Glossary
Marketing and websites from A to Z
Agencies and tools talk in acronyms. Here are the terms in plain language, along with what they mean for your business.
109 terms
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A
- Analytics and measurementA/B testingA/B testing means showing two versions of a page or ad to different visitors and measuring which one brings in the most results.
- AI and automationAIArtificial intelligenceAI is computer programs that do tasks we used to need a person for, such as writing text, answering questions and recognising images.
- AI and automationAI agentAn AI agent is an AI tool that carries out tasks on its own in several steps, such as finding quotes, filling in forms or booking appointments.
- AI and automationAI chatChatbotAn AI chat is a chat window on your website where an AI answers visitors in plain language, based on information about your particular business.
- SEO and visibilityAI searchGEO (Generative Engine Optimization)AI search is when people get a finished answer from ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google instead of a list of links. GEO is the work of becoming one of the sources.
- Website and technologyAPIApplication Programming InterfaceAn API is a fixed, agreed way for two programs to talk to each other, so they can fetch and send data without a person in between.
- Analytics and measurementAttributionAttribution is how you share the credit for a sale between the channels the customer passed through, such as ads, search and newsletters.
- AI and automationAutomationAutomation is letting a system handle repeating tasks, such as sending confirmations, moving data or creating invoices, so you do not do them by hand.
B
- Brand and contentB2B and B2CBusiness to business and business to consumerB2B means you sell to other businesses. B2C means you sell to private individuals. Many businesses do both.
- SEO and visibilityBacklinksBacklinks are links from other websites to yours. Google uses them as one of several signs that your content can be trusted.
- Website and technologyBackupA backup is a saved copy of your website or data, which can be restored if something is deleted, damaged or hacked.
- Website and technologyBooking systemOnline bookingA booking system lets customers book an appointment online themselves, around the clock, by choosing a service and a free slot without calling you.
- Analytics and measurementBounce rateBounce rate is the share of visits where people leave your website without engaging. In GA4 it is the opposite of engagement rate.
- Brand and contentBrandYour brand is what people think and feel when they hear the name of your business. The logo is only a small part of it.
- Brand and contentBrand archetypeA brand archetype is one of twelve basic characters, such as the Hero or the Caregiver, that give a brand a clear personality.
C
- SEO and visibilityCanonical URLA canonical URL is the address Google should treat as the main version when the same content exists at several addresses.
- Website and technologyCDNContent Delivery NetworkA CDN is a network of servers around the world that keeps copies of your website, so it loads from a place near whoever is visiting.
- Analytics and measurementCLVCustomer lifetime valueCLV is how much a customer is worth to you over the whole customer relationship, not only on the first purchase.
- Website and technologyCMSContent management systemA CMS is the program you use to change text, images and pages on your website yourself, without writing code.
- Website and technologyContact formA contact form is a form on your website where visitors enter their name, email and a message, which is then sent straight to your inbox.
- Brand and contentContent marketingContent marketing is making useful content, such as articles, guides and videos, that helps your customers before they are ready to buy.
- Conversion and salesConversionA conversion is when a visitor does what you want on your website, such as order, call, send a form or sign up for your newsletter.
- Analytics and measurementConversion rateConversion rate is the share of visits where people do what you want, such as book or get in touch. 5 out of 200 visits is 2.5 percent.
- Website and technologyCookiesCookies are small files a website stores in the browser. They can remember a shopping basket, but they are also used to track visitors.
- Website and technologyCore Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are three measurements Google uses to assess the experience on a page: loading, responsiveness and how stable the content is.
- AdvertisingCPACost per acquisition (cost per customer or action)CPA is what it costs to win one customer or one action, such as a booking or a completed form, through advertising.
- AdvertisingCPCCost per clickCPC is what you pay on average for one click on an ad. Spend NOK 1,000 and get 20 clicks, and your CPC is NOK 50.
- AdvertisingCPMCost per mille (cost per thousand impressions)CPM is the price for 1,000 impressions of an ad. Pay NOK 600 for 10,000 impressions, and your CPM is NOK 60.
- Brand and contentCRMCustomer Relationship ManagementA CRM is a system where you keep everything about customers and prospects: contact details, conversations, quotes and what happens next.
- Conversion and salesCROConversion rate optimisationCRO is the work of getting more of the people who already visit your website to order, call or get in touch.
- Conversion and salesCTACall to actionA CTA is the button or text that asks the visitor to do something, such as "Book an appointment", "Call us" or "Get a quote".
- Analytics and measurementCTRClick-through rateCTR is the share of people who click after seeing your link or ad. 20 clicks on 1,000 impressions gives a CTR of 2 percent.
- Conversion and salesCustomer journeyThe customer journey is every step a customer goes through, from noticing a need to buying and perhaps recommending you to others.
- Conversion and salesCustomer reviewsCustomer reviews are ratings from customers, with stars and text, on Google, Facebook, Trustpilot or your own website.
