Google Analytics

Definition: A service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about a website’s traffic and traffic sources and measures conversions and sales. The product is aimed at marketers as opposed to webmasters and technologists from which the industry of web analytics originally grew. It is the most widely used website statistics service.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Analytics

Recommended Article: 5 Things You Shouldn’t Do With Google Analytics

Link: http://padicode.com/blog/analytics/5-things-you-shouldnt-do-with-google-analytics/

Notes: This blog post emphasizes the fact that Google Analytics is a tool that needs to be used and analyzed, not taken at  face value.  It emphasizes what uses Google Analytics should not be put to, such as not using it to calculate actual time spent on your site.  Although Google Analytics seems to be the be-all-end-all of web analysis, this article puts it more in perspective in pointing out areas where you need to find data on your own or keep in mind the data you’re seeing may not be 100% complete or accurate.

 

Bounce Rate

Definition: Bounce rate is the percentage of visits that go only one page before exiting a site.

Source: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1009409?hl=en

Recommended Article: 16 ways to cut your bounce rate

Link: http://www.brafton.com/blog/16-ways-to-cut-your-bounce-rate

Notes: There are about a billion articles on how to cut your bounce rate, so I picked one that looks like easy suggestions (which aren’t necessarily easy to pull off) and those “d’uh” pointers, where it seems obvious and yet some people still don’t do it, like making navigation easy.  This is a huge thing for me: I go to a website and can’t find the one thing I’m looking for.  I use the website’s search functions, and it takes me to many pages, but still not the one I’m looking for.  I hate trying to find a product on a website in order to purchase it, and I have no idea which heading it’s under, it doesn’t show up in search, and I just can’t find it!  I usually give up or try somewhere else (or go to the physical store) when this goes on for longer than a minute or two.

 

Geo-Targeting

Definition: The method of determining the geolocation of a website visitor and delivering different content to that visitor based on his or her location, such as country, region/state, city, metro code/zip code, organization, IP address, ISP or other criteria.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotargeting

Recommended Article: Google Ad-Words Geo-Targeting: Have We All Been Doing It Wrong?

Link: http://searchengineland.com/adwords-geo-targeting-have-we-all-been-doing-it-wrong-169049

Notes: This article suggests that instead of opting-in to geo-targeting, we should opt out.  Specifically, it looked at a Colorado campaign where they wanted to run something specifically for Denver.  So they took Denver out of the state-wide campaign and ran a Denver specific one, but this resulted in Denver clicks dropping way down and costs per click going way up.  It seems counter-intuitive since the Denver people were seeing Denver-specific ads, so it’s an interesting observation (graphs are included in the article).

 

Slacktivism

Definition: Actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website.

Source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/slacktivism

Recommended Article: Slacktivism: ‘Liking’ on Facebook may mean less giving

Link: http://news.ubc.ca/2013/11/08/slacktivism-liking-on-facebook-may-mean-less-giving/

Notes:  This article helps give a good understanding of Slacktivism and its impacts, stating that people will use “liking” a charity as a replacement to actual monetary donations.

This is a concern for fundraisers who want both the attention but also require the money in order to keep functioning.  If people begin seeing “likes” or “retweets” as legitimate alternatives to donations, then charities will see a lot of monetary shortfalls in the future.

 

Social Media Audit

Definition:  Answers questions like: Do you know how you measure up against your competitors? Have the fans in your social media communities changed their expectations or needs since you started? Are you still using the right social networks and tools?

Source: http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/Conduct_a_social_media_audit_in_4_easy_steps_47138.aspx

Recommended Article:  How to Perform a Social Audit [Infographic]

Link: http://socialmediatoday.com/mlewis1/785426/how-perform-social-audit-infographic

Notes: Gives a break down of what to look for when doing an audit of Facebook and Twitter pages.  Includes things like Engagement Ratio, Frequency, and Types of Posts.  Quick, easy, and it makes sense.  Perhaps not as detailed as the one we did in class, but it’s a good starting point and a quicker overview which doesn’t require much time.

Adwords

Definition:

AdWords (Google AdWords) is an advertising service by Google for businesses wanting to display ads on Google and its advertising network. The AdWords program enables businesses to set a budget for advertising and only pay when people click the ads. The ad service is largely focused on keywords.

