A comprehensive glossary of 50+ digital marketing, SEO, PPC, social media, and web development terms explained in plain language.
This glossary covers the essential digital marketing terms you need to know in 2026, from SEO and PPC basics to technical concepts and business metrics. Each term is explained in clear, jargon-free language to help marketers, business owners, and students understand the digital marketing landscape.
Terms are organised alphabetically. Where relevant, we have linked to our service pages for more detailed information on how The MAD can help with that area of digital marketing.
A/B Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or ad to determine which performs better. One version is shown to half the audience and the other to the rest, with the winning variant measured by conversions, clicks, or engagement.
Ad Rank
A value used by Google Ads to determine your ad position on the search results page. It is calculated from your bid amount, ad quality (Quality Score), expected impact of ad extensions, and the context of the search.
AIEO
AI Engine Optimisation. The practice of structuring website content so that AI-powered search tools (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity) can understand, cite, and recommend your business. Related to but distinct from traditional SEO.
API
Application Programming Interface. A set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs enable integrations between tools, such as connecting your CRM with your email marketing platform.
B2B
Business-to-Business. Commerce or marketing between two businesses, as opposed to between a business and an individual consumer. B2B marketing typically involves longer sales cycles and multiple decision-makers.
B2C
Business-to-Consumer. Commerce or marketing directly from a business to individual consumers. B2C marketing tends to focus on emotional appeals, convenience, and impulse purchasing.
Backlink
A link from one website to another. Backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites are a key ranking factor in SEO, signalling to search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable.
Bid Strategy
In PPC advertising, the approach used to set how much you are willing to pay for clicks or conversions. Common strategies include manual CPC, target CPA (cost per acquisition), target ROAS, and maximise conversions.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who land on a page and leave without interacting further — no clicks, no scrolling, no second pageview. A high bounce rate may indicate irrelevant content, slow load times, or poor user experience.
Brand Awareness
The extent to which consumers recognise and remember your brand. Building brand awareness is often a primary goal of marketing campaigns, measured through surveys, search volume for brand terms, and social mentions.
Canonical URL
An HTML element that tells search engines which version of a URL is the preferred or original version when duplicate or similar pages exist. Proper canonical tags prevent duplicate content issues in SEO.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who click on a link, ad, or call-to-action after seeing it. Calculated as clicks divided by impressions multiplied by 100. A key metric in both SEO and PPC.
CMS
Content Management System. Software that allows you to create, manage, and modify website content without writing code. Popular CMS platforms include WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow.
Content Calendar
A schedule that plans when and where you will publish upcoming content. It helps maintain consistent posting across blogs, social media, email, and other channels.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action on your website, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter. Calculated as conversions divided by total visitors multiplied by 100.
Core Web Vitals
A set of Google metrics measuring real-world user experience: Largest Contentful Paint (loading speed), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). These are ranking factors in Google Search.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
The amount an advertiser pays each time someone clicks on their ad. In Google Ads, CPC is determined by your bid, Quality Score, and competition for that keyword.
Crawl Budget
The number of pages a search engine bot will crawl on your site within a given timeframe. Important for large websites where not all pages may be crawled frequently.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets. A language used to control the visual presentation of web pages, including layout, colours, fonts, and responsive design across different devices.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
The total revenue a business can expect from a single customer account over the entire duration of their relationship. CLV helps determine how much to invest in acquiring and retaining customers.
Display Network
A collection of websites, apps, and videos where Google Ads display ads can appear. The Google Display Network reaches over 90% of internet users globally through banner ads, responsive ads, and video ads.
DNS
Domain Name System. The system that translates human-readable domain names (like themad.in) into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network.
Domain Authority
A score (developed by Moz, with similar metrics from other tools) that predicts how well a website will rank in search results. It is based on the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to the domain. Not an official Google metric but a useful benchmark.
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google’s quality guidelines for evaluating content. Pages demonstrating strong E-E-A-T are more likely to rank well, especially for health, finance, and other sensitive topics.
Engagement Rate
A metric measuring how actively your audience interacts with your content. On social media, it is typically calculated as total engagements (likes, comments, shares) divided by reach or followers.
Featured Snippet
A highlighted search result that appears above the standard organic results on Google (position zero). Featured snippets extract and display a direct answer from a webpage in formats like paragraphs, lists, or tables.
Funnel
A model representing the customer journey from initial awareness to final purchase (and beyond). Typical stages: awareness, interest, consideration, intent, purchase, loyalty. Marketing strategies differ at each stage.
Google Ads
Google’s online advertising platform where businesses bid to display ads on Google Search results, YouTube, and partner websites. Formerly known as Google AdWords. The primary platform for PPC advertising.
Google Algorithm
The complex system Google uses to rank web pages in search results. It considers hundreds of factors including relevance, quality, backlinks, user experience, and E-E-A-T. Major updates are given names (e.g., Helpful Content Update, Core Updates).
Hreflang
An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page to show users in different countries. Essential for multilingual websites to avoid duplicate content issues across language versions.
HTTPS
HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. The encrypted version of HTTP that secures data between a browser and website. An SSL/TLS certificate enables HTTPS. Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal.
Impression Share
In PPC, the percentage of times your ad was shown compared to the total number of times it was eligible to appear. Low impression share may indicate budget constraints or low Ad Rank.
