Resources / Glossary

Marketing terms.
Plain explanations.

Search the glossary or choose a letter. Follow the related reading links to explore a subject in more depth.

167 terms

A

AIDA Model

A marketing model that stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

Above the Fold

The upper portion of a web page that is visible without scrolling. Prioritise primary actions here.

Acquisition

The process of gaining new customers or users through marketing activity and sales engagement.

Ad Fatigue

When an audience becomes tired of seeing the same advertisement, which leads to reduced engagement and lower response.

Alt Text

Descriptive text for images used by search engines and screen readers to understand image content.

Audience Insights

Data and information that help you understand characteristics and behaviours of a target audience for better decisions.

Audience Segmentation

Dividing a target audience into smaller groups based on criteria like interests or purchase intent for relevance.

Audience Targeting

Identifying and reaching the audience most likely to convert based on shared traits or behaviour.

B

Backlink

An incoming hyperlink from one web page to another which is important for SEO rankings and discovery.

Behaviour Flow

A visual representation in analytics showing paths users take through your website. Useful for spotting friction.

Behavioural Targeting

Using information about a user’s browsing behaviour to deliver relevant advertisements in context.

Bottom of Funnel (BOFU)

The decision stage where leads are ready to convert into customers with clear offers and proof.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who navigate away after viewing only one page. Interpret alongside intent and page type.

Brand Awareness

The extent to which consumers are familiar with distinctive qualities or image of a brand.

Brand Equity

The value of a brand based on perception, recognition and loyalty over time.

Brand Positioning

The process of positioning your brand in the mind of your customers with a clear promise and proof.

C

Call to Action (CTA)

A message that encourages users to take a specific action such as Buy Now or Sign Up Today.

Campaign ROI

Return on investment calculated from profit made on a campaign divided by the campaign cost.

Canonical URL

An HTML element that prevents duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred page version.

Consent Mode v2

Google framework that adjusts tags based on user consent and models conversions when consent is denied. Helps maintain reporting while respecting choices.

Churn Rate

The percentage of customers who stop doing business with a company during a time period.

Click Fraud

Intentionally clicking a pay-per-click ad to increase charges or exhaust the advertiser’s budget.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The ratio of users who click a link compared to the number who viewed the page, email or advertisement.

Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR)

The percentage of email recipients who clicked a link after opening the email.

Clickstream

The sequence of clicks a user makes while browsing a website which reveals intent and friction.

Community Management

Building and nurturing relationships with audiences online for trust and reach.

Content Curation

Gathering relevant information from various sources and sharing it with your audience.

Content Syndication

Republishing content on other websites to reach a broader audience with attribution.

Customer Data Platform (CDP)

A system that unifies first-party data from multiple sources to create actionable customer profiles.

Conversion Funnel

A series of steps guiding visitors toward a goal such as purchase or signup.

Conversion Path

The series of steps a user takes on a site to complete a desired goal with minimal friction.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of users who completed a desired action out of the total visitors measured.

Core Web Vitals

Google metrics for loading, interactivity and visual stability that reflect user experience.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

The total cost of acquiring a new customer across channels.

Cost Per Lead (CPL)

The amount spent to acquire a new lead that meets your quality threshold.

Crawlability

The ability of search engine bots to access and index content on a website with ease.

Customer Advocacy

Customers who promote a company through word of mouth which boosts trust.

Customer Journey Mapping

A visual representation of every experience customers have with your brand from first touch to advocacy.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV or LTV)

The predicted net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer.

Customer Needs Analysis

A process for identifying and understanding needs, desires and expectations of customers with evidence.

Customer Retention Rate

The percentage of existing customers who remain loyal over a set period with repeat value.

Customer Segmentation

Dividing customers into groups based on common characteristics to improve outcome.

D

Data Clean Room

A secure environment where parties can match and analyse data without sharing raw personal data. Used for privacy-safe insights.

Data Layer

A structured object on a site that passes event and user data to tags, consent and analytics tools.

Decision-Making Unit (DMU)

The group of individuals involved in making purchasing decisions for a product or service.

Demand Generation

Activities that create awareness and interest in a product or service to feed pipeline.

Demographics

Statistical data about groups such as age, gender, income or education level which adds context.

Domain Authority (DA)

A Moz score predicting how well a website may rank on search engine results pages.

Drip Campaign

A series of automated emails sent to leads or customers based on actions or timelines with clear value.

Dynamic Content

Content that changes based on user data, preferences or behaviour to lift relevance.

E

Empathy Mapping

A collaborative tool to visualise what customers think, feel, say and do for alignment.

Engagement Marketing

Marketing that directly engages consumers and invites participation in brand evolution.

Engagement Rate

A metric that measures interactions such as likes, shares and comments against reach or followers.

Event-based Analytics

Analytics that track user actions as events rather than only page views which improves insight.

Event Tracking

Monitoring interactions that cannot be tracked as pageviews inside analytics tools.

Evergreen Content

Content that remains relevant and valuable over time with minimal updates.

Exit Rate

The percentage of users who leave a site from a specific page regardless of pages viewed before.

F

Firmographics

Attributes of firms used to segment B2B markets such as industry, size or location.

Form Abandonment

When a user starts a form but does not submit it which signals friction.

Frequency

The average number of times each person saw your ad or content over a period.

