what you publish, when, for whom and with what purpose.
- Content marketingContent and brandContent marketing means attracting visitors and customers with material that genuinely helps them, rather than a direct sales message.
- Content strategyContent and brandA content strategy sets out what you publish about, for whom, with what goal and in what format — so individual pieces add up to something.
- ContrastConversion and UXContrast is the difference in brightness between text and background, expressed as a ratio; WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- ConversionConversion and UXA conversion is an action you defined as valuable: an enquiry, purchase, download or phone call. The conversion rate is the share of visitors who take it.
- Conversion rate(CR)Conversion and UXConversion rate (CR) is the share of visitors who take the desired action: buy, request, call or subscribe.
- Conversion trackingMeasurement and dataConversion tracking makes the actions you care about measurable — an enquiry, purchase, phone call or download — so you know which channels and pages produce them.
- CopywritingContent and brandCopywriting is writing with a purpose: text that explains, convinces and leads to an action, in the reader's language.
- Core Web Vitals(CWV)Website and technologyCore Web Vitals are three Google metrics for perceived page speed and stability: LCP, INP and CLS.
- CPAAdvertisingCPA is ad cost per conversion: total spend divided by conversions, such as enquiries or purchases.
- CPCAdvertisingCPC is the price you pay per click on your ad. Your average CPC is ad spend divided by clicks.
- CPL(Cost per lead)AdvertisingCPL (cost per lead) is what you pay on average for one lead: ad spend divided by the number of leads it produced.
- CPMAdvertisingCPM is the cost per thousand impressions of your ad, whether or not anyone clicks.
- CPSAdvertisingCPS (Cost per Sale) is what you pay per actual sale — with affiliates and marketplaces often a fixed percentage of order value.
- CrawlingSEO and AI visibilityCrawling is a search engine fetching your pages by following links. No crawl means no index, and no index means no ranking.
- Crazy EggConversion and UXCrazy Egg shows how visitors use your pages — heatmaps, scrollmaps, click reports and session recordings — plus basic A/B testing.
- Credits (AI)AICredits are the usage units AI tools bill you in: every prompt, generated text or image consumes part of your monthly allowance.
- CRMEmail and CRMA CRM is the system where you keep customers, contacts, deals and all communication, so everyone sees the same state of play.
- CROConversion and UXCRO is conversion rate optimisation: getting more out of the traffic you already have through research and experiments.
- CSATEmail and CRMCSAT is the customer satisfaction score: right after an interaction you ask how satisfied someone was, usually on a 1–5 scale.
- CTRAdvertisingCTR is the share of impressions that leads to a click: clicks divided by impressions.
- Customer acquisition cost(CAC)Measurement and dataCAC is the total cost of winning one new customer: ad spend plus the people, tools and hours involved.
- Customer experience(CX)Conversion and UXCustomer experience (CX) is a customer's total experience with your organisation: from ad and website to delivery, invoice and service.
- Customer journeyContent and brandThe customer journey is the route someone travels from first contact to customer and beyond, including every touchpoint along the way.
- Customer lifetime value(CLV)E-commerceCustomer lifetime value is the total margin you earn from an average customer for as long as they stay, not just on the first purchase.
D
11- Daily budgetAdvertisingA daily budget is the amount you let an ad campaign spend per day; platforms settle over a period and can spend up to roughly double on busy days.
- DemographicsAdvertisingDemographics are measurable attributes of people: age, gender, location, education, income, household — or job title and company size in B2B.
- Display advertisingAdvertisingDisplay advertising means advertising with visuals — banners, images or video — on websites, apps and video platforms, usually priced per thousand impressions or per click.
- DMAICStrategy and planningDMAIC is the standard improvement cycle: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control — scope the problem, measure, find causes, improve and sustain.
- Do it yourself(DIY)Strategy and planningDIY (do it yourself) means you execute the work yourself — updating your website, writing content or running campaigns — buying knowledge and tools instead of execution hours.
- Domain authority(DA)SEO and AI visibilityDomain authority is a score from SEO tools (not from Google) estimating how strong a domain's link profile is, usually on a 0–100 scale.
- Domain Authority(DA)SEO and AI visibilityDomain Authority (DA) is Moz's 0–100 score predicting how likely a domain is to rank, based on its link profile.
