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Dictionary / Terms Glossary

TitleContent
CDF (Channel Definition Format)An XML specification created by Microsoft and allows web publishers to push content to users. When a user subscribes to a CDF, any software that supports the CDF format will automatically receive fresh content posted on the channel’s web server.
Click FraudThe illegal practice of clicking on a website click through advertisement with the sole purpose of increasing the number of payable click throughs to the advertiser. Advertisements may include banner advertisements or paid links. Click fraud is often completed by competitors of the targeted company.
Chart WizardA feature in Microsoft Excel that provides users with step-by-step instructions in creating a chart in excel. A user can access this feature by clicking on “Chart” under the “Insert Menu” tab.
CDF (Channel Definition Format)An XML specification created by Microsoft and allows web publishers to push content to users. When a user subscribes to a CDF, any software that supports the CDF format will automatically receive fresh content posted on the channel’s web server.
Search distribution partnersSearch engine and content sites that display the natural or sponsored search results (or both) of a search engine.
Internal Cloud (Private Cloud)A cloud computing platform that is implemented by the IT department within the corporate firewall. This type of platform allows for increased control over enterprise and customer data and eliminates any concerns about security or meeting regulatory compliance.
ImpressionA term used to describe when a user views an advertisement on a web page.
Enterprise SearchThis describes a custom search within a website. Wikipedia refers to this type of search as an “application of search technology to information within an organization.” Custom search engines are designed to focus their search on the data within a specific website.
ENIWAn Ethernet Networking Interface that is web-enabled. It provides extra remote web capabilities with reading and writing access through the Internet.
Embedded Server Pages (ESP)A group of technologies used to provide a standards-based, embeddable, and dynamic web page creation environment.
Internet exchange points (IXPs)An Internet exchange point is the physical infrastructure through which Internet service providers and content delivery networks exchange Internet traffic between their networks. IXPs reduce the portion of an ISP's traffic that must be delivered via their upstream transit providers, thereby reducing the average per-bit delivery cost of their service.
301 RedirectA Web server function that permanently redirects an old URL to a new one.
Above the foldThe portion of a web page that consumers can see on their computer monitor without scrolling.
Ad listingIncludes the title and description that are displayed for the keyword(s) purchased.
Ad sponsorThe advertiser who has purchased an ad. In search engine advertising, it’s the advertiser who has purchased a listing in the search results.
Affiliate ProgramsA form of advertising on the web that rewards the affiliates (self-selected advertisers) for driving traffic to the advertiser (CTR) or for subsequent transactions.
Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)A term that is used to describe using several technologies together, including HTML, Java Script, XML, XSLT, Cascading Style Sheets, the Document Object Model, XHTML and XMLHttpRequest object. Ajax uses the technologies collectively to create fast, incremental changes to the webpage interface without reloading the browser page
AlfrescoA leading open source CMS package, with industry-proven stability and scalability and a dedicated community of developers and users.
AlgorithmA mathematical formula used by search engines to determine a web site page’s ranking in the search results.
Alternative textText placed inside the image source tag of HTML code. This text is shown when images can’t be displayed. It’s often viewable by rolling the computer mouse over an image. Also known as alt tag.
Amazon EC2 (Amazon Elastic Computer Cloud)A Web service that allows customers to rent computing resources from the EC2 cloud. This service provides processing, storage and web services to users.
Anchor TextA hyperlink included on a web page. Anchor text is considered an important aspect of an SEO strategy.
Artificial IntelligenceA term used in computer science to describe making computers behave more like humans.
ASPAbbreviation for Application Service Provider. An ASP leases their product or service generally for a less-expensive recurring fee than selling it at a one-time cost.
AtomUsed to describe an XML-based web content and metadata syndication format. Atom can also be used to describe an application-level set of rules for editing and publishing web resources associated with continuously updated websites.
Auto-fillA software of application feature that allows you to enter a series of characters or numbers in a specified range and the feature will complete the entry that you began typing.
