Digital Advertising Glossary Every Marketer Needs, A-to-Z
The digital advertising glossary provides clear and simple definitions of the most commonly used terms in digital marketing. It's your quick guide to understanding and navigating the world of digital advertising.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) targets high-value accounts with personalized campaigns to boost engagement, drive conversions, and build strong relationships.
A/B Testing
A/B testing, or split testing, is a marketing strategy used to compare two versions of a webpage, ad, email, or other content to determine which one performs better
A/A testing compares identical versions of content to verify a platform's accuracy and measure baseline performance. It ensures results aren’t affected by random variations or errors.
B
B2B Facebook Advertising
B2B Facebook advertising targets decision-makers with personalized ads, using precise targeting and lead generation to boost conversions.
Behavioral Science
Behavioral science analyzes how people decide and react to marketing, helping optimize campaigns by understanding their motivations and biases.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who leave a webpage without taking any action.
C
Conversion rate
The conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the total number of visitors.
Competitive Benchmarking
Competitive benchmarking is the process of analyzing competitors’ metrics to improve strategies. It helps identify trends, set goals, and optimize campaigns.
Call to Action
A call to action (CTA) is a marketing prompt that encourages the audience to take action, such as making a purchase or signing up. Effective CTAs drive engagement.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of increasing the percentage of conversions from website or mobile app. Focus is on improving user...
Discover what digital asset management is and how it's used to manage all aspects of the digital asset lifecycle, from content creation to asset.
Digital Content Management
Digital content management involves creating, organizing, and optimizing assets like articles, images, and videos to ensure structure and align with goals.
Display Advertising
Display advertising uses visual ads like banners and videos to promote products on websites, apps, and social media. It boosts brand awareness and conversions.
Dynamic Ads
Dynamic ads personalize content based on user behavior, interests, or past actions. They adapt in real-time to show relevant products and boost engagement.
Demographic Segmentation
Demographic segmentation divides audiences by age, gender, income, education, and job. It helps personalize campaigns for better engagement.
Engagement rate measures user interaction with content, including likes, comments, shares, and clicks. It helps assess audience interest and effectiveness.
Event Count
Event count tracks the number of specific user actions on a site or app, like clicks, downloads, or form submissions. It helps measure engagement and performance.
E-Commerce Advertising
E-commerce advertising promotes online stores and products through digital ads on Google, Facebook, and Instagram. It drives traffic, sales, and visibility.
Facebook ad examples come in formats like images, videos, carousels, and lead ads. Reviewing them helps marketers create more engaging campaigns.
Facebook Ad Types
Facebook ad types include image, video, carousel, slideshow, and collection ads. Each serves different goals, from brand awareness to lead generation.
Facebook Ads Manager
Facebook Ads Manager is a tool to create, manage, and track campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook Advertising Strategies
Facebook advertising strategies target the right audience, optimize creatives, and use data insights to boost engagement, conversions, and ROI.
Facebook Analytics
Facebook Analytics provides insights into user behavior, engagement, and ad performance. It helps track key metrics and optimize strategies for better results.
Facebook Business Suite
Facebook Business Suite is a tool that lets businesses create, schedule, and track posts and ads on Facebook and Instagram. It streamlines marketing efforts.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is where users buy and sell products locally or nationwide. Businesses can list items, run ads, and reach potential customers directly.
Facebook Pixel
Facebook Pixel is a tracking tool that helps measure ad performance by collecting user interaction data. It enables retargeting, tracking, and optimization.
Geographic segmentation divides audiences by location like country, region, or city helping businesses tailor marketing to local preferences and cultures.
Growth Hacking
Growth hacking uses low-cost, innovative digital tactics to quickly gain users, boost sales, and grow brand visibility through smart, data-driven marketing.
Generative AI
Generative AI learns patterns from data to produce original content such as text, images or code, enabling machines to effectively replicate human creativity.
A headline is the main text in an ad, article, or webpage that grabs attention and shares key info, sparking interest and encouraging further engagement.
Hard Bounce
A hard bounce occurs when an email fails due to invalid addresses, domain issues, or permanent errors. It affects deliverability and requires list cleaning.
Heatmap
A heatmap is a visual representation of user activity on a webpage and shows where visitors click, scroll, or hover the most.
I
Instagram Advertising Strategies
Instagram ad strategies target the right audience, use quality visuals, and leverage Stories, Reels, and carousels to boost engagement, conversions, and awareness.
Instagram Scheduled Posts
Instagram scheduled posts let businesses plan and publish at optimal times, helping maintain consistency, boost engagement, and streamline management.
Instagram Analytics
Instagram Analytics shows engagement, follower growth, and performance. Businesses track key metrics, refine strategies, and optimize campaigns effectively.
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value showing how a campaign meets goals. In digital marketing, KPIs track conversions, traffic, and engagement.
Keyword Bidding
Keyword bidding sets the max price you’ll pay for a click when targeting keywords. It helps determine ad placement and visibility in search results.
Keyword Targeting
Keyword targeting selects specific words or phrases to reach the right audience in ads, social media, and content, improving visibility and engagement.
L
Lead Generation
Lead generation attracts and captures potential customers’ interest using ads, landing pages, and forms to collect contact info for products or services.
Lead Nurturing
Lead nurturing builds relationships with potential customers by sharing relevant content throughout the buyer journey, guiding them toward a purchase
LinkedIn Advertising
LinkedIn advertising lets businesses target professionals with sponsored content, message, and display ads to generate leads, build awareness, and reach decision-makers.
