A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

A: Advertorial to Avatar

Advertorial

Article that looks like editorial content, but is actually a paid placement of content provided by the advertiser.

Affinity and Affinity Groups

People with similar interests who congregate in one place, like in chat rooms, on discussion boards or on social networks. A community of people sharing a common culture. Having a product or service that is appealing to one of these groups can provide a useful channel for promotions.

Aggregator

An organization that creates collections of feeds.

AI in Digital Marketing

Artificial Intelligence, as relates to digital marketing, is used to automate and optimize marketing campaigns, from content creation and advertising to evaluating data and customer behavior. 

AI involves machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other algorithms to improve efficiency, personalize experiences, and enhance campaign performance. 

Algorithm

Generally a formula used to solve a math or computing problem, and used by search engines to rank results. The calculation takes into account many factors, like where keywords appear and inbound links to a website.Google's algorithm includes more than 200 parameters to determine how a page ranks in search results.

API (Application Programming Interface)

An API allows one software application to interact with another. They include instructions for software developers, defining how information needs to be exchanged between them. An API may specify routines, data structures, object classes and protocols. These instructions are often found in the “developer toolkit” found on a software company’s website.

Avatar

An image used to represent a computer user; often used as a replacement for a photo.

B: Badge to Browser

Badge

A graphic image or icon provided by a social site to represent a membership, accomplishment or other behavior.

Bizographics (AKA Firmographics)

Similar to demographics, which are the characteristics of an individual, bizographics define an organization and the people who fall within a target profile.

Bot

A small computer program used to search the Web automatically. As in, sometimes you see a spike in website traffic on your Google Analytics, and it's often just bot spam.

Browser

Software used to read Web pages; popular versions include: Chrome, DuckDuckGo, Firefox, Internet Explorer (Microsoft ended support for it in 2022), Opera, and Safari.

C: Channel to Crowdsource

Channel

Organizations involved in getting a product to market, from supplier to manufacturer to distributor to wholesaler to retailer, and anyone in between. May also be used to define the medium used to convey information, as in a communications channel.

Chiclet

A small icon indicating the availability of an RSS feed; typically found on a blog or Web page.

Clutter

An overabundance of advertising messages that obscures a specific message.

CMS (Content Management System)

Software used for storing, controlling, revising, and publishing websites. One of the most popular is Wordpress.

Collateral

Any type of printed materials used for marketing, such as business cards, brochures, sales sheets, fliers, etc.

Column Inches (CI)

A typical unit of measure for newspapers. A CI is one column wide by one inch high. In the U.S., newspapers are six columns wide with a standard column width of about 1 and 13/16 inches.

Cookie

In computing, a small piece of text stored on a user's computer by a web browser; may identify user preferences, shopping cart contents, session information, or other data used by websites. Each time a browser connects with a website’s server, a cookie is sent to the browser.

Cookies may be used to track users as they visit various sites. Users can choose to accept or reject them, although rejecting cookies can render some sites unusable. Some shopping carts or login systems, for example, require cookies to work properly.

Coupons

A promotional code, digital voucher or printed certificate that provides a buyer with a discount. Learn about the pros and cons of using them to promote your business

Crowdsource

The idea that a group of people can do a job typically done by an employee or contractor. On the Web, an open request is made and anyone can respond. May be used for brainstorming, market research, design, or to carry out particular tasks.

D: Dashboard to Downstream

Dashboard

An interface that makes it easy to manage data from several sources by bringing it into one place. Dashboards may be used to show website traffic statistics or feeds from several social sites. Cyfe is a good example.

Developer Toolkit

See API

Differentiation

In marketing, it’s what sets a business apart from the competition. Differentiation value may be found in products and services, pricing, distribution or the way a business promotes itself. Differentiation is what gives a business a strategic advantage over similar businesses.

Downstream

The sites a visitor goes to next after visiting a website. Also see Upstream

E: Embed

Embed

When a bit of code is injected into a Web page for the purpose of placing content, like a video or slideshow. Applications, like widgets, may be embedded, too.

F: Favorite to Folksonomy

Favorite

Either a browser bookmark saved as a shortcut to a website; or an object someone saves to their profile on a social site, as in favorite people, videos or articles.

Feed

Often associated with RSS. Publishers create feeds to share their content as it’s updated. Subscribers to the feed read it using a feed reader or newsreader. A feed reader is software that aggregates content into one place for easy viewing. The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed’s URL or by clicking an RSS icon. The reader then updates the feeds as new information is published.