 

Businesses that use AdWords can create relevant ads using keywords that people who search the Web using the Google search engine would use. The keyword, when searched for triggers your ad to be shown. AdWords at the top ads that appear under the heading “Sponsored Links” found on the right-hand side or above Google search results. If your AdWords ad is clicked on, Google search users are then directed to your website.

Source: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/adwords.html

Recommended Article: Lesser Known Adwords Quality Score Facts

Link: http://www.seroundtable.com/adwords-quality-score-facts-17114.html

Notes: Be exact, be clear, be lean.  Don’t stuff words to increase likelihood, and remove ads that aren’t performing well in order to raise your quality score.  Less is more.

 

Adwords Campaign

Definition: Keyword Advertising placed into Pay Per Click search engine result pages (SERPS). These ads link to specific pages or content that is relevant to the user search phrase. You only pay for the ad when it is clicked on and a potential customer reaches your website.

Source: http://www.canzdesign.com/info/Glossary

Recommended Article: Google Adwords for Dummies Cheat Sheet

Link: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/google-adwords-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

Notes: Gives you a list of both adwords lingo and campaign optimization tips.  Very useful for those of us going in blind.  All the information is boiled down without any extra fluff; just a list of terms and meanings, and easy to follow pointers.  There are also some all-around good definitions to know like what a landing page is and what PPC means.  This would have been a useful cheat sheet going into the the internet marketing class!

 

Recommended Article: 8 Things Wrong With Your Google AdWords Campaign

Link: http://www.inc.com/hollis-thomases/8-things-wrong-with-your-google-adwords-campaign.html

Notes: A good starting point to avoid common mistakes.  “Choosing the wrong keywords” seems to be at the top of everyone’s list that I’ve looked at in what to avoid.  Having too many keywords seems to be just as bad as having the wrong ones.  I also like the fact that she addressed the issue of ads being boring; people think ads should just convey information and that people will magically click just because it’s a relevant topic.  You can’t rely on the topic itself to draw interest but rather need to connect with potential customers to increase their interest in clicking your ad.

 

PPC (pay per click)

Definition: an internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, in which advertisers pay the publisher (typically a website owner) when the ad is clicked. It is defined simply as “the amount spent to get an advertisement clicked.”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_per_click

Recommended Article: Pay Per Click Advertising

Link: http://www.stepforth.com/services/pay-per-click/

Notes: Really brief overview of PPC describing what it is, how it works, and deciding if your company is ready to use it.  It also suggests ways to make a successful ad campaign and also what happens behind the scenes on the publisher’s end.  It doesn’t go into much detail because this site is essential an ad itself to get people to use their consulting services, but they give a good overview in the meantime.  I also liked the screen capture of Google which explains visually the difference between paid and organic listings

 

 

Click-Through Rate

Definition: The percentage of individuals viewing a web page who click on a specific advertisement that appears on the page. Click-through rate measures how successful an ad has been in capturing users’ interest. The higher the click-through rate, the more successful the ad has been in generating interest. A high click-through rate can help a website owner support the site through advertising dollars. Because Internet users have become desensitized to ads on web pages, a typical click-through rate is only about two to three users per 1,000.

Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/clickthroughrates.asp

Recommended Article: What Is a Good Click-Through Rate for PPC?

Source: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2186867/click-rate-ppc

Notes: Explains the differences in CTR depending on the type of ad, the website/platform used, as well as the target audience.  Gives numerical trend examples for Search vs. Facebook vs. LinkedIn to show the variance in CTR.  You need to keep all the trends in mind in order to determine if you have a good CTR or not; there’s no universal benchmark to judge by.

 

Conversation Prism

Definition: The Conversion Prism is a visual map of the social media landscape. Different social networks are organised according to how they are used on a day-to-day basis.

Source: http://www.buzzoutsource.com/blog/the-2013-conversion-prism

 

 

Recommended Article: Brian Solis’s New Conversation Prism: Useful or Just Confusing?

Link: http://socialmediatoday.com/richardstacy/1585661/brian-solis-and-his-new-conversation-prism-useful-or-just-confusing

Notes: This article really hits on my first thoughts when seeing the Conversation Prism: Woah, that looks complicated.  As much as it’s pretty and seems to cover most social media, it’s also intimidating and quite confusing.  I’m still trying to figure it out!  In a world where everything is being simplified, I’d love to see someone explain the above prism in 140 characters or less!  This article tries to boil down the prism to make it more understandable.  It’s really not as complicated as it appears at first, it’s just been blown to confusing levels in order to cover everything.  In a simplified world, they need to simplify the problem, not make you feel like there’s no way to understand social media all by yourself (or at least without an expensive consultant).

