Digital Marketing & Website Glossary

Attribution

Attribution is the process of assigning credit for a conversion to marketing interactions. It gets complicated because people rarely encounter a business only once.

Conversion

A conversion is a useful action someone completes, such as submitting a form, making a purchase, calling, or booking an appointment. The right conversion depends on the goal.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of people who complete a defined action out of the people who had the opportunity to do it.

Customer Acquisition Cost

CAC

Customer acquisition cost estimates how much it costs to gain a new customer. A useful calculation should include the relevant sales and marketing costs, not just ad spend.

GA4

Google Analytics 4

GA4 is Google’s current analytics platform for measuring activity across websites and apps using events. Its reports can inform decisions, but only when tracking is configured correctly.

KPI

Key Performance Indicator

A KPI is a measurement chosen because it shows progress toward a specific goal. A number is not automatically a KPI just because it appears in a dashboard.

Lead

A lead is a person or organization that has shown potential interest and provided a way to continue the conversation. Not every lead is qualified or ready to buy.

Marketing Funnel

A marketing funnel is a simplified way to describe the stages people may move through—from first awareness to consideration and action. Real customer journeys are usually less tidy.

ROAS

Return on Ad Spend

ROAS compares revenue attributed to advertising with the amount spent on those ads. It is useful for campaign analysis, but it does not account for every business cost.

ROI

Return on Investment

ROI compares the value gained from an investment with what it cost. In marketing, it helps put the result in context—but the definition of “return” needs to be clear.

Backlink

A backlink is a link to your website from another website. Helpful, relevant links can support discovery and credibility; low-quality links are not automatically useful.

Canonical URL

A canonical URL identifies the version of a page you consider primary when similar URLs exist. It sounds dramatic; it is mostly a clear preference signal for search engines.

Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is the business listing that can appear in Google Search and Maps. Accurate categories, hours, services, and contact details matter.

Internal Link

An internal link connects one page of a website to another page on the same site. It helps visitors navigate and gives search engines context about page relationships.

Keyword

A keyword is a word or phrase associated with what people search for. It is a topic and intent clue—not an instruction to repeat the same phrase everywhere.

Local SEO

Local SEO focuses on helping a business present accurate, relevant information for searches connected to a location or service area.

Long-Tail Keyword

A long-tail keyword is a more specific search phrase, often with clearer intent and lower search volume than a broad topic.

Meta Description

A meta description is a short HTML summary of a page. Search engines may use it beneath the title in results or choose other page text that better matches a query.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a file that gives web crawlers instructions about which areas they may crawl. It is not a reliable way to hide confidential information.

Schema Markup

Structured Data

Schema markup is machine-readable information that helps search engines understand entities and page content. It must describe what is genuinely present on the page.

Search Intent

Search intent is the underlying reason for a search: learning, comparing, finding a location, or taking action. Good pages answer the need behind the words.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization

SEO is the work of improving a website so search engines can understand it and relevant searchers have a better chance of finding it.

SERP

Search Engine Results Page

A SERP is the page a search engine displays after a search. It may contain regular results, ads, maps, images, featured answers, and other result types.

Sitemap

An XML sitemap lists important URLs you want search engines to discover. It supports crawling but does not guarantee that every listed page will be indexed.

Title Tag

A title tag is the HTML title assigned to a webpage. It can appear in browser tabs and search results, although search engines may display different wording.

301 Redirect

A 301 redirect is an HTTP response indicating that a resource has moved permanently to another URL.

404

Not Found

A 404 response means the server could not find a resource at the requested URL. A useful 404 page helps people recover without pretending the page exists.

Alt Text

Alternative Text

Alt text describes useful visual information for people who cannot see an image. Decorative images often need an empty alt attribute instead.

API

Application Programming Interface

An API is a defined way for software systems to exchange requests and data. It is a contract between systems, not automatically a public chatbot.

CMS

Content Management System

A CMS is software that helps people create and manage website content without editing every page directly in code.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets

CSS controls how HTML content looks and lays out, including colors, spacing, typography, grids, and responsive behavior.

Domain

A domain is the human-readable address used to reach a website, such as lostadigitdigital.com.

