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Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Glossary
Our glossary is a compilation of search engine marketing (SEM)
and search engine optimization (SEO) related terms and definitions.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X |
Y | Z
-A-
above-the-line cost
Any cost involved in the advertising production process that is specifically
listed in the budget.
abandonment
Term used to describe when customers visit a website,
but fail to complete a purchase or otherwise intended action.
abandonment rate
The number of abandoned sites or shopping carts vs. the number
of completed intended actions or transactions.
above-the-fold
A term borrowed from print newspapers that references the top portion
of an email or web page that is visible without scrolling.
activity-based-costing
A cost accounting system that ties actual costs to the direct
performance and value of activities. Costs are not allocated based on a
formula, but are traced and charged to specific activities.
active voice
In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action
expressed in the verb; the subject acts. Active voice is considered
to be more persuasive in driving action. For example, the sentence “I
will always remember my trip to Richmond” is written in the active
voice, whereas the sentence “My first trip to Richmond will always
be remembered by me” is written in the passive voice.
ad copy
Words used in an advertising listing.
ad listing
The title and description displayed in a keyword search ad.
affiliate marketing
An online marketing strategy that involves revenue sharing between
online advertisers and merchants or online publishers and salespeople.
Compensation is typically awarded based on performance measures such
as sales, clicks, registrations or a combination of factors.
agent
A piece of software, such as a browser or spider, that interprets the
content on a webserver and presents it to the user as a web page. Examples
include MS Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape and various search engine
spiders (i.e., Googlebot, Slurp, T-Rex).
algorithm
A set of rules that a search engine uses to rank the listings contained within
its index, in response to a particular query. In order to protect themselves
from competitors and those who wish to spam the search engines, search engines
do not reveal exactly how their algorithms work.
alternative text
Also know as alt tag. Text placed inside HTML image source tag. This text is displayed when the image can not be displayed or seen.
AIDA
Abbreviation for “Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.” AIDA
refers to an approach to understanding how advertising and selling supposedly
work. The assumption is that the consumer passes through several steps
in the influence process. First, Attention must be developed, to be
followed by Interest, Desire, and finally Action as called for in the
message.
AIO
Abbreviation for “Activities, Interests, Opinions.” AIO
refers to a measurable series of variables involving the interests and
beliefs of consumers.
actual value
The customer's current and future value if the current level of business
is maintained over time. This dimension of value includes revenue, and
how engaged the customer is in the business, communications and referrals.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-B-
B2B
An acronym for business-to-business, B2B refers to the exchange of services,
information and / or products from one business to another, as opposed to between
a business and a consumer.
B2C
An acronym for business-to-consumer, B2C refers to the exchange of services,
information and/or products from a business to a consumer, as opposed to between
one business to another.
backlinks
All links pointing to a particular web page (from other / external web pages).
Also called inbound links.
banned
When search engines eradicate certain web pages from their index specifically
because they have determined those pages to be spamming or otherwise violating
the search engine’s guidelines.
banner ad
A graphical online advertising tool. Users click on the graphic to be taken to
another website. The term “banner ad” refers to a specific size image
(468x60 pixels); however, it is commonly used as a generic description of all
graphical ad formats on the Web.
below-the-line cost
Any cost in the advertising production process that is not specifically itemized
in the production budget. See above-the-line cost.
bid jamming
The act of raising your max bid on a PPC search engine for the sole purpose of
forcing your competitor to pay their max bid per click. For instance, if the
ad listed above your ad has a max bid of $5, you could raise your max bid to
$4.99 to force that person to pay their max bid for each click they receive.
Since the ad below you still has a max bid of $0.24, you're still paying just
1 cent more ($0.25) per click. This only works on search engines like Yahoo,
that publish max bid prices. Remember, the person below you, can play this game
as well. So, the only one who really benefits from this practice in the long
run is the search engine.
bid management tool
Third-party software that manages advertisers' ad listing on pay-per-click (PPC) search engines.
brand
The collective consumer concept of a company, product or service. A brand typically
includes a name, logo, slogan, URL, and other visual elements. The "brand"
itself, is the overall "concept".
branded keyword
Names, trademarks, slogans, and URLs that as associated with a particular company.
blog
A blog is a web page that serves as a frequent, chronological record or publication
of personal thoughts, news and web links. A blog is typically a mixture of what
is happening in a person’s life, on the Web, in the news—a kind of
hybrid diary site. There are as many unique types of blogs as there are people.
boolean search
Named after the nineteenth-century mathematician George Boole, Boolean logic is
a form of algebra in which all values are reduced to either TRUE or FALSE. The
term boolean search refers to the logical relationship among search
terms. Boolean searching on the Web consists of three logical operators: OR,
AND and NOT. For example, to search for a new DVD player made by
SONY or RCA you would type dvd player sony OR rca in the search query box.
buyer
A lead currently in negotiation who has made a commitment to buy, but has not
yet purchased the product or service.
