Online Terms and Definitions Its 'Digital Terms for Dummies'
Learning this new digital language doesn't have to be. We get lots of questions on what do the NEW online marketing terms mean from What is Optimized ?? What are Analytics ?? and What is a Bounce Rate ??
KEEP READING to enjoy this unique Online “Terms and Definitions :: Its 'Digital Terms for Dummies.”
Marketing tid-bits makes everyone better at the decision making process.
This includes our clients. It helps you understand WHAT WE DO in Chicago and near you.
Understanding WHERE things come from, including DIGITAL TERMS and their history. Marketing education gives you more insight into the inner workings of a marketing strategy - digital or traditional.
And the almighty questions: WHY did we do the marketing 'that way?'
Our Philosophy Includes to LEARNING SOMETHING EVERY DAY //
We believe we can learn something new everyday. Educating ourselves on the world around us makes us a better global citizen, and better marketers. It’s the backbone of our firm philosophy. We are here for your small business.
Article Reading Time:
Getting thru the Marketing knowledge builder: approximately 4 minutes
Approximate reading time Full Post with Marketing, and Digital Terms and Definitions: approximately 17 minutes
Online Terms and Definitions
Its 'Digital Terms for Dummies'
We can all learn more about marketing. You get new ideas and creative solutions to a number of marketing solutions we need to tackle day-to-day. Online marketing is growing and we are teaching you how to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Marketing Education helps us make better business decisions. We develop expertise in our business, and growing, changing with trends. Trends teach us It’s a new way of doing business (see a special post about what to tell customers about coronavirus marketing here).
We help businesses get their business online, with online marketing from websites to digital marketing. To stay current and keep revenue flowing, business owners educate clients and potential clients on their services. And we should stay connected in terms and definitions too.
Marketing tid-bits makes everyone, from my clients, to you the reader, better at the decision making process.
It helps you understand WHAT WE DO for your marketing
Understand WHERE digital marketing tactics come from
Gives you more insight into the inner workings of a marketing strategy - digital or traditional
And the almighty questions WHY did we do it 'that way?'
These are not your Dictionary Definition of Digital Terms
Q: Where did these definitions come from?
These digital and online terms were selected from a collection of real life FAQ that have cropped up in email inquiries from clients just like you. We are online marketing specialists and familiar with online marketing and new marketing terms.
We help customers get the 'best answer.'
Take the examples of the basic functioning of your webpage (definition below: INTERNET / INTERWEB / WEB).
The way we help define digital terms includes history.
As you know, web pages evolved from taking our 'hard copy' white paper brochures and putting them online. That’s how we did it in the 90’s and one of the first business uses for a website.
Since then our brochures have come to life, where websites live and breathe your business.
Today we can engage people before they are your customer.
Understanding the web's purpose
Along with internet history
+ add in some of our creative muscle and sophisticated solutions
= online fuel to grow your business.
When we define digital terms, we give you a fancy definition that includes a little history and what no to do.
This terms and definitions list is not your traditional Webster's Dictionary definition version. Instead our definitions are a deeper meaning of online and web terms in everyday use, alongside their history.
WHEN I GROW UP I want to Be a Content Writer //
said no one ever!
At home we write.
A lot.
Mom drafts copy (for the digital world or white paper-verse) and our children write mini-books and essays for school. While I love writing, and clearly you love reading, I find it helpful that we are always on the same page to understand the important of writing for genuine reasons.
If you are working in Online Marketing of Any Kind, Genuine Writing leads to great content.
Great content leads to great SEO. GENUINE SEO (its our post about non fancy writing for seo purposes).
Along with any kind of online writing comes understanding the industry terms ... let’s get started.
➰ Ω IS IT ALL GREEK TO YOU? ➰ Ω
A new online digital terms seemingly like another language? I don’t read greek, and a customer said “it looks all Greek to me!”
This is a common phrase since greek language uses unique lettering patterns (like this alpha “ ➰” and omega “ Ω” symbol). And sometimes can be difficult to learn.
Well learning this new digital language doesn't have to be unknowable.
Keep reading, dig into the terms below. I hope you enjoy this unique-to-me 'terms and definitions.' We made it for web savvy customer, like you, who appreciate education insights.
ONLINE MARKETING TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Digital Terms and Definitions its “Digital Terms for Dummies” :-)
ADVERTISING …
Exposing your business to the world. Now we can actually say and mean "the world" because the internet is the best advertising tool there is. Marketing has evolved into getting your business in front of actual potential customers, and not by chance (as are the long by-gone days of newspapers and church bulletin ads). Now we can be directly in front of YOUR EXACT CUSTOMER. Advertising is still a business tool. In all it’s forms, ads appearing in print from magazines to newspapers, and in apps and Social Media “sponsored posts.” Ads are everywhere. And in a large variety of channels.
