Glossary of Advertising: 200+ Digital Marketing Terms Defined

The go-to reference for performance marketers, media buyers, and digital advertisers. Every acronym, metric, and concept is explained in simple terms.

A

A/B Testing

Comparing two versions of an ad, landing page, or other element to see which one performs better. For accurate results, only one variable should change between the variants. Read our best practice for ad creatives.

Ad Account

An organisational container inside an ad platform like Google, Meta, TikTok etc. It houses campaigns, billing info, and performance data. Learn about ad accounts.

Ad Copy

An ad's text content: headlines, descriptions, and calls to action. Unled Network handles creative production.

Ad Exchange

A digital marketplace for advertisers and publishers to buy and sell ad inventory in real-time auctions. Get access to premium exchanges through our DV360 agency access.

Ad Fatigue

A drop in ad performance when the same audience sees the same ad too often. Marked by rising CPCs and falling CTRs. Counter it with our creative refresh tactics.

Ad Fraud

Invalid clicks or impressions are generated by bots, click farms, or malicious actors to drain advertising budgets without delivering any genuine engagement. Also, see our anti-bot protection.

Ad Group

An ad group is a collection of ads inside a campaign, all using the same targeting criteria and bid settings. This structure is used in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and other platforms.

Ad Impression

A single instance of an ad being shown to a user. One impression equals one time the ad was displayed, regardless of whether the user engaged with it.

Ad Network

A company that links advertisers with websites and apps looking to host adverts. The Google Display Network is the biggest example. You can access GDN through trusted Google Ads accounts.

Ad Rank

Google Ads metric that decides ad position. It's based on your bid amount, Quality Score, and the expected effect of extensions and ad formats. Improve your Ad Rank with our Google Ads agency.

Ad Scheduling (Dayparting)

Setting the specific times and days you want your ads to run. This focuses your budget on the hours when conversions are most likely.

Aged Account

An advertising account that's been active for months or years. Such accounts usually receive better treatment from platform algorithms than new ones. Why aged accounts outperform.

Agency Account

An ad account managed through an agency's infrastructure. These accounts often come with higher spending limits and dedicated support. Agency vs self-managed comparison.

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of protocols that allows software applications to communicate with each other. Ad platforms provide APIs for automated campaign management.

ASO (App Store Optimisation)

The process of improving your mobile app listing so it ranks higher in app store search results. ASO services.

Attribution

The process of figuring out which marketing touchpoints led to a conversion. Common models include last-click, first-click, linear, and data-driven attribution. For a deeper look, see our paid social attribution guide.

Audience Network

A network of third-party apps and websites where platform ads can be displayed. Examples include Meta Audience Network and Google Display Network. We operate Audience Network placements as part of our managed campaigns.

Automated Bidding

A bidding strategy where the ad platform's algorithm automatically sets bids based on conversion data and optimisation goals. We implement and fine-tune smart bidding through our managed campaigns.

B

Bid

The highest amount an advertiser will pay for a click, an impression, or a conversion. In practice, the actual cost usually works out lower than the bid.

Bid Adjustment

A percentage increase or decrease added to bids depending on factors such as device, location, time of day, or audience.

Bounce Rate

The share of visitors who leave a website after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate on landing pages often points to a mismatch in messaging or a poor user experience. Reduce high bounce rates with our landing page optimisation guide.

Brand Lift

The uplift in brand awareness, consideration, or favourability measured from an advertising campaign. Track and increase it with our brand reputation management.

Broad Match

A keyword match type in search advertising that serves ads for searches connected to the keyword, covering synonyms, related queries, and variations.

Budget Optimisation (CBO)

Campaign Budget Optimisation: a Meta Ads feature that automatically splits your budget across ad sets based on how well they perform. We handle CBO for every ad set within our paid social strategy.

C

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

This refers to the total spend needed to bring in a new customer, covering every marketing and sales cost. It's a broader metric than CPA, which usually tracks just one conversion action. Reduce your CAC using our lead generation service.

Call Extension

A Google Ads extension that puts a phone number on your advert, so people can call you straight from the search results.