<back to beginning of Glossary
-C-
call-to-action
Words that encourage and offer the prospect the opportunity to take
action. For example, “Subscribe to our free ezine” or “Click
here to add this product to your shopping cart”. See also point-of-action.
CGI
Also know as Common Gateway Interface. The standard interface between
software on a webserver and any other programs running on the same
machine.
CGI program
A program that handles data input or output according to Common Gateway Interface
(CGI) standards. These types of programs are used to handle database queries,
forms and dynamic web content.
click fraud
The act of purposely clicking on ad listings with the sole intent of increasing the advertiser's pay-per-click fees.
click-through
Term used when a prospect takes an action and clicks on a Web link or online
advertisement.
click-through rate (CTR)
Also referred to as CTR. CTR
is the percentage of those who actually click on an online
ad or link in relation to the total number who actually see the link.
For example, imagine 100 people do a web search. In response, they see
links to several web pages. 10 of the 100 people all choose a particular
link. The CTR of that ad or link is 10/100, or 10%.
cloaking
The term cloaking, considered a form of spam by search engines, is the technique
of hiding true page content from either a human or robot visitor. This technique
is used both to camouflage actual page content from page thieves and to artificially
present a more “search engine friendly” website to visiting spiders.
Cloaking is considered an unacceptable practice by all of the major search
engines and can be cause for banning.
clustering
The process of listing a single page from a website within a search engine
or directory's search results. This is a common practice in order to provide
a wider variety of relevant results and is aimed to keep one company from
occupying all of the top positions.
cost-per-click (CPC)
Also referred to as CPC, cost-per-click is an advertising payment
model in which the purchaser agrees to pay a set price for each click-thru
resulting from the advertisement or link.
CPM
Acronym for cost-per-thousand. The CPM model refers to advertising
bought on the basis of impression. This is in contrast to the various
types of pay-for-performance advertising, whereby payment is only
triggered by a mutually agreed upon activity (i.e. click-thru, registration,
sale). The amount paid per impression is calculated by dividing the
CPM by 1000. For example, a $10 CPM equals $.01 per impression. $10
CPM / 1000 impressions = $.01 per impression
cost-per-acquisition
The calculation of the advertising
cost to acquire a new customer. When you receive the desired information from
a potential customer in direct response advertising, this is the lead you pay
for in per inquiry programs. With lead generation systems, you pay only for
the number of inquiries, or leads, that result from your ad campaign, regardless
of the type of media.
cost-per-action (CPA)
Also referred to as CPA, cost-per-action is an online advertising payment model
where payment is based solely on qualifying calls-to-action such as subscriptions,
registrations, or sales. For example, an advertising deal that has a newsletter
signup of $0.25 CPA would cost the site owner $0.25 for every user that signed
up for the newsletter though that program.
cost-per-click (CPC)
Also referred to as CPC, cost-per-click is the fee paid to an online advertising vendor for each click on a link that sends consumers to an advertiser's web page.
cost-per-order (CPO)
Also referred to as CPO, cost-per-order is the calculation of the
total cost of taking and fulfilling a customer order. Roughly speaking,
the total costs per order are split equally between the front-end
and back-end processes.
CPM
Abbreviation for cost-per-thousand; the fee paid for every 1,000 impressions (or every 1,000 times an ad is displayed.)
comment tag
An HTML tag that is used to hide text from browsers. Although some search engines
will read and index the content contained within these tags, most engines ignore
it and some may penalize those who attempt to use it to artificially increase
keyword density.
content-rich
Refers to a web page that contains relevant content to the topic at hand. Search
engine algorithms give higher ranking to a site that contains the keyword phrases
that a user is searching for.
contextual advertising
A program in which advertisers' paid listings appear on websites containing relevant
content to the actual listings. For example, if the user is viewing
a site about sports, and the site uses contextual advertising, the user might
see ads for sports-related products or services.
conversion
A process whereby a visitor is converted into a 'lead' or a 'sale'.
When used in the most general sense, conversion is the process
where a visitor completes the desired call-to-action.
conversion rate
The key metric to evaluate the effectiveness of a conversion effort (a mathematical
equation that determines what percentage of site visitors actually complete
a desired action). For example, if 4 out of 100 individuals sign up for an
online newsletter, the conversion rate for that web page would be 4%.