- Domain Rating(DR)SEO and AI visibilityDomain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs' 0–100 score for the strength of a domain's backlink profile.
- Done for you(DFY)Strategy and planningDFY (done for you) means an agency or specialist executes the work while you review the results. The middle path is DWY (done with you): they set it up, you take it over.
- DPOStrategy and planningA DPO (Data Protection Officer) is the internal supervisor of how an organisation handles personal data.
- DPO-as-a-ServiceStrategy and planningDPO-as-a-Service means outsourcing the Data Protection Officer role: a specialist fills it on a subscription basis for a few hours a month.
E
11- E-commerceE-commerceE-commerce covers everything around selling products or services online: the store, payment, stock, shipping and the service afterwards.
- E-E-A-TSEO and AI visibilityE-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness: the framework Google's raters use to judge whether content is reliable.
- EBITStrategy and planningEBIT is profit before interest and tax: the result from normal operations, including depreciation.
- EBITDAStrategy and planningEBITDA is profit before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation — an approximation of what operations generate.
- ElementorWebsite and technologyElementor is a WordPress page builder that lets you compose pages visually with blocks, without touching code.
- Email marketingEmail and CRMEmail marketing means using email to stay in touch with people who gave permission: newsletters, offers, updates and automated messages.
- Employer brandingContent and brandEmployer branding is your brand as an employer: why someone wants to work for you and stay, made visible in your communication and hiring process.
- Engaged sessionMeasurement and dataIn GA4 an engaged session is a visit lasting over ten seconds, producing a conversion, or viewing at least two pages. Its inverse is the bounce rate.
- EngagementContent and brandEngagement is the interaction on your content: comments, saves, shares, watch time and clicks — a signal that people actually do something with your post.
- ERPWebsite and technologyAn ERP system runs the processes behind the scenes: stock, purchasing, orders, invoicing and sometimes production.
- Evergreen contentContent and brandEvergreen content is content that stays relevant for months or years because it answers a question people keep asking — so it keeps delivering visits and enquiries.
F
7- Featured snippetSEO and AI visibilityA featured snippet is a short answer Google lifts from a page and shows above the results, with attribution and a link.
- First-party dataMeasurement and dataFirst-party data is data you collect yourself from your own customers and visitors: orders, email addresses, on-site behaviour, conversations in your CRM.
- FontWebsite and technologyA font is the typeface your text is displayed in: the shapes of letters, numbers and symbols, in various weights and styles.
- FramerWebsite and technologyFramer is a design tool that publishes your design directly as a live website, including CMS, animation and hosting.
- FrequencyAdvertisingFrequency is how often the same person sees your ad on average within a period.
- FulfilmentE-commerceFulfilment is everything after the order: picking, packing, shipping, track & trace and handling returns — in-house or through a partner.
- FunnelConversion and UXA funnel is the model describing the path from unknown visitor to customer in steps, with a share dropping off at each step.
G
12- GA4Measurement and dataGA4 is the current version of Google Analytics. Everything is recorded as an event, instead of pageviews with separate goals as in Universal Analytics.
- Gantt chartStrategy and planningA Gantt chart is a plan in bars: every task gets a start date, an end date and a place on the timeline, including dependencies.
- Generative AIAIGenerative AI is AI that creates new content: text, images, audio, video or code, based on an instruction in plain language.
- GEOSEO and AI visibilityGEO stands for generative engine optimization: working on the chance that AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity name your company on their own in an answer.
- GitHubWebsite and technologyGitHub is an online platform that stores the code of a website or application, along with the full history of every change.
- Google AdsAdvertisingGoogle Ads is Google's advertising platform. You pay to appear in search results, on websites, in Gmail, on YouTube and in Shopping — usually per click.
- Google Business Profile(GBP)SEO and AI visibilityA Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the free listing that makes your business visible in Google Search and Maps, with hours, photos, services and reviews.
- Google MapsSEO and AI visibilityGoogle Maps is the mapping service where local businesses appear; in Search you see those results as the map block with three businesses.
- Google ShoppingE-commerceGoogle Shopping is the product ad format with image, price and shop name that appears above or beside search results and on the Shopping tab.
- Google Tag Manager(GTM)Measurement and dataGoogle Tag Manager lets you manage tracking codes and pixels without changing your website every time.
- Gross marginStrategy and planningGross margin is revenue minus the direct cost of what you sell, expressed as a percentage of revenue.