Folksonomy

A system used to create and manage tags to organize content. Also known as collaborative tagging, social classification, social indexing, and social tagging.

G: Gadget

Gadget

A small bit of code placed on a website to perform a specific, novelty function. Also known as a widget.

H: Halo Effect to HTML

Halo Effect

Hashtag

A word or words (no spaces) with the symbol “#” in front of it. Used on Twitter (X) to identify Tweets related to a specific topic.

Host

A service that runs Internet servers, which provide the means for delivering content to the Internet. Other services may include email, ecommerce functionality and website builders. Also known as Web host.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

The main language and coding scheme used to create Web pages. It consists of tags (not to be confused with keyword tags) that determine how a page should look. The format of a tag is <object>. For example, the tag for placing an image is <img>.

I: Impression to IP Address

Impression

The appearance of an advertisement on a Web page.

Influencer Marketing

A person who has a following, typically on social media or who has a popular blog, who is willing to endorse a product — usually for a fee if their following is big enough. It's very similar to a celebrity endorsement, except this is more about followers than being a celebrity.

If they're paid, it falls into the category of advertising. It's not considered organic social media.

IP Address (Internet Protocol address)

A unique number representing a device or network accessing the Internet and its virtual location. Identified with this format: 123.45.678.910

The IP address is where your internet service provider's (ISP) servers are on the Internet. 

When taking a website live, the domain name is connected with the host's IP address where the website files are kept.

So when someone types a domain name into their browser, the Domain Name Servers (DNS) at the host translate that domain name into an IP address to establish a connection to get the website content.

K: Keyword

Keyword

Words used to search for information online. Authors may anticipate the keywords searchers use, and create one, two or three word phrases to include in their content so they may be located. Learn more about how keywords are used for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

L: Lifestreaming to Lurk

Lifestreaming

An online tool that aggregates all social interactions into one place.

Linkbait

Content that is created for the purpose of attracting other websites to link to it.

Lurk

Hanging out on a social site without being identified.

M: Marketing Strategy to MSA

Marketing Strategy

A strategy charts your course between a beginning and an end point. You need to know where you are now (current status), and then determine where you need to go (objective). A well-conceived strategy should be efficient and effective.

The term "marketing strategy" is applied broadly to any marketing activity (sometimes incorrectly), from a top down where it considers the  business model to a specific aspect of marketing, from pricing and distribution to campaigns, to social media marketing, etc. learn more —>

Market Segmentation

A method used to define prospects along selected characteristics and similar behaviors. It’s a practical way to target more precisely, but not have to implement separate marketing approaches for each individual.

Mashup

A web page or application that combines data or functionality not usually found together from two or more outside sources to create a new service. For example, it’s common to combine maps with neighborhood information.

Metatag

HTML or XHTML element providing additional information about a Web page. It’s placed at the top of the page, but is hidden from view of the website visitor.

Metatags, sometimes abbreviated to tags, can be used to provide a page description, keywords or other information not included in other attributes.

At one point, metatags for search engine optimization (SEO), were significant in achieving optimal search engine results, but this isn’t the case anymore. Other characteristics, like incoming links from related high traffic websites, quantity and quality of content, functional links, viewer traffic, time spent on a site, content relevance and freshness, have become more significant in determining rank.

MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area)

U.S. government classification for a free-standing urban area.

N: Narrowcast

Narrowcast

Transmitting information to a select group of recipients, like sending an email newsletter to a customer list.

O: Organic Search to Out-of-Home

Organic Search

Results shown on search engines based on relevance to terms or keywords, rather than on pay-per-click advertising.

Abbreviated to "organic," it can apply to almost anything related to online, as long as it's not paid for. For example, organic traffic means that the people visiting your website came through a keyword search, not a paid ad or referral.

Organic Social Media

A person who has a following, typically on social media or who has a popular blog, who is willing to endorse a product — usually for a fee if their following is big enough. It's very similar to a celebrity endorsement, except this is more about followers than being a celebrity.

If they're paid, it falls into the category of advertising. It's not considered organic social media.

Out-of-Home

A category of advertising that reaches someone anywhere outside the home, such as billboards, shopping carts, digital signs, etc.

P: Pagerank to Psychographics

Pagerank

Google’s linking algorithm for ranking the relative importance of websites on a scale from 1-10. It’s based on the number of credible inbound links a site has. A site’s PageRank helps determine where a site appears in Google search results.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

A type of digital advertising where the advertiser pays when an ad is selected by clicking on it.