CRM
An acronym for customer relationship management. A discipline in marketing combining database and computer technology with customer
service and marketing communications. CRM seeks to create more meaningful
one-on-one communications with the customer by applying customer data
(demographic, industry, buying history, etc.) to every communications
vehicle. CRM enables a company to produce a consistent, personalized
marketing communication whether the customer sees an ad, visits a
website, or calls customer service.
crawler or web crawler
Also known as a spider, robot or bot, a web crawler is an automated program
that crawls the Web in search of links to websites on behalf of search engines
or directories. Crawlers then scan, process and index the code and content
of a web page to be stored in the search engine's database.
cross linking
The act of linking to content contained on a website from elsewhere in that
web site. For example, linking each page of your website back to the home page is an example
of cross linking.
CSS
An acronym for cascading style sheets. A coding option, developed
by W3C, that gives webmasters more control over how pages are displayed. With
CSS, designers can create style sheets that define how different elements,
such as headers and links, appear. These style sheets can them be applied to
any web page. The term cascading derives from the tact that multiple style
sheets can be applied to the same web page.
customer
In a broad sense, a customer is a person or organization who has
indicated an interest in what you offer, by taking an action you have
motivated either on your website or via email (opting-in, registering,
subscribing, establishing an account, purchasing a product, etc.)
<back to beginning of Glossary
-D-
day parting
The ability to run ads during specific parts of the day or to bid different amounts depending on the time of day.
dead link
A link that leads to a website or page that has either moved or no longer exists.
deep link
The act of linking to a page (deep) within a website rather than linking to
the home page of a site.
de-listing
The removal of a web page from a search engine or directory's index.
deferred conversion
Occurs when a customer visits, browses and leaves a website and then returns
at a later time to make a purchase.
description
The descriptive text associated with a web page listing on a search engine
results page. These typically consist of the text included in a web page’s
meta description tag, or a fragment of relevant text taken from the web page.
destination page
Also referred to as a landing page, a destination page is a web page a consumer
arrives at when clicking on a link.
directory
A searchable guide organized by topics or geographical region consisting of
websites that have been reviewed and compiled by human editors. Directories
are often used as an alternative to search engines. Yahoo!, The Open Directory
Project and Looksmart are some of the most popular directories on the Web.
domain
The address of a website. Domains are unique and must be registered and assigned
to a web host to become active. Domains are available with a variety of extensions,
the most popular of which are .com, .edu, .gov, and .org. For example, www.strategic-ranking.com is
the domain of this website.
doorway domain
A domain used specifically to rank well in search engines for particular keywords,
serving as an entry point through which visitors pass through to arrive at
the main domain. Doorway domains are currently considered spam and are banned
by most of the major engines and directories.
doorway page
A page made specifically to rank well in search engines for particular
keywords, serving as an entry point through which visitors pass
through to arrive at the main content page. Doorway pages are currently
considered spam and are banned by most of the major engines and
directories.
dynamic content
Web content that is dynamically generated from a database.
dynamic IP address
An IP address that is dynamically created “on-the-fly” based on
a specific query to the website’s database. The actual web page is a
template used to display the results of the query. Dynamically created URLs
often contain the following characters: ?, &, %, +, =, $, cgi-bin,
.cgi. These IP addresses are not currently recognized by search engines.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-E-
e-business
Also referred to as e-commerce. A term referring to a wide variety of Internet-based business models. Typically, an e-business or e-commerce
strategy incorporates various marketing elements to drive users to a web site for the purpose of purchasing a product or service.
e-commerce
See e-business
email marketing
Direct marketing via email.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-F-
filter words
Commonly used words that search engines remove from web pages before they add
them to their index in order to save space. These words have very little impact
on search engine ranking and are typically disregarded in search phrases as
well. For example, of, is, the,and, for, it. Also
referred to as stop words.
fixed placement
A paid placement program whereby a specific ad listing position can be purchased
for a particular keyword. Fees are based on a negotiated CPM, CPC, or CPA rates.
frames
A coding technique used to combine multiple HTML documents into a single web
page. Frames are often used to allow certain areas of a web site to remain
in place (i.e. navigation, header, footer) while other areas of the site are
scrollable. Most web crawlers are unable to read and index the content within
a frameset.
