Marketing Terms Glossary – Definitions for Marketing Jargon
By The Traditional and Digital Marketing Teams at Fisher Design
Marketing lingo can be confusing and intimidating whether it be for web design or graphic design. The team at Fisher Design and Advertising of Jacksonville, FL has taken it upon themselves to define some common terms for you. This glossary can help you to understand better what your marketing team is talking about when they use all of those irritating buzzwords to explain what is going on.
If you have other terms you think should be added to this list, feel free to get in touch!
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a collection of various strategies and tactics to help a website or web page show up higher in search results on Google or Bing and get more website traffic for targeted keywords. These strategies are applied across many different areas: entire websites, individual webpages, online directories, links between pages and websites, images, and more. Google surprises us all the time by changing algorithms. Our agency keeps up with this. We can always make sure your website remains vigorous, and verbiage is specifically written to achieve increased rankings.
On-Page SEO
All elements relating to search engine optimization are contained on the web page or within a website. These are typically under the control of the webmaster or marketing team.
Off-Page SEO
These are the elements relating to search engine optimization that are not on your web page. This includes social media, online directories, backlinks from other websites, mentions of your brand or website by other people across platforms. Some of these areas your marketing team should have full control over (such as social media); some you’ll have partial control over (directory listings); and others your team will have little to no control over (backlinks and mentions of your brand or website).
All of these areas are important, however, to varying degrees. Want to find out more? We’re happy to help.
SEO Ranking/Results
You guessed it! This is where you show up on Google. If for some reason you use another search engine, those are still SEO results. However, there’s a reason why Google has over 90% of the market share:
They tend to give the most relevant results to solve your problem the quickest.
How are your results determined? A combination of a number of factors, including:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Performance in search results
Keep in mind that this is a vast oversimplification, as both on-page SEO and off-page SEO include numerous important ranking factors. However, this information could fill a whole book and is beyond the scope of this post.
Page Title/SEO Title
This is the title of a web page that shows up in search results. It is important to have a relevant and enticing title to get traffic to you.
Here is an example of the title for the first result for the search ‘seo title definition’ in Google (check the box around title or a graphic designer can do one, if you need certain style):
Meta Description
These are short summaries of webpages to help tell users what to expect when they click on the search result. They are not a direct factor in ranking of results. They can indirectly impact search ranking by making people more or less likely to click on the result.
Here’s an example from the Google search for ‘meta description definition’ (original in case graphic design wants to change it and my version):
H1 Header
This is the main headline in the body copy. It should use the same keyword phrases as the page title and the meta description, if possible, to increase rankings.
SEO Copywriting
This is writing (copy) that is formatted and coded to have the best chance to show up in search results. Copywriting is the word typically used for writing advertising or marketing copy. SEO copywriting follows a number of standard fundamentals in order to make sure the content is easily understood and viewed by search engines – and people.
White Hat SEO
This is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics and strategies developed ‘legally’ according to search engine (primarily Google) guidelines. Most SEO companies will tell you that they only use white hat tactics regardless of what they actually use, so be careful.
Black Hat SEO
This is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics and strategies developed ‘illegally’ or that go against search engine (primarily Google) guidelines. Most of these are not technically illegal, but because they are against search engine guidelines. Therefore, they could get your site penalized or even removed from search rankings altogether. While there are fewer of these strategies that work well with the progression of search engines over time, there are many strategies that work exceedingly well for a long time.
Until they didn’t.
Then there were consequences.
The short-term gains just aren’t worth the long-term consequences. Things like buying backlinks and keyword stuffing are perhaps the most well-known practices, although it has been years since keyword stuffing has worked. Google is getting better and better at parsing out paid backlinks.
Backlinks
Backlinks are the links that link back to your website from other websites or domains. These will include links from places like Google My Business and other directories, as well as when a website links to a blog or other page on your website. Backlinks are important for off-page SEO (see above), as Google considers a web page more important when multiple different websites are linking to that website. This makes backlinks an important ranking factor. It is important to note that other than backlinks from directories, backlinks are not under the control of someone doing SEO. Also, Backlinks should not be purchased – this is against Google guidelines and can result in penalties in rankings in Google search.