Pay-Per-Performance

A type of advertising where the advertiser only pays for measurable results, like a sale.

Permalink

Common to blogging, a URL that remains unchanged and points to a specific blog or forum entry, even after it is no longer current. They’re useful, because people often want to link to particular content or articles. When Web content was static, all links were permanent. Now, with so much content delivered dynamically, there arose a need for fixed URL’s. Many, but not all, blogging systems support them.

Persona

When used in user-centered design and marketing, it's a collection of characteristics that define a website visitor. Sometimes a persona is given an actual name to make it easier for website creators to develop content that targets a certain type of visitor. Characteristics may include where they're from, a psychographic and behavioral profile, and demographics. In addition, they may be defined by characteristics related to using particular devices (like mobile phones) or technologies (like websites).

Ping

A mechanism through which a blog notifies a server that its content has been updated. For example, pingomatic let’s search engines know when a blog has been updated. Ping.fm is used to update social networks.

Platform

A ubiquitous description for online tools and channels used for marketing. They can be used to reach a target audience, engage with them, and track performance, among other functionality.

A platform has become a way to  describe:

• Website builders, such as Wix or Shopify.
• Social media sites, as in "social media platforms"
• Marketing tools, as in "email marketing platforms"
  

Plugin

A computer program that interacts with an application, such as a Web browser, to provide specific functionality. Also know as: add-in, add-on, app, snap-in, extension.

Most websites can be enhanced with the addition of a plugin. Sometimes platforms, like Shopify and Wordpress, have their own app stores where you can find the functionality you're looking for — some free, some charge a fee. There are other sites to find these, such as Elfsight, which can be used on many platforms.

Podcast

A digital media file, or series of files, residing at a unique web feed address and distributed over the internet for playback on portable media players or computers. The term is a combination of “broadcast” and “pod.”

Portal

A website organizing and presenting information from many sources in a consistent way. Web portals offer other services, such as Web mail, news, financial reporting and more.

Positioning

The place an entity (person, product, service or organization) occupies in a prospect’s mind, and specifically in relation to competitor's for similar products or services.

Property

A digital entity, such as a website, blog, email signature, Facebook Page or social network, “owned” by their creators.

Press Kit

A compilation of materials written for media, journalists, and editors to provide information about a company, product, event, or person. The idea is to make it easier for them to learn about a business and write stories about them, to include them in articles, to find sources for quotes, etc. Of note, these are not be be written as sales materials. Also known as a Media Kit.

Often these materials are compiled into a Media or Press Room on a website for easy access. Branded assets, like logos and photos are often included as well.

Psychographics

What your prospects and customers think and care about; defined by personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles.

Q: Qualified Leads

Qualified Leads

Prospects who have an interest in purchasing a business’s products or services. Usually fit a predefined target profile. Also known as Qualified Traffic, which refers specifically to website visitors who are interested.

R: Retweet to RSS

Retweet

To share a Twitter (X) post.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

A way for authors to publish frequently updated works —such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format known as XML. XML allows the information to be repurposed for many different formats and programs known as feeds. Readers can subscribe to them to stay informed as information is updated, or to bring information into one place, as on a dashboard. RSS feeds can be read using a feed reader on the Web, a computer or mobile device.

S: Search Bots to Switching Costs

Search Bots

See Bots

Segmentation

See Market Segmentation

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

Any type of Internet marketing designed to increase website visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The practice of making a website more visible and ranking on a Search Engine Results Page. Various strategies are used to please the search engine's algorithm (primarily Google) to make it relevant, valuable, and accessible to searchers. The goal is to increase organic (unpaid) traffic by improving a website's position in search results and get people to click on them. SEO services —>

(SERP) Search Engine Results Page

The Web page produced by a search engine when a visitor uses words to find information.

As in, it's important for your website page to rank as high as possible on this page, so you have a better chance of it being clicked on.

Server

A computer that delivers Web pages and other services, like email, streaming audio or instant messaging, after a request is made from a browser. Also known as Web Server.

Session

Period in which a user (with a unique IP address) interacts with a website. Also known as User Session.

Session length, particularly in website analytics, is one indicator of the quality of your website traffic. The idea is that the longer visitors stay, the more interested they are in the website they're visiting.