Campaign

This is the top-level structure in most advertising platforms. It includes ad groups or ad sets, budget settings, and targeting rules that apply to the whole campaign.

Carousel Ad

An advert format on Meta and LinkedIn that shows several images or videos people can swipe through, each with its own headline and link. We create carousel ads using our creative production.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The proportion of people who click on your advert after viewing it. This is calculated by dividing clicks by impressions. The typical figure changes depending on the platform and format. Boost your CTR with our ad creative best practices.

Conversion

A desired action taken by a user (for example, a purchase, form submission, phone call, app download, or any other goal you define as the advertiser). Generate more conversions with our lead generation service.

Conversion Rate

The share of visitors who finish a desired action. This is worked out by dividing conversions by total visitors or clicks. Boost it with our landing page optimisation.

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)

The systematic process of boosting the proportion of visitors who perform a desired action. Landing page optimisation guide.

Cookie

A tiny data file stored in a user's browser that monitors website activity. It is used for retargeting and conversion tracking.

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

The average cost of acquiring a single conversion. Calculated by dividing total spend by total conversions. How to reduce CPA.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

The amount paid for each click on an ad. CPC = total spend / total clicks. We optimise CPC across platforms under our managed campaigns.

CPM (Cost Per Mille)

The cost per 1,000 impressions. CPM = (total spend / impressions) x 1,000. A standard metric for brand-awareness campaigns. Buy CPM inventory at scale through our DV360 programmatic.

CPL (Cost Per Lead)

The expense of generating a single lead (form fill, email sign-up or contact request). It's a subset of CPA that applies specifically to lead generation campaigns. Reduce your CPL with our lead generation service.

Creative

The visual and textual components of an advert: images, videos, headlines, descriptions and calls to action. Creative best practices.

Cross-Device Tracking

The ability to track a user's journey across multiple devices (phone, tablet and desktop) and correctly attribute conversions.

Custom Audience

An audience created from your own data: customer email lists, website visitors, app users or engagement audiences. It's used for retargeting and building lookalikes. We construct and activate custom audiences in our paid social strategy.

D

DDA (Data-Driven Attribution)

This attribution model uses machine learning to allocate conversion credit to touchpoints based on their actual contribution to conversions. We run DDA for all clients on our managed campaigns.

Demand Generation

Marketing activities that build awareness and interest in a product or service. This differs from demand capture (search advertising), which targets existing intent. We cover full-funnel demand and lead generation.

Display Advertising

Visual ads (banners, images, videos) shown on websites, apps, and other digital properties through ad networks like Google Display Network. We run premium display at scale through our DV360 agency.

DMP (Data Management Platform)

A platform that collects, organises, and activates first-party, second-party, and third-party audience data for targeting. DMP integrations form part of our managed campaigns.

DSP (Demand-Side Platform)

A single-interface platform that lets advertisers buy ad inventory from multiple exchanges. Examples: Google DV360 and The Trade Desk. Access DSP inventory through our DV360 agency.

Dynamic Ads

Automated ads that tailor content based on user behaviour or product catalogue data. On Meta, Dynamic Product Ads show users items they have previously viewed. We include Dynamic Product Ads in our managed campaigns.

E

eCPM (Effective CPM)

A standardised metric that converts any pricing model (such as CPC or CPA) into a CPM equivalent for straightforward comparison. eCPM equals total revenue divided by impressions, multiplied by 1,000.

Enhanced Conversions

Google's privacy-conscious conversion measurement that uses hashed first-party data to improve attribution accuracy without relying on cookies. We deploy Enhanced Conversions as part of our managed campaigns.

Exact Match

A keyword matching option that triggers ads only when the search query closely mirrors the keyword. It gives you the most control but the smallest reach.

F

First-Party Data

Data gathered straight from your own customers and website visitors. As third-party cookies are being phased out, its importance keeps growing. Activating first-party data is standard practice in our managed campaigns.

Frequency

The average number of times a user sees your ad over the course of a campaign. Too high a frequency can cause ad fatigue.