B-Blog (Short for Business Blog)A blog used to promote a business.
Bid gapThe amount of money between two advertisers who are competing for top positions on Pay-For-Placement search engine programs.
BlawgA slang term used to describe a blog that has a legal focus.
BlogolaA slang term used to describe a deceptive practice where a popular blogger is paid to advertise or create buzz for a specific product of technology in their blog.
BookmarkA feature used to mark a specific place in a document or on a webpage for later retrieval. Almost all website browsers support the bookmark feature.
Broken HyperlinkA link of a webpage that will lead to a missing page, an incorrect URL or a missing file. Often, broken links lead users to a “404 File Not Found” error page.
BuzzwordAny trendy or recently created word or phrase that is usually used to impress customers, as opposed to helping explain the technology or product.
Byte Order Mark (BOM)Character code (such as U+FEFF) provided at the beginning of a data stream. It is used to define the encoding form and byte order.
Call recording and trackingAn application that records calls and provides methods for storing, organizing, and accessing recordings.
Call to actionAn activity requested of a consumer. Examples include buying a product, completing a survey, or subscribing to an online newsletter.
Campaign componentsCampaign components specific to search engine advertising include keywords, listing titles, listing descriptions, and landing pages.
Chart WizardA feature in Microsoft Excel that provides users with step-by-step instructions in creating a chart in excel. A user can access this feature by clicking on “Chart” under the “Insert Menu” tab.
Click FraudThe illegal practice of clicking on a website click through advertisement with the sole purpose of increasing the number of payable click throughs to the advertiser. Advertisements may include banner advertisements or paid links. Click fraud is often completed by competitors of the targeted company.
Click-throughThe action of a consumer viewing a link and clicking on it to visit a web page.
Click-through rate (CTR)The percentage of clicks on a link out of the number of times it was displayed.
Cloud ApplicationA software application that is accessed via the Internet, as opposed to being installed on a computer.
Cloud providerA service provider that provides customers with software services or storage through a private or public network. Most often, the service allows customers to access the storage and software on the internet.
Cloud OSA buzzword used to describe Platform as a Service (Paas) to indicate an relationship with cloud computing.
Content Management System (CMS)A software package that is implemented as a Web application and is used for creating and managing HTML web content. The main purpose of the CMS is to allow non-technical users to modify an existing website with little to no training.
Word stemmingThe ability for a search engine to include the root of words.
Web ServicesA software system created to promote machine-to-machine collaboration and interaction over a shared network.
Website AnalyticsThe process of analyzing and measuring data as it relates to an Internet site, including behavior of visitors, the amount of traffic, the conversion rates, web server performance, and user experience, in order to continually improve the results of a site towards a set of objectives.
Website Design ServicesCreating or modifying the structure, content and visual aesthetics of a website. This process may include graphic design, animation, communication design, human-computer interaction, information architecture, marketing, advertising, photography, search engine optimization, and typography.
URLAbbreviation for uniform (or universal) resource locator. A URL is the location of a file on the Internet, which may include a web document, a web page, or an image file.
Vertical market search engineA search engine that focuses on a particular topic. A niche content site that contains a site-based search function could be considered a vertical market search engine.
VisitEach time a consumer arrives at a web page. A unique visitor can account for multiple visits to a web page. Unless click fraud is present, search engines that charge for click-throughs include all visits, not just clicks from unique visitors.
Static web pageAn HTML page, as opposed to a dynamic page, which is generated by a database. Also known as a flat page.
Stop WordsWords that are not taken into consideration by Web search engines and other enterprise search and indexing platforms. Examples include and, the, a, etc.
Tracking URLA specific URL with code that identifies information about the resulting clicks. The referring search engine, keyword, ad listing, and landing page can be included in a tracking URL. Tracking URLs can be created in-house or automatically generated by an ROI tracking solution. These URLs must be given to the search engines in order for resulting clicks and/or sales to be tracked.