FTP
Acronym for file transfer protocol, FTP is the protocol used to upload and
download content from web servers.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-G-
gap surfing
The act of searching for big gaps in your competition's PPC bid prices and placing
your ad near the bottom of one of those gaps. This is only possible if the search
engine publishes max bid prices.
gateway domain
A domain created for the specific purpose of ranking well in search engines
for particular keywords, but directs visitors toward the actual website domain.
gateway page
A web page created for the specific purpose of ranking well in a particular
search engine using methods known to produce the best results for that search
engine. These pages are typically designed to be visible to a search engine
spider, but hidden from a human visitor. Gateway pages are currently considered
spam and are banned by most of the major engines and directories.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-H-
heading tag
An HTML tag that designates headlines in the body of a website. These tags
are designated in importance by the numbers 1 through 6. For example H1, H2,
H3, etc.
hidden text
Also referred to as invisible text. Content on a website that can be read by
search engine spiders, but is invisible to human visitors. This tactic is used
to artificially boost a website’s keyword density without affecting its
visual appearance. Hidden text is considered spam and most of the major search
engines recognize and penalize sites that use this tactic.
HTML
An acronym for hypertext markup language. HTML is the authoring language used
to define the structure and layout of a web document.
HTTP
An acronym for hypertext transfer protocol. HTTP is the underlying protocol
used to communicate between web servers and browsers.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-I-
inbound link
A hypertext link (other than your own) that points to your website. Inbound
links can help to improve your site’s ranking position on search engines
that use link popularity as a part of their algorithm.
incentive
A reason or extra motive to take action. For example, specials, discounts, bonuses, free shipping, bundle pricing, etc.
index
The database of web pages that is maintained by a search engine or directory.
indexed
The act of being reviewed, categorized and stored in a database by a visiting web crawler.
information architecture
The layout, organization, classification, navigation, and searching systems that enable users to find and manage online information.
invisible text
Also referred to as hidden text. Content on a website that can be read by search
engine spiders, but is invisible to human visitors. This tactic is used to
artificially boost a website’s keyword density without affecting its
visual appearance. Invisible text is considered spam and most of the major
search engines recognize and penalize sites that use this tactic.
invisible web
The name given to the portion of the Web not accessible through web crawlers.
This refers to those websites that are unable to be indexed by the search engine
spiders; such as some dynamic or database driven sites, Flash or frame intensive
sites or sites with no external links leading to them. Websites that can not
be indexed by crawlers are still accessible to visitors—they can be accessed
using a browser and may even be listed in some search engines if manually submitted.
IP address
Unique numerical identifier given to each Internet connection. The IP address
is how data finds its way from a website back to your computer. IP addresses
that are attached to dial up ISP accounts are typically dynamic and change
with each Internet connection. IP addresses that are attached to a permanent
Internet connection like a T1 line are static and stay the same all the time.
The format of an IP address consists of four numbers (any number between 0 – 255)
separated by periods. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.
IP delivery
A tactic of presenting different sets of content based on a visitor’s
IP address. IP Delivery is a form of cloaking that is used to present one set
of content optimized to rank well on each search engines, and another set of
content to each human visitor to the web site. IP delivery is considered spam
and is banned by most of the major engines and directories. See also agent
name delivery and cloaking.
IP spoofing
A method of connecting to the Internet or a particular website and reporting
an IP address other than the one assigned to you. IP Spoofing is used to trick
a spider into indexing one site, while actually presenting another site to
a human visitor. This tactic can also be used to redirect a user to a site
different from the one they intended to visit. This tactic is considered extremely
unethical and is illegal in some areas.
ISP
An acronym for internet service provider. ISP is the name given to companies
that provide access to the Internet. For example, AOL, NetZero and Earthlink
are considered ISPs.<back to
beginning of Glossary
-J-
-K-
keyword
A word used in performing a search. Search engine optimization involves researching
the keyword or keyword phrases that users enter in order to find websites,
and then optimizing a website around those words or phrases.
keyword advertising
A type of online advertising that involves paying for high positioning
in search engine results for pre-selected keywords and phrases.
These could be banner ads or text ads displayed in the sponsored
area of the search engine results page. Keyword advertising is also
referred to as key buys and / or meta ads.
keyword density
Refers to how many times a keyword is repeated within the text of a web page.
For example, if a page contains 10 words and 10 of those words are “iPod”,
then the keyword “iPod” is said to have a 10% keyword density.