ALGORITHM ... see Search Engines
ANALYTICS | Google Analytics...
You can have a tool to monitor how many people visit your web page. You can even see what visitors like and don't like (based on there bounce rate or how long they spend time on certain pages). These reporting tools, called analytics, allow us web guru's to monitor content and see where users are “clicking,” and determine what content interests them. So, if we know what people like, we can improve content based on these results. Maybe users want more about company services? Or industry based articles? Are web site visitors reading all your biographies? Well let's really get an understanding of what your potential clients and website visitors want through analytics.
BLOG // BLOGGING // WEBLOG ...
This page that you are reading right now is a 'blog post' or entry. The term 'blog' evolved from keeping a paper journal entry like a 'log,' to having an online journal, or web-log. Drop the 'we' in 'weB' and you get B-log. You can of course "log" anything from the days events, to a story for keepsake purposes. And so the blog-o-sphere began to evolve into an industry. Today Blog platforms, or channels, like Blogger and Wordpress were developed to meet the blogging demand.
BLOGGERS ...
A person who writes a blog, can sell their e-books, ideas, and advice all through blogs. Currently blogging has exploded into a financial industry and stream of income for many people. From selling products and services through a blog, or reviewing a product online has profit built into it. Wordpress has grown to host websites because of the cool features they offer. Of course for those who just want to jot their thoughts down, these are still free sites to host your blog on. My original company blog for Joanne Klee Marketing at JKMARKETING.Blogspot.com is here.
BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS ...
Business owners are told - with enthusiasm - when you start/update your website we will add a blog. And then there is silence... As a business owner blogging is a relevant and easy way to keep your website content fresh. Algorithms used by search engines want new, fresh content, posted regularly. Otherwise over time your site is considered to be stale and not relevant to searches, and ranked low in search results. Web developers use the blog feature to help keep content fresh. We do not always write in the format you are reading here. These can be magazine style articles, events happening in your business, or putting your hard copy content online (in a tailored way to not reveal competitive details). 'Blogging for business' simply allows you to add fresh content to you website quickly, and easily, which improves your search rankings. The more rich content on your site, the better for SEO. Healthcare platforms can post articles with checklists they already provide patients, to nutrition guides. Any publications by your staff and cross links are all the better for ranking results. If you don't have time to add this type of content to your site, of course we can help manage that for you.
BOTS... see SEO, how we define search engine optimization.
BOUNCE RATE ...
How long your potential customers and websites users spend on certain pages of your website. Google uses their algorithm analysis of your websites bounce rate as one factor in their search engine results. When you 'Google It,' google returns a list of webpages. Your web page will appear if you have relevant content to that search and good analytics (including bounce rate) ratings. This system of algorithm measurement allows search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing and others to bring internet users the "best results" for their search inquiry. As you can read in the Insights Post on "Genuine SEO," when potential customers don’t stay long on your page that results in "high bounce rates." High bounce rates is a low value statistic which will decrease your page value in search engines. Your bounce rate tells Google 'the user is not finding content on this page for X search term/s.' Good content is measured by the user. Always! And google knows through the use of analytics if your content measures up.
BRANDING ...
Your business has a 'personality' that is maintained by a set of written guidelines. Every client that interacts with your business has the same consistent experience time and time again because of these guidelines. It ensures your business personality has a tone, a look, and gives off an emotional responses to people that interact with the business. As you communicate the brands message, and every time a customer experience it, you will form an identity, and an organizational reputation. The logo, fonts, trademarks for your company ensure that the brand appears consistent and always recognizable. The service standards, protocols and innovations build the reputation.
Insights . . . Get more Marketing Expertise on Branding and the Importance that Branding has in your Marketing Conversation.
CAFFEINE ...
The source of a Marketing Guru’s energy force. Drink from the caffeine fountain to sustain the work both day and night. I personally am an expresso and water brewed in a French Press kind-of-gal. Although Greek Coffee also has my heart. It's black tea (often darjeeling) as the afternoons pick me up. And when unwinding or for evening's, green tea or a chamomile blend finishes the day.
CAMPAIGNS . . .
Campaigns are a thrown around term in marketing. It is an organized series of action over time designed to promote and sell a product or service. This can be a social media campaign for a series of posts about your product. Or maybe an SEO campaign used to boost your on-page SEO and build a link strategy with other local sites.
CHANNEL (s) ...