D
- Website and technologyDatabaseA database is an organised store of information such as customers, orders and products, where programs can quickly search, save and change it.
- Website and technologyDNSDomain Name SystemDNS is the internet's address book. It translates your domain into the address of the server where your website and email actually live.
- Website and technologyDomainA domain is your website's address, like yourcompany.no. You subscribe to it through a registrar and must renew it to keep it.
E
- SEO and visibilityE-E-A-TExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, TrustworthinessE-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. Google uses it to describe content that can be trusted.
- Brand and contentEmail marketingEmail marketing is sending newsletters and offers by email to people who have agreed to receive them, to stay in touch and sell more.
- Website and technologyEmail on your own domainEmail on your own domain means an address like [email protected] instead of [email protected]. It looks more serious, and the business owns it.
F
- SEO and visibilityFeatured snippetA featured snippet is a box at the top of Google that shows an excerpt from one web page as the answer to the search, above the regular results.
- Website and technologyFrontend and backendFrontend and backend are the two parts of a website or app: what you see in the browser, and the machinery on the server that stores and fetches data.
G
- Website and technologyGDPRGeneral Data Protection RegulationGDPR is the EU's data protection regulation. It applies as Norwegian law and sets how businesses may collect and use information about people.
- AI and automationGenerative AIGenerative AI is AI that creates something new, such as text, images, audio or video, from a description you type in.
- AdvertisingGoogle AdsGoogle Ads is Google's advertising tool. You choose keywords, set a budget and usually pay when someone clicks on the ad.
- Analytics and measurementGoogle AnalyticsGA4Google Analytics is Google's free tool for measuring visits to your website. The version in use today is called GA4.
- SEO and visibilityGoogle Business ProfileGoogle Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business in Google Maps and Search, with address, opening hours and reviews.
- SEO and visibilityGoogle Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows which searches your website appears for, and whether Google can read your pages.
H
- Analytics and measurementHeatmapA heatmap is a colour map of a web page that shows where visitors click, and how far down the page they actually scroll.
- Website and technologyHostingWeb hostingHosting is renting space on a server that runs around the clock, so your website is available to everyone who visits it.
I
- SEO and visibilityIndexingIndexing is when Google has stored a page in its register. Only pages that are indexed can appear in the search results.
- AdvertisingInfluencer marketingInfluencer marketing is when you pay or give perks to someone with a social media following so that they show off what you sell.
- AI and automationIntegrationAn integration connects two systems so they share data automatically, such as your website and your CRM, or your booking system and your calendar.
- SEO and visibilityInternal linkingInternal linking means links from one page on your website to another page on the same website, in the menus and in the text.
K
- SEO and visibilityKeywordsKeywords are the words people type into Google when they are looking for something. Your website should use the same words as your customers.
- Analytics and measurementKPIKey performance indicatorA KPI is a key number you have chosen to track, to see whether your business or your marketing is heading in the right direction.
L
- Website and technologyLanding pageA landing page is a separate page built for one purpose, such as getting visitors from an ad to book or get in touch.
- AI and automationLanguage modelLLM (Large Language Model)A language model is the AI behind tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Trained on huge amounts of text, it answers by working out what fits best.
- Conversion and salesLeadPotential customerA lead is a person or business that has shown interest and given you their contact details, but has not bought yet.
- Conversion and salesLead magnetA lead magnet is something useful you give away for free, like a checklist or a template, in return for people giving you their email address.
- AI and automationllms.txtllms.txt is a proposed text file at the root of a website that gives AI tools a short overview of what the site is about and where the content is.
- SEO and visibilityLocal SEOLocal SEO is the work of being found when people search for a service nearby, in Google Maps and in the map in the search results.
M
- AdvertisingMeta adsAds on Facebook and InstagramMeta ads are paid ads on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, set up in one shared tool: Meta Ads Manager.
- SEO and visibilityMeta descriptionThe meta description is a short text in the code that sums up the page. Google may show it below the title in the search result.
- Website and technologyMobile firstMobile first means a website is planned for the phone screen first, and that Google uses the mobile version of a page to index and rank it.
O
- Website and technologyOnline storeE-commerceAn online store is a website where customers can choose products, pay and have them delivered or collected, without you having to be there.
- SEO and visibilityOrganic trafficOrganic traffic is visitors who come from the ordinary search results in Google or Bing, not from ads you pay for.
P
- Website and technologyPage speedPage speed is how quickly your website loads and becomes ready to use. It shows most on a phone with poor coverage.
- Analytics and measurementPageviewA pageview is one load of a page on your website in a browser. Someone who reads three pages produces three pageviews.
- Website and technologyPluginA plugin is an add-on you install in a publishing system such as WordPress to give your website a new feature, like a form or an online store.
- Brand and contentPositioningPositioning is the place you want in the customer's mind compared with competitors, such as the fastest, the most affordable or the expert in one thing.
- AdvertisingPPCPay per clickPPC is a pricing model for ads where you pay each time someone clicks, not for the ad being shown.