- Guerrilla marketingContent and brandGuerrilla marketing is an unexpected, attention-grabbing action that aims for impact with little media budget, usually somewhere people do not expect advertising.
H
7- HallucinationAIA hallucination is an AI answer that sounds convincing but is factually wrong or invented, such as a non-existent source or an incorrect figure.
- HeadlessWebsite and technologyHeadless means the system where you manage content or products is separate from the layer that displays it; the two talk through an API.
- HeatmapConversion and UXA heatmap uses colour to show where visitors click, move and how far they scroll on a page.
- HostingWebsite and technologyHosting is where your website's files and database run and from where they are served to visitors.
- HotjarConversion and UXHotjar is a behaviour insight tool: heatmaps, session recordings, funnels and short surveys or feedback widgets on your site.
- HreflangWebsite and technologyHreflang is the annotation that tells search engines which page belongs to which language or region, so they show the right version.
- HubSpotEmail and CRMHubSpot is a CRM platform with hubs for marketing, sales, service, content and operations, all running on the same contact database.
I
8- Impression shareAdvertisingImpression share is the share of impressions your ads received compared with the number of times they were eligible to appear.
- ImpressionsAdvertisingAn impression is one view of your ad or search result. Ten impressions can therefore belong to one person.
- Inbound marketingStrategy and planningInbound marketing means attracting customers by being useful: content, explanation and visibility so people find you at the moment they are looking themselves.
- IndexingSEO and AI visibilityIndexing is a crawled page being stored in the search engine's database. Only indexed pages can appear in results.
- Influencer marketingContent and brandInfluencer marketing means working with creators who already have a relevant audience, so your brand appears in their context instead of in an ad.
- InstagramContent and brandInstagram is Meta's image-led social platform, combining short video (Reels), stories and posts in one app.
- InterimStrategy and planningInterim means temporary: someone fills a role in your organisation for a defined period — during illness, parental leave, an open vacancy or a project that needs extra steering.
- Internal linksSEO and AI visibilityInternal links are links between pages on your own site. They move visitors along and show search engines which pages matter and what they cover.
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1K
4- KeywordSEO and AI visibilityA keyword is the word or phrase someone types into a search engine — in other words, how a question gets phrased.
- Keyword researchSEO and AI visibilityKeyword research maps the words and questions your audience searches with, including how often that happens and how strong the competition is.
- KlaviyoEmail and CRMKlaviyo is a marketing platform for email, SMS and push that brings customer and store data together so you can segment and automate based on behaviour.
- KPIMeasurement and dataA KPI is a number you steer on because it links directly to a goal, such as qualified enquiries per month or cost per customer.
L
15- Landing pageConversion and UXA landing page is where a visitor arrives from an ad, email or search result, focused on one question and one action.
- LeadEmail and CRMA lead is someone who has shown interest and left contact details, for example through a form, call or download.
- Lead generationEmail and CRMLead generation is attracting people or companies who show interest and leave their details, so sales can act on them.
- Lead nurturingEmail and CRMLead nurturing means helping people who showed interest but are not ready to buy, step by step, until they are.
- Lead scoringEmail and CRMLead scoring assigns points to leads based on who they are and what they do, so you can prioritise follow-up.
- LeadinfoEmail and CRMLeadinfo is a B2B tool that uses a visitor's IP address to work out which companies visit your website and which pages they viewed.
- LeanStrategy and planningLean is a way of working centred on customer value and removing everything that doesn't contribute to it: waiting, rework, overproduction.
- Link buildingSEO and AI visibilityLink building is the work of earning links to your site from other websites. Search engines read such a link as a signal that a page is worth something.
- LinkedIn Ads(LinkedIn advertising)AdvertisingLinkedIn Ads is LinkedIn's advertising platform, reaching professional audiences by attributes such as job title, industry and company size.
- LLMAIAn LLM is a large language model trained to predict the next word, which lets it understand and generate text. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini run on them.
- llms.txtSEO and AI visibilityllms.txt is a proposed text file in your site's root with a concise overview of your key pages, aimed at language models.
- Load timeWebsite and technologyLoad time is how long before a visitor can see and use your page — not how fast the server responds.
- Local SEOSEO and AI visibilityLocal SEO is being findable for searches with a location or a 'near me' intent, both in regular results and in the map block.
