Every industry has its lingo. Digital marketing is no different. And while we never intend to confuse anyone, sometimes words are so common to us that we forget they’re not an everyday part of other people’s vocabulary.
This blog attempts to familiarise you with such jargon and give you a head start on a conversation with anyone in digital marketing. Of course, we think that conversation should be with us, but you’re free to make mistakes if you want.
Adwords — Adwords recently had a metamorphosis and is now known as Google Ads. Using this Google account, you pay for ads associated with certain search terms in hopes that they will place your website at the top of the search results page.
Analytics — The numbers that tell you how your website, ad, or social media account is performing. It’s like a report card that tells you where you could use improvement.
Automation — It’s a “set it and forget it” thing that runs by itself… after you set it up. Could include auto-response emails, thank you emails after a visitor fills out a contact form or the robotic way you answer an FAQ. Specific inputs receive specific outputs without you having to be part of the process… automatically.
Backlink — When another website or individual thinks your content is worth telling folks about so they link to it from their website or social media account. Google claims backlinks aren’t a popularity contest, but they seem to weigh heavily in determining the authority of a website for ranking purposes.
Blog — Could be an online journal, but in a business context, a blog is more likely to be a place to add fresh content to the website, share expertise, display thought leadership, and make announcements. It educates customers and helps with SEO.
Bounce rate — If you’ve ever heard anyone say “I’ve gotta bounce”, you have an idea what this statistic references. The bounce rate indicates the number of people leaves your website soon after arriving. Think of it like going to a party and realizing it’s not your scene. You bounce.
Business page —Now that businesses are using social media for marketing purposes, most social media platforms allow users to specify what kind of account they have: personal or business. Business pages have slightly different formats, depending on the platform, and are more likely to be hit up for spending ad money.
Click-through rate (CTR) — The number of clicks divided by the number of people who had the opportunity to click. It’s a fraction that becomes a per cent (See? You do use math in real life… even though the computer does the actual calculation.) that indicates how effective an email, ad, or landing page link is. It’s one thing for people to see the call to action; the goal is for them to actually perform it.
CMS — The abbrev. for the content management system. It’s how you add content to your blog and stuff. Examples include WordPress, Hubspot, and Xanga.
Connections — The LinkedIn version of “friends”, knowing full well networking for business purposes isn’t always the same thing as making friends. It’s more about putting pieces together like this: who do I know that will connect me to someone who will give be beneficial to your business.
CTA button — ( Call to Action) A geometric encouragement to website visitors to do exactly what you want them to do on a particular page. Usually links to either a contact form or a place to spend money.
Customer journey — marketing and sales is about guiding a potential customer from the point where they are unfamiliar with your brand to the point that they purchase your product or service and eventually tell others about you.
Fold — the lower part of a webpage that can’t be seen without scrolling. Usually used in phrases like “above the fold” and “below the fold”. Not a literal fold; use your imagination.
Footer — The static section at the bottom of a web page that often contains contact information, privacy policies, and secondary navigation.
H-tags — There’s a hierarchy to the text on web pages. H1 text is the most important stuff. H6 and “normal” text area at the bottom of the totem pole. It’s almost like Google has selective hearing, like a child who perks up when he overhears you talking about what you’re getting him for his birthday but doesn’t pay attention to you directly telling him to take out the trash. Especially now with ADA recommendations, the H-tags are vital to organizing the content on the page… even though there is no actual tag. Note: H-tags is not an abbreviation for hashtags.
Keywords — Words or phrases people might type into the search bar to find your company, products, or services. The goal is to use these same words and phrases in the copy of your website, especially in H-tags.
Landing page — Literally the page where people “land” after clicking a link in one of your emails or ads. It’s the desired destination where visitors (hopefully) complete the singular call to action you provide them. More often than not, it’s not a page that’s accessible without the link, meaning it’s not in the navbar anywhere
Lead capture form — “Capture” sounds savage, doesn’t it? But let’s be real, business is a survival of the fittest. This is a digital form used to capture contact information from a potential lead. It could be a pop-up, a sidebar, or a form on the contact page. Doesn’t matter where or how it appears so much as it does that you respond to the live lead in a timely manner.
Lead magnet — The teaser, or bait, you use to talk a website visitor into sharing their contact information with you. You give them something they want and they give you their number or email address in exchange.
Link juice — Not a juicing plan on LinkedIn so much as the authority given to a specific website based on the backlinks. Redirects ensure the link juice transfers to a new site.
Nurture sequence — A series of emails that introduces a new lead to your brand personality and product/service offerings. It’s a get-to-know-you process that usually happens automatically after a user fills out a lead capture form.
Want to learn some more click here to read about SERP
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