Resources
Digital glossary
Plain definitions of terms that come up often in web, SEO, AI search, advertising and infrastructure. Each term has its own page with a longer explanation and an example.
80 terms
A
- A/B testingMarketingAn A/B test shows two versions of a page or advert to visitors at the same time to see which performs better.
- AI assistantAIAn AI assistant is an automated helper, working through chat, email or a panel, that answers customer questions or handles tasks.
- AI crawlerAI searchAn AI crawler is the automated program an AI company sends across the web to gather content for training a model or answering questions.
- AI hallucinationAIHallucination is when an AI model states something that is not true, in a confident tone that reads as fact.
- AI OverviewsAI searchAI Overviews are the AI-generated summary answers Google shows at the top of search results, drawn together from several sources.
- App Store Optimisation (ASO)MobileASO is the work of optimising a mobile app so it ranks higher in App Store and Google Play searches and earns more downloads.
- Audience segmentationMarketingAudience segmentation divides a broad target audience into smaller groups based on behaviour, interest or demographics.
- AutomationAIAutomation is a repetitive task carried out on its own by a rule or a piece of software, without human intervention.
- Average order value (AOV)E-commerceAverage order value (AOV) shows how much a customer typically spends across a single completed order.
B
C
- Canonical tagSEOA canonical tag is an HTML marker that tells a search engine which version of several near-identical pages is the one to index.
- Cart abandonment rateE-commerceCart abandonment rate shows the share of shoppers who add an item to their basket but leave before completing payment.
- CDN (Content Delivery Network)InfrastructureA CDN copies a website's static files across servers around the world and serves each visitor from the copy nearest to them.
- Click-through rate (CTR)MarketingClick-through rate (CTR) measures the share of people who see an advert or link and go on to click it.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)WebCLS is the Core Web Vitals stability score that measures how much visual elements unexpectedly shift while a page is loading.
- Consent ModeMarketingConsent Mode is a setup that adjusts how Google tags collect data based on a visitor's cookie choice.
- Content Management System (CMS)WebA content management system is software that lets you add, edit and publish a website's text, images and pages without writing code.
- Conversion rateMarketingConversion rate measures the share of website visitors who complete the action a page was built for.
- Conversion trackingMarketingConversion tracking records which channel led a visitor to complete a wanted action, such as a purchase, form or call.
- Core Web VitalsWebCore Web Vitals are Google's three metrics for measuring a page's loading speed, interaction response and visual stability.
- Cost per click (CPC)MarketingCost per click (CPC) shows the average amount an advertiser pays for each click an advert receives.
- Customer lifetime value (CLV)MarketingCustomer lifetime value shows the total revenue a customer is expected to bring over their relationship with a brand.
D
- Design SystemWebA design system is a reusable set of building blocks, a brand's colours, typography, buttons and components, gathered into one shared set of rules.
- DKIMInfrastructureDKIM attaches a cryptographic signature to outgoing email that proves the message was not altered in transit.
- DMARCInfrastructureDMARC combines SPF and DKIM results into a single policy that tells receiving servers what to do with failed mail.
- DNS (Domain Name System)InfrastructureDNS is the distributed lookup system that translates domain names into the actual IP addresses of servers online.
- Domain nameInfrastructureA domain name is the memorable address, rented yearly, that stands in for a website's numeric server location online.
- DropshippingE-commerceDropshipping is an e-commerce model where the seller holds no stock and the supplier ships orders straight to the buyer.
E
- E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness)SEOE-E-A-T is a quality framework a search engine uses to judge how much genuine experience, expertise, authority and trust sit behind content.
- Email automationMarketingEmail automation sends pre-written emails automatically, triggered by a specific action or a set time.
- EntityAI searchAn entity is the way a search engine or an AI model recognises a brand, person or place as one single, consistent identity.
F
G
H
- Headless CMSWebA headless CMS keeps content separate from page design and delivers that content to a website, app or other channel through an API.
