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BEGINNER LEARNING PATH
30 useful terms · Simple English
Digital marketing glossary.
Words made simple.
A short meaning. A familiar example. A lesson when you want to understand more.
Basics terms
Audience
The people a message is meant to reach. A useful audience has a reason to care about the offer.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleFor a birthday cake offer, the audience may include parents planning a celebration.
An audience is a group. A lead is someone who has shown interest.
Call to action (CTA)
Words that tell someone the next step they can take. A CTA may appear on a button or as a link.
See a simple example
Fictional example“Ask about cake sizes” tells a visitor what they can do next.
The next step should match the offer and explain what happens when someone clicks.
Conversion
An action chosen for measurement, such as a submitted enquiry or a completed purchase.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery chooses a completed order form as one conversion action.
Check the action’s name. A button click and a paid order measure different things.
Customer journey
The steps a person may take from first noticing a business to learning about it, asking questions and deciding.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA parent sees a cake photo, checks sizes on the website and later asks about an order.
People may skip steps, return later or choose a different business. The journey is not always a straight line.
Landing page
The web page someone arrives on after opening a link. A campaign page often focuses on one offer and one main next step.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleAn ad about birthday cakes opens the bakery’s birthday cake page.
Help the visitor find the information promised in the message that brought them there.
Lead
A person or business that shows interest in an offer, often by asking a question or sharing contact details.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA parent messages a bakery to ask about a cake for Sunday.
The enquiry still needs checking. A lead has not necessarily placed an order.
SEO terms
Backlink
A link from another website to a page on your website. It gives visitors another way to discover that page.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA local event website links to the bakery’s cake guide as a useful resource.
A relevant, genuine link is different from buying links to manipulate search rankings.
Internal link
A link from one page to another page on the same website. It helps people find related information.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleThe cake-size guide links to the bakery’s delivery information.
Use clear link words that explain the next page. This glossary’s lesson links are internal links.
Keyword
A word or phrase connected with what someone searches for. It can be a full question, not just one word.
See a simple example
Fictional example“What size cake do I need?” is a possible search phrase.
Understand the question behind the words. Repeating the same phrase many times does not make the answer more helpful.
Organic search traffic
Visits from unpaid search results. It describes where a visit came from, rather than whether the visitor bought anything.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleSomeone opens a cake-size guide from a regular search result.
Unpaid search traffic can still require time and money to create and maintain useful pages.
SEO
Search engine optimisation: helping search engines understand a page and helping people find useful answers through unpaid search results.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery writes a clear guide answering questions about cake sizes.
SEO does not guarantee a particular ranking. The answer still needs to be useful and accessible.
Search intent
What a person is trying to do or understand when they search. The page should help with that need.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleSomeone searching “cake designs” may want to see options. Someone searching “cake delivery area” needs delivery details.
One page does not need to answer every possible question. Give it a clear purpose.
Social Media terms
Content
Information people can read, watch or listen to. In marketing, it should help the intended audience understand something useful.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA cake photo, a short decorating video and a guide to choosing a size are all content.
Choose the format that helps explain the idea. A post does not need to include everything the business knows.
Engagement
Interactions with content, such as reactions, comments, saves or shares. The included actions depend on the platform and report.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleSomeone saves a cake-design post to look at later.
Engagement can indicate interest, but actual enquiries and orders need their own checks.
Follower
A person or account that chooses to follow an account’s updates. Following does not mean seeing every future post.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA parent follows a bakery to see more cake designs.
Follower count alone does not show how many people will enquire or place an order.
Hashtag
A word or phrase preceded by the # symbol, used on some platforms to label or connect content about a topic.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery may use a relevant cake-related hashtag with a cake post.
How hashtags work varies by platform. Adding many tags does not guarantee reach.
Impressions
The number of times content or an ad was shown, according to the report’s counting rules. Repeat displays may be counted.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleThe same person seeing a cake ad twice may produce two impressions.
An impression does not prove that someone read the full message, clicked it or bought anything.