Websites
Content Management System (CMS)
A content management system is the program that stores and organizes data so that people who do not necessarily know how to code can create websites that look professional.
What is the most popular CMS?
WordPress is by far the most popular CMS, with over 27 million live websites. Wix is in second place with just over 3.8 million live websites.
What is WordPress and Why is WordPress the most popular CMS?
WordPress is a CMS (see above) that is open source and free software, which means it is constantly being updated. It is also easy to use and extremely customizable and flexible to help it fit a variety of needs. It is a great platform for SEO. The goal of WordPress is to make creating professional looking websites more accessible for people who know limited code. Remember, 35% of the internet use WordPress, so it has certainly done that!
Landing Page
A landing page is typically used to refer to a standalone page that is made specifically for users during a specific marketing or advertising campaign. It can also refer to any page that people first enter a website from.
Blog: What is it and why have one?
A blog (short for ‘weblog’) is a place where a person can write about various topics for a company or individual that is related to the content of their website. This will typically include a mix of news, informational articles, and other content that is meant to entertain or inform in some way. Blogs are used by many companies and coordinated by their marketing people, a professional within an agency such as ours, or an independent blogger who will write about topics related to the company’s products and services. These blogs are meant to target areas that matter to their audiences in order to help build trust, authority, and a relationship with potential customers. The purpose is to build a relationship with customers and ultimately sell the company’s products or services.
The CMS platform WordPress started out primarily as a platform to make blogging easier and more accessible. It has since transformed into the most popular CMS (see above) for websites across the World Wide Web.
eCommerce
eCommerce stands for electronic commerce. It refers to the exchange of goods and services online for money. Amazon and Ebay are two of the biggest eCommerce platforms in existence. There are many other platforms that allow individuals and companies to host eCommerce platforms on their own website, such as Shopify, Squarespace Online Stores, Magento, and WooCommerce (works with WordPress sites).
(small graph or pie chart with more than just these three?)
Here is the breakdown of market share for the top ecommerce contenders:
WooCommerce: 27.86%
Squarespace Online Stores: 21.06%
Shopify: 11.79%
SSL: Secure Sockets Layer or Security Certificate
An SSL certificate is what makes your site have ‘https’ at the beginning instead of ‘http’. When a site has ‘https’ at the beginning this tells you that they have a certain layer of encryption and security to protect the site and any personal information against hackers by scrambling data when it is in transit.
You should never buy anything from a site that does not have an SSL (https and it should have a lock icon in the corner), such as:
Site Loads
Website load speed is critical in the user experience and the Google ranking. Google would like your pages to be able to be looked at in 2 seconds or less.
Hover vs. Drop Down Menu
These are two different menu styles.
When you have a ‘hover’ menu, the menu will fly out (display) when a person hovers over the option with the curser. While this is very useful when you have a mouse, as you can imagine this can be problematic for smartphones. Some menus are designed as hover menus for laptop and desktop users who are using a mouse; there will be drop down menus that force the users to click on tablets and mobile phones where the user does not usually have a mouse and is using a smaller screen.
Other menus instead will force you to click for menu choices to ‘drop down’, which is better for smartphones. This can sometimes be less intuitive for desktop or laptop users.
Right Rail
The right rail is a name for the right side of a web page or search results that typically contain ads or information that frequently changes, such as community education programs or discounts. Users eventually trained themselves to largely ignore the ‘right rail’, which is part of what caused Google to change its ad placements to the top of search results back in 2016 in an effort to get advertisers better performance on their ads.
WP login vs. FTP
Your WP login is your WordPress login that lets you into the backend of the website to make changes to the website. Many administrative functions can be done from this login function as well, but not everything. The FTP login is where the folders are that tell your WordPress site how to work and function. Sometimes it may be necessary to access this in order to make changes to plugins, upload media in bulk, or fix some common errors that may happen. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, but you won’t need to know that.
