Marketing glossary: terms and definitions

A

A/B test

Also: B test

A comparison between two versions (a page, an ad, an email) shown to similar groups of people to find out which works better. You need enough visits and only one change at a time.

AI agent

An artificial intelligence tool entrusted with a specific task (draft copy, standard replies, reports). It should be listed in the team like any other resource, stating who manages it and who checks the output.

AI (artificial intelligence)

Also: AI, intelligenza artificiale

Software that learns from large amounts of data and produces text, images or analysis. In marketing it speeds up drafts and analysis, but every output must be checked by a person.

AIO (AI Overviews)

Also: AIO, AI Overviews

The AI-generated summaries that Google shows at the top of search results, with links to the sources cited. Being among the sources brings visibility even if you are not ranked first.

Appointments

The first meetings or calls booked with potential clients. They are the step between an interested contact and a real negotiation.

Attribution

The rule used to assign credit for a sale to the channels the customer came across (first touch, last touch, linear split or data-driven).

Marketing audit

The check-up of your marketing activity: we look at data, website, channels, competitors and organisation to understand what works, what doesn’t and where to start.

Awareness

How well the public knows the brand or product. It is the stage where the aim is to get noticed, even before selling.

B

Backlink

A link from another site to yours. If it comes from authoritative, relevant sites, it is a signal of trust for search engines.

Banner

A graphic ad (image or animation) shown on websites and apps. It is mainly used to get noticed or to re-engage people who have already visited the site, less so to close a direct sale.

Benchmark

A reference value (from your sector, your competitors or your own previous periods) against which to compare results. Use it with caution: every business has a different context.

Bounce rate

Also: Bounce rate, tasso di rimbalzo

The share of sessions that end without any meaningful interaction. In Google Analytics 4 it is the opposite of the engagement rate.

Brand identity

The combination of name, logo, style, tone and values that makes a business recognisable at every touchpoint.

Brief

The initial document or meeting in which the client describes the business, its objectives, constraints and expectations. The more precise it is, the more the work starts off in the right direction.

Browser

The program used to browse the internet (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox). The browser used can change how the site looks and which browsing data can be measured.

Business Model Canvas

A nine-block canvas that describes how a business creates, delivers and captures value: customers, value proposition, channels, relationships, revenue, resources, activities, partners and costs.

Buyer persona

Also: personas

A simplified portrait of the ideal customer: who they are, what they are looking for, what doubts they have, where they get their information. It helps you choose messages and channels.

C

CAC (customer acquisition cost)

Also: CAC, costo di acquisizione cliente

The average cost of acquiring a new customer: marketing and sales costs for the period divided by the new customers gained in that period.

Call to action (CTA)

Also: Call to action, CTA

The invitation to act on a page, ad or email: “Book a call”, “Download the guide”, “Buy now”.

Traffic channel

The group a visit belongs to based on how the person reached the site: Google search, social media, email, another website, an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, or direct (address typed in or saved in bookmarks).

Capacity (available hours)

Also: Capacità, ore disponibili

How many hours a person can genuinely devote to marketing. The plan must not require more hours than are available, otherwise activities stall.

Who does what (RACI)

Also: Chi fa cosa, RACI

The responsibility map: for each activity, who does it (responsible), who supports it, who approves it and who needs to be informed. It prevents activities from having no owner.

Churn rate

Also: churn

The share of customers (or subscribers) lost in a period compared with those at the start. The complement of retention.

Sales cycle

The time from first contact to signature. It is best measured with the median, because a few very long cases push up the average.

Organic clicks

Visits to the site that come from search engines’ unpaid results. You can see them in Search Console, together with impressions and average position.

Link clicks

The people who clicked the link to the site from a post or ad. They measure the content’s ability to drive traffic.

Click-through rate (CTR)

Also: Click-through rate, CTR

Clicks divided by impressions: the percentage of people who click when they see an ad or a search result.

Direct and indirect competitors

Direct competitors sell the same thing to the same people; indirect competitors solve the same problem in another way (or don’t solve it, and the customer gives up).

