Glossary

AdSense – an advertisement application run by Google®.  Site owners create an account, and allow Google-generated ads to appear on their site whether in contexual format, image display, or more recently, video image display. From these ads, site owners can generate revenue either on a per-click, or per-impression basis.

AdWords – A Google product consisting of contextual advertising.  These ad placements are found on the “sponsored” listing page when conducting a Google search. AdWords offer PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, and are targeted based on text. Banner ads are also available. Distributional reach is local, national, or international.

Email Marketing – a form of direct marketing which uses email as a means of communicating a commercial messages to an audience.

Google Analytics – a free service offered by Google that generates statistics about traffic and visitors to a website. Google Analytics tracks items to include visitors to a website, display advertising clicks, pay-per-click network, email marketing, as well as digital collateral, such as links within documents.

Keyword Research – A practice utilized by search engine optimization professionals which includes research of actual search terms people will enter into search engines when conducting a search.

Link Building – the practice of obtaining links from external sites to improve site referrals, as well as search engine rankings.

Podcasts – Audio or digital-media files distributed via syndicated download, available through media player feeds or computers. What sets a podcast apart from other digital media forms, is it’s ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, or automatically downloaded when new content has been added.

Paid Inclusion - A marketing product purchased via search engines for inclusion of their respective site indices.

Pay-per-click (PPC) - An internet advertising model used by search engines, content websites, and ad networks.  Advertisers only pay when a searcher clicks on an advertiser’s ad placement, and is routed through to the advertiser’s website. Advertiser’s purchase keywords, or keyword phrases; and when these word combinations are entered by a searcher, the advertiser’s ad will appear on the search results page. PPC advertisements are commonly referred to as “sponsored” ads, or paid listings, and are displayed opposite the search result page from organic, or “natural” search results.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) – An Internet marketing strategy that involves promoting a website by increasing it’s visibility in search engine results pages, via paid, or “sponsored” ad listings. Search Engine Marketing methods include search engine optimization (SEO), paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – An Internet marketing strategy that involves the process of improving both the volume, and quality of traffic to a website, via organic, or natural search engine results.

Viral Marketing – Marketing techniques that employ the usage of social networking channels to produce brand visibility or awareness through viral processes. This phenomenon encourages people to pass along marketing messages voluntarily; also commonly referred to as Word-of-Mouth marketing (WOM).

Web Analytics – The measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web site usage. There are two categories of web analytics; off-site and on-site web analytics.