A/B
testing
(also
called split
testing, bucket
testing
or
split-run)
Creating another version of an ad to find out which one
is more effective. This is a method in marketing
research where variables in a control scenario are changed and the ensuing alternate
strategies tested, in order to improve the effectiveness of the final marketing
strategy.
above
the fold
The section of a webpage that is visible without scrolling.
The "fold" varies depending on the resolution settings on a user's monitor.
At lower settings (640x480) the fold is relatively high on the page. At higher
settings (1280x1024) the fold extends much further down the page.
accreditation
An
email certification process which ensures that accredited “trusted senders”
can email freely without fear of being blacklisted as spammers.
This certification is performed by independent accreditation programs that have
strict rules of email-sending conduct. The top two accreditation programs are:
•
ISIPP's
SuretyMail isipp.com
•
Return Path's Certified Sender returnpath.net
acquisition
cost (see
customer
acquisition cost)
ad
blocking
The blocking of web advertisements, typically the image
in graphical web advertisements.
ad
rotation
Showing a different advertisement - usually a
banner -- on a webpage from a predetermined selection each time the page is viewed.
AdSense
An
advertisement service provided by Google. AdSense
is a popular way for websites to make money from ads, from part-time bloggers
to some of the largest publishers on the web. AdWords
pay Google either by the click (PPC)
or impression (CPM).
In turn, Google shares a percentage of that revenue with the AdSense publishers.
(see also contextual advertising)
ad
space
The space on a webpage available for advertisements.
ad
tracking
Measuring the response rate -- clicks, leads, sales, etc.
-- to an advertising campaign.
advertising
network
A network representing many websites in selling advertising,
allowing advertising buyers to reach broad audiences relatively easily through
run-of-category and run-of-network buys. Ad networks
vary in size and focus. Large ad networks may require premium brands and millions
of impressions per month. Small ad networks may accept unbranded sites with thousands
of impressions per month.
AdWords
Google's
advertising program that is one of the most popular forms of ad affiliate plans
on the web. AdWords
offers pay per click (PPC), cost per thousand (CPM),
and site-targeted advertising for text, banner, and rich-media ads. This is Google's
main source of revenue.
(see
also contextual advertising)
AIDA
Abbreviation
for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
This is the traditional model of how advertising works, by first getting the consumer's
attention, then their interest, then desire, and hopefully action.
affiliate
(also called associate)
An
affiliate is a person who markets another company’s products or services.
Affiliates can drive traffic to a merchant’s website, or they can make sales
on that merchant’s behalf, in exchange for a percentage of the profits.
affiliate directory
A categorized listing of affiliate programs. Affiliate
directories are a popular starting point for finding and comparing various merchant's
programs. Example: Affiliates
Directory
affiliate forum
An online community where visitors may read and post topics
related to affiliate marketing. Affiliate forums
provide an opportunity to bypass merchant hype and discover what is really happening
in the affiliate marketing industry. The discussions usually revolve around which
programs are converting customers and which programs are making payments. Example:
Affiliate Marketing
Forum
affiliate fraud
Bogus activity generated by an affiliate in an attempt to
generate illegitimate, unearned revenue. Fradulent
activity by affiliates comes in both automated and non-automated varieties. Automated
scripts attempt to mimic the activity of legitimate, human visitors. Non-automated
schemes may involve coordinated efforts by humans actively generating excess clicks
or registrations.
affiliate marketing
Revenue sharing between online advertisers/merchants and
online publishers/salespeople, whereby compensation is based on performance.
The advertisers/merchants are typically referred to as affiliate
merchants or vendors, and the publishers/salespeople are referred to as affiliates.