Marketing consulting

Working sessions with one of the firm’s consultants to prioritise your marketing and start working on it, without the full audit and plan. Available as a single session or as a package.

Content marketing

Creating useful content (articles, guides, videos, newsletters) to attract people and guide them towards a decision, rather than simply advertising.

Conversion rate

Also: Conversion rate, tasso di conversione

Conversions divided by visits (or sessions, or users, depending on the chosen definition), multiplied by 100. It shows what share of traffic reaches the goal.

Conversion

Also: conversioni

An action that matters to the business, taken by a visitor: a purchase, contact request, sign-up or booking. It must be defined before it is measured.

Cohort

Also: coorti

A group of people who share something, usually the period in which they became customers. Following a cohort over time shows how many stay, buy again or stop.

Reach

Also: Copertura, reach

The number of unique people who have seen a piece of content or an ad at least once. Unlike impressions, each person counts only once.

CPA (cost per acquisition)

Also: CPA, costo per acquisizione

Advertising spend divided by the number of conversions achieved (purchases, leads, bookings).

CPC (cost per click)

Also: CPC, costo per clic

How much you pay on average for each click on an ad: spend divided by clicks.

CPL (cost per lead)

Also: CPL, costo per lead

Spend divided by the number of contacts generated. It makes sense to compare it with lead quality, not just quantity.

CPM (cost per thousand impressions)

Also: CPM, costo per mille impression

The cost of one thousand views of an ad. Useful for comparing the cost of visibility across channels.

CRM

Also: customer relationship management

Customer Relationship Management: the tool (and method) for recording contacts, deals and the history of relationships with customers and prospects.

CRO (conversion rate optimisation)

Also: CRO, ottimizzazione del tasso di conversione

The ongoing work of increasing the share of visitors who take the desired action, through analysis, testing and improvements to pages and journeys.

Customer journey

The journey a person takes from their first contact with the business through to purchase and beyond, across multiple channels and moments.

D

Unsubscribes

People who ask to stop receiving emails. The unsubscribe rate (unsubscribes divided by emails delivered) shows whether frequency and content are right.

E

Emails delivered

Emails that reached the recipient’s inbox (sent minus bounced). A low delivery rate points to address or reputation problems.

Engagement

How much your audience interacts with content: reactions, comments, shares, saves, reading time.

Key event (conversion in GA4)

Also: Evento chiave, conversione in GA4

In GA4, an event marked as important for the business (form submission, purchase, booking, call). Key events are the site’s conversions.

F

Turnover

The value of sales over a period. In analyses it is compared with the same period of the previous year, to take seasonality into account.

Feedback

Customers’ views on a product, service or communication, gathered through questions, reviews or conversations. It is the most direct source for understanding what to improve.

Follow-up

Also: follow up

The message or phone call that follows a first contact, so that an enquiry doesn’t fall through the cracks. Many sales are lost not because the customer says no, but because nobody gets back in touch.

Followers

The people who follow a profile and see its content. Growth over time and quality (who engages) matter more than the absolute number.

Funnel

Also: funnel, imbuto

A stage-by-stage representation of the buying journey: at each step some people drop out. You measure the rate at which people move from one stage to the next.

G

GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

Also: GA4, Google Analytics 4

Google’s event-based tool that measures how people use websites and apps. It provides sessions, users, conversions and traffic sources.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Also: GEO, Generative Engine Optimization

The work of getting cited in answers generated by artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini). It relies on clear, verifiable content, structured data, brand consistency and reviews.

Google Ads

Google’s advertising platform: ads appear in search results, on YouTube and on partner sites. You usually pay per click (CPC), and the return can be measured.

Google Business Profile

The free business listing on Google (Search and Maps): opening hours, contact details, reviews, photos. Essential for local businesses.

I

ICE (priority score)

Also: ICE, punteggio ICE, punteggio di priorità

A simple way to rank actions: score expected impact, confidence in the estimate and ease of implementation from 1 to 10, then take the average. The higher the score, the sooner it pays to act.

Impressions

Also: impressioni

The number of times an ad or piece of content is shown, even if nobody clicks on it.