Impressions
The number of times your content (ad, social post, search listing) is displayed to users, regardless of whether it was clicked. One person seeing your ad three times counts as three impressions.
Indexing
The process by which search engines discover, analyse, and store web pages in their database (index). Only indexed pages can appear in search results. You can check indexing status in Google Search Console.
Influencer Marketing
A strategy where brands collaborate with individuals who have a significant online following to promote products or services. Effectiveness depends on the influencer’s relevance to your audience, not just their follower count.
JSON-LD
JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data. A format for implementing structured data (schema markup) on web pages. It is Google’s preferred format and is added as a script block in the page’s HTML without altering the visible content.
Keyword Density
The percentage of times a target keyword appears in a page’s content relative to the total word count. Once a key SEO metric, modern search engines now prioritise natural language and topical relevance over exact keyword frequency.
KPI
Key Performance Indicator. A measurable value that indicates how effectively a business is achieving its key objectives. In digital marketing, common KPIs include conversion rate, cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, and organic traffic growth.
Landing Page
A standalone web page designed specifically for a marketing campaign. Visitors arrive from an ad, email, or social media link, and the page is focused on a single call-to-action (CTA) to maximise conversions.
Lazy Loading
A technique that delays loading images, videos, or other resources until they are about to enter the user’s viewport. Improves initial page load speed and Core Web Vitals, especially on image-heavy pages.
Lead Generation
The process of attracting and converting prospects into potential customers (leads) who have expressed interest in your product or service, typically through forms, downloads, consultations, or other conversion points.
Link Building
The SEO practice of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. Quality backlinks from relevant, authoritative sites remain one of the most important ranking factors in Google’s algorithm.
Market Segmentation
The process of dividing a broad market into smaller, more defined groups of consumers who share similar characteristics, needs, or behaviours. Segmentation enables more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.
Meta Description
An HTML attribute (up to 155-160 characters) that summarises a web page’s content. While not a direct ranking factor, a compelling meta description improves click-through rates from search results.
Mobile-First
A design and development approach that prioritises the mobile experience before scaling up to tablet and desktop. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of a page for ranking.
Negative Keywords
In PPC, keywords you explicitly exclude from your campaigns so your ads do not appear for irrelevant searches. For example, a premium software company might add “free” as a negative keyword to avoid unqualified clicks.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A customer loyalty metric based on one question: “How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend?” Responses range from 0-10. Scores of 9-10 are promoters, 7-8 are passives, and 0-6 are detractors.
Nofollow
A link attribute (rel=”nofollow”) that tells search engines not to pass ranking authority (link equity) through that link. Commonly used for paid links, user-generated content, and untrusted sources.
On-Page SEO
Optimisation techniques applied directly to web pages to improve search rankings. Includes title tags, meta descriptions, header structure, content quality, internal linking, image alt text, URL structure, and schema markup. See our SEO services.
Organic Reach
The number of unique users who see your content without paid promotion. On social media, organic reach has declined significantly over the years as platforms prioritise paid content and personal connections in feeds.
PageRank
An algorithm developed by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin that evaluates the importance of web pages based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to them. While the public PageRank score was retired, the concept remains part of Google’s ranking system.
Progressive Web App (PWA)
A web application that uses modern browser features to deliver an app-like experience. PWAs can work offline, send push notifications, and be installed on home screens, combining the reach of the web with the functionality of native apps.
Quality Score
A Google Ads metric (1-10) that estimates the quality and relevance of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. Higher Quality Scores lead to lower costs per click and better ad positions. Based on expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
Remarketing
A digital advertising strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website or interacted with your content. Remarketing (also called retargeting) keeps your brand visible and encourages return visits and conversions.
ROAS
Return on Ad Spend. The revenue generated for every rupee (or dollar) spent on advertising. Calculated as total revenue from ads divided by total ad spend. A ROAS of 4:1 means INR 4 earned for every INR 1 spent.
ROI
Return on Investment. A metric that measures the profitability of an investment. Calculated as (net profit from investment minus cost of investment) divided by cost of investment, expressed as a percentage.
SaaS
Software as a Service. A software distribution model where applications are hosted in the cloud and accessed via subscription rather than installed locally. Examples include Google Workspace, Slack, and The MAD’s software products.
Schema Markup
Structured data vocabulary (from schema.org) added to web pages to help search engines understand the content more precisely. Enables rich results like star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event details, and product information in search results.
Search Network
In Google Ads, the group of search-related websites and apps where your text ads can appear. Includes Google Search, Google Maps, Google Shopping, and search partner sites.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer. A security protocol that encrypts data transmitted between a web server and a browser. SSL certificates enable HTTPS and are essential for website security, user trust, and SEO.
USP
Unique Selling Proposition. The distinct benefit or feature that sets your product or service apart from competitors. A clear USP answers the question: “Why should a customer choose you over the competition?”
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Content created by customers or users rather than the brand itself. Includes reviews, testimonials, social media posts, photos, and videos. UGC builds trust and social proof because it comes from real people.
WebP
An image format developed by Google that provides superior compression (both lossy and lossless) compared to JPEG and PNG. WebP images are typically 25-35% smaller, improving page load speed without visible quality loss.
From SEO and PPC to web development and social media, The MAD helps Indian businesses grow online with data-driven strategies.