This also applies to keyword phrases. Search engine algorithms give higher
ranking to a site that contains the keyword phrases that a user is searching
for. Also known as keyword rich.
keyword phrase
Refers to a string of words (two or more) used to define a specific phrase that
best describes the main topic of a web page. Synonymous with a search phrase
that a visitor enters into a search engine to find specific information. For
example, “antique music
boxes”, “sony DVD players”, or “blackjack
tips” might be keyword phrases for relevant web pages. By
searching for a key phrase, a person has a higher likelihood of
finding their desired results.
keyword research
The search for keywords related to your Web site, and the analysis of which ones yield the highest return on investment (ROI).
keywords tag
A meta tag used to help define the primary keywords of a web page.
keyword domain name
A domain name that contains the main keyword or keyword phrase that a site
is optimized for. For example, if the main keyword phrase for your web site
was "blackjack tips," then the keyword domain name might be www.blackjack-tips.com.
keyword stuffing
The act of repeating keywords or keyword phrases excessively in body
copy, hidden text, meta tags, or any other code on a web site. Originally done
in order to increase rankings in search engines, this tactic is currently recognized
and penalized by most of the major search engines. Keyword stuffing is also
referred to as keyword loading and spamdexing.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-L-
landing page
The page on a website where the visitor arrives or “lands” (which may or may not be the home page).
latent semantic indexing (LSI)
When a user conducts a Web search, LSI not only analyzes the keyword phrases that appear on each page of your site but also attempts to connect these words with the theme of the surrounding body copy.
Search engines such as AltaVista and Google use the artificial intelligence built into LSI to analyze the links and the words on a page to determine a page’s theme.
layout
The arrangement of elements designed to optimize use of screen real estate. Layout may need to take into account the fact that
only a small portion of the content will appear in the visible window
(“above- the-fold”).
lead
A prospect who is engaged actively in the buying decision for a product or service and has identified him or herself.
link farm
A web page that is nothing more than a page of links to other sites. There are many service providers who promise to help you boost your link popularity
by automatically entering you into link exchange programs they operate, often linking your page with websites that have nothing to do with your content.
The idea behind “link farming” is to increase the number of sites that link to yours because search engines such as Google rank sites according
to, among other things, the quality and quantity of sites that link to yours. Link farms are a known spam tactic and sites that participate in them are likely
to be penalized or banned from the major search engines.
link popularity
One of several criteria used by search engines to determine ranking in search results. Popularity refers to the number of other websites on the Internet
that link to a particular site.
link reputation
Link reputation is the relationship links have to your website and, specifically, the context of these links. What another link says about your site can increase or decrease the chances of your
online success, especially if you’re focusing on highly competitive keywords. Consequently, the best link reputation receives the highest
rankings resulting in more traffic to your website.
link rot
The name given to a link that leads to a web page or site that has either moved or no longer exists. Search engines are directories continually work to remove
dead links from their indexes in order to improve the overall quality of search results.
link text
The text contained in (and sometimes near) a hyperlink.
load time
The length of time it takes for a web page to open completely in the browser window.
log file
A file that records the activity on a webserver.<back
to beginning of Glossary
-M-
manual submission
Adding a URL to the search engines individually by hand as opposed to using
automated submission software or allowing the search engines web crawlers
to find your website on its own.
meta description tag
An HTML tag used by webmasters to provide a web page description for search
engine listings.
meta tags
HTML tags placed within the header area of website source code used to describe various aspects about the page (i.e., page description, keywords, etc.). This information is invisible to human visitors,
but readable by search engine spiders.
meta data
The information that is contained within a website’s meta tags.
meta search engine
A search engine that collects results from other search engines and directories and then presents a summary of that information as the results of a search.
For example, Dogpile and Metacrawler are meta search engines.
mirror sites
Sites that are designed to be duplicates of an original site, but are hosted at a separate domain. Mirror sites are often used to allow for the use of keyword
rich domain names. This is a recognized spam tactic and is penalized by many of the major search engines.
mousetrapping
A technique that forces a user to remain on a specific website by not allowing the user to leave the site. Whenever the user tries to leave the site by closing the browser window or going to a new
URL, the site that is mousetrapping will automatically open a new browser window with its URL or not allow the browser to go to the
new URL.
<back
to beginning of Glossary
-N-
navigation
The tabs, text and graphic hyperlinks that always let visitors know where they are and where they can go on a website. Navigation elements must always be available and obvious. Well-designed navigation
will lead the prospect in the intended direction.
-O-
optimization
The changes that are made to the content and code of a web site in order to increase it's rankings in the results pages of search engines and directories.
outbound links
The opposite of inbound or incoming links, outbound links are links on a particular web page leading to other web pages.
organic listings
Also referred to as natural listings, organic listings are search engine result listings that have been positioned based solely on
the fact that the search engine has deemed the website relevant or important enough to be included. These listings are displayed
outside of the sponsored listings (paid ads).
online marketing
Term referring to the Internet and email-based aspects of a marketing campaign. Online marketing can be inclusive of banner ads, email marketing, search engine marketing, e-commerce and other Internet-based
marketing tools.
