Internet Terminology

affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing allows you to join a revenue-sharing plan where an online automated marketing program lets Webmasters (that could be you) place an advertiser's banner ads or buttons on their own Web site or blog. You will receive a referral fee or commission from conversions when a customer has clicked the affiliate link and performs the desired action, such as make a purchase or opt-in for downloads or newsletters on the advertiser's site. Advertisers (that would be you) invest in affiliate programs for lead generation, and, of course, sales.

autoresponder
A program used to automatically answer e-mail. Autoresponders are often used as e-mail marketing tools, to immediately provide information to their prospective customers and then follow-up with them at preset time intervals. Examples of autoresponder programs are Oprius and aWeber.


Blog
A blog is a type of website usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of comments, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. As a verb, "to blog" means to add content to a blog. Using a blog as a marketing tool is considered a form of Social Marketing.

click-through rate (CTR)
CTR is a way of measuring the success of an online advertising campaign. A CTR is obtained by dividing the "number of users who clicked on an ad" on a web page by the "number of times the ad was delivered" (impressions).This tells you the percentage of users who click on an online ad. CTR is a way of measuring the success of an Internet advertising campaign.

conversion rate
An Internet marketing term referring to the ratio of visitors to a website who complete desired actions based on requests by the website owner. Successful conversion can mean anything from a sale of an online product to a membership registration, software download, newsletter subscription, or other desired activity.


e-business
In Internet terminology, any business that obtains revenue, in part or in whole, from something electronic, usually on the Internet. Also refers to a marketing strategy that involves the use of the Internet.

ezine
Online magazines that are part of the World Wide Web, are called webzines. Ezine (also spelled e-zine) is a more generic term for a blog and newsletters distributed by any electronic method, including email and the Internet.

Free traffic
This internet term refers to strategies, and or plans that can generate traffic without spending any money at all. But, you should understand that it takes time and effort, and usually a few months go by before you see some serious traffic coming your way, provided that you have done some persistently good prior marketing.

HTML
Referring to Hypertext Markup Language, HTML is the predominant language used in the construction of web pages. Due to the increase in user-friendly website software, one can now easily create a website without ever learning or using any HTML!

hyperlink
Code may be embedded within the text or "hypertext" of a web page which allows a word or phrase to become a hyperlink or "link." On web pages, hyperlinks are commonly blue in color and when clicked on will access a new web page. It allows images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms.

Internet
Consisting of a global network of interconnected computers, the Internet accesses information from a vast array of available servers. Most of the accessible information on the Internet consists of resources of the World Wide Web (WWW).

Internet marketing
This internet terminology is also known as online marketing, web marketing or e-marketing; the term simply refers to the marketing of products or services over the Internet. A benefit of Internet Marketing is the low cost of distribution of information to a global audience.

Internet tools
The widely used software applications that help us find our way around the internet and communicate online.

Landing Page
In online marketing, a landing page, sometimes known as a lead capture page, is the page that appears when a potential customer clicks on an advertisement or a search-engine result link.

Opt in e-mail
An internet term used when someone is given the option to receive e-mail that is sent to many people at the same time, typically a mailing list or newsletter. Unsolicited Bulk Email, sent without permission, is known as spam. In single opt-in email, a new subscriber to an e-mail list receives a confirmation e-mail telling them they will begin to receive e-mails if they take no action. The term double opt-in (closed loop opt-in) is used when the new subscriber must respond to the confirmation e-mail to be added to the list. Opt-out (contained within the body of the email) allows the recipient of the email to unsubscribe at any time.

pay-per-click (PPC), same as cost-per-click
An Internet advertising model used on websites where advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market.


permission marketing
Not limited to Internet terminology, this is a marketing step where the prospective consumer is asked for his or her consent to receive information. This concept was founded by Seth Grodin, the author of Permission Marketing. When used in online marketing, an opt-in or double opt-in email is used to obtain permission.

podcast
A podcast consists of audio and/or video which is made available for download by way of syndication. Subscribers retrieve the podcast with software applications (such as Apple iTunes) and can then listen at their convenience. Podcast can refer either to the content or to the method of syndication (also called podcasting). The person who creates the content of the podcast is known as a podcaster.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
A Web feed that uses a standardized format to publish frequently updated entries, such as those from a blog or news headline. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or feeds from many sites into one place.

search engine (SE)
This internet terminology is also known as a Web search engine. It is a website designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. Search engines are a mixture of algorithmic and human input. Someone searching the Web for garden tools simply types that phrase into the search box and will be taken to another Web page or pages that list links to related sites. Examples of search engines are Google, Yahoo and Bing.

search engine optimization (SEO)
Commonly referred to as SEO, this is the process of improving the traffic volume directed from a search done via a search engine to a specific website. This optimization often occurs through the use and placement of specific words, known as keywords, to clearly designate the content of a website. Websites that appear higher in the search results list generally receive more visitors.

social networking
A type of communication and information sharing by means of social network services, most of which are Web based. Social networking websites are regularly used by millions of people, and for many have become a part of everyday life. Examples are Facebook, MySpace and Friendster.

A social network service focuses on the building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, e.g. who share interests and/or activities.

target market
The audience a marketer aims to reach. Internet marketing provides the opportunity to easily research a target market in order to learn what that specific group searches for on the Web. Target marketing can be the key to a small business ’s success.

business traffic
In Internet terminology, traffic refers to the amount of user activity on any given Web site.

URL (uniform resource locator)
The URL, or uniform resource locator, is the standard Web term for a website address. This address commonly begins with http://

Web 2.0
A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content, in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them. Among the new developments are blogs and social networking sites.

webcast
A one-way recording of a taped presentation, broadcast via the Internet. Unlike Webinars, webcasts are not interactive. The user must have the appropriate multimedia application in order to view a Webcast.

webinar
Short for Web-based seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web.

A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements - the ability to give, receive and discuss information. Contrast with Webcast, in which the data transmission is one way and does not allow interaction between the presenter and the audience.

web browser
A Web browser is a software application which enables a user to display text, images, video, music and other information located on a Web page at a Web site on the World Wide Web. Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox are examples of web browsers.

website
A site (location) on the World Wide Web. Each Web site contains a home page, which is the first document users see when they enter the site. The site might also contain additional documents and files. Each site is owned and managed by an individual, company or organization. This valuable informational tool can also be used for business promotion through Web Site Marketing.

web page
A document on the World Wide Web. Every Web page is identified by a unique URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Navigation to other web pages is provided via hypertext links.

whitelist
In Internet terminology, a whitelist refers to a list of email addresses that are provided a specific privilege, access or recognition.

Used as a verb, to whitelist an email address prevents that address from landing in a junk or spam folder. When added to your address book, those email addresses that you wish to receive email is a form of whitelisting.

World Wide Web (WWW)
The World Wide Web (also known as "the Web") is a very large set of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. Using a Web browser, one can view Web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia. Navigation from page to page is accomplished using hyperlinks. The World Wide Web was begun in 1992 by the English physicist Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and Robert Cailliau, a Belgian computer scientist.

This concludes my basic list of internet terminology. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, you are welcome to contact me.

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