Digital Marketing Glossary

The clickable, visible text of a hyperlink.

A link from one website pointing to another, used by search engines as a vote of authority and relevance.

An HTML tag that tells search engines which version of a duplicate or similar page is the preferred one to index.

A Core Web Vital that measures the visual stability of a page — how much content unexpectedly shifts during loading.

Google's set of speed and UX metrics — LCP, INP, and CLS — used as ranking signals.

The number of pages Googlebot will crawl on your website within a given timeframe.

The ability of search engine bots to access and crawl a website's pages.

A third-party metric (developed by Moz) that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, scored 1–100.

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — Google's quality framework for evaluating content.

A free Google tool that lets businesses manage how they appear in Google Search and Maps, including reviews, hours, and photos.

An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and region a page is intended for.

Google's database of web pages that have been crawled and stored for retrieval in search results.

A Core Web Vital that measures a page's responsiveness to user interactions like clicks, taps, and keyboard input.

The practice of overloading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings — a black-hat technique penalised by Google.

A Core Web Vital that measures how long it takes for the largest visible element on a page to fully load.

The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own to improve search rankings.

Optimisation strategies that help businesses appear in local search results and Google Maps for nearby queries.

Longer, more specific search queries with lower search volume but higher purchase intent.

The HTML title tag of a page, displayed as the clickable headline in search results and browser tabs.

The consistent business information — name, address, and phone number — used across all online directories for local SEO.

Website visitors who arrive through unpaid search engine results rather than paid ads.

The time it takes for a web page to fully load for a user.

A way to send both users and search engines from one URL to a different URL.

Enhanced search result listings that display additional information — star ratings, FAQs, prices — pulled from structured data markup.

Structured data code added to a webpage to help search engines understand content context and display rich snippets.

The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query, containing organic results, ads, and features like Local Pack and Knowledge Graph.

Optimisations to a website's infrastructure that help search engines crawl, index, and understand it.

The degree to which a website is recognised as a comprehensive, credible source on a specific subject.

A file that lists all the important URLs on a website to help search engines discover and crawl content.

The real-time process search engines use to determine which ads appear for a given query and in what order.

Google's system for determining the position and eligibility of ads in search results, based on bid, Quality Score, and other factors.

The percentage of people who see an ad or link and then click on it.

The stages a potential customer moves through from first awareness to making a purchase or completing a goal.

The average cost spent on advertising to acquire one customer or conversion.

The amount an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad.

The cost of 1,000 ad impressions, used as the pricing model for display and social media advertising.

The percentage of users who click on an ad or link after seeing it, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.

The percentage of total available impressions your ads actually received, out of the total they were eligible for.

A targeting feature that finds new users who share characteristics with an existing audience of customers or high-value users.

Keywords that prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant or unwanted search queries.

Google's AI-driven campaign type that runs across all Google channels from a single campaign.

Google Ads' 1–10 rating for each keyword reflecting the expected relevance of your ad and landing page to a user's search.

Advertising to users who have previously visited your website or interacted with your brand.

A metric measuring revenue generated for every pound or dollar spent on advertising.

Google Ads automated bidding strategies that use machine learning to optimise bids for conversion goals.

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or ad to determine which performs better.

The process of crediting marketing touchpoints with conversions or sales.

Dividing an audience into subgroups based on shared characteristics for more targeted analysis or messaging.

The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page without taking any action.

A technique that groups users by a shared characteristic (usually acquisition date) to track their behaviour over time.

The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action — a purchase, sign-up, form fill — out of total visitors.

The process of measuring specific user actions — purchases, sign-ups, calls — that represent business goals.

A JavaScript object on a website that stores data and passes it to tag management systems like Google Tag Manager.

Google's current analytics platform, using an event-based data model designed for cross-device and cookieless measurement.

A visual representation of where users click, scroll, or move their mouse on a webpage.

A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a business is achieving its key objectives.

A group of interactions that take place on a website within a given time frame, attributed to a single visit.

Tags added to URLs that let analytics tools identify the source, medium, and campaign driving traffic.

The system each social platform uses to decide which content to show to which users.

A planning tool that schedules what content will be published, on which platforms, and when.

Content shared privately (via messaging apps, email, or copy-paste) that analytics tools cannot attribute to a source.

The percentage of your audience that interacts with your content through likes, comments, shares, or saves.

TikTok's personalised discovery feed that shows content based on user behaviour, not follower relationships.

A marketing strategy using individuals with established social media audiences to promote products or services.

Reach is the number of unique users who saw your content; impressions is the total number of times it was displayed.

The psychological phenomenon where people follow the actions of others — used in marketing through reviews, testimonials, and follower counts.

Content created by customers or users — photos, videos, reviews — rather than the brand itself.

The portion of a webpage visible without scrolling — the most prime real estate for first impressions and key messages.

A button, link, or instruction that directs users to take a specific desired action.

The prominent introductory section at the top of a webpage, typically containing the primary headline, subheadline, and call to action.

A standalone web page designed with a single focused objective — typically to convert visitors from a specific ad or campaign.

A web design approach that makes pages render correctly across different screen sizes and devices.

The overall experience a person has when interacting with a product, service, or website.

The practice of designing websites that are usable by people with disabilities.

A low-fidelity visual guide representing the skeletal structure and layout of a web page.

A strategy of creating and distributing valuable content to attract, engage, and convert a target audience.

Adapting existing content into different formats to reach new audiences and extend its lifespan.

A planning document that schedules content topics, formats, publication dates, and responsible parties.

Content that remains relevant and valuable over a long period of time, without frequent updates.

Content that requires users to provide contact information (typically email) before accessing it.

A framework representing the stages a prospect goes through from initial awareness of a brand to becoming a customer.

MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is a lead ready to be nurtured by marketing; SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is ready for a sales conversation.

A comprehensive page covering a broad topic in depth, linking to related cluster content as part of a topic cluster strategy.

Content that positions an individual or organisation as an authoritative expert voice in their field.

A content strategy grouping a pillar page with multiple related cluster pages to build topical authority.