Digital Marketing Terms Explained

Digital marketing is full of acronyms and technical language. Here's a straightforward explanation of some of the terms you may encounter when managing your business's online presence. 

Digital Marketing Terms for AI & Search

AIO — Artificial Intelligence Optimization; Making your website and online information easier for AI systems to find, understand and use. AIO is also sometimes used to mean AI Overview Optimization.

AEO — Answer Engine Optimization; Creating content that clearly answers the questions people ask search engines and AI assistants.

GEO — Generative Engine Optimization; Improving the chances that AI tools will mention, cite or recommend your business in their answers.

SEO — Search Engine Optimization; Improving your website so people are more likely to find your business through search engines such as Google.

LLM — Large Language Model; The type of AI technology behind tools such as ChatGPT that can understand and generate human language.

AI Overview —  An AI-generated summary that Google may display at the top of its search results to answer a question.

AI Mode — Google's conversational AI search experience, which allows people to ask detailed questions and follow-up questions.

AI Citation — A reference or link to a website or other source that an AI tool provides to support its answer.

AI Hallucination — When an AI system produces information that sounds convincing but is incorrect or invented.

Prompt — A question or instruction given to an AI tool, such as ChatGPT.

Conversational Search — Searching by asking questions in everyday language rather than typing a few keywords.

Digital Marketing Terms for Website & Content 

CTA — Call to Action. A prompt encouraging website visitors to take the next step, such as calling, booking an appointment or requesting a quote.

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions. A collection of common customer questions with clear, helpful answers.

UX — User Experience. How easy and pleasant a website is to use, including how quickly visitors can find the information they need.

UI — User Interface. The buttons, menus, forms and other elements people interact with when using a website.

CMS — Content Management System. Software used to create, manage and update website content, such as WordPress or Wix.

Landing Page — A webpage designed to encourage visitors to take a particular action, often after clicking an advertisement or promotional link.

Meta Description — A short description of a webpage that search engines may display beneath its title in search results.

Alt Text — Alternative Text. A written description of an image, primarily used to make website content accessible to people using screen readers.

Internal Link —  A link that takes visitors from one page of your website to another page on the same website.

Schema Markup — Structured information added to a website's code to help search engines understand its content, such as business details, products or services.

Digital Marketing Terms for Local Visibility, Reputation & Measurement

BP or GBP — Google Business Profile. Your free business listing on Google Search and Maps, showing information such as your location, opening hours, services and customer reviews.

NAP — Name, Address, Phone. Your business's basic contact information, which should be accurate and consistent across online listings.

Local Pack — The group of local business listings, often accompanied by a map, that Google may display when someone searches for nearby products or services.

Listings — Business Listings. Online entries showing your business information, such as your name, address, phone number, website and opening hours. These appear on platforms such as Google Maps, Yell and other business directories. Accurate, consistent listings help customers find and contact your business.

Citation — Local SEO; An online mention of your business's name, address or contact details, often in a business directory. This is different from an AI citation.

Review Gating —  A practice where businesses selectively encourage happy customers to leave public reviews while directing unhappy customers elsewhere. This can violate review platform policies.

E-E-A-T — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Qualities Google uses in its guidance for evaluating content quality and reliability. They help explain what makes information credible, but E-E-A-T is not a single Google ranking score.

GA4 — Google Analytics 4. Google's website analytics tool, used to understand how visitors find your website and what they do when they arrive.

GSC — Google Search Console. A free Google tool that helps website owners understand how their site performs in Google Search, including which searches bring visitors to their pages.

CTR — Click-Through Rate. The percentage of people who click a link after seeing it. For example, if 100 people see your website in search results and five click through, your CTR is 5%.

Conversion —  When a website visitor completes a valuable action, such as making an enquiry, calling your business, booking an appointment or purchasing a product.