- LogoContent and brandA logo is the mark of your brand: a wordmark, a symbol or a combination, meant to make you recognisable at a glance.
- Long tailSEO and AI visibilityLong-tail keywords are longer, more specific queries with little volume each, but together often the bulk of your traffic.
M
21- MarginE-commerceMargin is what's left of a sale after direct costs. It's the number that decides how much you may spend on marketing.
- Market researchStrategy and planningMarket research is gathering data on customers, competitors and the market so decisions rest on facts rather than assumptions.
- Market segmentationStrategy and planningMarket segmentation splits a market into groups of buyers similar enough to serve with the same offer and message, and different enough to justify separate choices.
- MarketingStrategy and planningMarketing is everything you do to create value for a group of people and deliver it to them: understanding what they need, shaping an offer, pricing it, making it available and communicating about it.
- Marketing automationEmail and CRMMarketing automation sends messages and triggers tasks automatically based on behaviour or data, such as a sequence of emails after a download.
- Marketing funnelStrategy and planningThe marketing funnel describes the path to a purchase in stages: awareness, consideration, conversion and loyalty — with a share dropping off at each stage.
- Marketing mix(4P / 7P)Strategy and planningThe marketing mix is the classic set of choices around your offer: product, price, place and promotion — for services extended with people, process and physical evidence.
- Marketing planStrategy and planningA marketing plan sets out your audience, the result you want, the channels and the budget — and how you measure whether it works.
- Marketing strategyStrategy and planningA marketing strategy is the choice of who you want to reach, with what offer, and why people would pick you. The plan with channels and actions follows from that, not the other way round.
- MarketplacesE-commerceMarketplaces are platforms like bol, Amazon and Zalando where you sell through the platform's audience and checkout, paying commission per sale.
- Media mixAdvertisingThe media mix is how your budget is split across channels: search, social, email, display, offline and everything between.
- MetaAdvertisingMeta is the company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, and therefore where you manage advertising for those apps in one place.
- Meta Ads(Meta advertising)AdvertisingMeta Ads is Meta's advertising platform for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and the Audience Network, managed in Ads Manager.
- Meta descriptionSEO and AI visibilityThe meta description is the short summary in a page's code that Google often shows as the descriptive text under the title in search results.
- Meta titleSEO and AI visibilityThe meta title (title tag) is a page's title in the code; Google usually uses it as the blue headline in search results and the browser shows it in the tab.
- MetadataSEO and AI visibilityMetadata is information about a page rather than its visible content: title, description, canonical, language settings, robots rules and the data social platforms use for a preview.
- Middle of the funnel(MoFu)Strategy and planningMiddle of the funnel (MoFu) is the stage where someone knows what to solve and compares options: approaches, suppliers, prices and risks.
- Mind mapContent and brandA mind map is a diagram branching from one central topic into subtopics, to find structure in loose ideas.
- Mobile firstWebsite and technologyMobile first means designing content and technology for the small screen first, then expanding to desktop.
- MQL and SQLEmail and CRMAn MQL is a lead marketing considers interested enough to follow up; an SQL is a lead sales has reviewed and judged worth pursuing.
- MRR and ARR(MRR / ARR)E-commerceMRR is your recurring monthly subscription revenue, ARR is the same revenue annualised. One-off projects don't count.
N
2- Net Promoter Score(NPS)Email and CRMNPS uses one question to measure how likely customers are to recommend you, on a 0–10 scale, subtracting the share of detractors from the share of promoters.
- Northstar metricStrategy and planningA northstar metric is the single measure that best reflects the value customers get from your product or service — and predicts your growth over time.
O
7- Off-page SEOSEO and AI visibilityOff-page SEO is everything outside your own site that affects findability: links from other sites, brand mentions, reviews and your presence where people talk about you.
- OKRMeasurement and dataOKR is a goal-setting method: one clear objective with two to four measurable key results that prove you achieved it.
- On-page SEOSEO and AI visibilityOn-page SEO is everything you control on the page itself: content, heading structure, title and description, internal links, images and overall readability.
- Online marketingStrategy and planningOnline marketing is the whole set of digital channels you use to get found, earn attention and win customers: search engines, ads, social media, email, your website and content.
- Open rateEmail and CRMOpen rate is the share of recipients who open your email. Since privacy features in mail clients preload images, this figure has become less reliable.
