The world of digital marketing is a rapidly growing, changing field, and mastering it gives businesses a competitive advantage. But to succeed in this world it is important to understand many different terms. We have therefore put together a list in this article explaining the 100 most frequently used and most important terms in the world of digital marketing. This comprehensive list can be used as a resource for newcomers to digital marketing and specialists alike. These terms play a vital role in building digital marketing strategy, applying it and measuring its results.
- A/B testing:
A testing method used to make a comparison between two different options. - Affiliate marketing:
A company making an agreement with another website owner to promote its products or services. - Algorithm:
The mathematical formulas used to determine web pages' ranking in internet search engines. - Keyword:
A word or phrase used to search in search engines. - Keyword density:
States how frequently a particular keyword is used on a web page. - Analytics:
The tools used to track traffic, user behaviour and other statistics on a website. - Search engine optimisation (SEO):
The work done so a website is better understood and ranked by search engines. - Search engine marketing (SEM):
Increasing a website's traffic using payment-based advertising models such as search engine ads. - Search engine results page (SERP):
The page a user is presented with after making a search. - Banner ad:
The ad images placed at the top, side or bottom of a web page. - Backlink:
The links a website receives from other sites. - Click-through rate (CTR):
The ratio of an ad's or a link's clicks to its impressions. - Conversion rate optimisation (CRO):
The work done to increase the rate at which a website's visitors convert into purchases or other conversions. - Cross-platform:
An app or website that can run on more than one device or platform. - Online reputation management (ORM):
The work done to manage a company's or an individual's reputation on the internet. - Demographics:
The demographic information of a website's or ad campaign's audience, such as age, gender, education level and other characteristics. - Digital asset:
The whole of a company's digital assets, such as a website, a mobile app or other digital platforms. - Digital marketing:
The marketing activity carried out to promote and sell a product or service through digital platforms. - Digital marketing campaign:
Digital marketing work carried out aimed at a particular audience. - Digital strategy:
The main goals and roadmap a company sets for its digital marketing activity. - Email marketing:
A company sending promotions, advertising or other information to its customers by email. - E-commerce:
Selling a product or service online. - Ebook:
The version of a book presented in digital form. - Blocking:
The measures taken to prevent a particular user reaching a website. - Google Ads:
An advertising platform offered by Google. - Google Analytics:
A tool used to measure a website's traffic, user behaviour and other statistics. - Google Trends:
A tool showing a particular keyword's search volumes and trends. - Hashtag:
Keywords used in social media posts, associated with a particular subject or event. - Target audience:
The particular audience an ad campaign or piece of digital marketing work is aimed at. - Targeting:
Structuring an ad campaign according to particular criteria in order to reach a particular audience. - Content marketing:
A company producing content to promote its products or services. - Content strategy:
The main goals and roadmap a company sets for its content marketing activity. - Influencer marketing:
A company working with influencers to promote its products or services. - Tracking code:
The code used to track user behaviour on a website. - Reciprocal link:
A link made between two websites. - Crowdsourcing:
A company gathering feedback or contributions from its customers or other stakeholders. - User experience (UX):
The design and usability work carried out in relation to users' experience on a website. - User interface (UI):
The interface users interact with on a website. - Landing page:
A web page a particular audience targeted by an ad campaign or piece of digital marketing work is directed to. - Lead generation:
Obtaining potential customers on a website or through an ad campaign. - Link building:
A website increasing its search engine rankings by obtaining links from other sites. - Meta description:
A short description summarising a web page's content. - Meta tag:
The descriptions and keywords used so a web page is indexed by search engines. - Mobile marketing:
The marketing activity carried out to promote and sell a product or service through mobile devices. - Native advertising:
An ad presented by integrating it organically into the content. - Organic traffic:
The traffic a website gains through search engines or other organic methods. - Pay per click (PPC):
Payment being made according to an ad's number of clicks. - Advertiser:
The company or person funding an ad campaign. - Retargeting:
Targeting users who visited a website but did not make a purchase again later. - Social media marketing:
The marketing activity carried out to promote and sell a product or service through social media platforms. - Social media platforms:
The various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. - Cost per click (CPC):
An ad's cost per click. - URL:
A web page's address. - Viral marketing:
The marketing activity that emerges when a company's products or services are shared naturally by users. - Website:
The digital asset a company or individual owns on the internet. - Web design:
Designing a website and building it visually. - Website analysis:
The analysis carried out to measure a website's traffic, user behaviour and other statistics. - Website traffic:
The number of users visiting a website. - WordPress:
A content management system and blogging platform. - Yoast SEO:
A WordPress plugin used as an SEO plugin. - Local SEO:
The SEO work carried out so a company ranks at the top in search engine results in a particular area. - Localisation:
A company customising its products or services for a particular geographic area. - Review management:
The work carried out to monitor and manage the reviews made about a company's products or services. - User-generated content:
Content created by users. - Smart content:
Content that changes dynamically according to users' interests and behaviour. - Analytics dashboard:
A panel showing traffic, user behaviour and other statistics on a website. - API (application programming interface):
An interface letting other applications interact with a software application. - Augmented reality (AR):
Adding digital content to the real-world environment. - Viewability:
A measure showing how visible an ad is. - Title tag:
A web page's title. - Documentary content:
Content telling what happens in real life. - Blog:
A platform where a person or company shares content regularly on the internet. - Bounce rate:
How long visitors to a website stay on a single page. - Brand management:
Creating, protecting and managing a company's brand. - Live streaming:
Broadcasting an event in real time. - Conversion:
A user carrying out a desired action on a website. - Conversion rate:
The percentage of a website's visitors who carry out a desired action. - Email automation:
A company sending emails to its customers automatically. - Display advertising:
An ad presented in graphic, image or video format. - Public relations (PR):
The work carried out to protect and improve a company's reputation. - Related content:
Other content similar or relevant to a piece of content on a website. - Download rate:
The rate at which an app or digital product is downloaded. - Business development:
The work carried out to set a company's growth strategy and marketing plans. - Business analysis:
The work carried out to analyse a company's business strategy and processes. - Copywriting:
The compelling text written for an ad or piece of marketing material. - User feedback:
The feedback received from users about a product or service. - User journey:
A map of a user's interactions and navigation path on a website. - User profile:
Defining a user's demographic, behavioural and other characteristics. - User journey map:
A map of the experiences a user encounters while using a product or service. - Corporate image:
A company's image as perceived by the public. - Landing page optimisation:
Optimising a web page a particular audience targeted by an ad campaign or piece of digital marketing work is directed to. - Lead magnet:
A reward, or a free resource offered, used to get potential customers to visit a website and leave their email addresses. - Location-based marketing:
A company offering dedicated deals to users in a particular geographic area. - Mobile app:
A software application that runs on a smartphone or a tablet. - Multimedia content:
Content made up of more than one media type used on a website. - Optimised content:
Content on a website optimised so it is better understood by search engines and ranks at the top. - Marketing automation:
A company automating its marketing activity. - Marketing strategy:
A company setting its marketing goals and plans. - Programmatic advertising:
Buying and running an ad automatically. - Sales funnel:
A step-by-step map of the processes a customer goes through in order to buy a product or service.