 

Backlinks

Definition: Backlinks enable you to keep track of other pages on the web that link to your posts. For instance, suppose Alice writes a blog entry that Bob finds interesting. Bob then goes to his own blog and writes a post of his own about it, linking back to Alice’s original post. Now Alice’s post will automatically show that Bob has linked to it, and it will provide a short snippet of his text and a link to his post.

Source: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/42533?hl=en

 

Recommended Article: How to Use Blog Commenting to Get Valuable Backlinks and Traffic

Link: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2069226/How-to-Use-Blog-Commenting-to-Get-Valuable-Backlinks-and-Traffic

Notes: Suggestions on how to use backlinks to increase your own traffic.  One of her suggestions is to make sure you visit other blogs in your industry and comment, then you can see who clicks back to your website.  She gives suggestions on how to post these comments in order to get the most traffic from your comments.

 

Recommended Article: How to Use Backlinks to Increase Search Engine Ranking

Link: http://www.ehow.com/how_4917972_backlinks-increase-search-engine-ranking.html

Notes: Suggestions on where to put links to your website/blogpost in order to get the most traffic back.

 

 

CDJ: Consumer Decision Journey

Definition: The Consumer Decision Journey used to be simpler, with fewer touch points that influenced ultimate purchase decisions. With the recent advancements in technology, connectivity, and access to extensive product information the process has become more complex, considering new points of influence that impact consumer behavior and purchase decisions. The modern Consumer Decision Journey model is defined by five stages: consideration, experience & advocate, evaluation, bond, and buy.

Source: http://www.thesearchagency.com/sites/default/files/CDJ-onesheet.pdf

 

Recommended Article: The funnel is dead.  The new consumer decision journey.

Link: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121018110732-1816165-the-funnel-is-dead-the-new-consumer-decision-journey

Notes: Focuses on the consumer decision journey as a more up-to-date alternative to the marketing funnel.

 

 

Curate

Definition: Content Curation basically means that – out of all the content you find on the social web – you pass on the most valuable stuff to your network. A Content Curator is someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online.

Source: http://www.michielgaasterland.com/content-marketing/what-is-content-curation-and-how-it’s-useful-to-you-and-your-network/

 

Recommended Article: Curate Content Like You Mean It!

Link: https://www.socialeddy.com/blog/curate-like-you-mean-it-a-guide-to-curating-content-with-enthusiasm/

Notes:  This article shows by comparison why curating (vs. not curating) is so beneficial and what value it adds to both a post and a website.  “Content curation benefits you by benefitting your audience.”

 

 

Marketing Funnel

Definition: A structured method for developing products and/or service offerings at multiple price points, designed to entice prospects to first divulge their contact information, then make an initial purchase, followed by additional purchases. The Marketing Funnel, done right, maximizes the lifetime value of a client.

Source: http://outcomemarketing.com/resources/marketing-glossary/

 

Recommended Article:  It’s Time to Bury the Marketing Funnel (Forbes)

Link: http://www.forbes.com/2010/12/08/customer-life-cycle-leadership-cmo-network-funnel.html

Notes: Argues the marketing funnel is outdated.

 

 

Organic vs. Paid

Definition:  The term “organic search” refers to the natural search engine results that appear for any given query. These are separate from the “paid search” or “sponsored” search engine results that also appear after each search is processed through the search engine.  When you buy a keyword or phrase in order to appear in the search results for that topic, your listing will appear in the sponsored or paid search results and are labeled as such. Organic search engine results are the most relevant search engine results for that query as selected by the search engine.

Source: http://www.wedowebcontent.com/faqs/what-does-organic-search-mean.cfm

 

Recommended Article: Paid Search vs. Organic Search: Which Converts Better?

Link: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/11551/paid-search-drives-more-conversions-than-organic-search

Notes: Wonderful summary of how effective organic searches are compared to paid searches in converting to sales and how much those sales are usually worth.

 

Recommended Article: Organic vs. Paid Clicks: These Are Not the Clicks You’re Looking For

Link: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/09/07/organic-versus-paid-clicks

Notes: This looks at the organic vs. paid by saying that the organic results see far more traffic (94% of search engine clicks go to organic results versus 6% going to paid ads from searches) but are less valuable overall than paid advertisements.