Which channel will you turn to for the news? Is it TV, perhaps CNN or FOX? Perhaps you prefer to read short excerpts on Twitter? Channels are literally which screen you choose to get your information from. And so as a business owner you need to choose where YOU will have a presence on internet channels so you can be a part of the source of information for consumers.
Your business channel includes webpages and any place where content appears online. Social Media is also known as a 'channel.' Social Media Channels include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. Another channel is a website. While websites are the new “brochures” > they are so much more than a brochure. (I can’t wait till smell-o-vision.) All these web pages make up a variety of channels.
CONTENT …
The words on your web page. But content is so much more than just words. The details in the copy, images, and the look of your information is arranged to be aesthetically pleasing for the readers of your website. All the pages elements add to the 'content value.' Good content helps improve search results, which gets you more user traffic and ultimately more clients. Read more of a fun twist on why SEO Needs to be GENUINE SEO for content drives results. When writing your content using key words, web formatting, blog posts and leveraging your sites analytics, we will help form your optimized pages – balanced for both Human Users and Search Engines. And never canned content - like this competitors example.
Need a content writer. We work how you want to. Contact Joanne for website writing.
CONTENT MANAGEMENT … see Optimized Content
CONTENT WRITER …
Generally when I write, I subscribe to the 'Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then, What' 6-point method. This is one method that helps us write genuine content, which is great for search engine optimization (SEO). Here is a detailed explanation of the SWBSTW method. It is applicable to anything from strategies and ideas, to an essay on why Widgets work, or writing a mini-dictionary 'Digital Terms for Dummies."
Need a website writer. We work how you want to. Contact Joanne for website writing.
DESIGN | WEB DESIGN …
A beautiful image to compliment the words on a page. Beyond images we include things like typography and font, colors, and layout. All elements from designing your perfect logo, collateral, webpage and everything Marketing. An advertisement turns into a flyer and along side it is the merchandising as a keychain and your employees wearing the brand. Design is an industry all it’s own, and we know how to harness it for you both on the web and in print.
DIGITAL FRONT ...
Banks used to be just brick and mortar. You could only get your money in person. But then came the ATM, and finally online banking. Just as you have online access to banking, the digital front is access to your business 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Imagine an online "store front" for your business on the internet. You can offer both products and services, along with industry expertise, opinions and background on your company. How well people like your store front depends on the 'vehicle' you choose to manage it. For example: Which TV station do you choose to get your news (see also 'Channel')? MSNBC, CBS, FOX? How do you like your news presented to you? Perhaps with late night talk show humor, or more direct like the 10:00 news facts. Just as you pick which News Program to get information from, you can pick how your business is presented in your "store front" digital format.
DIRECTORY LOCAL LISTING SERVICES ...
This is a must have local listing service for any brick-and-mortar business to ensure your information is correctly listed across the web. Your business is submitted to multiple online directories and websites, all of which will point to your site. Yes, we point customers DIRECTLY to your website. Google and other search engines loves these types of backlinks, and they’re great for SEO – but MOST IMPORTANTLY they help potential clients and customers find you. Submission takes some time to take full effect, but we can get it operational quickly for maximum results.
If you need to get your business listed online at over 60+ websites - let’s chat. Learn more
FRACTIONAL (CMO) CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER …
A fractional CMO works a fraction of the time, when you need marketing, on demand. An outsourced, temporary marketing staff, extends to the C-Suite with a Fractional CMO. We are your on demand VP of Marketing. You get professional executive marketing services added to your C-Suite executive team.
A fractional CMO understands the cornerstones of running a business:
leadership 2. marketing 3. strategy 4. your brand
They work temporarily as an extension of your brand, when you need them, working with your marketing team or just with you.
Learn more about our on demand Fractional CMO staffing.
GOOGLEPLEX ...
Google's new home in Silicone Valley adds a stunning amount of space to the collection of Google offices. There's is an amazing collection of 3,100,000 square feet. As you can imagine, the Googleplex Headquarters is the new hub of everything you need in one place to be a productive Google-ite. Google's modern facility uses innovation, aesthetic, and just plain fun, to keep there employees engaged and enjoying work.
Learn more in Time Magazine's coverage and many photos of the new facility, sorry Plex, is here.
GOOGLING or GOOGLE IT ...
'Google It' entered our vernacular shortly after the Google launch. "Google It" as a verb is literally searching for information using the Google Search Engine. 'You can Google Me' is the newest way to get information on someone, review there online interaction resume, and maybe find that not so desire-able information in their photos on social media accounts. See also Search Engines.
HAND OF FABRIC ...
