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Internet Marketing Acronym Glossary
This will be a forever growing page, full of internet marketing acronyms definitions and marketing terms. As the industry keeps growing, a reference is a must.
Acronym Definitions
In this section you’ll find a list of Acronyms and their description for each one.
AJAX – Asynchronous Javascript and XML
API – Application program interface
AOV – Average order value
AR – Augmented reality
ASP – Application service provider
ATD – Agency trading desk
B2B – Business to business
B2C – Business to consumer
CDN
– Content Delivery Network
CLV – Customer lifetime value
CMS – Content management system
CPA – Cost per acquisition / action
CPC – Cost per click
CPL – Cost per lead
CPM – Cost per thousand
CPV – Cost per view (see also PPV)
CR – Conversion rate
CRM – Customer relationship management
CRO – Conversion rate optimization
CSS – Cascading style sheets
CTA – Call to action
CTR – Click-through rate
CX – Customer experience
DM – Direct mail (or ‘Direct message’, in Twitter circles)
DMP – Data management platform
DNS – Domain name system
DR – Direct response
DSP – Demand-side platform
ECPM – Effective CPM
EPC – Earnings per click
EPM – Earnings per thousand
ESP – Email service provider
FB – Facebook
FBML – Facebook Markup Language
FTP – File transfer protocol
GA – Google Analytics
HIPPO – Highest paid person’s opinion
HTML – HyperText Markup Language
HTTP – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
HTTPS – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure
IM – Instant Messaging
IMAP – Internet Message Access Protocol
IP – Intellectual property (or ‘Internet Protocol’)
IPTV – Internet protocol television
ISP – Internet service provider
KPI – Key performance indicator
LTV – Lifetime value
MoM – Month on month
MLM – Multi-level marketing
MVT – Multivariate testing
OEM – Original equipment manufacturer
OS – Operating system (sometimes this is used for ‘open source’)
PHP – PHP Hypertext Preprocessor
POS – Point of sale
PPC – Pay per click
PPL – Pay per lead
PPV – Pay per view
PR – PageRank
PV – Pageviews
QA – Quality assurance
QR Code – Quick response code
QS – Quality score
RFI – Request for information
RFP – Request for proposal
ROI – Return on investment
RON – Run of network
ROR – Ruby on Rails
ROS – Run of site
RSS – Really Simple Syndication
RT – Retweet
RTB – Real time bidding
RTD – Real time data
S2S – Server to server
SaaS – Software as a service
SEM – Search engine marketing
SEO – Search engine optimisation
SERP – Search engine results page
SLA – Service level agreement
SM – Social media
SME – Small / medium enterprise. (aka SMB = ‘business’)
SMM – Social media marketing
SMO – Social media optimisation
SMP – Social media platform
SMS – Short message service
SOV – Share of voice
SOW – Statement of work
SSL – Secure Sockets Layer
SSP – Supply-side platform
SWOT – Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
TLD – Top level domain
TOS – Terms of service
UCD – User-centric design
UI – User interface
UGC – User-generated content
URL – Uniform resource locator
USP – Unique selling proposition
UV – Unique visitor
UX – User experience
VOD – Video on demand
VM – Viral marketing
WOMM – Word of mouth marketing
WYSIWYG – What you see is what you get
YOY – Year on year
YTD – Year to date
XML – Extensible Markup Language
Internet Marketing
TERMS
In this section, you will find a list of Internet Marketing Terms and their definitions.
A/B Tests - Marketers run experiments called A/B tests to determine which marketing tactic yields the best results. For example, a digital marketer may conduct an A/B test that will serve up two different versions of a webpage—typically the current page versus a new iteration—to users to determine which performs better. This is a simple scientific approach for comparing the effectiveness of a control group versus a variation.
Affiliate - Individuals or companies who market the company's products for a commission.
Affiliate Marketing - the process of earning a commission by promoting other people's (or company's) products. You find a product you like, promote it to others and earn a piece of the profit for each sale that you make.
Analytics - In marketing, analytics refers to the process of analyzing data to determine the return on investment of a particular marketing activity. Marketers may also use the term analytics to talk about the dashboard or system they use to review and track this data.
App (Application) - A program designed to run on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.
Autoresponder - A program that automatically generates a set response to all messages sent to a particular email address. These email messages are sent to someone who requests information, usually from an opt-in form. Typically the autoresponder is the first in a sequence of messages that are sent to a subscriber from a list.
Banner Ad - A form of advert found on web pages and mobile applications, usually in image format.
Bitcoin - A cryptocurrency, a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator. Can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries.
Blog - A blog is a website (or section of a website) that’s frequently updated with new content. Marketers use blogging to attract new customers and bring awareness to their brand.
Bounce Rate - A bounce rate is a metric that shows the percentage of website visitors who left the site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate isn’t necessarily bad in all contexts, but in some cases it serves as a sign for marketers that they need to adjust their website so visitors stay and view more of the site.