Traditional Print AdvertisingThe dissemination of advertising messages using visual, printed items, such as photographs, illustrations, and copy. Can include advertising in newspapers, billboards, magazines, flyers, catalogs, or mailers.
Spam (Targeting Email)This type of spam is also known as “junk email.” Email spam involves flooding the internet with unsolicited, bulk emails sent directly to individual email addresses. This type of spam is usually commercial advertising that often involves “bogus” offers or get-rich-quick schemes.
SpiderSoftware used by a search engine to find and retrieve web pages to include in its database (also called index).
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML)A procedure for tagging and organizing elements of a document. It is most commonly used for managing large documents that are likely to revised frequently and need to be printed in different formats.
Search distribution partnersSearch engine and content sites that display the natural or sponsored search results (or both) of a search engine.
Software Re-engineeringThe analysis, diagnosis and modification of a system in an effort to increase functionality or to correct errors.
Software System Design and DevelopmentThe study of developing and designing software. This process includes research, new development, reuse, modification, maintenance and other tasks that results in software products.
Spam (Targeting Search Engines)Any activity designed to trick the search engines into giving a site a higher ranking. Common tactics include hiding keywords as white text on a white page background, submitting a web page to a search engine daily, and building doorway pages.
ENIWAn Ethernet Networking Interface that is web-enabled. It provides extra remote web capabilities with reading and writing access through the Internet.
Enterprise SearchThis describes a custom search within a website. Wikipedia refers to this type of search as an “application of search technology to information within an organization.” Custom search engines are designed to focus their search on the data within a specific website.
Embedded Server Pages (ESP)A group of technologies used to provide a standards-based, embeddable, and dynamic web page creation environment.
Internal Cloud (Private Cloud)A cloud computing platform that is implemented by the IT department within the corporate firewall. This type of platform allows for increased control over enterprise and customer data and eliminates any concerns about security or meeting regulatory compliance.
302 RedirectA Web server function that temporarily redirects an old URL to a new one.
ImpressionA term used to describe when a user views an advertisement on a web page.
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA or Service-Oriented Computing)Considered to be an evolution of distributed systems/computing. It is based upon the idea of loose coupling, which entails a flexible relationship between two or more organizations or systems with some kind of interdependent relationship. Essentially, SOA comprises a collection of services that are completed independent of each other but rely upon each other for the proper outcome.
SitewideNavigation and linking construction that is consistent across an entire Web site.
SERPAbbreviation for search engine results page.
Search engine advertisingThe process of paying money to search engines or directories to enhance a site’s position; paid placement and paid inclusion programs are included.
SEO SpamSEO practices that violate the search engine’s Terms of Service.
SEMSearch Engine Marketing
SEOAbbreviation for search engine optimization. The process of designing the web site to attract search engine spiders and improve a site’s ranking for relevant keywords within a search engine’s database. This process includes search engine and directory submission, which can require an inclusion fee.
Requirements Collection & ModelingThe process of defining specific objectives that need to be met during the project. This includes stakeholder analysis, requirements gathering, requirements analysis and documentation, managing requirement changes, product requirements analysis, requirements verification and validation and stakeholder management.
Search engine marketingIncludes both advertising and optimization efforts to achieve high visibility of a web site for relevant keywords. Also referred to as search engine positioning or search engine promotion.
Ruby on RailsRuby on Rails promotes rapid development of entire projects: from prototyping through development, testing and deployment, to tuning. Rails features native support for AJAX, client-side scripting and everything else Web 2.0. If your solution requires custom functionality, Rails is a great way to go.
Regional targetingThe ability to market to a specific geographic region by country, state, city, or ZIP code.
Search engineSoftware that searches a database of web site pages to find and then return page matches to the keyword query.
RankingThe position of a web page in the search results. “Ranking” generally refers to organic or natural listings achieved through site optimization plus inclusion efforts; specific positions can’t be determined as with paid placement.