- Website and technologyPrivacy policyA privacy policy is the page where you explain what information you collect about people, why, how long you keep it and what rights they have.
- AI and automationPromptA prompt is the instruction you give an AI tool, meaning the text you type into ChatGPT or similar to get an answer or a draft.
R
- AI and automationRAGRetrieval-augmented generationRAG is when an AI looks things up in your own documents before it answers, so the answer rests on your facts, not just on what the model learned.
- Website and technologyResponsive designResponsive design means your website adapts to the screen it is shown on, so it is as easy to read and use on a phone as on a PC.
- AdvertisingRetargetingRemarketingRetargeting is ads shown to people who have already visited your website, to remind them of you and bring them back.
- AdvertisingROASReturn on ad spendROAS is how much revenue you get back per krone spent on ads. NOK 10,000 in sales on NOK 2,000 in ads gives a ROAS of 5.
- SEO and visibilityrobots.txtrobots.txt is a text file on your website that tells search engine robots which parts of the site they are allowed to visit.
- Analytics and measurementROIReturn on investmentROI is how much you earn on an investment, measured against what it cost. It counts profit, not just revenue.
S
- Conversion and salesSales funnelFunnelA sales funnel is a model of the path from someone hearing about you to becoming a customer. Many start at the top, fewer reach the bottom.
- SEO and visibilitySearch intentSearch intent is what the person behind a search really wants: to learn something, find a specific website, compare or buy.
- AdvertisingSEMSearch engine marketingSEM is marketing in search engines. In practice it usually means paid ads in Google, where you pay when someone clicks.
- SEO and visibilitySEOSearch engine optimisationSEO is the work of making your website easy to find in Google without paying for ads, through content, technical setup and links.
- SEO and visibilitySERPSearch engine results pageSERP is the page you get after a search in Google, with ads, ordinary results, maps and other panels mixed together.
- SEO and visibilitySitemapA sitemap is a file that lists the addresses on your website, so Google can more easily find all the pages you want included in search.
- Conversion and salesSocial proofSocial proof is a sign that others have already chosen you, such as reviews, customer stories and well-known clients, and it makes saying yes easier.
- Website and technologySPF, DKIM and DMARCSPF, DKIM and DMARC are three DNS records that let the recipient check that email from your domain really comes from you, so it stays out of spam.
- Website and technologySSL certificateHTTPS and the padlock in the browserAn SSL certificate lets your website use HTTPS, so the traffic between the visitor and your site is encrypted on the way.
- SEO and visibilityStructured dataSchema.orgStructured data is code that tells search engines what the content on a page is, for example a business, a product, a price or an event.
T
- Brand and contentTarget audienceYour target audience is the customers you most want to reach, described so concretely that you know where they are, what they need and what makes them choose.
- SEO and visibilityTitle tagThe title tag is the page's title in the code. Google often uses it as the clickable headline in the search result.
- Brand and contentTone of voiceTone of voice is how your business sounds when it writes and speaks: the words it chooses, how formal it is and how personal it is.
- AdvertisingTracking pixelThe Meta Pixel and similarA tracking pixel is a snippet of code from an ad platform, such as the Meta Pixel, that reports to the platform what visitors do on your website.
- Analytics and measurementTraffic sourceA traffic source is where visitors came from before they landed on your website, such as Google search, an ad, Facebook or a newsletter.
U
- Website and technologyUIUser interfaceUI is what you actually see and tap on a website or in an app: buttons, menus, forms, text sizes and colours.
- Website and technologyUptimeUptime is the share of time a website is available, given as a percentage. 99.9 per cent uptime allows almost nine hours of downtime a year.
- Website and technologyURLWeb addressA URL is the full address of one specific page on the web, such as https://yourcompany.no/prices. It tells the browser exactly where to go.
- Conversion and salesUser testingUser testing means watching real people try to complete a task on your website while they think aloud, without you helping them.
- Analytics and measurementUTM parametersUTM parameters are small tags you add to the end of a link, so your analytics tool sees exactly where a visit came from.
- Website and technologyUXUser experienceUX is what it is like to use your website: whether people find what they are looking for, understand what they read and get done what they came for.
V
- Brand and contentValue propositionYour value proposition is the short answer to why a customer should choose you: what you solve, for whom, and why you beat the alternative.
- Brand and contentVisual identityA visual identity is the fixed set of rules for how a business looks: logo, colours, typefaces, image style and how they are used together.
W
- Website and technologyWeb accessibilityUniversell utforming and WCAGWeb accessibility means as many people as possible can use your website, including people with poor sight, screen reader users and people without a mouse.
- Website and technologyWeb applicationWeb appA web application is a program that runs in the browser, such as a customer portal, a booking system or an internal tool with a login.
- Website and technologyWireframePage sketchA wireframe is a simple grey-and-black sketch of a web page, showing what goes where before anyone thinks about colours and images.
- Website and technologyWordPressWordPress is a free, open-source publishing system. You use it to build and edit websites, and can extend it with add-ons.
Z
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