Hosting
Every website is available on a server for computers to access. These servers are making your website available for people to request to see it on the internet and are ‘hosting’ your website. The website is always available for numerous different computers to access at the same time, but each server will only have a certain amount of bandwidth. It is important that your hosting plan is reflective of the amount of traffic that you expect to have. Typically, hosting plans can be scaled up as needed, although some hosting plans are much more flexible than others with regard to price and capability.
Plug-ins
A WordPress plug-in is code that is made to accomplish a specific function that can be added to your WordPress site with a quick search and click of a button. However, not just any plugin should be added because it exists! It is important to vet plugins properly to make sure they have proper security features, are from a reputable source, and are going to accomplish what they are supposed to. There are a lot of different plug-ins for just about every purpose out there, but plug-ins can also slow down a site, cause security issues, or even crash your site if not managed properly. However, the right plug-in can be extremely helpful and solve a complex problem very easily by just ‘plugging it in’. There are also plug-ins for web browsers such as Google Chrome, but we will primarily be talking about WordPress plug-ins.
Wix vs. GoDaddy Builder vs. WordPress
Wix is a paid drag-and-drop website builder that also hosts your website. Wix is best for people who are building relatively simple websites and who will not need much in the way of complex functionality or design. Features are built directly into Wix by the company itself, which means people who have more specific needs may not find the functionality they are looking for.
GoDaddy Builder is a drag-and-drop builder similar to Wix that focuses slightly more on eCommerce. The website itself is ‘free’, but it is necessary to pay for hosting.
WordPress is by contrast a free and open-source platform that anyone can build plug-ins for (see above) to extend its functionality. This means that millions of people with a variety of needs have used the platform to extend the functionality of WordPress for their custom-tailored needs, which is why there is a large library of potential plug-ins that are already made and available for WordPress. With WordPress it is necessary to buy hosting separately, which allows for finding the hosting most appropriate for your needs.
Splash Page
A splash page is an introductory page that users see before they visit your site. It can ask for information about the user, give a privacy warning, ask for verification of something, highlight a product or service, or do whatever else a webmaster thinks is important for someone to know before they visit the website itself. Splash pages are usually sparse on writing (copy), as they usually are trying to get the user to take some sort of action. The user can either take that action or exit out of the splash page and go straight to the website instead.
Navigational Button
This button helps you get between different areas on a website. This includes menu buttons that take you to different pages and posts, as well as the back-and-forward buttons that help you navigate back-and-forth on a website.
Marketing-General
Mini-Marketing Plan or The BIG Plan
A marketing strategist begins to develop a Mini-Marketing Plan with an initial review of the client’s website and completion of an intake form. Next, an appointment with the client is made to determine and confirm specific needs and expectations. From that information an in-depth Client Survey is prepared for presentation and discussion. This may take up to two hours. Afterwards, the strategist will: (1) develop the plan by performing extensive research and taking a deep dive into the business sector and/or products; (2) define the competition (online and physical) and SWAT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats); (3) review the present status of the business in the marketplace followed by developing a plethora of opportunities using multi-platform marketing tools, including advertising, PR/media/community relations, and print/digital advertising, including a reference to costs and budgetary requirements for implementation; and (4) make an appointment with the client to discuss the plan, which usually takes up to two-and-a-half hours. Whether a national franchise, large or small business, an entrepreneur looking to launch a business, or a client whose business seems to be “stuck” – we laser in and define the critical issues and create solutions, impart business connections, and define a path for ROI (return on investment) and sustainability. The final plan may suggest a refreshed or totally new website, new business name and/or tagline, and outline a path forward. The key is to define new ROI opportunities via Product-Promotion-Price and relationship building with existing and new clients. Our agency usually works with upper management, which may include marketing directors – we take a team approach. All the while, it’s important to know we are here to help and consult when you need us. If you need The BIG Marketing Plan, we’re ready to prepare a more extensive report using various metrics and measurements including longer-term media and digital packages, and implementation parameters – all to define your business with new marketing architecture to blast past the competition. Remember, your success is our success.