You may have seen me talk about clothes as having 'good hand.' I also have used it to reference web pages. More as an idiom to evoke that feeling we have when we touch a nice piece of cloth, like silk. But first let's understand the apparel industry version.
What does it mean to say the 'hand' when talking about fashion and textiles? Stay with me through this explanation... when experts say something like, “that t-shirt fabric has a wonderful hand," the hand of fabric is the “feel" of the fabric. The textile industry term "hand" is EVERYTHING you can tell about a fabric by touching it with your hands: texture, stretch, wrinkle resistance, etc. Hand of the fabric is also occasionally referenced as the "drape" of the material. For example a 'soft hand' is a soft drape where the fabric is fluid like in movement, like a piece of silk charmeuse or a fine worsted woolen garment.
Terms like softness, crispness, dryness, silkiness are all examples that come to mind when describing the 'hand of the fabric.' Now think about how you feel when you touch something the feels good in your hand... you have an emotional reaction to it. You like it. It is pleasant.
In branding I believe your business has "hand," far more often than not. And we also have 'hand experience’ in the digital realm. It’s our style and approach to digital marketing.
INTERNET / INTERWEB / WEB ...
The internet is made up of a bunch of digital pages. And here is our definition of the internet.
These e-pages (electronic pages) are hosted on servers around the globe. Yup - that’s the super basics of how the internet works.
The pages can do really cool things like <link> to each other, or allow you to log in on one page (say Facebook) and be connected to a bunch of other peoples pages, through posts. You can post a video, or comment on someone's video. The connecting of these servers where the pages are hosted (where the pages sit) is where the term 'Web' comes in. The servers are like a woven web of connections. The webs strands are the cables connecting all the servers. Super Simple right?
KEYWORDS | Keyword Integration | Long Tail Keywords | Keyword Optimization ...
As a business owner you know the jargon terms used around your products and services. Let's call them widgits. Everyday people search the web to find you, and your business, and the widgits you make. But what if people use search words, a.k.a. KEYWORDS that are different than your jargon? If you webpage doesn't include the words everyday customers use in searches, then your potential customers won't find your web page. That's right, you will not get found. That means no new web traffic, or new revenue. We developers use keywords to help link your products to customers who are online. Making it easy for them to find you. This is an easy idea to understand. While writing is easy, their is an art form and talent required to do it well.
JOANNE KLEE MARKETING …
Joanne Klee Marketing is your agency and technology partner. We work with businesses like yours to get you online, and drive profitable growth. We connect you more closely with customers.We provide as much or as little marketing that you want, on demand. Business owners get professional marketing.
It’s marketing tailored for your business. We just add in our time-tested marketing and event experience.
MOBILE RESPONSIVE WEBSITE ... see Mobile Responsive.
OPTIMIZED CONTENT | COPYWRITING | CONTENT MANAGEMENT ...
We can rewrite a client’s current web page copy so that it can be easily found by search engines. We include desired keywords or phrases that customers and users will reference in order to find your business page. Just adding keywords is not enough. Web formatted pages are structured to work with the search engine algorithms so relevant information comes back in the search results. Your website's digital elements like headers, photos, alongside the content are all 'values' in the algorithm. Our expertise comes to balance the human read-ability and the search-ability of your website. We call this talent.
OPTIMIZATION ...
The process of improving your web site ranking in search results. When you "Google" something, or search the web using yahoo!, bing, or safari, you get pages of results. Business owners want to be on - Page 1 - when their product or service is searched. Page one above the fold to be exact. Exactly how search engines rank sites is kept a secret. However digital industry best practices continue to allow us to get our clients quality results and good rankings on search pages. A properly “web formatted and optimized site” will show the web page name, page headers and brief descriptions in search results. In addition to implementing optimization best practices on your web sites design and set up, content is the next step to full optimization.
OUR PROCESS …
How we work to develop your business marketing plan. We outline our process from the start. We listen to what your needs are, and that’s the cornerstone of the marketing strategy.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT …
Have a big idea? Or a lingering project that is unfinished and … well, lingering. Business decision makers like you do not have the time or the staff to manage a project. But we do. Joanne Klee manages all the details from start to finish, with business executives having as much involvement as they like. Don’t have an in-house marketing department? You can… maybe you need some extra help on just this one project? We can do that too. Joanne Klee can serve on a project-to-project basis. Learn more about on demand marketing. It’s how we can give you marketing, when you need it. We are temporary marketing, part time and on demand. No idea is too big, no project is too small.
RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN | MOBILE RESPONSIVE WEB SITE ...