H1

Heading Level 1

An H1 is the primary heading that describes the main topic of a webpage. In HTML, it is written with the <h1> element.

H2

Heading Level 2

An H2 is a second-level heading used to organize major sections beneath a page’s main H1.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language

HTML provides the structure and meaning of webpage content: headings, paragraphs, links, images, forms, and more.

HTTPS

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

HTTPS encrypts information exchanged between a visitor’s browser and a website and helps confirm the site’s identity.

JavaScript

JavaScript adds behavior and interactivity to webpages, such as menus, filters, calculators, and form feedback.

PHP

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

PHP is a server-side programming language commonly used to build webpages, process forms, and work with data before HTML reaches the browser.

Redirect

A redirect automatically sends a browser or crawler from one URL to another. Different status codes explain whether the move is temporary or permanent.

Responsive Design

Responsive design allows a website’s layout and content to adapt to different screen sizes and input methods.

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer

SSL is the older name commonly used for the certificate and encryption technology behind secure HTTPS connections. Modern systems technically use TLS.

Subdomain

A subdomain is a named section placed before a main domain, such as shop.example.com. It can point to a separate service or area of a website.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

A URL is the address of a specific resource on the web, including its protocol, domain, path, and sometimes parameters.

Viewport

The viewport is the visible area available for a webpage in a browser. Mobile viewport configuration helps pages display at the intended scale.

Conversion Tracking

Conversion tracking records defined actions after marketing interactions, such as purchases, calls, or form submissions. Accurate setup matters more than impressive-looking totals.

CPA

Cost Per Acquisition or Action

CPA measures the advertising cost associated with a defined acquisition or action. The exact action must be stated for the number to be meaningful.

CPC

Cost Per Click

CPC is the amount paid for an ad click, usually expressed as an average or an individual click cost.

CPM

Cost Per Thousand Impressions

CPM measures the cost for one thousand ad impressions. It focuses on exposure, not whether people clicked or converted.

CTR

Click-Through Rate

CTR is the percentage of impressions that produced a click. A higher CTR can indicate relevance, but it does not prove that the traffic converted.

Impression

An impression is counted when content or an ad is displayed according to a platform’s rules. It does not necessarily mean someone noticed it.

Landing Page

A landing page is the page someone reaches after clicking a campaign link or ad. It should continue the promise and make the next action clear.

Match Type

A keyword match type controls how closely a search needs to relate to a paid-search keyword before an ad may be eligible to appear.

Negative Keyword

A negative keyword tells an advertising platform not to show an ad for searches containing certain unwanted meanings or terms.

PPC

Pay-Per-Click

PPC is an advertising model where an advertiser pays when someone clicks an ad. The click is a visit, not a guaranteed lead or sale.

Quality Score

Quality Score is Google Ads’ diagnostic estimate of keyword, ad, and landing-page relevance compared with other advertisers. It is not a business outcome.

Remarketing

Remarketing uses audience signals to reach people who previously interacted with a business. It requires thoughtful consent, privacy, and frequency choices.

Search Ad

A search ad is a paid placement shown alongside search results for relevant queries, subject to targeting, bidding, policy, and auction factors.

Click Rate

Click rate measures the percentage of delivered emails that produced at least one tracked click, depending on the platform’s calculation.

Content Calendar

A content calendar organizes what will be published, where, when, and why. It should support a plan, not become an elaborate way to avoid publishing.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is the planned creation and distribution of useful material that supports an audience and business goal over time.

CTA

Call to Action

A CTA is a prompt that tells someone what useful next step they can take, such as booking, calling, downloading, or reading more.

Email Marketing

Email marketing uses permission-based messages to communicate with subscribers or customers. Relevance, consent, deliverability, and a clear purpose all matter.

Engagement

Engagement describes interactions such as replies, saves, shares, reactions, or clicks. The useful interactions depend on the goal.

Open Rate

Open rate is the percentage of delivered emails recorded as opened. Privacy protections and image loading make it an imperfect measurement.

Organic Social

Organic social is unpaid content published through social platforms. Distribution is influenced by the platform and audience response.

Reach

Reach estimates how many distinct people or accounts saw content, while impressions may count multiple displays to the same person.