- Opt-inEmail and CRMAn opt-in is the active permission someone gives to receive commercial messages. With a double opt-in they confirm it once more by email.
- OrganicSEO and AI visibilityOrganic means unpaid: visitors or reach you get without ad spend, for example from regular search results or social media posts.
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13- PageSpeedWebsite and technologyPageSpeed is how fast your page loads and becomes usable. Google PageSpeed Insights scores it from 0 to 100 and lists concrete improvements.
- Payment service provider(PSP)E-commerceA payment service provider (PSP) handles payments in your webshop or app: iDEAL, card, Bancontact, PayPal and buy-now-pay-later, including settlement and payout.
- Performance marketingAdvertisingPerformance marketing is marketing steered on measurable results: cost per request, cost per sale or return on ad spend, rather than reach alone.
- Performance Max(PMax)AdvertisingPerformance Max is a Google Ads campaign type that covers every channel from one campaign: Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
- PersonaStrategy and planningA persona is a description of one recognisable type of customer or user: what they want to achieve, what gets in their way and how they decide.
- PinterestContent and brandPinterest is a visual search and inspiration service where people save images (pins) to boards, usually while planning or researching something.
- PositioningContent and brandPositioning is the place you occupy in your audience's mind: who you're for, how you differ, and why that difference matters.
- PPC(Pay-per-click)AdvertisingPPC (pay-per-click) is the pricing model where you pay only when someone clicks your ad, not when it is shown.
- PRContent and brandPR is working on what others say about you: publications, trade media, podcasts and spokespeople, rather than bought ad space.
- Pricing strategyStrategy and planningYour pricing strategy is how you set prices: based on cost, on the market, or on the value the customer perceives.
- Product feedE-commerceA product feed is a structured file with all your products and their data, used by platforms like Google Shopping and Meta to display your items.
- PromptAIA prompt is the instruction you give an AI model. The clearer the role, goal, context and required format, the more usable the answer.
- PsychographicsStrategy and planningPsychographics are about motivation: values, attitudes, ambitions, worries, lifestyle and buying motives.
Q
4- Qualified lead(MQL/SQL)Email and CRMA qualified lead is a potential customer who has shown interest and also meets the criteria that make follow-up by marketing or sales worthwhile.
- Qualitative researchStrategy and planningQualitative research looks at motivations, doubts and meaning: why people do something. You gather it through depth interviews, conversations or observation, not percentages.
- Quality scoreAdvertisingQuality score is Google's 1–10 estimate of how relevant your keyword, ad and landing page are. A higher score lowers your cost per click.
- Quantitative researchMeasurement and dataQuantitative research is research in numbers: you measure how often something occurs across enough people to support trends, ratios and percentages.
R
12- RankingSEO and AI visibilityRanking is the position your page appears at in the search results for a given query; 'to rank' is the matching verb.
- ReachAdvertisingReach is the number of unique people who saw your message at least once, unlike impressions, which count views.
- RebrandingContent and brandRebranding means renewing your brand: sometimes only the design (a restyle), sometimes also the name, positioning and message.
- Recurring revenueStrategy and planningRecurring revenue is revenue that returns periodically under an agreement: subscriptions, licences, retainers or a fixed monthly fee for services.
- ReelsContent and brandReels are the short vertical videos on Instagram and Facebook, distributed mainly by interest rather than by who follows you.
- RemarketingAdvertisingRemarketing is advertising to people who previously interacted with your site, app or customer base.
- Responsive web designWebsite and technologyResponsive web design means your website adapts to the screen: the same page works on mobile, tablet and desktop without separate versions.
- RetentionE-commerceRetention is the share of customers who keep buying over time. Its opposite is churn: the share that leaves.
- Rich resultsWebsite and technologyRich results are search results with extra elements: stars, prices, availability, breadcrumbs, expandable questions or an image.
- ROASAdvertisingROAS is revenue generated by your ads divided by what you spend on them. A ROAS of 4 means €4 revenue per euro spent.
- robots.txtWebsite and technologyrobots.txt is a file in your site's root telling crawlers which parts they may and may not fetch.
- ROIMeasurement and dataROI is the return on an investment: revenue minus cost, divided by cost. In marketing you should work from margin, not revenue.
S
26- SEAAdvertisingSEA is advertising in search engines: you pay to appear for queries, usually per click.
