Today Redcliffe Marketing Labs looks at some of the main terms you will come across in any online “handbook” on SEO – that’s Search Engine Optimisation, by the way 😉
We are aware that many of the terms used by Internet marketing companies are not self-explanatory and can get people heading for their “Geek-Speak Encyclopedia” to make sense of it all.
We are also aware that there are a lot of terms that need explaining – that’s why we’ve split it up into several parts, beginning today with Part 1: from A to C.
This is by no means an exhaustive list; it’s really just a start.
Above The Fold
Although this is newspaper language, meaning the top part of a broadsheet paper , above where it used to folded, it is now taken to mean the part of a webpage you can see in the browser without scrolling down. Why is this important to think about? You need to present your most important information and your main call to action in this space so that it is obvious.
AdCenter
Microsoft’s cost per click ad network. It is the Microsoft version of Google Adwords, which is more successful and well-known, but may present some cheaper opportunities for paid traffic for your website.
AdSense
This is Google’s contextual advertising service. As a publisher using this service you are able to position relevant ads next to your content and make a commission for each click.
AdWords
This is Google’s advertisement and link auction network, using keywords as its whole basis. Here you can bid for keyword phrases and create ads that will be positioned next to search results for a particular term; you only pay when visitors click through the ad to your site.
Affiliate Marketing
This is a popular way for Internet marketers to distribute products and services far and wide through a network of other marketers who sell for them in exchange for a commission, on a cost per action (CPA) basis. An example would be http://redcliffemarketinglabs.com.au/hostgator whereby if you click that link and then purchase a website hosting package(very good provider) then we would receive a commission.
Analytics Software
Analytics software is an important tool for website owners to track page views, user paths and conversion statistics. Measurement is critical for you to be able to assess the success of campaigns and adjust your online marketing accordingly. Think Google Analytics, GetClicky or Woopra
Anchor Text
This is the actual text within a link, that a web user clicks on. Making the anchor text of links keyword-rich is often said to boost your SEO but don’t overdo it by using the same anchor text repeatedly – mix it up. In the entry above ‘Google Analytics’ is the anchor text and ‘www.google.com/analytics’ is the link.
Authority
An important commodity for online marketers, authority is seen as the ability to rank well in search engine results. A high level of authority is achieved by active SEO – back-links, optimised copy, regular content – and by old sites with a well-indexed library of content.
Backlink (Inbound Link)
Links that point towards your site from external sites, either organically or by an orchestrated program of off-page SEO that usually targets gathering backlinks via article publishing, link-baiting, guest blogging etc.
Blog/ Blogger/Blogging
Short for Weblog – which is essentially a regularly- updated online journal in reverse chronological order, with most recent entries listed at the top. They increasingly allow interaction via comments sections, as the web becomes more social-media based. Somebody who writes blogs is a “blogger” and the act of writing a blog can be called “blogging”. Regular blogging helps to increase the content on your website, keeps the content fresh which provides an SEO boost and promotes your market leadership in your business area.
Broken Links
One to be avoided. It is a hyperlink which does not lead to the desired location because the location no longer exists or the link is wrong. Too many broken links can impact negatively on your SEO.
Browser
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome – the software you use to surf the web.
Call to Action
This is a request or direction to do something—usually included in sales copy or video and aimed at dictating the customer’s next step in the buying process.
Clustering
You may have seen in search results where a number of links from the same site are listed together, making it easier to read and more organised. This is “clustering” and is being used more and more by search engines as ways of presenting content become more diverse – text, video, images, social media sites etc.
CMS
This is an acronym for Content Management System, which is the software used to add content and information to modern websites.
Conversion
An important one for you as a business owner, because it refers to a desired action being completed – this could be an opt-in or a sale, for example; your call to action is aiming to achieve a conversion. It is often used as a measure of how successful your online sales and marketing efforts are.
CPA
Cost Per Action: many affiliate marketing campaigns are run on a CPA basis, where affiliates get paid based upon the customer completing a particular action (clicking on an ad, filling out a lead form, buying etc).
CPC
Cost Per Click: this is where advertisers get paid a pre-agreed sum for every click on an ad. Facebook Ads and Google Adwords work on this setup where you as an advertiser only pay when you ad gets someone’s attention and they click on it – if they don’t click then you pay nothing.
Have we missed any important SEO definitions in the A to C section? Let us know in the comments below and we can add them!