In this guest column, Logie-nominated journalist, Leisa Goddard (main photo), who is also the managing director of media, PR and digital agency, Adoni Media, offers her personal guide to making your way through digital marketing buzzwords and gobbledygook…

Do you feel as though your digital marketer speaks to you in a language you don’t understand?

In today’s highly-competitive world of SEO marketing, companies are increasingly investing big money in trying to secure the coveted number one spot on search engines. After all, Google research shows 74 per cent of people don’t scroll past the first page and 51 per cent choose from the top three websites in any search.

Most business owners and executives have been told how SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is being used to boost rankings, bring in new customers and boost sales but few ever have the tactics being used fully explained.

Journalists are taught to write in simple English, but if you read any SEO and SEM digital marketing report the buzzwords and acronyms are anything but.

Truth be told, technology changes so quickly even those in digital marketing agency land have to work hard to keep up with the latest algorithm updates and new digital lingo.

In a matter of days new key digital marketing phrases, terminologies, and ways to track, monitor, and increase sales are promoted across blogs as the latest and greatest magic bullet to web dominance.

To help, here’s a translation:

1. Above the fold – Think of the fold on the front page of a newspaper. Above the fold refers to the section of your webpage that appears before you have to scroll. The goal is to have your best content above the fold.
2. Algorithm updates – It’s the science of what is happening behind the scenes. Algorithms are how search engines determine what websites will appear when you put in certain keywords or phrases.
3. CPA – Cost-Per-Acquisition – The amount you’re spending on paid advertising divided by the amount of people you are able to convert. This is a common pricing model for digital advertising and is one of the most effective models for businesses with low marketing budgets because you only pay for what you get.
4. CPC – Cost-Per-Click – How much you are paying when somebody clicks on one of your ads.
5. CONVERSION – Conversion is when your business receives a sale, booking, or your desired goal on your website. This can mean that someone has come through marketing or advertising channels (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping or Google Ads.) to your website.
6. CONVERSION TRACKING With conversion tracking implemented on your website you can find out: Which ad campaigns are most effective; Which keywords are producing more conversions; The ROI for your digital advertising dollars; Which audiences are converting the most; How much time people spend on your website and how they engage with it.
7. CRO – Conversion Rate Optimisation – Using analytics, performance metrics and testing to improve the performance of your site by analysing where and how people navigate and convert.

7. CTR – Click-Through-Rate – The percentage of people who clicked on your webpage link (or URL) in marketing material. CTR is used for tracking ads, marketing emails, and websites to get an idea on how much traffic (how many people) is coming through to your website.
8. KEYWORD OPTIMISATION – Keyword optimisation is one of the aspects of your website that affects your business’ ranking on Google (SEO).

It is the act of researching, analysing and selecting the best keywords to drive traffic from search engines to your website. There are online platforms available to tell you what are the best keywords to include in your website for people to search on google, that will direct them to your website.

• SEO – Search Engine Optimisation – SEO management is all about how to make your website show up in a higher position when people search on Google and other search engines. Your SEO rank is often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” as it is the unpaid position your page appears in on Google.