Site Swag

A term coined in the book, Social Persuasion, it refers to interactive opportunities on a website where a visitor may participate or add information for free, and therefore take advantage of it for promotional purposes. May include: directories, Q&A’s, blog comments, press release posts, etc.

Snippet

On a Google search results page, it's short, descriptive text that can be a summary or excerpt from a webpage. A snippet may also include: star ratings, prices, or availability. They can influence whether someone will click through to a web page or not. One of the ways to acquire a snippet is to create and optimize a business's Google Business Profile. Another is to optimize a site for search visibility 

Social Capital

Value derived from social network connections

Social Search

When someone uses their online social network to get information, like advice, recommendations or referrals.

Spider

A type of bot that browses the Web in a methodical, automated manner called Web crawling or spidering. Specifically used by search engines to stay updated. Also known as Web Crawler.

Stickiness

When a website visitor returns to a site repeatedly, views several pages or stays for a certain length of time. It’s one way to measure the value of social media.

Switching Cost

The concept is that someone forfeits time, money, or other asset to move to something else.

As in, when a user changes the social sites they participate in. They may forfeit their network of followers, and it's possible they may think those switching costs are too high. But there are many other applications of the concept in marketing.

T: Tag to Tweet

Tag

Words a participant can add to their comments or content which make them searchable. Many sites allow users to select from a list of pre-existing words or to add their own.

Tag Cloud

A group of words graphically represented, which appear on many social sites. The size and color of the words reflect how often they’re used in the social content of a site. They’re often clickable, which makes them useful for viewing popular topics. Also known as Tag Cloud.

Target Audience

A specific, defined group within a Target Market. Target audience is often used in marketing communications to get more specific about how to speak to a very specific group of people.

Target Market

Defined as a group of potential customers with shared geographic, demographic,psychographic, and/or behavioral characteristics. It's often used in marketing strategy projects when initially determining a market for a product.

Sometimes it gets confused withTarget Audience, but this is primarily an issue of scope.

Target Marketing

A strategy used to leverage information about a target market to more effectively and efficiently deliver on the marketing mix, that is the 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, place, promotion; although some have tried expanding this with additional P's).

Telecommunities

Groups of people who surf and comment on the Web while simultaneously watching television. Also known as Video Villages.

Thumbnail

A small image that represents a larger one. Typically is clickable to another page, image or photo album.

Trackback

A trackback allows Web authors to see who is referencing their material. A computer essentially sends a request from Site A to Site B, known as a “ping.” When Site B receives the ping, it automatically goes back to Site A to check for the particular link. If the link exists, it’s recorded.

Trigger

An event that gets a prospect thinking about about making a purchase. Also known as a Trigger Event.

It's what sets someone off on what is known as the Buyer Journey or Purchase Path.

Tweet

A Twitter message or post.

Although still in popular use, it's no longer the official designation, since the the platform has become "X" — now, they're called "posts" and doing them is called "posting." Where's the fun in that?

U: USP to URL

USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

A marketing concept referring to a combination of attributes, such as the chosen niche, competencies, products and services, that set a business apart from other ones.

Upload

Transferring a file to a computer. Converse to download, which is transferring a file from a computer.

Upstream

A website or websites a visitor went to before the one they're presently on. Conversely, downstream refers to the sites they visit afterwards.

V: Value Proposition to Vlog

Value Proposition

The benefit a business claims they will uniquely bring to people in their target market. learn more —>

Velocity

Speed at which information spreads from one website to another, its direction, and if it’s rising or falling, can indicate how relevant, useful, popular or viral it is.

Viral Growth

Measures the number of people who share some bit of information or a story, where it’s being shared and who’s getting it. Indicates how relevant or important it is to these people and their networks.

Vlog

A blog that primarily features videos.

W: Web 2.0 to Widget

Web 2.0

Database-driven web applications, or websites that let you do stuff or more than just a brochure-ware website.

Perhaps has fallen out of use, since most websites now have far more functionality than they used to, and it's just become the norm.

Website Builder

A tool used for creating websites, which comes in two forms. One is desktop software created specifically for that purpose, such as Blocs for Mac.

More common today are website builders which include hosting and are designed for less technical users.

Widget

A small software tool that may be embedded in a website or added to person’s social profile to provide specific functionality. Also known as App, Plugin, or Module.

X: XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

A standard set of coding rules for the Internet. XML was designed to transport, store and describe information, as opposed to HTML, which focuses on how information is displayed. XML-based languages include: RSS, Atom, SOAP and XHTML.