Interactive Glossary
- Ad click
- When user clicks on ad.
- Ad Network
- A company that provides sales representation for dozens to thousands of independent Web sites by aggregating the ad inventory and selling ads across multiple sites.
- Ad insertion
- Placing an advertisement image source tag in a content file before it is delivered to the browser for the user to view.
- Adjusted Click-Through Rate
- Number of times an ad is clicked on divided by the number of Unique Users. (see Click-Through Rate)
- Ad space
- Space on a Web page reserved for ads, multiple “spaces” can exist on one page.
- Ad stream
- A series of advertisements viewed by the user during a single visit to a site. (also called impression stream)
- Ad transfers
- The successful arrival of a user at the advertiser’s Web site. When a user clicks on an advertisement, such as a banner or a button, the user is “transferred” to the advertiser's Web site.
- Ad view
- When an ad is downloaded and seen by a user.
- Advertising formats
- Common formats: MPEG clip, a Java applet or JavaScript, CGI banners, HTML or Rich Media.
- Algorithm
- Set of rules by which search engines rank Web pages.
- ASP (Application Service Providers)
- Providers of application programs and related services over the Internet to companies that may not have the internal resources available. “Contracting” service providers who help outside entities, such as a network, provide better services to its customers and clients.
- Banner ad
- An ad unit on a Web page that contains a promotional message and possibly a link to the advertiser’s Web site. Banner ads are GIF images and animated banner ads are GIF 89 a/Gif animation images.
- Benchmark CTR
- Adjusted CTR for other ad campaigns run in certain network area. This number can help gauge a campaign’s performance.
- Bookmark
- Creating and saving a link to a Web site already visited, so that the user can return to the “marked” Web site directly, without using a search engine or directory.
- Buttons
- An advertisement on a Web site that is similar to a small banner. Buttons are usually square-shaped and located in the lower corners on a Web page. Buttons can simple contain an advertiser's message, link the user to the advertiser’s Web site or to a microsite. (see Microsite)
- CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
- A script allowing Web pages to be created on the fly, based on information from text input or checkboxes.
- Channel
- A large collection of Web sites bundled together to give you access to core constituencies across several different industries at one time with a single media buy.
- Click
- When a user's mouse physically “clicks” on an advertisement, this usually links the user to the advertiser's home page or a page with more information.
- Click-stream
- The path of pages a user follows going through one or more Web sites.
- Click-through
- The number of times an ad is clicked. When a user clicks on an ad, they are usually transferred to another page.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- The number of times an ad is clicked on divided by the total number of times an ad is viewed.
- Content
- Material that appears on the World Wide Web, other than tools such as search engines and navigational tools. Content could include articles and other text, images, music, etc; usually considered the "meat" of the site.
- Cost-per-thousand (CPM)
- A Web price model that is becoming the standard, it is the cost to reach a thousand persons, the M stands for Roman numeral M, which equals 1,000.
- CPC
- Cost per click. Equal to the total cost of the advertising program divided by the number of unique visitors.
- Creative
- The concept design and artwork of an ad. Includes the technology used to create or develop the ad. The most common creative formats for banners are GIF, JPEG images or animated GIFs. Other creative technologies include JAVA, HTML or streaming audio or video, also referred to as Rich Media.
- Daughter Window
- see Superstitial
- Directory
- Manually-compiled collection of category-specific Web links.
- Double opt-in e-mail
- When a user has opted in twice to receive pertinent information via e-mail.
- Download
- To transfer data from one computer (e.g., the server for a Web site) to the user’s computer.
- E-mail Alert
- An opt-in e-mail designed to provide news updates related to a specific industry.
- E-mail Flyer
- An opt-in e-mail advertisement devoted to product and service offerings.
- Firewall
- A security barrier that separates sensitive files from public files. A password is often needed to obtain information from these pages.
- Flash page
- see Interstitial
- Frequency
- Number of Impressions divided by the number of Unique Users. This number tells you how many Unique Users saw your ad(s).
- GIF
- Graphical Interchange format; a format used for saving simple images for use on the Web. GIF images are the most common form of banner creative and graphics for the Web.
- GIF 89a/GIF Animation
- A file that allows banners to animate.
- Hit
- Each time a Web server sends a file to a browser, it is recorded in the server log file as a “hit.” Hits are generated for every element of a requested page (including graphics, text and interactive items). If a user views a page that contains two graphics, three hits will be recorded-one for the page itself and one for each graphic.