<back
to beginning of Glossary
-P-
page copy
The content (visible text) on a web page.
pagejacking
The act of stealing content, code or images from a website to place on your own site for the purpose of tapping into some of the original site’s
traffic. Pagejackers rely on search engines to spider the contents of the illegitimate site and index the results so that the copied site appears in the search results
along with the original site. Users are scammed into thinking the illegitimate site is the one they are searching for.
page popularity
Determined by measuring the quality and amount of incoming links to a specific website or web page. This information is often used by search engines to help
determine the proper placement for a website in its search engine results.
page rank (PR)
Also referred to as PR, page rank is the name given to Google's link popularity calculation or score. PR is determined by measuring both the quantity and quality of incoming links to a website and
is a major factor in Google’s ranking algorithm.
paid inclusion
Also called pay for inclusion, PFI is the name given to the act of paying a search engine or directory to include your website in their index. Paying this fee does not affect the placement of a
web site in search results, it only assures that the website will be listed in the search engine or directory.
paid listings
A program where marketers pay a fee to submit a web page to a search engine or directory's database. Rankings are not guaranteed.
paid placement
A program where marketers pay a fee for a specified position (or ranking) for a particular keyword.
PFP
Acronym for pay-for-placement, PFP is is a program whereby advertisers
determine their own per-click fees based on what they are willing to pay
for each keyword.
PFI
Acronym for pay-for-inclusion, PFI is the act of paying a search engine
or directory to include your website in their index. Paying this fee does not
affect the placement of a web site in search results, it only assures that
the website will be listed in the search engine or directory.
pay-per-click (PPC)
Also referred to as PPC, pay-per-click is an online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying click-throughs.
PPC programs (i.e., Overture, Google AdWords, FindWhat.com, Kanoodle.com, GoClick.com, etc.) allow advertisers to open an account and then
bid on keywords for pennies per click.
pay-per-click engine (PPC engine)
Also referred to as PPC engine, pay-per-click engine is the term given to a search
engine where results are ranked according to the bid amount that advertisers
are charged only when a searcher clicks on the search listing. For example, Overture,
Google Adwords, Looksmart and Go Click are considered PPC engines.
PPCSE
Acronym for pay-per-click search engine. See pay-per-click.
pay-per-lead (PPL)
Also referred to as PPL, pay-per-lead is an online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying leads.
pay-per-sale (PPS)
Also referred to as PPS, pay-per-sale is an online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying sales.
precision
When used in reference to search engines, precision is the ability of the search engine to return only relevant documents in the search
results instead of documents that may not have relevance. Precision is often expressed as a percentage and is measured by dividing the
number of relevant documents produced in a search by the total number of documents presented in the search results. For example, if 100
pages are found in a search and 85 of those pages are relevant then the search had 85% precision.
proximity search
A type of search in which the user specifies which words should be near each other on the pages returned in the search results. On search engines that support
proximity operators, you can perform a proximity search by including the proximity operator “NEAR” in your search phrase query. For example, searching
for “cable NEAR printer” will instruct the search engine to look for web pages where the words “cable” and “printer” are
near each other.
proximity operator
A type of operator used by some search engines to improve search constraints by instructing the search to look for words that are
within a short distance of each other in a document. Different search engines will specify different distances that the words must be
within.
pop-up ad
An ad that displays in a new browser window. Pop-up ad windows are typically smaller and do not offer the standard navigation tools of a standard browser window.
pop-under ad
An ad that displays in a new browser window behind the current browser window. Pop-under ad windows typically are smaller and do
not offer the standard navigation tools of a standard browser window.
point-of-action (POA)
Also referred to as POA, point-of-action is a term given to words in a presentation that offer the opportunity and encourage the prospect
to take action. See also call-to-action.
prospect
A suspect who actively expresses interest in the product or service.
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qualified traffic
Traffic that is produced by users that find a website by searching for a topic, product or service that is offered on that website. These visitors are thought
to be more likely to interact with or purchase from your website and are therefore of higher quality than other visitors.
query
A request for specific information from a database.
query string
Query strings are created automatically when a user of a dynamic website plugs the variables into a database search, at which point
the search engine will create the dynamic URL with the query string based on the results. Query strings typically contain ? and % characters.
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ranking
The placement of a website within a particular search engines results pages.
A ranking within the top 20 listings is generally considered to be a strong ranking.
readability
The degree to which the copy is well-written and optimized for reading on the web. The readability of text is affected by many factors including, but not limited to: text color, font, spacing,
alignment, density, the complexity of the grammar and the education
level of your audience.
recall
The degree to which a search engine is able to return all possible matching documents in their index.