Public Relations
Public relations or PR is two-way communication – giving and receiving information – between people or organizations to create societal change in the public arena. PR professionals initiate conversation to voice change, diminish or expand ideas and concepts, and dissolve or create chaos for change. PR is a professional practice of individuals, often accredited by national or state organizations, who align their personal PR practice with ethics and business conduct based on best practices. It is relationship building in its highest form.
Media Relations
Media relations is two-way relationship between a person or organization with journalists or media representatives – broadcast (radio, television, cable), digital, or print. This relationship can be initiated by either side. The media world is constantly changing – as are the people one deals with one month may change the following month. Consistent relationships are key, when possible, and are based on trust.
Community Relations
Companies and organizations develop and implement community relations strategies to enhance a brand or develop a particular awareness by the public to their business or services. Building relationships in the community through funding or volunteerism is always an important part of a brand.
Advertorial
An advertorial is an ad that “looks” like a feature story written by a journalist, but is it a paid form of advertising. Usually, this form of advertising is done to present a particular opinion that perhaps a journalist would not undertake. The narrative is designed to enhance the reputation of a person/people in leadership and/or a business in the eyes of the reader. The purpose is to maintain control of the message.
Editorial
An editorial is an article written by a journalist or editor or senior editor about a subject usually one of controversy or to give the opinion of the paper in which it appears or written by a person and approved by an Editorial Board for publication.
Advertising
Advertising is the service of buying space (paid advertising) in a variety of media platforms (print, broadcast, cable, digital, billboard) to influence people to make a purchasing decision on a product or service.
Television/Radio Spot Commercial
These are produced in “seconds” – :05, :10, :15, :30, :60 – for television and radio. Digital communications may use these commercial spots for social media campaigns; however, digital campaigns are specifically designed for the digital marketplace and messaging conforms to the space and requirements of the platform.
Sales Funnel
A sales funnel is a predefined step-by-step process that a company defines to direct customers towards the purchase of a product or service from their company. At each step, there will be people that don’t make it to the next step of the funnel, giving it the characteristic ‘funnel’ shape (see images) – these people fall out of the funnel for various reasons. When customers fall out of the funnel, solutions are developed to keep new ones in so sales continue to move up. There are a variety of different labels that can be used for each stage of the sales funnel, but they will consist of a number of different steps where the company has ‘touch points’ with the customer. Each step is looking to deepen the relationship and get the customer closer to buying, or looking to determine if they are not a customer at all. The ‘AIDA’ approach is a popular generic model. It stands for Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action (see below: Mailmunch):
While many companies will have their own models based off of this idea, their sales funnel will often be replaced by one with more specific terms such as this one from Crazy Egg:
From Crazy Egg:
Directories
These are an online list of businesses or organizations of a certain type. Each industry has a number of directories just for that industry. To find out which industries are best for your industry, you can see a list here different industries on Whitespark.
What is a Change?
A change is when something needs to be altered significantly. This can be for a number of reasons: priorities have shifted, new data has come in, or because something is not liked. Be aware that making changes may have consequences the deeper a strategic plan is in progress.
Alterations
An alteration is a small change that is requested outside of a group of changes. This is generally smaller and less intensive than a ‘change’.
Round of Changes
Typically a number of contracts might include a round of changes. This would mean that after work is completed there can be one set of suggestions that is submitted simultaneously. Those changes will then be made. Any changes that are submitted after the first ‘round’ of changes or group is submitted will then be considered a second round of changes. Make sure to take a good look the first time, as it makes the process better for everyone. With more changes there may be new costs.
Copyright vs. Copywriting vs. Trademark
Copyright is the C symbol that you see that denotes legal ownership of property. This means the copyright owners have the right to copy and reproduce their own work, but no one else.
From Wikipedia:
Copywriting is term for the text written for advertising or marketing purposes. This means all writing on ads, any website that sells something, or any sort of marketing material is a form of copywriting. The term ‘sales copy’ is the most common form of copywriting, although ‘ad copy’ and various other forms are used to a lesser extent.
