Digital Marketing & E-commerce Glossary

A/B testing

A method of testing where two versions of content with a single differing variable are compared to determine which yields better results

Area chart

Represents data in the same way as a line chart, but with the space under the line filled in to form a visual area

Artificial intelligence (AI)

A field developing intelligent machines and software that simulate human thought or work

Attribution

Assigns credit for conversions from ads, last clicks, or other touch points along a user's path to conversion completion

Attribution project

Organization for macro and micro conversions in Google Analytics

Autonomous marketing

Uses real-time analytics to automate marketing activities

Average order value (AOV)

The sum of individual order amounts divided by the number of orders

Average session duration

Reported in seconds, a calculation that divides the total duration of all sessions by the number of sessions

Big data

A field in analytics that systematically mines and extracts information from very large datasets for insights

Bucket testing

(refer to A/B testing)

Budget spend

How much is allocated to or spent on a campaign

Business goal

A desired aim, achievement, or outcome for a business

Cell

A position in a spreadsheet with a column and row designation; for example, cell A2 is the unique position in column A and row 2

Comma-separated values (CSV)

A file format in which a comma is placed between each data value in the file

Confidence interval

The range of possible values after accounting for the margin of error

Confidence level

How likely an experiment's range of results would contain all results if the test ran longer; most researchers select a 95% confidence level

Continuous metrics

Metrics that are measured and change over time

Conversion paths

A feature in Google Analytics that enables a marketer to view the first and last touchpoints before conversion and touchpoints in between

Cookie

A small file saved on computers to store user preferences and other information

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

The average cost of acquiring a potential customer

Cost per click (CPC)

The amount a marketer pays when someone clicks on their ad

Cross-channel attribution

A model in Google Analytics that attributes a percentage of a conversion to all advertising channels with touchpoints

Customer acquisition

The process of gaining new customers

Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

The average cost of acquiring a paying customer

Customer lifetime value (LTV or CLV)

The average revenue generated per customer over a certain period of time

Dashboard

A tool to track, analyze, and display KPIs, metrics, and insights dynamically based on interactive user criteria

Data-driven attribution

A model in Google Analytics that uses an account's historical data to calculate the percentage of a conversion to attribute to each channel

Data-ink ratio

The proportion of ink (or pixels in digital content) that is used to present actual data compared to the total amount of ink (or pixels) used in an entire visualization.

Dimensions

Attributes or characteristics of an event that determine the metrics collected in Google Analytics.

Discrete metrics

Metrics that have specific values, can be counted, or are binary—like on/off or true/false settings.

Duration

How long a campaign will run.

Event

An activity that causes data collection to occur in Google Analytics.

Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC)

Grouping people together when they have similar browsing characteristics without the use of a unique identifier per browser; may be used for internet-based advertising which is an alternative to using cookies.

Flight

(refer to duration).

Histogram

Shows individual data points that have been categorized into ranges, with the frequency of each range represented by the height of a unique column.

Horizontal bar chart

A 90-degree rotation of a vertical column chart.

Incremental sales

The sales during a period of time that are above and beyond what a business normally sells in that timeframe.

Influence

The degree to which a stakeholder can convince people to take certain actions.

Interest

The degree to which a project informs or impacts a stakeholder's objectives.

Key performance indicator (KPI)

A measurement used to gauge how successful a business is in its effort to reach a business or marketing goal.

Lifetime ROAS

The result of multiplying the number of new customers by the total LTV and dividing the result by the ad spend.

Line chart

A chart in which individual data points for a changing variable are connected with a continuous line.

LTV to CAC ratio

The total LTV (total lifetime value) divided by CAC (customer acquisition cost).

Macro conversion

A completed purchase transaction.

Margin of error

The statistically-calculated difference between a test result and the theoretical result that could have come from a test with a lot more users.

Marketing goal

An objective in a marketing plan or strategy that supports a business goal.

Marketing mix models

Statistical models advertisers use to predict the effectiveness and ROI of an advertising spend.

Marketing return on investment (ROI)

A metric calculated by subtracting the marketing cost from the total sales growth and dividing the result by the marketing cost.

Media mix

A combination of digital channels marketers use to reach their goals and how they divide their budget among them.

Media plan

Contains details about where, when, and how often an ad will appear across all media channels.

Metric

A quantifiable measurement that is used to track and assess a business objective.

Micro conversion

A completed response that indicates a user is moving toward a completed purchase transaction.

Multivariable testing

(refer to multivariate testing).

Multivariate testing

A method of testing where two or more versions of content with several differing variables are compared to determine which combination yields better results

Performance goal

A target that has a measurable, numeric value

Personalized advertising

A type of advertising that relies on user interest or behavior data to determine the right audience for ads

Pie chart

A chart that shows data with partial and whole results

Pivot table

A visualization that changes the view of data in a spreadsheet to a different perspective to categorize it or to identify an insight or trend (without changing the data itself)

Predicted lifetime value (pLTV)

The predicted revenue generated by customers over a period of time that includes the future

Predictive analytics

Uses historical data to predict what might happen

Property

A website, mobile application, or web page that is associated with a unique measurement ID in Google Analytics to enable metrics collection

Real-time analytics

Monitors immediate data for insights to respond to events more quickly

Redirect testing

A method of testing where two ads or webpages with different URLs are tested against each other to determine which yields better results

Remarketing

A strategy in which a marketer uses paid ads to target customers who have visited a website, app, or social media profile

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

How much revenue is gained versus how much was spent

Return on investment (ROI)

A ratio of net income (money made) to investment (money spent)

Segment

A subset of analytics data that features a common characteristic; examples are a user segment, an event segment, or a session segment

Smart campaign

A Google Ads feature that enables a marketer to advertise on Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, and certain Google partner websites without having a dedicated website

Stakeholder

Someone with an interest in or a concern for a project and its results

Stakeholder map

A grid with four quadrants and two variables—interest and influence—that can be used to keep track of the influence and needs of stakeholders and the level of communication required to work with them

Statistical significance

A determination of whether a test result could be due to random chance or not

Structured query language (SQL)

The standard language used to communicate with databases developed by different vendors and hosted on multiple platforms

Tag management system (TMS)

Enables the deployment and management of many tags for multiple advertising platforms and systems in a simple and centralized way

Target audience

The group of people most likely to purchase a company's products

Third-party cookies

Cookies that aren't developed and distributed by a website's owner but are distributed through third-party tools

Total LTV

The average revenue generated by customers over a period of time that includes the past to the present

UTM

A text tag added to a URL to help monitor that content

Variables

Refers to the segments, dimensions, and metrics configured in a Google Analytics account

Vertical column chart

A chart in which individual measurements are each shown as a vertical column