PPCAbbreviation for pay-per-click. In search engine advertising, it’s a pricing model that typically refers to Pay-For-Placement (paid placement) and often includes Trusted Feed (paid inclusion) programs.
QueryA request for specific information from a database.
PFPAbbreviation for Pay-For-Placement. Advertisers determine their own per-click fee based on what they are willing to pay for each keyword. Ad listing positions are typically awarded to the highest bidder. Pay-For-Placement is a paid placement program.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)A novel bit-mapped graphics format that replaced GIF as a standard for the World Wide Web consortium.
ParserA piece of software that analyzes the syntax of a script when it is implemented on a web server. A parser can help identify display syntax errors found when the code is implemented in a browser and it can turn scripted code into readable object code.
PortalDescribes a website that provides a variety of resources and services, including e-mail, forums, online shopping and blogs.
Paid placementA program where marketers pay a fee for a specified position, for a specified keyword. Fixed Placement and Pay-For-Placement are paid placement programs.
Paid listingsA web page listing that’s a result of paying a paid inclusion or paid placement fee. This phrase generally refers to the search engines that offer pay-per-click pricing.
Organic listingSee natural listing.
Paid inclusionA program where marketers pay a fee to submit a web page to a search engine or directory’s database. Top rankings are not guaranteed. Submit URL and Trusted Feed are paid inclusion programs.
Online Data Storage (Internet Storage or Hosted Storage)A solution that allows users to store their data on the Internet using a service provider, as opposed to storing the data locally or on a hard drive.
Online Display AdvertisingOnline advertisements, such as banners, button, sponsorships, and interactive videos, that use eye-catching typography and graphic images.
New MediaCatch-all term for all forms of electronic communication and interactive media made possible through the use of computer technology, such as the internet, streaming video and audio, and chat rooms, e-mail, digital cameras, and 3-D and virtual reality.
Meta tagInformation within the HTML code of a web page that provides information about the page. Common Meta tags are the title, keyword, and description tags.
Natural listingThe listing of a web page in the search results produced by algorithm-based (or crawler-based) search engines. Paid inclusion programs can help web sites appear for a natural listing, also called an organic listing.
Multi-tenantA term used in cloud computing that describes multiple users on the same public cloud.
Link popularityAn important element search engines consider in ranking web pages in the natural search results area. It incorporates both the number and quality of relevant inbound links to a company’s web site.
Landing pageThe web page a consumer arrives at once a link is clicked. Also referred to as a destination page, destination URL, or target URL.
LAN PartySlang term used to describe a group of individuals, usually gamers, who set up a local-area network and play multiplayer games on the LAN.
Keyword densityThe number of times a keyword or phrase appears within a web page divided by the total number of words on that page.
Invisible Web (Deep Web)Describes web pages that a search engine purposely does not index or to web pages that cannot be indexed. These pages are considered “invisible” to the common user.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)A compression technique used for photographic images. It can reduce image file sizes to about 5% of its original size, but some detail is lost in the process.
KeywordA word or set of words (phrase) that consumers type into a search engine to find relevant web pages.
Hit (Page Hit)The retrieval of an item, such as a page or graphic, from a web server. As an example, when a user clicks on a webpage with three graphics, the number of hits will equal four – one for the page and three for the graphics. From this example, you can see that hits are not a good indication of website traffic.
HTML5A W3C specification that describes the fifth major revisions of Hypertext Markup Language. Features of HTML 5 include special functions for audio, video and interactive documents.
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)A nonprofit organization that allocates IP address space, assigns protocol paramaters and manages the domain name and root sever systems.
Fixed PlacementIn relationship to search engine advertising, a specific ad listing position can be purchased for a keyword, for a set fee. Fee structures are based on a negotiated CPM, CPC, or CPA rate. Fixed Placement is a paid placement program.
Fresh ContentContent that has recently been added or updated. Fresh content is often considered to be dynamic.
Feed Aggregator (RSS aggregator)A hosted application or software that combines feeds from different sources and presents them in one place, usually on your desktop or in a web browser.
