Digital Marketing Glossary: Key Terms Explained

A–Z Digital Marketing Glossary of Key Terms

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301 Redirect

• This is an automatic redirect on the Internet. When a web address (URL) changes, visitors and Google are automatically sent to the new address.

A

A/B Testing

• You create two versions of a website or email that differ in one aspect, for example the headline or the button. Then you see which version works better.

Above the Fold

• This is the area of a website that visitors see without scrolling down. It should always contain the most important information.

Old day

• A short text that describes what can be seen in an image. This way, search engines and people who cannot see the image can still understand what is on it.

Anchor text

• This is the clickable text in a link. It should clearly state what the reader can expect on the linked page.

Avatar

• An image or symbol with which you present yourself online, for example in forums or social networks. Not to be confused with the description of a target group.

B

B2B (Business-to-Business)

• Business relationship between two companies. Example: KlickTipp sells to another company.

B2C (Business-to-Consumer)

• Business relationship between a company and private individuals. Example: An online store sells directly to you as the end customer.

Benefits

• The specific benefits of a product or service. Example: "Save time" or "Get more customers".

Blogosphere

• The community of all blogs and bloggers on the Internet.

Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)

• This is the last phase before someone buys. The prospective customer knows his problem and possible solutions and now decides on an offer.

Bounce rate (website)

• The percentage of visitors who leave your site without clicking any further.

Bounce rate (e-mail)

• The proportion of emails that could not be delivered. Hard bounce: Email address does not exist or is permanently invalid. Soft bounce: Temporary problem, e.g. full mailbox.

Buyer Persona

• A fictitious person who describes exactly what your typical ideal customer is like. It is based on data and experience and helps you to target your marketing.

C

Call-to-action (CTA)

• A direct request to the reader to do something. This can be a text, a button or an image, for example "Register now" or "Download e-book". The aim is for the reader to react immediately.

Canonical URL

• The main address of a website that search engines should consider to be the most important. This prevents the same content from appearing under different addresses.

Clickthrough rate (CTR)

• The percentage of people who clicked on a link or ad after seeing it.

Closed-Loop Marketing

• Marketing in which all steps from the first contact to the purchase are tracked precisely. This allows you to see which measures really generate sales.

Content Curation

• You collect and share content from others, prepare it appropriately and pass it on to your target group.

Content Hub

• A central area on your website where you bundle your most important content.

Content landing pages

• Special pages dedicated to one topic. They are often the first port of call for visitors and help you to be found better on Google.

Content Management System (CMS)

• A program with which you can create and maintain a website without having to program. Examples are WordPress, Wix or Jimdo.

Content Offer

• A free offer such as an e-book or webinar that you give in exchange for the visitor's contact details.

Conversion

• When a visitor to your website does what you want them to do, for example, fill out a form or buy something.

Conversion Funnel

• The path a visitor takes to a conversion, from the first contact to the desired action.

Conversion rate

• The percentage of visitors who perform a desired action, for example a purchase.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

• Measures to get more visitors to perform a desired action.

Cost-per-lead (CPL)

• The amount you spend to gain a new contact.

Cost-per-thousand (CPM)

• The cost of reaching 1,000 people with your advertising, for example via an online banner.

Cross Channel Marketing

• Marketing via multiple channels such as email, social media and website that are coordinated with each other.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

• The average cost of acquiring a new customer.

Customer Journey

• The entire path that a prospective buyer takes - from the first contact to the purchase.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• A system with which you can manage all the information about your customers and contacts so that you can communicate with them in a targeted manner.

D

Double opt-in

• A registration procedure in two steps: After registering for a newsletter, the person receives an e-mail with a confirmation link. Registration is only complete when this link is clicked. This is mandatory in Germany.

E

Engagement rate

• The percentage of people who interact with your content. This includes, for example, likes, comments, shares or clicks.

Evergreen Content

• Content that remains current and useful for a long time, for example instructions or tips. They attract long-term visitors and good Google rankings.

Exit Intent

• The behavior when a visitor is about to leave your site. Some websites then show a small window (pop-up) with a final offer or notice.

Exit Page

• The last page a visitor views on your website before leaving it.

F

Features

• Features or functions of a product or service, for example "32 gigabytes of memory".

H

Hard Bounce

• An e-mail that cannot be delivered permanently, for example because the address does not exist.

Hero

• An eye-catching area at the top of a website with a headline, text and often a large image. It should immediately catch the eye and arouse curiosity.

I

Inbound link

• A link from another website to your site. Such links help you to be found better in search engines.

Inbound Marketing

• Marketing in which interested parties come to you of their own accord because you offer helpful content.

Inbound Sales

• Sales where customers approach you after they have seen your content. You contact them specifically as soon as they have shown interest.

Indexing

• When a search engine saves your page and displays it in the search results.

Internal link

• A link that leads from one of your pages to another within your website.

K

Campaign

• A planned campaign with a clear objective, for example to win new customers or sell a product. It usually runs over a certain period of time and via several channels such as email, social media or a website.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

• An important key figure that shows whether your marketing or your company is successful, for example how many visitors you have or how much a new customer costs you.

