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GLOSSARY OF INTERNET MARKETING TERMS:
Algorithm: A set of rules that a search engine uses to rank the listings contained within its index, in response to a particular query. No search engine reveals exactly how its own algorithm works, to protect itself from competitors and those who wish to spam the search engine.

Backlinks: All the links pointing at a particular web page. Also called inbound links.

Banner ads: An Internet advertising tool. Users click on the graphic to be taken to another Web site.

Blog: A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." 

Brand: A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. 

Browser: A Client program (software) that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources. Ie; internet explorer, aol and Netscape.

Clickthrough Rate: The percentage of those clicking on a link out of the total number who see the link. For example, imagine 10 people do a web search. In response, they see links to a variety of web pages. Three of the 10 people all choose one particular link. That link then has a 30 percent click through rate. Also called CTR

Cookie: The most common meaning of "Cookie" on the Internet refers to a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser software is expected to save and to send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the Server. 

Cost Per Click: System where an advertiser pays an agreed amount for each click someone makes on a link leading to their web site. Also known as CPC. 

CPM: Cost Per Thousand System where an advertiser pays an agreed amount for the number of times their ad is seen by a consumer, regardless of the consumer's subsequent action. Heavily used in print, broadcasting and direct marketing, as well as with online banner ad sales. 


Crawler: Component of search engine that gather listings by automatically "crawling" the world wide web. A search engine's crawler (also called a spider or robot), follows links to web pages. It makes copies of the web pages found and stores these in the search engine's index.


CSS Cascading Style Sheet A standard for specifying the appearance of text and other elements. CSS is typically used to provide a single "library" of styles that are used over and over throughout a large number of related documents, as in a web site. 

Directories: A type of search engine where listings are gathered through human efforts, rather than by automated crawling of the web. In directories, web sites are often reviewed, summarized in about 25 words and placed in a particular category.

DHTML Dynamic HyperText Markup Language. Refers to web pages that use a combination of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to create features such as letting the user drag items around on the web page, some simple kinds of animation, and many more. 

DNS Domain Name System.  The Domain Name System is the system that translates Internet domain names into IP numbers. A "DNS Server" is a server that performs this kind of translation. 

Domain Name: The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Ie; www.hvacwebconnection.com

E-Commerce: Transactions such as selling, online shopping, bill paying and banking online.

FTP: File Transfer Protocol. A method of moving files between two Internet sites. 

GIF: Graphic Interchange Format. A common format for image files, especially suitable for images containing large areas of the same color.

HIT: A single request from a web browser for a single item from a web server; thus in order for a web browser to display a page that contains 3 graphics, 4 hits would occur at the server: 1 for the HTML page, and one for each of the 3 graphics. 

Home Page: (1) The web page that your browser is set to use when it starts up. (2) The main web page for a business, organization, or person.

HTML: HyperText Markup Language. The coding language used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web. The "hyper" in Hypertext comes from the fact that in HTML you can specify that a block of text, or an image, is linked to another file on the Internet. HTML files are meant to be viewed using a Web Browser. 

HTTP: HyperText Transfer Protocol. The protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet. Requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World Wide Web. 

Hypertext: Generally, any text that contains links to other documents - words or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved and displayed. 
  
Internet marketing: The use of the Internet and related technologies to achieve marketing goals and objectives.

IP Number: Internet Protocol Number. A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 165.113.245.2 Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Many machines also have Domain Names that are easier for people to remember. 

ISP: Internet Service Provider. A company that provides access to the Internet. 

IT: Information Technology. A very general term referring to the entire field of Information Technology - anything from computer hardware to programming to network management. 

Java: A network-friendly programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. 

JavaScript: A programming language that is mostly used in web pages, usually to add features that make the web page more interactive. 

JPEG or JPG Joint Photographic Experts Group 
File format for image files. JPEG format is preferred to the GIF format for photographic images. 

KeyWords:  A word used in performing a search.

Key word Marketing: - Placing a marketing message in front of users based on the keywords they are using to search.

 Link Popularity: Getting other websites to link to yours. Having related links to your web site is one of the main ways the search engines determine how your web site will rank within search results.

Listings: The information that appears on a search engine's results page in response to a search.

Marketing Mix: The mix of controllable marketing variables that a company uses to pursue the desired level of sales in the target market. The most common classification of these factors is the four-factor classification called the "Four Ps"-price, product, promotion, and place (or distribution). 

Meta Tags: Information placed in a web page not intended for users to see but instead which typically passes information to search engine crawlers, browser software and some other applications.

Meta Description Tag: Allows page authors to say how they would like their pages described when listed by search engines. Not all search engines use the tag.

Meta Keywords Tag: Allows page authors to add text to a page to help with the search engine ranking process. Not all search engines use the tag.

Netiquette: Short for network etiquette, The code of conduct regarding acceptable online behavior.

Organic Search results: The typical search results returned by search engines that are based purely on the contents of the pages and page popularity. Organic search results are not categorized directory results, or pay-per-click advertising results, even if they are based on keywords. Organic search results strive to return results based entirely on relevance to particular keywords.

Paid Inclusion: Advertising program where pages are guaranteed to be included in a search engine's index in exchange for payment, though no guarantee of ranking well is typically given. 

Paid Listings: Listings that search engines sell to advertisers, usually through paid placement or paid inclusion programs.

PDF: Portable Document Format. A file format designed to enable printing and viewing of documents with all their formatting (typefaces, images, layout, etc.) appearing the same regardless of what operating system is used, so a PDF document should look the same on Windows, Macintosh, linux, OS/2, etc. 

PNG: Portable Network Graphics. PNG is a graphics format specifically designed for use on the World Wide Web. PNG enable compression of images without any loss of quality, including high-resolution images. 

Portal: Usually used as a marketing term to described a Web site that is or is intended to be the first place people see when using the Web. Typically a portal site has a catalog of web sites, a search engine, or both. A portal site may also offer email and other service to entice people to use that site as their main "point of entry" to the Web. 

Rank: How well a particular web page or web site is listed in a search engine results. 

Reciprocal Link: A link exchange between two sites.

Results Page: After a user enters a search query, the page that is displayed, is call the results page. Sometimes it may be called SERPs, for "search engine results page."

Robots: See crawling.

ROI: Return On Investment. Refers to the percentage of profit or revenue generated from a specific activity. 

Search Engine: Any service generally designed to allow users to search the web or a specialized database of information. Web search engines generally have paid listings and organic listings. 

Search Engine Marketing: SEM The act of marketing a web site via search engines, whether this be improving rank in organic listings, purchasing paid listings or a combination of these and other search engine-related activities.

Search Engine Optimization: SEO The act of altering a web site so that it does well in the organic, crawler-based listings of search engines. 

Search Terms: The words (or word) a searcher enters into a search engine's search box. Also used to refer to the terms a search engine marketer hopes a particular page will be found for. Also called keywords, query terms or query.

Server: A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. 

Spam (or Spamming) Sending the same message to a large number of people who didn’t ask for it. 

Spider: See Crawler.

Submission: The act of submitting a URL for inclusion into a search engine's index. Unless done through paid inclusion, submission generally does not guarantee listing. 

SSL: Secure Socket Layer.  The standard security technology for creating an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browser remains private and secure. You should see the "https://" at the beginning of the URL, as well as seeing the padlock icon the bottom of the screen.

URL: Uniform Resource Locator.  The location of a resource on the Internet. Term is often used interchangeably with domain and Web address. https://www.hvacwebconnection.com/glossary.htm 


Viral marketing:  A marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message. Nicknamed viral because the number of people exposed to a message mimics the process of passing a virus or disease from one person to another.