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Google AdWords Glossary of Key Terms

 

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS SECTION:

If you read through this Glossary of key AdWords terms, you will have a pretty good understanding of how to use Google AdWords successfully.

 

Actual Cost Per Click
This is the amount you actually pay per click on your ad, as opposed to your “Maximum Bid Per-Click.”  You’ll find this information in the “Campaign Summary” section of your Google account.  Your “Actual Cost Per Click” is usually substantially lower than your “Maximum Bid Per Click.”

Ad Group
Ad Groups are like a subfolder within an “Ad Campaign.” Your Ad Group are ads that target they same set of keywords or keyword phrases.  Often ads in an “Ad Group” are ads you are testing to find out what ad works best. 

Ad Rank/Ad Position
Google determines your Ad Rank or Position for the keywords your are targeting by a combination of “relevance,” the number of clicks your ad is attracting and metrics Google tracks to measure a the “experience” visitors have when they arrive at your site — such as how long they stay on your site, whether they click to other pages on your site, and whether they return again to your site.   All this goes into your Google “Quality Score” — which ultimately determines your Ad Rank or Ad Positioning, or whether Google runs your ad at all.

AdSense
These are ads that run on the Google Content Network.  A website owner can sign up her site to be part of Google’s Content Network, which allows Google to run AdWords ads on the site.  These are the Google ads you bump into when you are reading The New York Times, About.com or other site that’s part of the Google Content Network.

AdWords Discounter
This Google tool allows you to adjust your maximum bid per click downward as your competition falls away.

Affiliate Marketer
This is someone who makes money on the Internet by selling the products and services of others. Most online merchants today have affiliate program you can sign up for, where you earn a commission if a visitor to your site clicks a link to the primary merchant’s site and buys the product. Commissions paid to affiliates typically range from 10% to 50% — sometimes higher.

 

Affiliate Directory
Site on the Internet that lists affiliate programs.  Affiliate marketers are always on the look-out for good products and services to promote on their sites.  The Google AdSense program is Google’s main affiliate program.  You make a percentage or commission every time a visitor to your site clicks on a Google ad that’s running on your site.

 

Affiliate Link

A link on your website that connects with the main merchant’s website that’s selling the product your are promoting.  Your Affiliate ID number is typically embedded in your affiliate link.  This link is then tracked by the main merchant so appropriate commissions can be paid to the affiliate.

 

Affiliate Marketing
A way of making money online by promoting the products of other merchants.  This is how many blogs monetize their sites, by having affiliate links back to the site of the merchants who are paying commissions to affiliate marketers.

 

Affiliate Network
Some websites specialize in connecting merchants with affiliate marketers.  Some of these services (such as Click Bank, Commission Junction and Link Share) actually manage the affiliate programs of merchants.

 

Affiliate Program
An incentive-based marketing system set up by a merchant that pays commission to affiliates who promote their product or service.

 

API

The acronymn for Application Programming Interface.  This is an interface that allows a program to communicate with another program.
 

Average Cost Per Click
This is the average amount you are paying when people click on your Google ad.
 

Average Position
This is your average ranking of your ad on a Google search for the keyword or phrase you have targeted.

 

Bid
When you set up your ad campaign, you tell Google the maximum amount you are willing to pay per-click, per-thousand impressions or per-action you set.  Google requires a minimum bid, which is determined by the amount of traffic a keyword or phrase is receiving and the “Quality Score” Google gives your ad and website.

 

Broad Match
You can tell Google to show your ad according to “Exact Keyword Match” or “Phrase Match” (when your keyword appears in a phrase the searcher has typed into the search engine) or “Broad Match.”  With Broad Match you let Google decide when to display your ad.

 

Campaign

The folder that contains one or more Ad Groups.

 

Click Through Rate (CTR)
This is the percentage of people to click on your ad who see the page on which your ad appears.

 

Content Network
This is the same as the AdSense Network — website owners who sign up to allow Google to run AdWords ads on their websites.  These are the Google ads you run into on websites once you leave the search engine.

