Our Lingo
Digital media and marketing has its own language and terminology, some of it borrowed and some brand new. Here are some of the most common terms used to help you understand the lingo.
- A/B Testing: Comparing two versions of a webpage or ad to see which performs better.
- Ad Clicks: Number of times users click on an ad.
- Affiliate Marketing: Promoting others’ products for a commission on sales.
- Algorithm: A set of rules search engines or platforms use to deliver results or content.
- Backlink: A link from another website pointing to your site; important for SEO.
- Banner Ad: Graphic display ads placed on websites.
- Bounce Rate: Percentage of visitors who leave a site after viewing only one page.
- Brand Awareness: How familiar people are with a brand.
- Call to Action (CTA): A prompt encouraging users to take a specific action (e.g., ‘Buy Now’).
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of users who click on a link out of the total who view it.
- Content Marketing: Creating and distributing valuable content to attract and engage an audience.
- Conversion: When a user takes a desired action, like signing up or making a purchase.
- Cost per Click (CPC): Amount paid for each click in a paid advertising campaign.
- Customer Journey: The complete path a customer takes from awareness to purchase.
- Display Advertising: Visual-based ads shown on websites, apps, or social media.
- Domain Authority (DA): A metric that predicts how well a website will rank in search engines.
- Email Marketing: Sending targeted messages to users via email to promote products or content.
- Engagement Rate: Measurement of interaction (likes, shares, comments) with content.
- Funnel: A model illustrating the steps customers take from discovery to conversion (e.g., Awareness > Interest > Decision > Action).
- Google Ads: Google’s paid advertising platform for search, display, and video ads.
- Growth Hacking: Creative, low-cost strategies to help businesses acquire and retain customers.
- Hashtag: A keyword or phrase preceded by a ‘#’ used to index and track topics on social platforms.
- Heatmap: A visual representation showing where users click or hover on a webpage.
- Impression: Number of times an ad or content is displayed.
- Inbound Marketing: Attracting customers through content and interactions that are helpful and relevant.
- Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with individuals who have influence over potential buyers.
- Keyword: A word or phrase used in SEO or PPC campaigns to target content to users searching online.
- KPI (Key Performance Indicator): Metrics that measure the success of marketing activities.
- Landing Page: A standalone page created for a specific marketing campaign.
- Lead: A potential customer who has expressed interest in a company’s product or service.
- Lifetime Value (LTV): Total worth of a customer over the entire period of their relationship with a business.
- Marketing Automation: Software platforms that automate repetitive marketing tasks.
- Meta Description: A short description in HTML that summarizes a page’s content (important for SEO).
- Mobile Optimization: Designing content to look and function well on mobile devices.
- MQL: An MQL is a lead who has engaged with your marketing efforts (like downloading a whitepaper or signing up for a webinar) and is more likely to become a customer than a regular lead — but is not yet ready for direct sales contact.
- Native Advertising: Ads that match the look and feel of the platform they appear on.
- Organic Traffic: Visitors who come to a site through unpaid search results.
- Outbound Marketing: Marketing that reaches out to potential customers (e.g., cold emails, TV ads).
- Persona: A fictional profile representing a target customer.
- PPC (Pay-Per-Click): A model of internet marketing where advertisers pay each time a user clicks their ad.
- Programmatic Advertising: Automated buying and selling of online ads.
- Remarketing: Targeting ads to people who previously interacted with your site or content.
- ROAS: Is Return on Ad Spend. It’s a key metric in digital marketing that measures the revenue earned for every Rand spent on advertising.
- ROI (Return on Investment): Measures profitability of marketing efforts.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimizing content to rank higher in search engine results.
- SEM (Search Engine Marketing): Paid marketing on search engines.
- Social Media Marketing: Promoting content or products on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
- SQL: A Sales Qualified Lead is a potential customer who has been vetted by the marketing team and meets the criteria to be passed on to the sales team. These leads have shown clear intent or readiness to make a purchase.
- Target Audience: A specific group of people a campaign is aimed at.
- Traffic: The number of visitors to a website.
- UI (User Interface): The layout and design elements a user interacts with.
- UX (User Experience): The overall experience a user has while interacting with a website or product.
- Viral Marketing: Marketing strategies that encourage users to share content rapidly.
- Webinar: Online seminar used for presentations, training, or marketing.
- White Hat SEO: Ethical SEO practices aimed at improving user experience and complying with search engine rules.