Bots - Also known as spider bots, these friendly and hardworking bots relentlessly roam the web for our convenience. Whenever a user turns to a search engine to surf the web and gets accurate results, it is all possible thanks to the web crawlers that the search engine employs. For example, Google relies on its very own crawler software, known as Google-bot. What these spiders do is browse web pages and index them, so that search engines can know what is in them and return accurate results to user queries.
Brand - A brand is the way a company is perceived and experienced by potential customers. Pieces of a brand include its logo and other design elements, the voice it uses when interacting with customers and the target customers it’s known for serving.
Browser - A computer program used to navigate the Internet on computers, tablets and smartphones. Examples include Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.
Bulletin Board or BB - This is the same a Forum; An area where users share thoughts, ideas, or help by posting text messages. Forums are different from chat because it is almost never live and can be read at any time.
Buyer Persona - Buyer personas are the imaginary people marketers target when they design ads or create content like website copy. Although buyer personas aren’t real people, they are created based on data from actual consumers. These personas are then used to inform the audience, tactics and tone of the messages delivered.
Campaign - A campaign is a set of marketing activities designed to achieve a specific goal, like increasing sales for a certain product or spreading awareness of a new product feature.
Capture Page - A page which has been created with the main aim of getting visitors to share their email addresses with you and subscribe to your email list. The most effective way to achieve this is by offering the visitors something in return for the information they give you.
Case Study - Case studies are a type of content that showcases a company’s work with a past customer, usually with a focus on statistics that prove the company achieved the desired results.
Chat - A text-based communication that is live or in real-time. For example, when talking to someone in chat, any typed text is received by other participants immediately.
Classified Ad - Classified advertising is a form of advertising which is particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Classified advertisements are much cheaper than larger display advertisements used by businesses.
Content - Content is any piece of information that’s created to be viewed by an audience. This could include blog posts, email newsletters, social media posts, videos or even print brochures.
Content Marketing - This marketing method focuses on creating relevant, consistent content to attract new leads and turn them into customers. Blog posts, email newsletters, vlogs and podcasts can all be pieces of a content marketing strategy.
Conversion Optimization - The process of increasing the percentage of visitors who complete your goals.
Conversion Rate - A conversion rate is a metric that measures how many users took a certain action, like filling out a form or clicking on a specific link. Typically this is tied to actions leading to a purchase, but the goal action can vary.
Crawler - A program designed to systematically browse content on the Internet and collect information about it to help searchers find what they’re looking for.
Desktop - A non-mobile device like a personal computer or laptop computer.
Downline Builder - A site that allows you to promote a variety of different traffic sites from the one site. You simply enter your affiliate ID's into the site and then whenever someone clicks one of the links they join under you. They are a great resource, as you can promote many different sites and grow your downlines, whilst only advertising the one site. Another great feature is, many will also pass up referrals from your referrals links, if they have not entered their referral ID for a particular site. Which means, you not only benefit from your own advertising efforts, but also from your referrals, and their referrals.
eCommerce - The sale of products and services online.
Email Marketing - Email marketing is content sent via email to current or potential customers who subscribed to a marketing email list. Check your inbox—you’ve seen countless examples.
Engagement - Engagement refers to the connection and relationship marketers build over time with their customers. In digital marketing, engagement can sometimes be measured as actions a visitor takes, such as clicking a link or commenting on a social media post.
Favicon
- These are small square images usually 16×16 pixels which are used by web browsers to show a graphical representation of the site being visited at the left side of the browser's address bar
Folksonomies - A system in which users apply public tags to online items, typically to make those items easier for themselves or others to find later.
Forums - An area where users share thoughts, ideas, or help by posting text messages. Forums are different from chat because it is almost never live and can be read at any time.
Free Ad Site - A website that you can post classified ads on. Some consdire this old school but it has more power than you might think. Craigslist is an example of a Free Ad Site. This works great if you are selling or promoting something in your local area. However there are many Free Ad Sites that a global.
Hashtag - A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media websites and applications, especially Twitter, to identify messages on a specific topic.
Home Page - The introductory or “main” page of a website.
HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. A language used by web developers to create websites.
Impressions - The number of times an advert is displayed.
Index - A searchable catalogue of web pages and digital content used by a search engine to provide relevant results.
Inbound Marketing - This marketing method uses strategies like content marketing and social media marketing to attract new customers. Rather than pursuing customers with a hard sell, inbound marketers forge connections with people by meeting them where they’re at in the purchase process. Ideally, this approach draws them in to learn more about the brand. For example, a grill manufacturer writing an article comparing the pros and cons of gas grills versus charcoal grills. This provides helpful information about a topic people commonly ask the brand about and may lead to more direct sales questions, e.g., “Which gas grill should I purchase?”
Infographic - Infographics are a type of content that presents statistics and other information in an easy-to-read, well-designed image.
Infrastructure - Some businesses have built a marketing infrastructure which constantly brings in new leads, follows them up, nurtures and converts them into raving fan customers.
Keyword - Keywords are words or short phrases that users enter into a search engine to find the information they’re looking for.
Landing Page - A landing page is a static, stand-alone website page that includes a strong call to action as part of a marketing campaign.
Lead - Leads are potential buyers who have engaged with a brand in the past and are likely to make a purchase in the future.