For example, if a search engine has 1000 pages indexed that contain the phrase "car sales" and it produces 8500 of them in
response to a search for that phrase, it is said to have 85% recall.
reciprocal-link
An exchange where two sites agree to link to each other.
referrer
The URL of the website that a visitor has come from. This information is stored
in the server's referrer log file and can be used to discover which search
engines or websites are delivering traffic to your web site.
regional targeting
The ability of a marketer to target a specific geographic region by country, state, city, or Zip Code.
registration
The process of selecting and reserving a domain name. Registration is also referred to as the process of submitting your web site to a search engine or
directory in order for it to be indexed.
resubmission
The repeated submission of a website to search engines or directories.
return
The act of displaying the results of a search query.
robot
An automated program that follows links to visit web sites on behalf of search
engines or directories. Robots then process and index the code and content
of a web page to be stored in the search engine's database. For example, Googlebot,
Slurp, and T-Rex are search engine robots. See also spider or web crawler.
robots.txt
A text file that is stored in the top-level directory of a website to be accessed
by robots or spiders that might visit the site. Robots that comply with the "Robots
Exclusion Standard" will read the commands in this file and will obey
them. The primary purpose of the robots.txt file is to direct spiders to ignore
directories that may contain private or unnecessary information.
ROI
Abbreviation for return on investment. Advertising campaign ROI percentage formula: (ad profit divided by ad cost multiplied by 100).
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sales metrics
Parameters that help you evaluate and track the success of your business. While it is the most powerful, conversion rate is but
one of many sales metrics a business can employ to track the efficiency of the conversion system.
sales process
A multi-step persuasion process that begins with prospecting, continues through establishing rapport, resumes qualifying and culminates
in the close. While it is linear to the extent that the close is the goal, the process itself typically operates in an iterative
fashion.
search engine advertising
The process of paying to advertise on search engines.
search
The act of using an online database of websites to locate a web page on a
specific topic.
search distribution partners
Search engines, directories and content sites that display natural and/or sponsored search results of a particular search engine. For example,
Google has partnerships with several other search engines, directories, and content sites whereby they display Google's search results on their sites.
search engine optimization (SEO)
Also referred to SEO, search engine optimization, search engine optimization (a component of search engine marketing) is the act
of optimizing a website for organic or natural listings for crawler-based search engines. SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to
a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine.
search engine submission
The process of submitting your website to a search engine or directory in order for it to be indexed.
search spy
A perpetually refreshing page that provides a real-time view of actual web searches.
search engine (SE)
Also referred to as SE, a search engine is a program that searches web pages
and documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the pages and documents
where the keywords were found. For example, Google, Alta Vista and Excite as
search engines.
SERP
Acronym for search engine results page, SERP is a web page that a
search engine returns with the results of a particular search query.
search engine marketing (SEM)
Also referred to as SEM, search engine marketing is the process of marketing a website via Web search engines; whether by improving
rank in organic or natural listings, paid or sponsored listings or a combination thereof. See SEM vs. SEO
SEP
An acronym for search engine placement, SEP is the term given to the assignment or position of web pages on the search engine results pages. The placement
of the web pages is dependent on the particular search engine’s algorithm.
scanable text
Highlighted, bolded, bulleted or otherwise visually-distinguished content that allows the reader to quickly scan a web page, orient themselves, and determine if the page contains information of interest.
skimable text
Text written is such a way, and perhaps enhanced with bolding or other visible features, that enables the reader to distill the main points and essential features of the communication quickly, allowing
them to decide if they want to read the entire thing.
site map
A hierarchical visual representation of the pages of a website. Site maps help users navigate through a website by presenting them with a diagram of the entire site's contents. Similar to a book's
table of contents, the site map makes it easier for a user to find information on a site without having to navigate through the site's
many pages. Also, a site map can make it easier for a search engine spider to find all a site's pages.
site search
A program providing search functionality specific to one site.
search engine spam
Any activity designed to trick search engines into giving a site a higher ranking
position then they truly deserve.
spamdexing
See keyword stuffing.
spider
An automated program that follows links to visit web sites on behalf of search engines or directories. Robots then process and index the code and content
of a web page to be stored in the search engine's database. For example, Googlebot, Slurp and T-Rex are search engine spiders. See also robot and web crawler.
spider trap
A condition of dynamic websites in which a search engine’s spider becomes trapped in an endless loop of code. Spider traps can prevent the spider from returning to a site and can potentially crash a server.
static web page
Also referred to as a flat page, a static web page is one that is created in HTML as opposed to one that is dynamically generated by a database.
stop words
Words that are so commonly used that they have no impact on the relevancy of
a search query. These words are rarely indexed by search engines and are often
ignored in query strings. For example,the, of, is, an, a, and, if are
stop words. Also know as filter words.