 

 

POST

Definition: People, Objectives, Strategy, Technology

Source: http://www.marketingautopsyblog.com/customer-facing/the-post-method-a-mental-note/

 

Recommended Article: The POST Method: A systematic approach to social strategy

Link: http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html

Notes: This is the original article about the POST method, posted by forrester.

 

 

SEO: Search Engine Optimization

Definition: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or un-paid (“organic”) search results.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

 

Recommended Article: Google’s Search Engine Optimization Page

Link: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35291?hl=en

Notes:  Has a link to Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.  This gives a basic overview on how to improve your placing in Google’s search results through simple tips for your website.

 

 

Time on site

Definition: Average time on site is a type of visitor report that provides data on the amount of time (in minutes or seconds) visitors have spent on your website. When viewing the time on site report in your Web analytics program it is important to remember that the results can be misleading because in some cases the visitor may have been interacting with your pages and site content or they could have left the browser window open and were not actually viewing your page.

Source: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/average_time_on_site.html

 

Recommended Article: Standard Metrics Revisited: #4 : Time on Page & Time on Site

Link: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/standard-metrics-revisited-time-on-page-and-time-on-site/

Notes:  Nice overview of the time on site concept, including pictures (visual aids!).

 

Recommended Article: Why You Shouldn’t Set Pageviews and Time on Site as Goals in Google Analytics

Link: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/pageviews-time-on-site/

Notes: Argues that information about time on site actually ads zero value.  This is due to us not really understanding what these people were doing on our website and why they were spending so much time or clicking on so many pages.

Some terminology notes from class last night:

 

Sentiment Analysis

Definition: (also known as opinion mining) aims to determine the attitude of a speaker or a writer with respect to some topic

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentiment_analysis)

 

Landing Page

Definition: The webpage where customers end up after they click your ad.

Source: Google Adwords (https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/14086?hl=en)

 

A/B Comparison

Definition: A/B testing (sometimes called split testing) is comparing two versions of a web page to see which one performs better. You compare two web pages by showing the two variants (let’s call them A and B) to similar visitors at the same time. The one that gives a better conversion rate, wins!

Source: Visual Website Optimizer (https://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/ab-testing/)

Recommended Article: A/B Testing, Usability Engineering, Radical Innovation: What Pays Best?

Link: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ab-testing-usability-engineering/

– This article analyzes the potential cost benefits and risks of A/B testing, and it gives a good overview of what A/B testing is, especially for someone new the term like me.

– This is a very interesting testing method that’s simple, cheap and very informative.  It’s definitely something I’d like to try on my own in order to see the results.  I’m wondering how widely used it is …

 

Technographics

Definition: a market research analysis tool used to identify and profile the characteristics and behaviors of consumers through the process of market segmentation based on the role that technology plays in consumers’ lives.

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technographic_segmentation)

Recommended Article: 3 Ways to Use Technographics to Deliver a Relevant Customer Experience

Link: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2207728/3-ways-to-use-technographics-to-deliver-a-relevant-customer-experience

– It really shouldn’t have surprised me that some ads target users based on technology, and that Mac users end up with the more expensive options.  Definitely a lesson to remember only to shop on my PC!  You go to a website assuming you’re seeing all the shopping/travel options available and that everyone is seeing the same information if they log in at the same time, but this isn’t the case.  And it makes sense from a marketing point-of-view, but it still ticks me off as a consumer!

– I remember over 10 years ago the first time I saw one of those images in someone’s online signature that displayed your IP address and information back to you.  The person who was using the picture couldn’t see that same information (saying who my IP was and where I lived), but it was eye-opening to realize the website owner *did* have access to this information.  Most people don’t know this!  I know when I told my mom about what kind of information is available to web-site owners, she was completely freaked out.  It’s made me extra paranoid online.  Remember: there’s always someone watching!

 

Disintermediation

Definition: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/disintermediation

Source: Oxford Dictionaries (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/disintermediation)

– It’s like vertical integration for consumers!

– As we saw yesterday, while there is a level of disintermediation, the internet has actually converted our old intermediaries into online ones.  You still shop online through different stores (sometimes going directly to the manufacturing company), but normally you just go online to a web-store (like Amazon) rather than going to a physical store (like Sears).