Frequency Cap

A limit on how often a single user can see your ad within a given time period. Crucial for avoiding ad fatigue.

FTD (First-Time Depositor)

A key metric in iGaming and betting advertising, referring to a user who makes their first real-money deposit. It is the primary conversion goal for most gambling operators. We specialise in FTD campaigns for iGaming advertising.

Funnel

The stages a prospect goes through from first awareness to final conversion. Typically this involves Awareness, Consideration, Decision, and Action. We manage full-funnel programmes through our lead generation service.

G

GDN (Google Display Network)

Google's network of over 2 million websites, apps and videos where Display ads can run. It reaches 90% of internet users worldwide. Access the GDN through trusted Google Ads accounts.

Geo-targeting

Targeting ads to users in specific geographic locations, including countries, states, cities or custom radius areas.

Google Ads

Google's advertising platform for creating ads that appear in Search, Display, YouTube, Shopping, Gmail and Maps. Google Ads accounts.

H

Header bidding

An advanced programmatic advertising technique where multiple demand sources bid simultaneously for ad inventory, boosting competition and publisher revenue.

Heatmap

A visual representation of where users click, scroll and focus attention on a webpage. Used to optimise landing page layouts.

I

Impression Share

The share of total eligible impressions your ads received. A low impression share suggests budget or bid limits. We recover lost impression share through our Google Ads agency.

In-Market Audience

Users that Google has identified as actively researching or shopping for products or services in a particular category.

Incrementality

A measurement of conversions that would not have occurred without advertising. It determines the genuine causal effect of ad campaigns. Incrementality testing is part of our managed campaigns.

K

Keyword

A word or phrase that triggers ad delivery in search advertising. Advertisers bid on keywords related to their products or services. Keyword research is fundamental to our SEO services.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

A quantifiable metric used to gauge campaign effectiveness. Standard advertising KPIs such as CPA, ROAS, CTR, and conversion rate are common.

L

Landing page

The webpage a user lands on after clicking an advert. Dedicated landing pages that align with the ad's messaging typically convert far better than a general homepage. Landing page optimisation.

Lead generation

The process of gathering contact details from prospective customers via forms, phone calls, or other conversion methods. Lead gen services.

Lookalike audience

A group of users that share traits with your current customers. Generated by platforms (especially Meta) using a seed audience and machine learning. We construct lookalike tiers as part of our paid social strategy.

LTV (Lifetime Value)

The estimated total revenue a customer will bring over their entire relationship with your business. Crucial for establishing sustainable CPA targets. We optimise for LTV-based CPA targets in our lead generation service.

M

MCC (Manager Account)

Google Ads Manager Account, a master account that handles multiple separate Google Ads accounts. Typically used by agencies and large advertisers. We operate through MCC for all clients in our Google Ads agency.

Media Buying

The process of buying ad space or inventory across various platforms and channels. Managed campaigns.

MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio)

Total revenue divided by total marketing spend. A comprehensive metric that gauges overall marketing efficiency, no matter the attribution model. We monitor MER together with ROAS in our managed campaigns.

Meta Ads

The ad platform for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. Meta Ads accounts.

Micro-conversion

A smaller action that signals progress towards a primary conversion, for example an email sign-up, adding to basket, content download, or video view.

N

Native Advertising

Adverts that match the look and feel of the platform where they appear. They look like organic content rather than traditional ads. Read our complete native advertising guide.

Negative Keyword

A keyword that stops your advert from appearing for specific search queries. It's essential for cutting down wasted spend on irrelevant clicks. Negative keyword hygiene is standard in our managed campaigns.

O

Omnichannel

A marketing approach that delivers a seamless experience across all channels and devices. Related to multi-platform strategy.

P

Performance Max (PMax)

A Google campaign type powered by AI that shows ads across all Google platforms. Complete guide to PMax.

Pixel

A code snippet placed on a website to track visitor behaviour and conversion events. Used for retargeting and campaign optimisation. See our full Meta Pixel setup guide.