- HTML
- Hypertext mark-up language; coding computer language used to make Web pages, HTML tags or codes, embedded in the text. HTML defines the page layout, fonts and graphic elements as well as the hypertext links to other documents.
- Impression
- The delivery of an ad.
- Inventory
- The number of ad impressions available for sale on a Web site. Ad inventory is determined by the number of ads on a page, the number of pages containing ad space and the number of page requests.
- Interstitial
- An advertisement that appears in a separate browser window while a user waits for a Web page to be downloaded. Interstitials usually contain large graphics, streaming presentations, and applets. Also referred to as “splash” or “flash” pages.
- Java applets
- An outside application built in the Java programming language that allows a Web page to have animation, make calculations and other high-level functionality.
- JavaScript
- A series of routines that tell a Web browser to perform tasks, such as causing a pop-up window to appear or changing text or a graphic image during a mouse over.
- JPEG
- A graphics file format used for saving photographs and other complex images consisting of many colors.
- Keyword
- Word used in a Web search.
- Meta tag
- HTML tag in the head section of a Web page that includes additional information not displayed on the page.
- Metacrawler
- A popular meta search engine.
- Metrics
- Means of measuring traffic to and within a Web site, for instance, so advertisers can determine the effectiveness of their on-line ad spending.
- Microsite
- Web pages accessed by a user from clicking on a button, banner, or hypertext link. The page(s) of the microsite are usually full-page advertisements often highlighting specific products and services.
- Opt-in and Opt-out mailing lists
- Persons on opt-in mailing receive e-mail only if they specifically agree to it. E-mail is sent to persons on an opt-out list unless they specifically ask to be removed.
- Page
- Web sites are collections of electronic pages or HTML documents that may contain images and media objects (graphics, java applets etc.) as well as text. A page may contain more than one ad.
- Page Views
- The successful transmittal of a Web page, fully downloaded to the user's browser.
- Pay-Per-Inclusion Submission
- Service in which a search engine charges you a certain amount to spider and include your Web site in its database.
- PPC
- Pay per click. Interactive service where the client only pays for the times when their advertisement is clicked.
- Reach
- The number of unique visitors, or percent of specified target audience, to a site or group of sites within a specified session or other period of time.
- Rich Media
- Technologies that enhance interaction, multimedia and transaction activity between users and the ad or Web content. Examples include HTML, Java, video, audio, Flash and more.
- Run of Network
- An ad campaign booked to run throughout a network without concentrating on a vertical market or channel. Run of Network campaigns are often used to help novice online advertisers discover which network areas are responsive to their ad message.
- Search engine
- The main device used to find information on the Internet.
- Search engine crawlers
- Software robots that "crawl" Web pages, gathering information for search engine databases. Also known as search engine spiders.
- Search engine spiders
- Software robots that "crawl" Web pages, gathering information for search engine databases. Also known as search engine crawlers.
- Search positioning
- Act of adjusting various aspects of a Web site to closely align with the database criteria of an individual search engine.
- SEO
- Services that improve a Web site’s ranking when users search for terms relevant to the site.
- Session
- A series of transactions performed by a user in a determined amount of time. For example, in a single session, a user may start on a publisher’s Web site, click on an advertisement and then go to an advertiser's Web site and make a purchase.
- Share of Voice
- The amount of impressions in a network area that a campaign has booked compared to the total number of impressions available.
- Sponsored sites/content
- A Web site or other specified content, such as e-mail newsletters, which are paid for in whole or part by an advertiser. (see Content)
- Streaming media
- Non-text files, such as sounds, animation and video, that can be viewed or listened to shortly after the downloading process begins, streaming media enables immediate interaction with a file, versus waiting for it to completely download.
- Superstitial
- A Web page, usually no larger than one fourth of a full screen, that appears over another Web page to deliver ad content. Superstitials can be timed to open after a page is loaded or can be triggered when a user mouses over a banner or button. Also known as a Pop-up Window or Daughter Window.
- Textual Ad Impressions
- The delivery of a text-based advertisement to a browser. This would occur if a user’s computer does not download graphics and images. It ensures that the advertiser’s message is still delivered, only in textual format.
- Traffic
- The number of page views reported by a site from its log files, generally calculated on a monthly basis. Traffic can usually be reported for the entire site or for sections.
- Unique Users
- The number of different individuals who visit a Web site during a specific time period.
- Vertical Site
- An industry-specific Web site designed to help you to spread your marketing message to large audiences in a specific industry with a single media buy.
- XML feeds
- Extensible Markup Language. XML feeds are a form of paid inclusion by which a search engine is “fed” information about pages.