Lookalike Audience
A Lookalike Audience targets new people similar to existing customers, helping advertisers expand reach and improve ad performance effectively.
M
Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing reaches audiences via smartphones and tablets using SMS, apps, websites, and ads to engage users on the go and boost conversions.
Monetization
Monetization generates revenue from digital platforms, content, or products using ads, subscriptions, and sales to turn traffic or engagement into profit.
Multi-Touch Attribution
Multi-touch attribution credits multiple touchpoints in the customer journey, helping marketers identify effective channels and optimize their strategies.
N
Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are terms excluded from ad campaigns to avoid irrelevant searches. They improve targeting, reduce wasted spend, and boost ad performance.
Native Advertising (Ads)
Native advertising blends with platform content as sponsored posts or articles, offering a non-disruptive ad experience that boosts engagement and brand trust
Network Advertising
Network advertising places ads across multiple sites or apps in an ad network like Google Display Network, helping reach wider audiences and boost visibility.
O
OEM Advertising
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) advertising promotes branded products via manufacturer partnerships, boosting visibility, credibility, and audience reach.
Omnichannel Marketing
Omnichannel marketing delivers a seamless customer experience across channels like websites, social media, email, and stores with consistent messaging.
Organic Install
An organic install happens when a user downloads an app without clicking a paid ad, driven by unpaid efforts like store searches, word of mouth, or content.
P
PPC Audit
A PPC audit checks a pay-per-click campaign’s performance by analyzing keywords, ad quality, budget use, and conversions to find ways to improve ROI.
PPC Bid Management
PPC bid management adjusts keyword bids in pay-per-click campaigns to control ad spend, boost placement, and increase return on investment (ROI)
Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising automates buying and selling ad space in real time using AI and data to target audiences accurately and optimize performance.
PPC marketing is a digital advertising model where businesses pay only when users click their ads, driving instant, targeted traffic and measurable results.
Quality Score in Google Ads measures keyword, ad, and landing page relevance. Higher scores lower costs and improve ad placement.
R
Real-Time Bidding
Real-Time Bidding (RTB) buys and sells ad impressions via automated auctions in milliseconds, letting advertisers bid on specific audiences in real time.
Retargeting Ads
Retargeting ads re-engage users who visited a site or brand, boosting conversions by showing targeted ads across platforms to bring them back.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Return on Investment (ROI) measures marketing profitability by comparing revenue to cost, helping assess the effectiveness and efficiency of efforts.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) measures revenue earned per advertising dollar spent, helping evaluate campaign effectiveness and optimize budget allocation.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) uses paid ads to boost visibility on search engines, helping businesses drive traffic, gain leads, and increase conversions.
Segmentation
Segmentation divides a broad audience into smaller groups by traits like demographics or behavior, helping deliver more targeted and effective marketing.
Shopify Advertising
Shopify advertising promotes store products via Google, Facebook, and Instagram, helping drive traffic, boost sales, and grow online visibility.
T
Target Audience
A target audience is a group most likely to be interested in a product or service. Marketers focus campaigns on them to boost relevance and effectiveness.
Target Rating Points
Target Rating Points (TRP) measure an ad’s reach and frequency within a target audience, helping advertisers evaluate effectiveness and optimize planning.
Text Ads
Text ads are basic online ads with a headline, description, and link. Common in search engines, they drive clicks and conversions with clear messaging.
TROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend)
TROAS is a bidding strategy where you set a target return on ad spend, helping optimize bids to reach your desired revenue from advertising costs.
U
Urchin Tracking Module (UTM)
A UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) is added to URLs to track ad performance, helping marketers see traffic sources and understand user interactions.
User Acquisition
User acquisition attracts new users to a product, app, or service via ads, referrals, and content, focusing on effectively growing the user base.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-Generated Content (UGC) includes reviews, photos, videos, or posts made by customers. It boosts trust, engagement, and brand authenticity.
V
Video Ad Serving Template (VAST)
VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) is an IAB standard that lets video players talk to ad servers, ensuring ads load, track, and display properly across platforms.
View-Through Rate
View-Through Rate (VTR) measures how often users watch a video ad to the end versus how often it's shown, helping assess engagement and effectiveness.
W
Web Analytics
Web analytics collects, measures, and analyzes website data to understand user behavior, improve site performance, optimize marketing, and enhance experience.
Website Optimization
Website optimization improves a site’s speed, usability, and content to enhance user experience and achieve goals like more traffic, engagement, and conversions.
Y
Yandex Ads
Yandex Ads is Yandex’s ad platform, letting businesses run search, display, and video ads to reach users across Yandex and its partner networks.
Yield Optimization
Yield optimization boosts revenue from digital ads by adjusting pricing, placements, and targeting, helping publishers and advertisers maximize each impression.
YouTube Advertising
YouTube advertising lets businesses promote products or services with video ads, boosting brand awareness, reaching target audiences, and driving engagement.
Z
Zero-Based Budgeting
Zero-based budgeting starts each cycle from zero, requiring all expenses to be justified. In marketing, it aligns spending with current goals and performance.
Zero-Click Searches
Zero-click searches give users answers directly on the search results page, often via featured snippets, knowledge panels, or quick answers no clicks needed.
Zip Code Targeting
Zip code targeting shows ads to users in specific geographic areas, helping marketers deliver more relevant, localized, and effective advertising campaigns.
Try WASK Risk-Free
Start 7 Day Free Trial
Experience WASK’s next-generation ad optimization and actionable insights with our free trial. Optimize and analyze your digital ads and boost your results without commitment.