L

Landing Page

• A special website that has only one goal, for example a registration or a download. It is not distracting and only focuses on this action.

Lead

• An interested party who has voluntarily provided their contact details, for example for an e-book or newsletter.

Lead Nurturing

• The process by which you build a relationship with prospects by regularly giving them helpful information until they are ready to buy.

Lead scoring

• An assessment of how "hot" a prospective buyer is. The higher the value, the more likely he is to buy.

Lead generation

• The way you attract new prospects, for example via a free offer, trade fairs or telephone.

Lead-to-customer rate

• The percentage of prospects who actually become customers in the end.

Lead magnet

• A free offer such as an e-book or webinar that you offer in exchange for the contact details.

Lifetime value (LTV)

• The total profit that a customer brings you over the entire time he buys from you.

Link Building

• Building links from other websites to yours. This improves your ranking on Google.

Longtail Keyword

• A longer, more precise search term such as "how does inbound marketing work". It is often less contested than short terms and brings more targeted visitors.

M

Marketing Automation

• Software such as KlickTipp, which performs recurring marketing tasks automatically, for example sending emails at the right time.

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

• A prospective customer who, from a marketing perspective, is ready to be passed on to sales because they have already shown interest.

Meta Description

• The short description text that appears under your website link in Google. It should clearly state what it's about and make you want to click.

Meta Title

• The title of a page that is displayed on Google and in the browser tab. It should contain the main topic of the page.

Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)

• The middle phase in the buying process. The prospective customer is actively looking for solutions, but is not yet ready to buy.

N

Native advertising

• Advertising that looks like the normal content of a platform, for example a sponsored article in an online magazine.

No-Follow Link

• A link that tells search engines not to follow it. This means that no "link power" is passed on to the linked page.

O

Off-Page Optimization

• Measures outside your own website to be found better on Google, for example through good backlinks.

On-Page Optimization

• Measures directly on your website to be found better on Google, for example through suitable headings, good texts and fast loading times.

Open Rate

• The percentage of recipients who open an email.

Opt-in

• When someone actively agrees to receive emails from you, for example by entering their address in a form.

Opt-out

• If someone unsubscribes from your mailing list and no longer wishes to receive e-mails.

Outbound Marketing

• Marketing in which you actively approach potential customers, for example through advertising or cold calling.

P

Pagerank

• A value from Google that indicates how important a website is. It is influenced by the number and quality of inbound links.

Pageview

• A "page view". It counts every time someone loads or reloads a page on your website.

Pay-per-click (PPC)

• An advertising model where you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, for example with Google Ads.

Permission Marketing

• Marketing where you only approach people who have previously agreed to receive information from you.

R

Retargeting

• Online advertising that targets people who have already visited your website.

Return on investment (ROI)

• A key figure that shows how much profit has been generated in relation to costs.

Revenue-per-lead

• The average turnover you achieve with a single interested party (lead).

RSS Feed

• A news channel through which interested parties can automatically receive new content from your website or blog.

S

Sales Funnel

• The path that a prospective customer takes from initial contact to purchase is divided into several phases.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

• A prospective customer who has been classified by the sales department as ready to buy.

Segmentation

• Dividing your contacts into groups in order to address them more specifically.

SERP

• The results page of a search engine after someone has entered a search term.

Shorthead Keyword

• A short, general search term such as "marketing", which often has many hits.

Single opt-in

• If an e-mail address is saved directly after entry, without additional confirmation.

Smarketing

• Collaboration between sales and marketing to achieve more sales together.

Smart CTA

• A call-to-action that adapts to the visitor, for example depending on location or behavior.

Social media monitoring

• Monitoring and evaluating conversations about your brand on social networks.

Social Proof

• Proof from other people that your offer is good, for example customer reviews.

Soft bounce

• An e-mail that cannot be delivered temporarily, for example due to a full inbox.

Statistical significance

• A measure of how reliable a test result is and whether it was not just a coincidence.

T

Day

• A keyword or label that you use to sort and quickly find content such as emails or blog posts.

Testimonial

• A positive opinion or review from a customer about your offer. Helps to build trust and achieve more sales.

Thank You Page

• The page that a visitor sees after registering or making a purchase. It says thank you and often shows the next step.

Top of the Funnel (TOFU)

• The first phase in the sales process. This is where potential customers get to know your offer and receive helpful content.

Treatment Page

• The new variant in an A/B test, which is tested against the original page to see which works better.

V

Validate

• Testing a new idea in the market to see if it works.

Viral marketing

• When users voluntarily spread your content or offers, often very quickly, similar to a virus.

W

Word-of-Mouth (WOM)

• Recommendations from person to person, for example through conversations or shared content.

Workflow

• A sequence of automated messages and actions that accompany a prospective customer step by step.

X

XML Sitemap

• A file with all the important page addresses of your website so that search engines understand the structure.

Z

Zero Moment of Truth

• The moment when a customer searches for information online before making a purchase.