Reach
Usually the number of different people or accounts that saw content. The platform’s definition and estimation rules matter.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleOne person may see the same cake post several times while still being one person reached.
Reach and impressions are different. Check how the report counts each one before comparing platforms.
Ads terms
Ad
A paid advertising message. It may use text, an image, a video or a combination, depending on where it appears.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery pays to show a message about its birthday cakes.
The message should explain a real offer and lead to a relevant next step.
Budget
The amount planned or set for advertising. Spending limits and billing rules depend on the platform and settings.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery decides how much it can allocate to an advertising campaign.
Read the platform’s current spending rules. There is no single correct budget for every business.
Campaign
A group of advertising activity organised around a goal. Its structure and settings depend on the platform.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery groups ads intended to bring suitable birthday-cake enquiries into a campaign.
A campaign can contain several ads. Check its goal before judging the result.
Creative
The words, image, video or design used in an ad. It is the material the person sees or hears.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA real cake photo and a caption explaining available sizes form part of the creative.
The creative should match the offer and the page or conversation people reach next.
Objective
The goal selected for advertising, such as helping people notice an offer or encouraging a particular action.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery wants relevant enquiries rather than only video views.
The platform’s available objectives and settings may change. Choose settings that fit the actual business goal.
Targeting
The settings and signals used to guide which people may see an ad. Available controls depend on the platform and campaign.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleA bakery serving one area uses relevant location settings for its advertising.
Delivery also depends on the platform’s systems and other settings. Targeting is not a promise of sales.
Results terms
Click-through rate (CTR)
The percentage of impressions that produced clicks. Use clicks and impressions from the same report and period.
See a simple example
Fictional example50 clicks ÷ 1,000 impressions × 100 = 5% CTR. These are fictional teaching numbers.
Check which kind of click is counted. A higher CTR alone does not tell you the number of orders.
Conversion rate
The percentage of a defined group that completed a chosen action. Say which action and starting group you are using.
See a simple example
Fictional example10 enquiry submissions from 100 visits = 10% enquiry conversion rate in this fictional website example.
Different reports may use different starting groups. Use matching definitions when comparing rates.
Cost per click (CPC)
Advertising cost divided by the number of clicks. This gives an average cost for each counted click.
See a simple example
Fictional example₹1,000 ad spend ÷ 50 clicks = ₹20 average CPC. These are fictional teaching numbers.
A low click cost is useful only when the visitors suit the offer and can take a useful next step.
Cost per lead (CPL)
Advertising cost divided by the number of leads being measured. Define what counts as a lead before comparing costs.
See a simple example
Fictional example₹1,000 ad spend ÷ 10 valid enquiries = ₹100 CPL. These are fictional teaching numbers.
Check the quality of the enquiries. Lead cost does not tell you how many became paid orders.
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Revenue attributed to advertising divided by the advertising spend. It describes attributed revenue, not profit.
See a simple example
Fictional example₹3,000 attributed revenue ÷ ₹1,000 ad spend = 3× ROAS. These are fictional teaching numbers.
Check how revenue was attributed to the ads and whether the costs and dates match the comparison.
Revenue
Money earned from sales before the relevant business costs are deducted. It is different from profit.
See a simple example
Fictional exampleIn a fictional example, three ₹1,000 cake orders produce ₹3,000 in sales revenue.
Ingredients, delivery, advertising and other relevant costs still need to be considered when working out profit.
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Try a shorter word or choose another topic.
A few common questions
Do I need to memorise these terms?
No. Start with the idea and the example. Return to this glossary when a word appears in a lesson or report.
Is a lead the same as a customer?
A lead has shown interest. A customer has made a purchase or bought a service. A business still needs to understand the enquiry and help the person decide.
Why can two reports show different numbers?
They may count different actions, use different dates or give credit differently. Check what each measure includes before comparing it.
Where should I start learning digital marketing?
Start with our digital marketing basics lesson. It explains the main ideas before the tools. Then follow the eight lessons at your own pace.