PPC (Pay Per Click)

An advertising model where the advertiser pays each time a user clicks their ad. Google Search and Microsoft Ads are the primary PPC platforms. We run PPC across all major platforms as part of our managed campaigns.

Programmatic Advertising

Automated buying and selling of digital ad inventory through software and algorithms, replacing manual negotiation. We buy programmatic at scale through our DV360 programmatic.

Q

Quality Score

A Google Ads metric (1-10) that assesses ad relevance, expected CTR and landing page experience. Higher scores lead to better ad positions at a lower cost. We optimise Quality Score for every account in our Google Ads agency.

R

Reach

The number of distinct users who saw your ad at least once over the course of a campaign.

Remarketing / Retargeting

Displaying ads to people who have previously visited your site, used your app or interacted with your content. Retargeting strategies.

Responsive Search Ad (RSA)

A Google Ads format where you supply several headlines and descriptions, and Google's AI experiments with combinations to identify the best performing ones.

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Revenue earned for each dollar spent on ads. ROAS = revenue divided by ad spend. A ROAS of 4.0 indicates you make £4 for every £1 invested. See our ROAS benchmarks by industry.

ROI (Return on Investment)

Net profit divided by total investment cost. It is more comprehensive than ROAS because it includes all costs, not just advertising spend. We report full ROI (not just ROAS) in our managed campaigns.

RLSA (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads)

A Google Ads feature that adjusts search campaign bids for users who have previously visited your website. RLSA is standard in our search managed campaigns.

S

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

Marketing via paid search advertising. Often used interchangeably with PPC but technically it also includes SEO. We run full-service SEM through our search agency.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Optimising website content and structure to achieve higher rankings in organic (unpaid) search results. SEO services.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

The page a search engine displays in response to a query. It contains both paid adverts and organic results. Own more SERP real estate with our SEO services.

Smart Bidding

Google Ads automated bidding strategies that use machine learning to optimise for conversions. Includes Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, and Maximize Conversion Value. We manage Smart Bidding migration in our managed campaigns.

Spark Ads

TikTok ad format that boosts existing organic TikTok posts (yours or creators') as paid adverts while maintaining native engagement metrics. See our full TikTok Spark Ads playbook.

Split Testing

See A/B Testing. Testing two or more variations of an ad element to identify the best performer. Creative split testing is part of our ad creative best practices.

T

Target CPA

An automated bidding strategy that configures bids to hit an average cost per acquisition matching your target. We set and fine-tune Target CPA in our managed campaigns.

Target ROAS

An automated bidding strategy that adjusts bids to achieve an average return on ad spend in line with your target. We optimise Target ROAS across platforms in our managed campaigns.

Third-Party Data

Data collected by organisations that do not have a direct relationship with the user. Its value is declining because of privacy regulations and the phasing out of cookies.

TikTok Ads

TikTok's advertising platform for in-feed video ads, branded effects, and TikTok Shop campaigns. TikTok Ads accounts.

U

UGC (User-Generated Content)

Content created by genuine users or creators and used in advertising. It typically outperforms polished brand content on social media. See our UGC creative testing framework.

UTM Parameters

URL tags that track the source, medium, campaign, term and content of your traffic. They're crucial for attribution across different platforms.

V

VCC (Virtual Credit Card)

A digital payment card used to bill ad accounts. It gives you billing diversity and keeps each account separate for multi-account operations. Virtual payment cards.

View-Through Conversion

A conversion that happens after a user sees your ad but doesn't click it. Usually attributed within a 1 to 7 day window.

Video Ads

Video adverts served on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Meta (Reels and Stories), and programmatic video networks. We produce video creatives through our creative production.

W

Warming (Account Warming)

The practice of slowly ramping up spend and actions on a fresh ad account to gain the platform's confidence before launching full-scale campaigns. Check out our guide on why older accounts get better results.

Whitelist

A list of approved placements, publishers, or creators where your ads are allowed to show. The opposite of a blacklist or exclusion list. Whitelist campaigns rely on agency infrastructure. See our guide to agency ad accounts.