Benefits of affiliate marketing include the potential for automating much of the
advertising process (accepting and approving applications, generating unique sales
links, tracking and reporting of results) and payment only for desired results
(sales, registrations, clicks).
affiliate merchant
(also called affiliate vendor)
The
advertiser in an affiliate marketing relationship. The
affiliate merchant is responsible for implementing a sales tracking system, providing
a selection of linking methods, attracting affiliates, monitoring results and
paying affiliates.
affiliate
network
An
intermediary providing services, including aggregation, for affiliate merchants
and affiliates. For affiliate merchants,
services can include providing tracking technology, reporting tools, payment processing,
and access to a large base of affiliates. For affiliates, services can
include providing one-click application to new merchants, reporting tools, and
payment aggregation.
Example: ClickBank
affiliate
program
A
system where a merchant or advertiser pays other sites a commission for sending
visitors to their site. Commissions may be calculated per click, per lead or per
sale.
• If you are selling your own
products (or simply need more traffic), you can set up an affiliate program to
draw traffic to your site.
• If
you are looking to make money from your site, you can join affiliate programs
and earn money when your visitors click or buy from these advertising links. Most
good affiliate programs are free to join.
•
If
you sell advertising space on your web space, you can use affiliate programs to
earn additional income, or for unsold inventory.
•
If
you sell your own products, there is nothing to stop you recommending related
products (via affiliate links) to your customers.
affiliate
software
Software
that, at a minimum, provides tracking and reporting of commission-triggering actions
from affiliate links. Affiliate merchants that
run 100% in-house affiliate programs need to find affiliate software to handle
transaction tracking and reporting. Solutions range from free and almost-free
scripts to expensive software packages. Affiliate merchants that use affiliate
networks do not have to directly manage the affiliate software, although integration
must occur between the affiliate merchant's site and affiliate network's software.
ALT text
(also called alt attribute)
HTML
attribute that provides alternative text when non-textual elements, typically
images, cannot be displayed.
anchor text
Anchor
text is the visible part of a basic text link.
The clickable, blue, underlined words on this page are all examples of anchor
text. The difference between anchor text and a link is that links contain anchor
text.
animated GIF
A
graphic in the GIF89a file format that creates the effect of animation by rotating
through a series of static images. Animated banners
are made up of a series of frames. An individual display time is set for each
frame, measured in fractions of a second.
anonymous FTP
(also called anon FTP)
An
option in FTP that allows users to download files without having to establish
an account.
Apache
An
open source web server software. Apache is found
primarily on Unix-based operating systems, but is also available for Windows and
other platforms.
application service provider (ASP)
Provider
of applications/services that are distributed through a network to many customers
in exchange for a stream of smaller payments as opposed to one fixed, upfront
price. The term application service provider
is often abbreviated as ASP. This is not to be confused with the ASP programming
language (active server pages).
article directory
An
article directory is an online collection of free text-based articles, usually
organized by subject matter. Writers can submit
their articles to the directory, and webmasters can choose from literally thousands
of relevant articles to beef up their website’s content.
•
Article directories have rules: you can’t change the text of an article,
and you must publish the author’s name and contact information (often contained
in the article’s sig file).
•
Article
directories can be an excellent tool in search engine optimization. For example,
each time a website publishes your article and sig file, you will have a new relevant
inbound link to your site -- not to mention the traffic from readers who click
the sig file information!
•
An
example of an article directory is EzineArticles.com.
ASP Hosting
Web
hosting that supports the Active Server Pages programming language, a server-side
scripting environment from Microsoft. A *nix
version of ASP was developed by Chilisoft, which was later acquired by Cobalt
Networks, which was later acquired by Sun Microsystems.
audioblog
An audioblog is a blog that publishes sound files instead
of text files. Audiobloggers record their blog entries then post the resulting
sound files on their website. Audioblog visitors
can download and play these sound files using their home computers, portable MP3
players, cell phones, or any other device that can store and play sound.
autoresponder
(also called auto-responder)
A program that sends an automatic form response to incoming
emails. Many autoresponders involve a standard
response sent to all emails received at a certain address. However, custom autoresponders
are also available to respond based on a set of user-defined rules.