Copyrights and trademarks protect distinct creations. Generally, copyrights protect creative or intellectual works and trademarks apply to commercial names, phrases, and logos.
AdWords/Google Ads
AdWords is the old name for Google Ads (pictured above). This is also called Google Pay Per Click Ads. Google Ads is an advertising platform that includes a number of different types of advertising options: search ads, display ads, video ads (including YouTube), shopping ads, and ads for phone apps. Each different type has the ability to run ads targeted to people of different locations, age groups, genders, interests and hobbies, stages of life (think getting married, buying a house, or having a child), marital status, or who are in the market for certain products based on previous searches and other information.
Facebook Ads
Facebook ads also allow for a number of different types of ads across its platform and associated platforms: Instagram, Whatsapp, and Messenger. Facebook allows for slightly more refined targeting than Google in areas like job description, hobbies, and other habits due to the vast amount of social information available to it. Facebook is a great tool for building targeted audiences using this information; however, it should be noted that it is often important to have a multi-stage buying process with Facebook Ads. Most people on Facebook and its associated apps are not in the mindset for buying the moment they see an ad, which means it is important to look to build awareness and relationships with these ads first. An ad manager will be able to help with building out this process with you.
PPC
PPC stands for ‘pay per click’. This is when ads are shown and a business only pays for that ad when the user clicks on their ad. In most PPC situations a business will set a maximum cost per click, then an auction will use the price and other quality factors to determine which ads to display in each order. Only ads that are shown that get clicks will pay for their ‘pay per click’.
Images
High-res Photo
This is short for a high-resolution photo. The resolution is the amount of pixels per inch for a photo, which determines the quality of the photo. Typically a high-resolution photo is at least 300 pixels per inch, which is what is necessary for making good physical printed images. While for many things (and all things that will be physically printed), it is important to have high-resolution images on the internet vs. for web pages, it is often more important to compress your images.
Compressed Photo
Compressed photos are smaller in size, but generally maintain similar quality for viewing on a computer screen when compared to high-resolution photos. It is important to use compressed photos for websites, otherwise your website will quickly become far too large and be very slow to load, especially on mobile devices. Anyone can compress images using tinyjpg.com (jpg file format only) and tinypng.com (png file format only). Both sites will also compress groups of photos in a folder all at once, if desired. These are great tools to keep your website moving fast. However, keep in mind even one large image can bog down a webpage significantly!
JPG
Jpg is a digital image format that contains compressed image data to maintain quality of images with a much smaller file size. This is typically the most common format to share images. However, it is not possible to maintain transparency using a jpg photo (it will be white or whatever color of the background was when it was exported). The format was originally .jpg, named after the ‘Joint Photographic Experts Group’.
PNG
Png is a photo with lossless compression that maintains transparency. Png photos are larger than jpg photos, but are often used for logos or other files that may need to maintain transparency or other properties that jpg does not do as well. PNG stands for ‘portable network graphics’.
EPS
An EPS file is a standardized graphics file that is typically used for design files. The file type was created by Adobe in 1992, and contains instructions on how to recreate a drawing file that can be used by a number of different advanced design programs, such as Adobe Illustrator.
Royalty-free Licensing
Royalty-free licensing means that once someone has the rights to an image or other copyrighted material they can use it as many times as they want without having to pay royalties for each use. This does not mean the license itself is free, just that once the license is obtained the asset can be used as many times as desired in different areas.
Miscellaneous
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transferred across a connection in a certain amount of time. It is important to note that bandwidth is often mistaken for the rate of actual data transfer that is happening. While they can sometimes be the same, they are only synonymous in ideal circumstances.
Conclusion
We hope this guide can help you to better understand the marketing ‘jargon’ that might be used by the marketing practitioners that you might be working with. If you ever want anything explained please feel free to ask, and we’re happy to help. Otherwise, hopefully this can be a helpful reference for you when you need it.
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If there are any other marketing terms that would be helpful for you to have us define please let us know mary@fisherdesignandadvertising.com!
