If you’re new to digital marketing or even someone with some experience, chances are you’ve seen abbreviations like SEO, CPC, CTR, and thought—”Wait, what does that mean?”
In digital marketing, these short forms are more than jargon. They’re essential to understanding campaigns, platforms, and performance reports. In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the key short terms in digital marketing, explaining what they stand for and how they actually matter in real-world scenarios.
Whether you’re a student, a business owner, or a marketing enthusiast—this is your go-to cheat sheet.
✅ Search Engine & Website-Related Terms
- SEO – Search Engine Optimization
The process of improving your website so it appears higher in Google search results, bringing in organic (unpaid) traffic. - SEM – Search Engine Marketing
A broader term that includes SEO but often refers to paid advertising like Google Ads. - SERP – Search Engine Results Page
The page displayed after you search something on Google or Bing. Everyone wants to be on page 1. - DA – Domain Authority
A ranking score (from 0 to 100) predicting how well a website will rank on search engines. - PA – Page Authority
Similar to DA, but for a specific web page. - Alt Text – Alternative Text
Descriptions added to images to help with SEO and accessibility. - Meta Tags
Hidden code snippets that help search engines understand your page content. - AMP – Accelerated Mobile Pages
A way to make your web pages load faster on mobile devices.
✅ Advertising & Paid Media Terms
- PPC – Pay Per Click
An advertising model where you pay only when someone clicks on your ad. - CPC – Cost Per Click
The actual cost you pay for each ad click. - CPM – Cost Per Mille
The cost to show your ad 1,000 times. Often used in display advertising. - CPA – Cost Per Acquisition/Action
The amount you pay for a lead, sale, or any desired action. - CTR – Click Through Rate
The percentage of people who clicked your ad or link after seeing it. Higher is better. - ROAS – Return on Ad Spend
Measures how much revenue you generate per ₹1 or $1 spent on ads. - Ad Rank
Google Ads’ algorithm that determines your ad position in the search results. - Impressions
The number of times your content or ad was shown.
✅ Content & Social Media Marketing Terms
- SMM – Social Media Marketing
Using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to promote your brand. - UGC – User Generated Content
Content created by your users or customers—reviews, photos, testimonials, etc. - KOL – Key Opinion Leader
Influencers or experts in a niche who can drive opinions and engagement. - BTS – Behind The Scenes
Informal, human content showing how your brand works behind the curtain. - VSL – Video Sales Letter
A persuasive video designed to sell a product or service. - Engagement Rate
A measure of how actively users are interacting with your content (likes, shares, comments). - Reels / Shorts / Stories
Short-form video content formats popular on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. - CTA – Call to Action
A prompt like “Buy Now” or “Subscribe” encouraging users to take the next step.
✅ Email Marketing & Automation Terms
- CRM – Customer Relationship Management
Software to manage your customer data, interactions, leads, and service follow-ups. - CTR (Email)
The percentage of people who clicked a link in your email. - Open Rate
The percentage of email recipients who opened your message. - Drip Campaign
Automated email series sent over time based on user behavior. - ESP – Email Service Provider
Tools like Mailchimp, Zoho Mail, or ConvertKit used for sending and managing emails. - A/B Testing
Sending two versions of an email or ad to see which performs better.
✅ Analytics & Performance Terms
- KPI – Key Performance Indicator
Metrics that define success in a campaign (traffic, leads, conversions). - ROI – Return on Investment
Profit made compared to what you spent on marketing. - GA – Google Analytics
A free Google tool to monitor website traffic and behavior. - Bounce Rate
Percentage of people who leave your site without interacting. - Session Duration
The average amount of time a user spends on your website. - Conversion Rate
The percentage of users who complete a goal (signup, purchase, etc.) - Heatmap
A visual representation of where users click and move on your site.
✅ Marketing Funnel & Strategy Terms
- TOFU – Top of Funnel
Awareness stage: your goal is to attract traffic and interest. - MOFU – Middle of Funnel
Consideration stage: nurturing leads with valuable content. - BOFU – Bottom of Funnel
Decision stage: pushing for conversion or purchase. - LTV / CLV – Lifetime Value / Customer Lifetime Value
The total expected revenue from a customer over the entire business relationship. - CAC – Customer Acquisition Cost
The average amount it takes to acquire one customer.
✅ Platform-Specific and Business Terms
- GMB – Google My Business
Business profile on Google that shows up in local searches and Maps. - FBM – Facebook Business Manager
A platform to manage ad accounts, business pages, and team access on Meta platforms. - BM – Business Manager (Meta)
Also refers to Meta’s interface for managing digital assets. - Pixel
A small tracking code used to track user behavior from your website to retarget them with ads. - B2B – Business to Business
Businesses that sell products or services to other businesses. - B2C – Business to Consumer
Businesses that sell directly to consumers.
✅ Tech & Tool Terms in Digital Marketing
- CMS – Content Management System
Platforms like WordPress or Wix used to build and manage websites. - CDN – Content Delivery Network
A system of servers that delivers your website content faster across the globe. - UI – User Interface
The visual layout of your website or app. - UX – User Experience
How pleasant and smooth the entire user journey is on your site. - API – Application Programming Interface
A bridge that allows two different software systems to talk to each other. - SaaS – Software as a Service
Cloud-based software you subscribe to, like SEMrush or Canva.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a digital marketing student, freelancer, startup founder, or agency professional, these terms will help you speak and work smarter. The more familiar you become with these short forms, the better you’ll understand strategies, campaign reports, and client discussions.
So next time someone says,
“The CTR on our PPC campaign needs improvement. Let’s A/B test the CTA and check the bounce rate on GA,”
—you won’t just nod… you’ll understand and take action.