Plain-English definitions of the digital marketing terms small business owners hear most often. Use it as a quick reference when reading reports or talking to an agency.
SEO and content
SEO (search engine optimization)
Improving a website so it ranks higher in unpaid search results. See SEO services for small business.
Local SEO
SEO focused on appearing in map results and “near me” searches for a specific area.
Keyword
A word or phrase people type into a search engine.
Search intent
The goal behind a search — to learn, compare, or buy.
Backlink
A link from another website to yours; quality backlinks help rankings.
Canonical tag
Code that tells search engines which URL is the main version of a page.
Schema markup
Structured data that helps search engines understand a page and can enable rich results.
Core Web Vitals
Google metrics for loading speed (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS).
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness — signals Google uses to judge content quality.
GEO (generative engine optimization)
Optimizing content so AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews cite it.
Pillar page
A broad guide that links to detailed articles on related topics, like our digital marketing guide.
Paid advertising
PPC (pay-per-click)
Advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad. See Google Ads management services.
CPC (cost per click)
The average amount paid for one ad click.
CPL (cost per lead)
Total ad spend divided by the number of leads.
CTR (click-through rate)
The percentage of people who click after seeing an ad or search result.
ROAS (return on ad spend)
Revenue generated for every dollar spent on ads.
Quality Score
Google Ads rating of ad relevance, expected CTR and landing page experience.
Negative keyword
A search term you exclude so your ads do not show for it.
Retargeting
Showing ads to people who already visited your website.
Conversions API
A Meta tool that sends conversion data from your server for more reliable tracking.
Analytics and conversion
GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
Google’s analytics platform that tracks events and conversions. See our GA4 setup service.
Google Tag Manager (GTM)
A tool for managing tracking codes without editing website code.
Conversion
A valuable action such as a form submission, call or purchase.
Key event
The GA4 name for an event marked as important, such as a lead.
CRO (conversion rate optimization)
Improving pages so more visitors take the desired action.
Attribution
How credit for a conversion is shared between marketing channels.
Leads and automation
CRM (customer relationship management)
Software that stores leads, contacts and deals. See lead generation services.
Lead nurturing
Following up with leads over time until they are ready to buy.
Lead qualification
Deciding which leads are a good fit and ready for sales.
Marketing automation
Software that runs repetitive marketing tasks automatically. See our AI marketing automation agency page.
White label marketing
Services delivered by one agency under another agency’s brand. See white label digital marketing.
Have a question that is not answered here? Contact us or read our digital marketing blog.