Lead Magnet - A lead magnet is an incentive, such as a coupon code or a free ebook download that potential customers receive in exchange for their contact information.
Link - A text or image that provides a link from one web page or website to another.
List - Also called an Email List or Mailing List. This is a collection of emails that have been received through an opt-in form on a blog or website. It’s a collection of email addresses used by an individual or an organization to send marketing material to multiple recipients.
Long Tail Keywords - Keywords that are three and four keyword phrases which are very, very specific to whatever you are selling. You see, whenever a customer uses a highly specific search phrase, they tend to be looking for exactly what they are actually going to buy.
Metrics - Metrics are measurable indicators that tell marketers how well their campaigns are performing. Common metrics include click-through rate, cost per lead, bounce rate and conversion rate.
Mobile Device - A portable device, such as a smartphone or tablet, capable of connecting to the Internet and running applications.
Natural Listings - Results from a search engine that are not paid adverts.
Niche - A subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that it is intended to target. It is also a small market segment.
Opt-In - Express permission by a customer, or a recipient of a mail, email, or other direct message to allow a marketer to send a merchandise, information, or more messages.
Opt-In Form - A form of consent given by web users, acknowledging interest in a product or service and authorizing a third party to contact them with further information. "Opting in" generally refers to email communication and is often used in eCommerce for permission to send newsletters, product sales, and other marketing material to customers.
Organic Listings - Results from a search engine that are not paid adverts.
Outbound Marketing - This traditional type of marketing seeks to get the attention of potential buyers by interrupting them in their daily lives using techniques like cold calls or direct mail campaigns.
Paid Listings - Advertisements that appear on search engines results pages.
Public Relations (PR) - Public relations involves managing the spread of information about a company. PR professionals work to spread positive news about their brand and minimize the impact of negative news.
Query - The keyword or phrase a user types into a search engine in order to find what they’re looking for.
Ranking - A listing’s position on a search engine results page.
Safelist - Primarily a membership based email list where members mail to each other and promote their products. Each member has to first opt-in to receive these emails. So these mails will not be considered as spams as the full list is an opt-in list.
Sales Funnel - A sales funnel refers to the buying journey new leads take before they make a purchase. The sales funnel includes several steps, from learning that a brands exists to becoming a loyal customer.
Search Engine - A tool that indexes and returns relevant digital content in response to users’ keywords. Popular Internet search engines include Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Baidu, Yandex and more.
Session (or Visit) - A group of interactions that take place on your website within a given time frame. For example a single session can contain multiple page views and ecommerce transactions.
Shortcode - A WordPress-specific code that lets you do nifty things with very little effort. Shortcodes can embed files or create objects that would normally require lots of complicated, ugly code in just one line. Long code is converted into bracketed small text. e.g [shortcode-name-goes-here]
Social Bookmarking - An online service which allows users to add, annotate, edit, and share bookmarks of web documents. Many online bookmark management services like Delicious, popularized the terms "social bookmarking" and "tagging". Tagging is a significant feature of social bookmarking systems, allowing users to organize their bookmarks and develop shared vocabularies known as folksonomies.
Social Media - Content such as text, images, or videos, created by individuals and shared across the Internet.
Social Media Marketing - This digital marketing method uses social media channels to introduce potential customers to a brand and to gradually build a connection through regular interaction.
Social Network - A community of individuals creating and sharing content.
Social Proof - Social proof is a psychological phenomenon in which people are more likely to trust or purchase from a brand if they’ve heard positive reviews from their friends or peers.
Solo Ads - A marketing piece used in email marketing in order to get traffic, leads, and eventually, make sales. A solo ad is an email campaign that you send to a niche email list that you do not own. You basically “rent” the email list of someone else in your industry to send your targeted promotions.
Squeeze Page - A landing page created to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers.
Tags - A keyword or term assigned to a piece of information such as an internet bookmark, digital image, database record, or computer file. This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching. Tags are generally chosen informally and personally by the item's creator or by its viewer, depending on the system,
Testimonial - Testimonials are a type of social proof in which past customers make a positive statement about their experience with a brand.
Traffic Acquisition - The process of attracting visitors often referred to as traffic to websites, mobile apps and other digital assets.
Traffic Exchange - A website that receives website submissions from webmasters that join traffic exchange networks. The person who submitted the website then has to browse other member sites on the exchange program to earn credits, which enable their sites to be viewed by other members through the surf system. This increases the number of visitors to all the sites involved.
Unique Visitor - A single visitor to a website during a specific period of time.
Viral Mailers - Viral mailers are also know as Safelists which are sites where you read other members emails in exchange for them reading your own. Often there are credits earned for reading other members ads. The credits are used to run your own ads on the same site. This is a questionable process as everyone is trying to promote the same types of ads in a silo environment.
Vlog - Vlogs are “video blogs” that are regularly released as part of a brand’s content marketing strategy.
Website Tracking - This is when user's digital activity on a website or journey between websites is being monitored or recorded. Websites track users directly and by means of integrated third party tools such as Google Analytics, mainly in order to gain insight into how their website is being used.