G

Geo-Targeting

Delivering content or ads based on a user's geographic location to improve relevance.

Goal Completion

A metric that counts when users complete a defined goal such as signup or demo request.

Guerrilla Marketing

Unconventional strategy intended to get maximum results from minimal resources with creativity.

H

Header Bidding

An advanced programmatic technique that lets publishers offer inventory to multiple ad exchanges at once.

I

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

A description of the type of company or individual that benefits most from your product or service.

Impression Share

The percentage of impressions your ads receive compared to the total available.

Impressions

The number of times an ad, post or page is displayed regardless of clicks.

Indexing

The process by which search engines store information about web pages for retrieval in results.

Intent Data

Signals that indicate a user's likelihood to take a specific action such as purchase or demo request.

Interactive Content

Content that requires active engagement such as quizzes or calculators for higher dwell time.

K

L

Lead Magnet

An incentive offered to prospects in exchange for contact information such as a guide or checklist.

Lead Nurturing

Building relationships with potential customers at every stage of the funnel with helpful content.

Lead-to-Customer Rate

The percentage of leads that convert into paying customers over a given period.

Lifetime Value (LTV)

A prediction of net profit attributed to the future relationship with a customer.

Link Building

Acquiring hyperlinks from other sites to your own which aids discovery.

Lookalike Audience

A group that shares traits with existing customers for scaled prospecting.

M

Market Penetration

Increasing share within existing markets through product, price and distribution moves.

Market Segmentation

Dividing a broad market into smaller groups with shared needs for focus.

Marketing Funnel

The model illustrating the customer journey from awareness to purchase and beyond.

Marketing Mix

The combination of product, price, place and promotion that shapes demand.

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

A lead that has engaged with content and is more likely to become a customer.

Media Planning

Selecting the best media platforms to promote a brand or product with budget control.

Meta Description

A brief summary of a page's content that appears below the title in search results.

Micro-Conversion

A small step that indicates interest or intent such as video play or add to basket.

Middle of Funnel (MOFU)

The consideration stage where leads evaluate your offer and proof.

N

Native Advertising

Ads that match the look, feel and function of the format in which they appear.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A loyalty metric that measures likelihood of recommending a company.

NoFollow Link

A link attribute that tells search engines not to pass SEO value to the target page.

O

Omnichannel Marketing

Integrating multiple channels to provide a seamless experience from first touch to service.

Open Graph

A protocol that enables any web page to become a rich object in a social graph with images and titles.

Open Rate

The percentage of recipients who open a delivered email as measured by tracking pixels.

Owned Media

Channels a company controls such as website, blog or email which compound value.

P

Page Authority

A score that predicts how well a specific page may rank on search engines.

Pain Points

Specific problems faced by customers that a product or service aims to solve with clarity.

Personal Branding

Marketing people and careers as brands with consistent voice and proof.

Personalisation

Customising content or experiences to individual users based on data and behaviour.

Positioning

Establishing a brand or product in the mind of the target audience with distinct promise.

Predictive Analytics

Using historical data, algorithms and machine learning to forecast future outcomes.

R

Reach

The total number of unique users who have seen your content at least once.

Referral Traffic

Visitors who come to a website from links on other websites which signals partnership value.

Response Rate

The percentage of users who respond to a specific message or offer with an action.

Responsive Design

A design approach that ensures content adjusts smoothly to different screen sizes.

Retargeting Pixel

Code used to track visitors and display targeted ads to them later across platforms.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Profitability of an investment compared to its cost across time.

Robots.txt

A file that controls and restricts access to parts of a website by search engine bots.

S

Sales Funnel

The journey from awareness to conversion and loyalty with clear stages.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

A lead vetted and deemed ready for engagement by sales based on fit and intent.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

The page displayed by search engines in response to a user query with organic and paid results.

Segmentation Strategy

The approach used to divide and target customer groups for higher relevance.

Segmentation Variables

Criteria such as demographics, behaviour or location used to build segments.

Sentiment Analysis

Using natural language processing to identify the emotional tone behind text.

Session Duration

The length of time a user spends on a website during a single session.

Social Listening

Monitoring digital conversations to understand what customers are saying online with context.

Structured Data

A standardised format for providing information about a page often using schema.org for rich results.

T

Target Market

A specific group of potential customers that a company aims to capture with its offer.

Technographics

Information about a company’s technology stack used to segment B2B customers.

Third-Party Data

Data collected by an entity without a direct relationship with the user which now has limits.

Time on Page

The average amount of time users spend on a specific page which signals engagement.

Title Tag

An HTML element that specifies the title of a page which is critical for SEO and clicks.

Top of Funnel (TOFU)

The awareness stage where prospects first learn about a brand or a problem.

U

UTM Parameters

Tags added to a URL to track the effectiveness of campaigns in analytics tools.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The factor that makes a product different from and better than competitors in a way customers value.

Unsubscribe Rate

The percentage of recipients who opt out of receiving further communications.

User Intent

The goal a user has in mind when typing a query into a search engine which guides content.

V

Value-Based Selling

A sales approach that focuses on benefits and value a product provides to customers with outcomes.

X

XML Sitemap

A file that lists important pages of a website to help search engines crawl it more effectively.

Z

Explore the blog ↗Customer personas ebook ↗