Marketing glossary
Marketing,defined.
183 marketing, advertising, SEO, AI and sales terms in plain English, written by the people who use them every day. Search, browse by topic, or jump by letter.
183 terms
A
A/B testingComparing two versions to see which performs better.Above the foldWhat visitors see before scrolling.Account-based marketing (ABM)Targeting a defined list of high-value companies with coordinated marketing and sales.Ad frequencyThe average number of times a person sees your ad in a period.AI agentAn AI system that plans and takes several actions toward a goal using tools.AI crawlerA bot that reads websites to train or power AI systems and answers.AI guardrailsRules for safe and responsible AI use.AI hallucinationWhen an AI states something false as if it were true.AI ModeGoogle’s conversational search experience that answers with AI and follow-up questions.AI OverviewsAI-written summaries Google shows above regular search results for many queries.AI workflowA repeatable process where AI handles part of a task.Anchor textThe clickable words in a link.Answer engine optimization (AEO)Structuring content and business information so AI answer engines quote, cite or recommend you.AttributionAssigning credit for a lead or sale to the marketing that influenced it.Author pageA page about the person who wrote your content, with credentials and links.
B
BacklinkA link from another website to yours.Bottom of funnel (BOFU)Marketing for people ready to choose a provider.Bounce rateTraditionally, the share of visits that leave after one page.BrandThe overall impression people have of your business.Brand awarenessHow familiar your target audience is with your brand.Brand collateralBranded materials used in sales and marketing.Brand consistencyPresenting the brand the same way across every touchpoint.Brand guidelinesA document that explains how to use the brand correctly.Brand identityThe visual and verbal elements that represent a brand.Brand refreshUpdating a brand’s look and messaging without changing its core identity.Brand storytellingUsing narrative to explain who you serve, what changes for them and why you.Brand voiceThe consistent personality of a brand in words.Buyer personaA research-based profile of a typical buyer, their goals and objections.
C
Call to action (CTA)The prompt telling people what to do next.Call trackingUsing unique phone numbers to see which marketing produced each call.Canonical tagA tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the main one.Case studyA detailed story of a client problem, your solution and the results.Citation (AI search)A link or source credit an AI answer gives to a page it used.Citations (local)Mentions of your business name, address and phone on other websites.Click-through rate (CTR)The percentage of people who clicked after seeing an ad or listing.Community managementResponding to comments, messages and mentions on behalf of a brand.Connected TV (CTV)Video advertising on streaming services watched on TVs.Content calendarA schedule of planned posts and content by date and channel.Content clusterA group of related articles linked to a central pillar page.Conversion rateThe percentage of visitors or recipients who take the desired action.Conversion rate optimization (CRO)Improving the share of visitors who take a desired action.Conversion trackingRecording when visitors complete valuable actions.CopywritingWriting words that persuade people to take action.Core Web VitalsGoogle’s metrics for loading speed, interactivity and visual stability.Cost per acquisition (CPA)Spend divided by the number of customers or sales acquired.Cost per click (CPC)The amount paid for each ad click.Cost per lead (CPL)Total marketing spend divided by the number of leads produced.Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)The price of 1,000 ad impressions.CrawlingHow search engines discover pages by following links and sitemaps.Creative briefA one-page document defining a creative project’s goal, audience, message and requirements.Creative directionGuiding the visual and conceptual approach of creative work.Customer acquisition cost (CAC)The total cost of winning a new customer.Customer lifetime value (CLV)The total profit a customer brings over the relationship.Customer relationship management (CRM)Software that stores contacts, companies, deals and interactions.
D
DifferentiationWhat makes your offer meaningfully different from competitors.Direct mailMarketing sent by postal mail.Domain authorityA third-party score estimating how well a domain may rank.Drip campaignA series of automated emails sent on a schedule or trigger.Duplicate contentThe same or very similar content appearing at more than one URL.
E
E-E-A-TExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness: Google’s framework for content quality.Earned mediaExposure you earn rather than pay for: press, reviews, shares and mentions.Email deliverabilityWhether your emails reach the inbox instead of spam.Email marketingSending messages to people who opted in to hear from you.Engagement rateInteractions divided by reach or followers.Enhanced conversionsA Google Ads feature that improves conversion measurement using hashed first-party data.EntityA distinct, identifiable thing, such as a business, person or place, that search engines understand.
F
G
Generative AIAI that creates new text, images, audio or video.Generative engine optimization (GEO)Optimizing to be used in answers written by generative AI.Go-to-market strategyThe plan for launching a product or entering a market.Google 360 virtual tourLinked panoramic photos that let people explore a location on Google.Google AdsGoogle’s advertising platform for search, display, YouTube, shopping and more.Google Analytics 4 (GA4)Google’s analytics platform that measures website and app activity as events.Google Business ProfileGoogle’s free business listing that appears in Maps and local results.Google Search ConsoleGoogle’s free tool for monitoring how your site performs in search.Google Tag Manager (GTM)A tool for managing tracking tags without editing site code.
H
I
Ideal customer profile (ICP)A description of the companies or people who get the most value from you.ImpressionsThe number of times an ad or listing was displayed.IndexingAdding a page to a search engine’s database so it can appear in results.Influencer marketingPartnering with creators who have the trust of your audience.Internal linkingLinks between pages on your own website.