Excel BordersA tool in excel that allows a user to access predefined border styles and to add the style to two or more cells in an excel spreadsheet.
Ethical SEO/White Hat SEORefers to SEO practices and techniques that follow the search engine’s Terms of Service. These SEO strategies focus primarily on a human audience, as opposed to search engines.
European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM)European host of the W3C, an international association of organizations involved with the Internet and the Web.
EC2Virtual computing environment that provides processing, storage and Web services to end-users.
Dynamic pageA page that is generated by a database. This type of page typically contains characters such as ?, =, %, + in the URL. Also called a dynamic URL.
Duplicate ContentIn SEO, this refers to content that is reused or copied from other web pages. Duplicate content is often used to help increase keyword density and search engine rank, although Google sometimes penalizes websites that overuse duplicate content.
Dynamic ContentBlog or website content that changes often, including animations, audio or video. Dynamic content is often used to engage the user.
DrupalDrupal is applauded for it’s elegant architecture, high extendability, and scalability. Also, Drupal can be installed into any web host, providing a full CMS features set even on shared hosting accounts. Like Alfresco, Drupal has a massive developer community.
DOM (Document Object Model)The designation for how objects appear on a web page, such as text, links, headers and images. Dynamic web pages rely on DOM to dynamically change the look of web pages after the page has been downloaded to a user’s browser.
Document Type DeclarationXML systems that helps a parser validate XML documents by providing relevant information.
Doorway pageGenerally refers to a web page that is created for the sole purpose of achieving high organic listings in the search engines. This page offers little or no value to consumers, and therefore is considered Spam. Also known as gateway, attraction, envelope, directory information pages (DIPs), and hallway pages.
Document Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL)ISO standard that gives standardized syntax and standardized semantics. It is used to specify layout and style for SGML documents.
Distributed Systems (Distributed Computers)Includes multiple individual computers that communicate through a shared computer network. These computers work as a group to achieve a collective goal.
Deep PagesA page on a website that takes four or more clicks from the homepage to access.
DirectoryA collection of web sites that are organized by topic category and are included in a specific category (or categories) after being reviewed by a human editor. Examples include www.dmoz.org, Business.com, and Yahoo!.
Digital CityAlso commonly referred to as a City Guide, digital city describes a local online network that provides local (city-based) information such as entertainment, community events, local yellow pages and e-commerce.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)A process that involves identifying and recording all aspects of interaction between an organization and its customers, whether it be related to sales or services. The main purpose of the CRM is to provide superior service to customers.
Creative and design servicesCreative services are a subsector of the creative industries, a part of the economy that create wealth by offering creativity for hire to other businesses.
Daypart targetingThe ability to run an ad campaign by specific times of the day.
CPMAbbreviation for cost per thousand. It’s the fee paid to an advertising vendor for every 1,000 times an ad is displayed (impressions).
CPCAbbreviation for cost-per-click. It’s the fee paid to an advertising vendor for each click on a link that sends consumers to an advertiser’s web page.
Conversion rateThe number of site visits (click-throughs) that result in a sale or other call to action.
CPAAbbreviation for cost-per-acquisition, also referred to as cost-per-action. It’s the fee paid to an advertising vendor for each lead or sale generated (or another call to action).
ConversionA completed call to action. Typically, a lead or sale.
Contextual advertisingA program in which advertisers’ paid listings appear on web sites containing content relevant to the listings. A keyword search isn’t required for the listings to appear. Approved web site publishers insert code into their web pages to allow the search engine’s technology to determine which ads to serve, based on content relevancy.
303 RedirectA Web server function that redirects an old URL to a new one. This Redirect status is listed as “see other.”
API

An API is an application programming interface, which is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface that offers a service to other pieces of software. APIs simplify software development and innovation by enabling applications to exchange data and functionality easily and securely. For example, when you use a third-party payment system on an ecommerce site, an API makes the connection between the site and the payment system.