Simplified StartupA/B Testing
Showing two versions of something (a page, an email, an ad) to different people at the same time to see which performs better. The winner becomes the new standard.
Marketing glossary
Marketingwithout the jargon.
If you've ever nodded along in a meeting without knowing what a term meant, start here. Every definition is written in plain English — the way we'd explain it to a friend.
68 terms, plain and simple
A
AI Search
When people search using AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity instead of Google. Businesses can now show up (or not) inside those AI answers.
Alt Text
A short description of an image added to the site's code. It helps visually impaired visitors and helps Google understand the picture.
Analytics
The data that shows how people use your website — how many visitors, where they came from, what they clicked, and what they did.
Anchor Text
The clickable words in a link. Good anchor text describes where the link goes (e.g. “our pricing page” rather than “click here”).
B
Backlink
A link from another website to yours. Google treats backlinks a bit like recommendations — the more good ones you have, the more trusted your site looks.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave after seeing only one page. A very high bounce rate can mean the page didn't match what they were looking for.
Branding
The overall look, feel, and voice of your business — logo, colors, tone, messaging. It's how people recognize and remember you.
Bundle
A few related services grouped together as one offer — usually easier to buy and often at a small discount vs picking each service on its own.
C
CPC (Cost Per Click)
How much you pay each time someone clicks one of your ads.
CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions)
How much you pay to have your ad shown a thousand times, whether or not people click.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
A tool for keeping track of your leads and customers — who they are, what they've asked about, and what stage they're at in your pipeline.
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)
Improving a website so more visitors take action — like booking a call or making a purchase.
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
The percentage of people who see something (an ad, an email, a search result) and actually click on it.
Call-to-Action (CTA)
The one thing you want a visitor to do next — like “Book a Free Call” or “See Pricing.” Every good page has a clear CTA.
Content Marketing
Creating useful articles, guides, videos, or posts that attract customers over time — instead of paying for ads.
Conversion
When a visitor takes the action you wanted — filling out a form, buying, booking a call. Every campaign is measured by conversions.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who convert. If 100 people visit and 3 book a call, the conversion rate is 3%.
D
Domain
Your website address — like simplifiedstartup.com. Something you own and use across your website and email.
Domain Authority
A score (out of 100) that estimates how strong a website looks to search engines. Higher usually means better ranking chances.
E
E-E-A-T
Google's standard for good content: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Sites that clearly show these tend to rank better.
Email Marketing
Sending emails to a list of customers or prospects — newsletters, offers, updates — to keep them engaged and drive sales.
Engagement
Any action people take with your content — likes, comments, shares, replies. It's a sign your content is resonating.
F
Funnel
The path someone takes from first hearing about you to becoming a customer — usually awareness, interest, decision, and action.
G
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
Optimizing your content so AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity mention and recommend your business when people ask them questions.
Google Ads
Paid ads that appear at the top of Google search results. You pay per click.
Google Analytics
A free tool from Google that shows you how visitors are using your website.
Google Business Profile
Your free business listing on Google — what people see on Google Maps and in local search results. Formerly Google My Business.
H
Hashtag
A word or phrase preceded by # on social media. It groups posts around a topic so people searching for that topic can find them.
Homepage
The main page of your website — what people usually see first. Its job is to explain who you are and where to go next.
I
Impression
A single instance of your content or ad being shown to someone — whether or not they clicked or engaged.
Influencer Marketing
Paying (or partnering with) someone who has a following on social media to promote your business to their audience.
Internal Linking
Links from one page on your site to another. Helps visitors navigate and helps Google understand which pages are important.
K
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
The main numbers you use to measure success — like leads per month, cost per click, or search rankings.
Keyword
A word or phrase people type into Google. SEO is largely about matching the keywords your customers use with the pages you create.
Keyword Research
The work of finding out which keywords your customers actually search for, so your content targets the right ones.
L
Landing Page
A single page built for one specific purpose — usually to convert visitors from an ad or campaign into leads or customers.
Lead
Someone who has shown interest in your business — filled out a form, requested a quote, or booked a call.
Lead Generation
The work of attracting people interested in your business and collecting their contact details so you can follow up.
Local SEO
The kind of SEO that helps a business show up on Google Maps and in local search results (e.g. “coffee shop near me”).
M
Meta Description
The short description of a page shown under its title in Google results. It doesn't affect ranking directly but does affect whether people click.
Meta Title
The clickable page title shown in Google search results. One of the most important SEO elements on any page.
Mobile-Friendly
A site that looks and works well on phones and tablets. Google prefers these, and most of your visitors are on mobile.
Money Page
A page built around one specific service, business type, and location — like “SEO for realtors in Raleigh.” Designed to attract high-intent searches.
O
Off-Page SEO
SEO work done off your own site — mainly earning backlinks and mentions from other trusted websites.
Open Rate
The percentage of people who open an email you send. A quick health check on your subject line and audience.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who come from Google's free (unpaid) search results — as opposed to paid ads or social.
P
PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
A paid advertising model where you only pay when someone clicks your ad. Google Ads and most social ads work this way.
Package
A big all-in-one offer that covers many services together, usually at a lower price than buying each separately.
Paid Search
Ads shown in search results that you pay for — the top of Google, above the free results. Also called PPC or SEM.
Paid Social
Ads run on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.
R
ROI (Return on Investment)
How much money you got back compared to how much you spent. A simple way to measure whether a campaign was worth it.
Ranking
Where your page appears in Google's results for a given keyword. Position 1 is the top, and higher is almost always better.
Reach
The number of unique people who saw your content — different from impressions, which count each view.
Retargeting
Ads shown to people who already visited your site — a reminder to come back and take the next step.
S
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
A broad term that usually means paid search ads on Google. Sometimes used to mean SEO + paid search together.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
The work that helps a website show up higher in Google's free (unpaid) search results.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page you see after typing something into Google. What appears where decides who gets clicked.
Schema Markup
Extra code added to a page that helps Google understand what's on it — like reviews, prices, or FAQs. Often produces the “rich results” you see in search.
Sitemap
A file that lists all the pages on your site so Google can find and index them more easily.
Social Media Management
The ongoing work of running a business's social accounts — posting, responding, and growing an audience.
T
Target Audience
The specific group of people your marketing is meant to reach — defined by things like age, location, industry, or interests.
Technical SEO
The behind-the-scenes SEO work — site speed, mobile-friendliness, clean code, and structure — that makes Google trust and understand your site.
Traffic
The number of people visiting your website, from all sources combined.
U
URL
The web address of a page — like simplifiedstartup.com/services/seo. Clean, readable URLs are better for people and search engines.
UX (User Experience)
How easy and pleasant a website is to use. Good UX keeps visitors around and helps them convert.
W
Web Design
The visual and structural design of a website — how it looks, how it's laid out, and how visitors move through it.
Workflow Automation
Setting up your tools so repetitive tasks happen automatically — like follow-up emails, moving leads through your CRM, or posting to social media.
Have a term we missed?
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Marketing changes fast, and we add new terms as they come up. Heard something you're not sure about? We'll add it here.