Search intent

What someone really wants when they search for something: to find information, compare, buy or find a place. It guides your choice of content.

Interactions

The actions people take on a piece of content: reactions, comments, shares, saves, clicks. They are the basis for calculating the engagement rate.

Confidence interval

The range of values within which, with a given probability (usually 95%), the true value of a rate lies. The less data you have, the wider the range.

K

Keyword

Also: keyword, parole chiave, parola chiave

The word or phrase people type into search engines. Keyword research helps you understand what potential customers are looking for.

KPI

Key Performance Indicator: the metric chosen to measure progress towards a goal. A few clear ones, each with a starting value and a target.

L

Landing page

Also: landing

A page designed for one specific goal (a campaign, for example): one message, one action, few distractions.

Lead

An interested contact who has left their details or asked for information: a potential customer to follow up.

Lead nurturing

Supporting a lead over time with useful content and messages until they are ready to decide.

Lead scoring

A score that estimates how ready or suitable a lead is to buy, based on their characteristics and behaviour.

LTV (customer lifetime value)

Also: LTV, customer lifetime value

The value a customer brings over time, usually cumulative revenue or margin. It shows how much it is worth spending to acquire them.

M

Marketing automation

Messages and actions triggered automatically by what a person does (signing up, abandoning a basket, making a purchase).

Marketing mix (4Ps)

Also: Marketing mix

The four classic levers: product, price, place (distribution) and promotion. Effective marketing coordinates them.

Marketplace

A website that brings together products from many sellers (such as Amazon or Etsy). It brings visibility and customers, but in exchange for commission and with less control over the relationship with buyers.

Discovery call

The first video call with the studio, after the questionnaire (brief): it helps us understand goals and obstacles and decide together whether and where to start. It is free of charge.

Meta Ads

The advertising platform for Facebook and Instagram: it lets you choose your audience by interests, location and behaviour, and show images, videos and stories.

Meta description

The short text describing a page in Google results. It doesn’t improve rankings on its own, but it does influence clicks.

N

New users

People visiting the site for the first time (based on device or browser). They show how far the site attracts a new audience compared with people who already know it.

O

Open rate

Also: Open rate, tasso di apertura

The percentage of emails opened out of the total delivered. Privacy protections can inflate it, so it is best read alongside clicks.

P

Pages per session

The average number of pages viewed in a visit. Higher values point to more exploration, but higher isn’t always better: it depends on the site’s goal.

Marketing Plan

The document that sets out where you want to get to (measurable goals), how (strategy and actions), with whom and with what resources, when and on what budget, and how results will be checked.

Editorial plan

The calendar of content to publish (posts, articles, newsletters, videos): what, where, when and who prepares it. On the platform it also includes plan deadlines, reports and meetings.

Sales pipeline

Also: pipeline

The list of open deals, broken down by stage (new lead, brief, qualification, meeting, proposal). The weighted pipeline multiplies the value of each deal by the closing probability of its stage.

Pixel / tag

Also: Pixel, tag

A snippet of code added to the site that tells a tool (Meta, Google) what visitors do. It requires consent where the law demands it.

Ranking

The place a business holds in customers’ minds compared with its competitors: why choose it and what it is known for.

Average position

The site’s average position in Google results for the searches in which it appears. The first page runs from position 1 to 10.

Bookings

Confirmed requests for a service (room, table, appointment). If they come through the website or by phone without intermediaries, they are direct bookings, with no commission.

Q

Search query

Also: query

The words someone types (or says) into a search engine. Knowing your customers’ real queries helps you write pages that answer what they are actually looking for.

Market share

The share of the market a business has won, by value or by number of customers. It shows how much room there is to grow.

R

Reviews and average rating

The number of reviews and the average score customers leave on Google and other platforms. They influence people’s choices and your position on maps.

Reel

A short vertical video (usually under a minute) posted on Instagram or Facebook. The platforms also show it to people who don’t follow you, so it’s useful for getting known.

Referrer

The site a visitor comes from, the one where they clicked the link. It shows which sites, social networks or search engines bring traffic.

Restyling (redesign)

Refreshing a business’s image or website (design, copy, structure) without starting from scratch. It makes sense when what people see no longer reflects what you offer.

