| Adsense |
Google's content marketing network program. Website owners gain an income stream by allowing Google to put relevant AdWords (see ‘AdWords' and ‘Contextual Advertising') onto their site, generating income. |
| Adwords |
Google's PPC Marketing programme launched in the UK in September 2002. |
| Banner Ads |
One of the original forms of online advertising. It has declined in popularity with the rise of PPC Marketing which generally offers far better targeting and hence cost effectiveness. |
| Bid Management Software |
Computer program/s used to help automate the bidding process for keywords. |
| Confirmation Page |
Usually the ‘end page' after a browser has successfully interacted with a website. I.e. when a sale has completed or a form has been submitted. Useful for PPC Marketing purposes. |
| Contextual Advertising |
Sponsored links that appear next to related non-search-engine-generated content, such as news articles. (See ‘AdSense'). |
| Conversion Rate |
A ratio calculation expressed as a percentage which contrasts website visitors to purchase made. |
| Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) |
The average cost per acquisition. This is calculated by dividing total click costs by the number of conversions. |
| Cost Per Click (CPC) |
See ‘Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing'. |
| Cost Per Lead (CPL) |
Similar to ‘Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)' (see separate entry) but for websites whose business model is not based on online sales. |
| Destination URL |
The website address which the PPC Marketing advert is hyperlinked to. Also known as the ‘landing page'. |
| Display URL |
The website address which is shown in the PPC Marketing advert. |
| Impression |
When an online advert is viewed on a browsers PC. This forms the basis of banner advertising and lacks the targeting afforded by PPC Marketing. |
| Keyword/s |
The word/s a browser inputs into a search engine. Also know as "search terms". |
| Landing Page |
The designated page on a website which relates to a hyperlink. Also known as ‘destination URL'. |
| Minimum Bid Price |
The starting bid price. |
| MIVA |
Formerly known as ‘espotting', one of the leading providers of PPC Marketing in the UK and Europe. |
| Natural Search Results |
The list of websites shown by a search engine that are not as a result of a payment. (These appear on the left-hand side in Google). Also known as "organic", "natural" or "algorithmic" search results. |
| Online Advertising |
An all encompassing term that describes all marketing initiatives made using the internet. This includes PPC Marketing and banner ads. |
| Online Marketing |
See ‘Online Advertising'. |
| Optimal Rank |
The position you would like your keywords to maintain or the position at which you receive the highest return on investment. |
| Organic Search Results |
The list of websites found when using a search engine such as Google. This is complied on an automated basis by the search engine's algorithmic spiders. Also sometimes known as "natural" or "algorithm" search results. |
| Paid Inclusion |
A facility offered by some search engines whereby a website is listed as part of the organic results. |
| Paid Placement |
See ‘PPC Marketing'. |
| Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing |
The dominant form of online marketing accounting for half of all UK internet advertising spend (2005). As it is search engine, ‘keyword' based, it is highly targeted. An advertiser incurs a fee when an interested browser clicks on the placed advert. Bidding for keywords follows the model of a Vickrey second price auction, involving the submission of sealed bids. In Google, click-through-rates are also taken into account when determining bid price. Also known as ‘Cost Per Click' Marketing. |
| Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) |
A ratio which contrasts advertising spend with expenditure. |
| Return on Investment (ROI) |
A generic ratio sometimes applied to PPC Marketing campaigns. See ‘Return On Advertising Spend (ROAS)'. |
| Search Engine |
A website directory, such as Google or Yahoo. |
| Search Engine Marketing (SEM) |
The promotion of a website via a search engine. |
| Search Engine Spiders |
The automated internet searching ‘robots' used by search engines such as Google or Yahoo. |
| Search Term/ Phrase |
See ‘keyword'. |
| Sponsored Link |
The heading under which ‘PPC Marketing' adverts often appear on a website. |
| Tracking Code |
A html string inserted into a website, usually the website so you may track visitors and conversions on your website. |
| Yahoo! Search Marketing |
Yahoo's PPC Marketing programme formerly known as ‘Overture'. |