- Search ConsoleSEO and AI visibilityGoogle Search Console is a free Google tool showing how your site performs in search results and whether Google can process your pages properly.
- Search intentSEO and AI visibilitySearch intent is what someone actually wants from a query: to learn something, compare options, navigate somewhere or buy.
- Search querySEO and AI visibilityA search query is what someone actually types or speaks into a search engine or AI assistant — the literal words, typos and question form included.
- Search volumeSEO and AI visibilitySearch volume is the estimated number of monthly searches for a keyword, usually a twelve-month average per country or language.
- SegmentationEmail and CRMSegmentation splits your audience or email list into groups with similar characteristics or behaviour so you can communicate more precisely.
- SemrushSEO and AI visibilitySemrush is an SEO and competitive research tool for keywords, rankings, ads and backlinks — for your site and your competitors'.
- SEOSEO and AI visibilitySEO is the work that makes your pages findable in search engines without paying per click. It has three parts: technology, content and authority.
- SERPSEO and AI visibilityThe SERP is a search engine's results page: alongside blue links it holds ads, maps, videos, question boxes and AI answers.
- Server-side trackingMeasurement and dataWith server-side tracking you send measurement data from your own server to platforms, instead of straight from the visitor's browser.
- Share of voice(SOV)AdvertisingShare of voice is your share of all visibility in a category: which part of the ads, search results or conversations is about you.
- ShopifyE-commerceShopify is a hosted e-commerce platform: you rent the store software, hosting, security and checkout for a monthly fee plus transaction costs.
- SitemapWebsite and technologyAn XML sitemap is a list of the URLs you want indexed, meant for search engines.
- Six SigmaStrategy and planningSix Sigma is a method for reducing variation and defects in processes using data and statistics, aiming for predictable quality.
- Smart biddingAdvertisingSmart bidding is automated bidding in Google Ads, where the system sets a bid per auction using conversion data and signals like device, location and time.
- SMART goals(SMART)Strategy and planningSMART is a memory aid for goals you can actually check: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
- Social media marketingContent and brandSocial media marketing covers everything you do on platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest to build awareness, stay in touch and win customers.
- Social proofConversion and UXSocial proof is the effect where people base choices partly on what others do: reviews, customer logos, user counts and cases.
- Social sellingEmail and CRMSocial selling is building relationships with potential customers through social networks and being visible there with expertise, instead of cold outreach.
- Sponsored ProductsAdvertisingSponsored Products are ads inside a marketplace (bol, Amazon) that place your product higher in search results or on other product pages, paid per click.
- SSLWebsite and technologyAn SSL certificate (technically TLS these days) encrypts traffic between visitor and server. You recognise it by https in the address bar.
- Statistical significanceConversion and UXStatistical significance indicates how likely it is that the difference between two variants isn't chance. In marketing we usually work at 95% confidence.
- StorytellingContent and brandStorytelling means telling your message through a concrete story — a customer, a situation, a choice — instead of through features and claims.
- Structured dataWebsite and technologyStructured data is schema.org code that states explicitly what a page contains: a product, an article, an organisation or a question and answer.
- Subscription modelE-commerceA subscription model is a pricing form where customers pay periodically for access or delivery instead of per purchase.
- SWOT analysis(SWOT)Strategy and planningA SWOT analysis puts strengths and weaknesses (internal) next to opportunities and threats (external), so you can make choices that match what your organisation can actually deliver.
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11- TACoSAdvertisingTACoS is ad spend divided by total revenue — including sales that happened without ads.
- Target audienceStrategy and planningYour target audience is the group of people or companies you want to reach, described by characteristics, situation and buying behaviour.
- TargetingAdvertisingTargeting is deciding who sees an ad or message: based on keyword, interest, behaviour, location, attributes or your own customer lists.
- Technical SEOSEO and AI visibilityTechnical SEO is the part of SEO about findability and readability for search engines: crawling, indexing, speed, structure and error handling.
- TenderStrategy and planningA tender is a procurement process: a buying organisation publishes an assignment with fixed requirements and criteria, and suppliers submit a bid before a deadline.
- Thought leadershipContent and brandThought leadership is building a position where your view on a field is taken seriously, by consistently sharing substantiated, original insight.
- TikTokContent and brandTikTok is a short vertical video platform where the recommendation feed (For You) decides what you see, not who you follow.