Retargeting / remarketing

Also: Retargeting, remarketing

Ads shown to people who have already visited the site or interacted with the business, to bring them back towards conversion.

Retention

Also: retention, fidelizzazione

The ability to keep customers over time: the share of customers who stay or buy again within a period.

Direction requests

People who, from the business’s Google listing, asked for directions to get there. For local businesses they are a strong sign of a visit.

Roadmap

The sequence of the plan’s actions on the calendar, with start and end dates: it shows what comes first, what comes next and what overlaps.

ROAS

Return on Ad Spend: revenue attributed to advertising divided by ad spend. A ROAS of 4 means €4 of revenue for every euro spent, before product costs.

ROI

Return on Investment: (gain − cost) divided by cost. Unlike ROAS, it takes all costs into account, not just advertising.

S

Variance

The difference between the result achieved and the result forecast for the same period. It isn’t a failing: it shows where action is needed.

SEA / SEM

Also: SEA, SEM

Paid advertising on search engines (SEA), often included in the broader SEM: the ad appears when someone searches for a particular keyword.

Search Console

Google’s free tool showing how the site appears in searches: impressions, clicks, average position, pages and queries.

See-Think-Do-Care

A model that divides the audience into four moments: people who don’t know you (See), people weighing up options (Think), people ready to buy (Do) and existing customers (Care).

Segmentation

Also: segmenti

Dividing your audience into groups with similar characteristics or needs, so you can speak to each one more relevantly.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization: the work of getting a site to appear in search engines’ organic (unpaid) results.

SERP

A search engine’s results page. It contains organic results, ads, maps and other panels.

Session

Also: sessioni

A visit to the site: all of a person’s interactions within a period of time. One person can have several sessions.

Ad spend

How much is spent on ads over a period. Always read it alongside results (conversions, revenue) to calculate cost per acquisition and return.

Seasonality

Variations that recur every year in the same periods (sales, summer, holidays). That is why comparisons are made with the same period of the previous year.

SWOT

A four-box grid: strengths and weaknesses (inside the business), opportunities and threats (outside). It summarises the situation before you decide what to do.

T

Win rate

Also: Tasso di chiusura, win rate

The share of closed deals that end in a sale: won divided by won plus lost.

Average engagement time

The time the site was actually in the foreground of the browser during the visit. It is more reliable than the old time-on-page metric.

Tone of voice

The way a brand speaks: register (formal or friendly), words to use and words to avoid. It keeps all copy consistent, even when different people write it.

Touchpoint

Every point of contact between customer and business: ad, website, email, social media, phone call, shop.

U

Upselling and cross-selling

Also: upselling, cross-selling, cross selling

Upselling: offering a more complete version of what the customer is buying. Cross-selling: offering a complementary product.

USP (unique selling proposition)

Also: USP, proposta unica di vendita

What sets you apart from the alternatives in a concrete, verifiable way. It isn’t a slogan: it’s a fact the customer can check.

UTM

Parameters added to a link (source, medium, campaign) that let you see in analytics tools which initiative your visits come from.

V

Conversion value

The value in euros attributed to the conversions achieved (order revenue or the estimated value of a contact). Divided by spend, it gives ROAS.

Average value per customer

How much each customer brings in on average over a period (turnover divided by number of customers). It helps you decide how much it is worth spending to acquire new ones.

Value proposition

The promise of value: what problem you solve, for whom, and why you are different from the alternatives. It is the foundation of your messaging.

Engaged visit

A visit in which the person did something beyond opening a page: they viewed at least two pages, stayed at least 10 seconds or took an action such as calling or downloading a file. It is the opposite of a “bounced” visit.

Visitor

A person who visits the site, counted once in the period. Without cookies you can’t know for certain that it is the same person as yesterday, so the figure is a conservative estimate.

Profile visits

How many times people opened the profile after seeing a piece of content. It is a sign of interest in the brand, even before a follow or a contact.

Page views

How many times the site’s pages were loaded, including repeat loads by the same person. Divided by sessions, they show how many pages are viewed per visit.