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target market
The intended audience (demographic and psychographic traits) of a marketer's efforts.
tracking URL
A specific URL with code that identifies information about the resulting
clicks which can be used to track website usage and conversion results.
trademark
A word, phrase, symbol, mark, or design that distinctly indicates the ownership of a product or service, and that is legally reserved for the exclusive use of that owner.
trademark infringement
Occurs when a company or person uses the trademark owned by another company, which may result in confusion or deception of consumers.
trusted feed
Also referred to as Direct, Data, or XML feed, a trusted feed is a paid inclusion
program in which web pages are directly feed into a search engine's database.
These feeds are commonly used for database driven sites that might otherwise
be difficult for the search engines to index.
title tag
An HTML tag used to define the text in the top line of a web browser. Also used by many search engines as the title of search listings.
target market
A particular segment of population in which a retailer focuses its merchandising expertise to satisfy that submarket in order to accomplish its profit objectives.
traffic
People directed to your site through the various marketing and advertising programs a business employs to “drive traffic.”
trick banner
A banner ad that attempts to trick people into clicking, often by imitating an operating system message.
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unique selling point (USP)
Abbreviation for unique selling point. A differentiating factor that makes one company's product or service better than a competitors.
unique value proposition (UVP)
Also referred to as UVP, the unique value proposition is a phrase that concisely and powerfully describes the unique value of your business and creates excitement in the prospect. The UVP is not
a slogan or a phrase designed for advertising, although that is one potential use for it. Instead, its purpose is to answer the
prospect’s implicit question, “What’s in it for me?” or “Why should I do business with you and not somebody
else?”
URL
Acronym for Uniform Resource Locator, a URL is the global address of documents and other resources on the Web. URL is often used interchangeably
with domain and Web address.
user session
The session of activity that a user (defined by a unique IP address) spends on a website during a specified period of time. The number
of user sessions on a site is used in measuring the amount of traffic a website gets. The site administrator determines what the time
frame of a user session will be (i.e., 30 minutes).
usability
The ease and speed with which people can find, interpret and apply accurate information.
usability testing
A research step in the design and launch of a website where users evaluate the ease of use of a website's navigation, layout and other attributes.
unique visitors
Individuals who visited your website during a designated time period. If someone visits more than once during that time period, they are
counted only the first time they visit.
up-selling
Presenting customers with an opportunity to purchase related products, services or accessories to products they have shown interest in or previously purchased. Also called cross-selling.
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value
The overall appeal and usefulness of the product or service to the prospect. Rarely is a value simply a function of price (which typically ranks fourth among purchase considerations).
viral design
Elements and functions included in a communication that encourage and allow recipients to pass the offer along to others, thereby leveraging the marketing effort. For example, “tell a friend” or “please
forward”.
visual clarity
A function, in large part, of layout and design; web pages are easy to scan; text and graphics are clear; prospects can find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
volunteer directory
A web directory staffed primarily by unpaid volunteer editors. For example, DMOZ is a volunteer directory.
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W3C
An acronym for World Wide Web Consortium, W3C is an international consortium of companies involved with the Internet and the Web.
The W3C was founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the original architect of the World Wide Web. The organization's purpose is to develop open standards so that the Web evolves in a single direction rather
than being splintered among competing factions.
web metrics
Any of a number of measurement criteria used to evaluate the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns. Common measurements include unique visitors,
page views, return visits, visit duration, conversion rate, conversion by campaign, etc.
web analytics
The process of using web metrics to extract useful business information.
website usability
The ease with which visitors are able to use a website.
Web
Short for the World Wide Web. A portion of the Internet that consists of a network of interlinked web pages. This is the aspect of the Internet most
familiar to users.
word stemming
A practice used by some search engines in which searches will return results for words based upon a particular stem. For example, a search for "develop" might return pages containing the words "development" or "developer."
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XML feeds
A form of paid inclusion where an XML document (eXtensible Markup Language) is used to “feed” information about web pages
to a search engine. This is normally used for large websites (those with 1,000 pages or more) to ensure that all pages are indexed with
the search engine.
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Information included in this glossary was compiled and edited by
Strategic-Ranking, LLC from a wide variety of online and printed
dictionaries and reference books.
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engine marketing solutions!
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