- HreflangSEOHreflang is a technical tag that tells a search engine which language and country a page is written for.
- HTTP security headersInfrastructureHTTP security headers are small server instructions sent to the browser that pre-empt specific types of attack.
I
- In-App PurchaseMobileAn in-app purchase is buying an extra feature, subscription or virtual item within a mobile app through the App Store's or Google Play's own payment system.
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint)WebINP is the Core Web Vitals metric that measures the time between a visitor's click or tap and the page visibly responding on screen.
K
L
- Landing PageWebA landing page is a single-purpose page that guides a visitor arriving from an advert or campaign towards one goal, usually filling a form or buying.
- Large language model (LLM)AIA large language model is trained on vast amounts of text and can produce human-like writing and answer questions.
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)WebLCP is the Core Web Vitals metric that measures how long a page's largest image or text block takes to become visible.
- llms.txtAI searchllms.txt is an emerging standard that lists a site's most important pages and summaries in a plain text file AI models can read easily.
- Local SEOSEOLocal SEO is the optimisation work that helps a business stand out in searches tied to a specific city or area.
M
- Marketing funnelMarketingThe marketing funnel describes the stages a person moves through from first noticing a brand to buying from it.
- MarketplaceE-commerceA marketplace is a shared shopping site where more than one seller lists and sells products through the same platform.
- Meta descriptionSEOA meta description is the short text under the title in search results, summarising a page's content in a sentence or two.
- Multichannel sellingE-commerceMultichannel selling means a business sells its products through more than one channel at once, such as its own site and a marketplace.
P
- Payment service providerE-commerceA payment service provider is the intermediary that processes card and digital wallet payments on a business's behalf.
- Performance MaxMarketingPerformance Max is a campaign type that automatically serves adverts across all of Google's ad networks from a single campaign.
- PromptAIA prompt is the written instruction given to an AI model that shapes the direction, tone and format of its answer.
- Push NotificationMobileA push notification is a message a mobile app or website sends directly to a phone screen, even when the visitor does not have it open.
- PWA (Progressive Web App)MobileA PWA is technology that lets a website be installed on a phone, open like an app, work offline and send notifications.
Q
R
- RemarketingMarketingRemarketing shows adverts on other platforms to people who have already visited a website.
- Responsive DesignWebResponsive design means a website automatically adjusts its layout, text size and navigation to fit phone, tablet and desktop screens.
- Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)AIRAG lets an AI model pull information from a trusted set of documents before it writes an answer, not from memory alone.
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)MarketingReturn on ad spend (ROAS) shows the revenue generated for every unit spent on advertising.
- Robots.txtSEORobots.txt is a simple text file at a site's root that tells search engines and other crawlers which pages they may or may not crawl.
S
- Search engine optimisation (SEO)SEOSEO is the ongoing technical and content work that helps a website rank higher in a search engine's free, organic results.
- Search intentSEOSearch intent is what a person actually wants when they type a phrase: information, a comparison, a specific brand, or a purchase.
- SERP (search engine results page)SEOA SERP is the full page of results a search engine displays after someone types in a search term.
- Server-Side Rendering (SSR)WebServer-side rendering means a page's HTML is built on the server rather than in the browser, then sent to the visitor ready to display.
- SitemapSEOA sitemap is a file, usually in XML, that lists every page on a site for a search engine to discover.
- SPF recordInfrastructureSPF is a DNS record that lists which servers are allowed to send email on behalf of a domain, blocking spoofed mail.
- SSL certificateInfrastructureAn SSL certificate encrypts the traffic between browser and server and shows up as the padlock icon in the address bar.
- Static Site Generation (SSG)WebStatic site generation means a page's HTML is built once before publishing and then served as a ready file, without rebuilding it per visit.
- Stock keeping unit (SKU)E-commerceA stock keeping unit (SKU) is the unique code a business uses to tell each product variation apart.
- Structured data (schema)SEOStructured data is markup that labels information on a page, such as a price or a review, in a format a search engine reads with certainty.
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