The same way that water takes the shape of the vase that it is poured into, is the same way your website should take the shape of the screen it’s being viewed on. That’s Responsive Web Design. Your website pages will correctly fill a screen whether on a laptop, tablet or mobile device.
A Responsive Website will correctly layout your web pages across any device.
SEARCH ENGINES / SEARCH RESULTS ...
Googling is a new vocabulary word that has entered our everyday jargon. Literally, Google is a search engine. We webpage you use to search content on the internet. Each business that provides web searches, like google or yahoo!, wants to give you the best answers to what you are searching for on the internet. Google has become the most popular one, but other sources like Yahoo! and Microsoft's answer to Google is Bing. These are also frequently used search pages. Each Search Engine has their own secret formula, which is a mathematical algorithm, that weighs different values from your web site pages in a search ranking. Values include images, headers, sub headers, actual content, keywords, and photo placement and it's descriptions all play a role in how well your page calculates in the formula to return as a Best Search Result on the search engine results page (see next definition).
see also "Google it" …
see also Content …
SERP | Search Engine Results Page . . .
If you have good page content you will come back on the first few pages of a search engine results. These results from your search inquiry are published in a list on the Search Engine Results Page. Actual website content is shown along side advertising and snippets. If you have a perfect site with both content and traffic popularity, then you can become a - Page 1 - result.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) …
SEO is the steps that web developers take to help more people find your webpage. Search engines, like Google, use formulas called algorithms to return web page options that are relevant to a users search inquiry (search inquiry = the results you get when you "google it"). Google uses programs which are mini 'good virus' like software called BOTS to go out an eat up what they read on the web. All internet web pages “feed” these bots by providing content. Bots literally consume the words on the web page, in a blog, website, or social media post and consumes WHERE the words are placed and formatted. The more words bot eats on your page that are relevant to KEY WORDS entered in the search, the more likely your page will show up on the search results. These BOTS look at headers, quotes, images, and the content on your page. Where the content is placed on your web site gets a value applied to it for the search algorithm.
When SEO is genuine (read more in our post about it) say in the way this article was written, you the reader get relevant readable information from the web, and it is also search-able information for BOTS search results.
That means more people can find your business online. Appearing in search results will in turn get your business webpage shared via social media, appearing in search results, and the almighty back links to other business pages. The exposure of your business to all these users will help build your brand and get business growth. The marketing, branding and web development are integrated in a 21st century world and work together to bring your success.
Learn more …. get great website SEO that fits your budget
see also Optimized Content …
see also Search Engines...
SUBCONTRACTS …
Some of the coolest projects and most impressive work I have created for clients I can never talk about. Why? Because non disclosures agreements (NDA) won’t let me. But I love the ability to create. And for the sake of the work. If you represent an agency and are looking to expand your service offerings, white labeling your work out as a subcontract to Joanne Klee Marketing is a great option. We'll do the work, you interact with the client AND take all the credit.
WATCH HOURS (youtube)
On youtube, in order to unlock monetization - you need to have 4,000 watch hours on your channel in one year. Watch hours is how many hours viewers have watched your channels videos. This watch time send all sorts of “signals” to youtube’s algorithm that people like your channel videos because of their behavior on your channel - watching videos, skipping videos, skipping some scenes and more.
WEBLOG | BLOG | BLOGGING | … see Blog and See Blogging for Business. It's not what you think.
WEBSITE … see Interweb / Internet
WEBSITE DESIGN … see Design and Website Design
Learn more about our great website design
YOUTUBE CHANNEL …
Definition: of a “youtube channel.” “Channel” is TV language for where your video airs on the internet. YouTube is a channel service, with content created by YOU! Your you tube channel is also your youtube page. You create your youtube channel in your youtube account).
Want more terms and definitions specific to youtube, including terms like:
youtube thumbnails
youtube titles
youtube video descriptions
add tags to youtube
* Learn more about YouTube in our post ‘how to get your video on Youtube Kids’ with best of tips for search optimization.
* WATCH OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: JOANNE KLEE MARKETING VIDEOS.
YOUTUBE KIDS // YOUTUBE KIDS APP …
Another youtube channel, recently created is YOUTUBE KIDS, also made into the app YouTube Kids app. Learn more about how to get your videos on YouTube Kids in our details here. It’s not what you think it is.
More terms to be updated as the Marketing Evolution continues... Visit back to this page when you can.
Learn More About Marketing In Our Insights
Want to Learn more about how Branding Plays a Roll in Marketing? Insights . . . Scroll thru our Branding Posts
Don’t know what branding is? Read the definition on our blog Insights . . . the definition of branding, and more marketing definitions for dummies
Want to see great marketing examples. See Featured Work