- Tone of voice(ToV)Content and brandTone of voice is how your brand writes and speaks: word choice, form of address, sentence length and what you deliberately don't say.
- Top of the funnel(ToFu)Strategy and planningTop of the funnel (ToFu) is the top of your funnel: people with a question or problem who are not yet looking for your offer.
- Triple WhaleMeasurement and dataTriple Whale is an e-commerce analytics and attribution platform that brings ad spend, orders and margin from multiple channels into one dashboard.
- Trust Flow(TF)SEO and AI visibilityTrust Flow is a Majestic score (0–100) estimating backlink quality based on distance from a set of trusted websites.
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8- UI(User interface)Conversion and UXThe UI (user interface) is the visible, touchable layer of a site or app: buttons, fields, menus, colours, type and icons someone acts through.
- Upsell and cross-sellE-commerceUpsell means selling a more expensive or extended version; cross-sell means selling a complementary product alongside what someone is buying.
- UsabilityConversion and UXUsability is how easily someone achieves what they came for on your site or app: quickly, without errors and without having to think about it.
- User personaConversion and UXA user persona describes someone using your website, app or software: which task they want to complete and what gets in the way.
- User-generated content(UGC)Content and brandUser-generated content is content made by users or customers rather than the brand: reviews, photos, videos, unboxings and comments.
- USPContent and brandA USP is a characteristic that demonstrably sets you apart from alternatives and delivers something to the customer.
- UTM parametersMeasurement and dataUTM parameters are snippets you add to a link so your analytics shows which source, medium and campaign a visitor came from.
- UXConversion and UXUX is the experience of using your site or app: how quickly someone finds what they need and how much effort it takes to finish something.
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6- Value propositionStrategy and planningA value proposition is the promise in one or two sentences: who you're for, which problem you solve and why you're credible at it.
- Version controlWebsite and technologyVersion control means every change in a project is recorded, so you can see what changed and roll back to an earlier version.
- Vibe codingAIVibe coding is building software by describing what you want in plain language, with an AI model writing the code — you steer on outcome rather than lines of code.
- Visual identityContent and brandYour visual identity is the fixed visual system of your brand: logo, colours, typography, image style, shapes and how you combine them.
- VPNWebsite and technologyA VPN (virtual private network) routes your internet traffic through an encrypted connection to a server elsewhere, making it harder to intercept and making sites see that server's IP address instead of yours.
- VPNWebsite and technologyA VPN is an encrypted connection between your device and a server elsewhere. All your traffic reaches the web through that server, so websites see that server's IP address instead of yours.
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9- WCAGWebsite and technologyWCAG are the international guidelines for digital accessibility. Level AA is the standard most legislation refers to.
- Web designConversion and UXWeb design is designing how a website looks and works: structure, page composition, typography, colour and interaction.
- Web performanceWebsite and technologyWeb performance is the combination of speed, stability and responsiveness of your site, measured on real visitors and real devices.
- WebflowWebsite and technologyWebflow is a visual website builder with a built-in CMS and hosting, letting you design and publish pixel-accurate sites without code.
- WebhookWebsite and technologyA webhook is an automatic message one system sends another the moment something happens, for example 'an order was just placed'.
- WhatsApp marketingEmail and CRMWhatsApp marketing means serving and reaching customers through WhatsApp Business: support, order updates and — with consent — offers.
- WireframeConversion and UXA wireframe is a bare sketch of a page containing only structure and order: which blocks, in what sequence, with what message.
- WooCommerce(Woo)E-commerceWooCommerce is the open source store plug-in for WordPress: you run it on your own hosting and keep full control over code and data.
- WordPress(WP)Website and technologyWordPress is the world's most used content management system, with a huge supply of themes and plugins and a large community.
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3- Year-over-year(YoY)Measurement and dataYear-over-year (YoY) compares a period with exactly the same period one year earlier, for example this month against the same month last year.
- Yield managementStrategy and planningYield management is a pricing strategy where your price moves with supply and demand, to get the highest possible revenue per available unit.
- YouTube marketingAdvertisingYouTube marketing means using video and ads on YouTube to reach your audience, build awareness or drive conversions.
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1Something unclear, or a term missing?
We extend this list based on the questions we get. Email or call us, or book a call — we're happy to think along.
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