K
Key eventAn action in GA4 marked as important, such as a form submission or purchase.Key performance indicator (KPI)A metric that shows progress toward a goal.Keyword researchFinding the words and questions people use when searching for what you sell.Knowledge panelThe information box Google shows about a known entity.
L
Landing pageA page built for one campaign and one action.Large language model (LLM)An AI model trained on large amounts of text to understand and generate language.Last-touch attributionGiving credit to the final interaction before a conversion.Lead generationAttracting and capturing interest from potential customers.Lead nurturingStaying in touch with leads who are not ready to buy yet.Lead routingAutomatically assigning new leads to the right person.Lead scoringAssigning points to leads based on fit and behavior to prioritize follow-up.Lead sourceWhere a lead originally came from.Lifecycle stageA CRM field showing where a contact is in the buying journey.LinkedIn AdsAdvertising on LinkedIn, targeted by job title, company and industry.LLM optimizationMaking your business visible and accurately described in large language model answers.llms.txtA plain-text file that gives AI systems a map of a website’s most important content.Local 3-packThe map and three business listings Google shows for many local searches.Local SEOImproving visibility in local search results and Google Maps.Local Services Ads (LSA)Google’s pay-per-lead ads for local service providers, shown at the top of results.LogoThe graphic mark or wordmark that identifies a brand.Long-tail keywordA longer, more specific search phrase with lower volume and clearer intent.Lookalike audienceAn ad audience built to resemble your existing customers.Looker StudioGoogle’s free dashboard and reporting tool, formerly Data Studio.
M
Marketing automationSoftware that sends messages and updates records automatically based on rules and behavior.Marketing dashboardA one-page view of the marketing numbers that matter.Marketing funnelThe stages people move through from awareness to purchase.Marketing mixThe combination of channels and tactics a business uses.Marketing strategyThe plan for who you target, what you say and which channels you use to reach your goals.Marketing-qualified lead (MQL)A lead marketing judges ready for sales attention based on fit and engagement.Meta Conversions APIA way to send conversion events to Meta from your server or CRM.Meta descriptionA short summary of a page that search engines may show under the title.Meta PixelMeta’s browser tracking code for Facebook and Instagram ads.Mobile-firstDesigning for phones first, then larger screens.Mood boardA collection of images and references that sets a visual direction.
N
O
P
Page speedHow quickly a page loads and becomes usable.Paid mediaAdvertising you pay for.Paid socialAdvertising on social platforms such as Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok.Pay-per-click (PPC)Advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad.Performance MaxA Google Ads campaign type that runs across all Google channels using automation.Pillar pageA comprehensive page on a broad topic that links to detailed supporting articles.PipelineThe set of open sales opportunities and their stages and values.PositioningThe distinct place a brand holds in customers’ minds relative to alternatives.Positioning statementAn internal sentence defining who you serve, what you do and why you are different.Print collateralPrinted marketing materials used in sales and events.Programmatic advertisingAutomated buying of digital ad placements through software.PromptThe instructions and context you give an AI model.Prompt libraryA shared collection of tested prompts for common tasks.Public relations (PR)Managing how a business is presented in the media and public.
Q
R
ReachThe number of unique people who saw your content or ad.RebrandChanging a brand’s name, identity or positioning significantly.RetargetingShowing ads to people who already visited your site or engaged with you.RetentionKeeping customers buying over time.Return on ad spend (ROAS)Revenue generated per dollar of advertising spend.Rich resultsEnhanced search listings such as stars, FAQs, prices or images.robots.txtA file that tells crawlers which parts of a site they may access.
S
Sales cycleThe time from first contact to a closed deal.Sales-qualified lead (SQL)A lead sales has accepted as a real opportunity worth pursuing.SalesforceA widely used enterprise CRM platform.Schema markupStructured data vocabulary from Schema.org added to web pages.Search engine optimization (SEO)Improving a website so it ranks higher in search results for relevant queries.Search intentThe goal behind a search: to learn, compare, buy or find a place.Server-side trackingSending tracking data from your server instead of only the visitor’s browser.Service-level agreement (SLA)A written agreement on definitions, response times and responsibilities between teams.Share of voiceYour share of visibility, mentions or answers compared with competitors.Short-form videoVertical videos under about a minute on TikTok, Reels and Shorts.Social media managementPlanning, creating, publishing and engaging on social media for a brand.Social proofEvidence that others trust and use your business.Speed to leadThe time between a lead reaching out and your first real response.SPF, DKIM and DMARCEmail authentication records that prove mail from your domain is legitimate.Structured dataCode that describes a page’s content in a standard format search engines can read.
T
Technical SEOThe work that makes a site easy for search engines to crawl, render and index.Title tagThe HTML title of a page, shown as the clickable headline in search results.Tone of voiceHow the brand voice adjusts to context and audience.Top of funnel (TOFU)Marketing aimed at people just becoming aware of a problem or brand.Topical authorityThe trust search engines place in a site that covers a subject thoroughly.Trade show marketingPromoting your business at industry events and exhibitions.
U
V
W
No terms match. Ask us and we will add it.
Want this inyour vocabulary?
We build glossaries like this for clients. They are among the most-cited pages in AI search.