 

Conversion Rate
This is the percentage of visitors to your site who do what you ask them to do — usually to fill out your sign-up form or buy something.  Whatever your “Most Wanted Response” might be.

 

Cookie
This is a program file that allows you to track the behavior of visitors to your site and how often they return. You typically pick up lots of  “cookies” when you surf the Web.  The benefit of cookies is that you can load Web pages faster.  The downside is that marketers are tracking your movements on the Web.

 

Copy
The actual words of your ad or Web page. Advertising copywriters are those who write ad copy.

 

Cost Per Click (CPC)
This is what you pay-per-click on your ad.
 

Cost Per View/Cost Per Impression

This is what you pay-per-view (”impression”).  Google allows you to pay per-1,000 impressions.  Google counts each time a Web page loads as an “impression.”

 

Daily Budget
This is the maximum amount you are willing to spend per day on one of your AdWords campaigns.  When you reach your maximum budget, Google stops showing the ads in your campaign.

 

Demographic Targeting

Google allows you to target your ad by demographic group — i.e. by gender, by age, by income and by ethnicity.

 

Destination URL

When you are writing your Google ad, you must type in both a “Display URL” and a “Destination URL” (which can be the same, or different).  The “Destination URL” is the actual page a personal arrives at once they click your ad. The “Display URL” is the URL people see when they see your ad — which is often the “Home Page” of your website.  I advocate sending people to a specific “landing page” that’s specifically tailored to your ad, and NOT sending clickers on your ad to the home page of your main website.

 

Display URL
This is the URL people see when they see your Google ad, which might not be the same URL people actually arrive at when they click on your ad. The “Display URL” is mainly for marketing purposes.  The destination URL often contains a lot of extra characters so that marketers can track how their ad is doing.

 

Editorial Guidelines
You must follow Google’s editorial guidelines, or Google won’t run your ad.  You are not permitted explicit “calls to action” such as using the phrase “Click.” You can’t use excessive capitalization, which is considered screaming at the reader.  You can’t use trademarked terms.  If you misspell words, use symbols or slang, or improper grammar, Google might reject your ad.

 

Exact Match
You can tell Google to show your ad only when a searcher types the “exact” keyword or phrase you are targeting into the search engine.  Or you can have your ad show when your keyword or phrase appears within a phrase the searcher has typed (which is the “Phrase Match” option).  Or you can just let Google decide when to show your ad by selecting the “Broad Match” option.

 

“Family” of Keywords

Keyword phrases that have the same “root” keyword can be in the same keyword family. This is a useful concept for organizing your AdGroups.  If your root keyword is “skis”, members of this family of keywords might include “rossignol skis”, “atomic skis”, ”racing skis”, ”deep powder skis” , etc. Often I find that my ads become far more productive if I “peel off” certain members of a keyword family to create separate keyword families (i.e. new ads or possibly new Ad Groups).

 

Full Ad Delivery
Ad is displayed whenever a search matches the keyword you are targeting — i.e. not limited by daily budget or other restrictions you might be placing on your campaign.

 

Geo-targeting
You can target your ads by country.

 

Gmail
This is Google’s free email service.  AdSense ads display at the bottom of people’s email messages, often targeted by the subject of people’s email conversation.

 

Google Slap

This is when Google deactivates your keyword for you ad or requires you to pay an exhorbitant minimum bid to activate the keyword.  The reason this happens is Google has either determined your ad is not on target with your keyword, the landing page or site your ad links to is not on target enough, or your site is not meeting Google’s increasinly tough “Quality Score” criteria.  Your site’s “Quality Score” is determined by a combination of your site’s relevance to the keyword/phrase and the experience your visitors have on your site.  Google tracks how long visitors stay on your site; how many pages they click to on your site; and how often visitors return to your site to determine your site’s quality.  Google wants happy searchers.  Google wants to deliver quality sites to searchers — sites searcher will be happy to find.  If your site does not meet Google’s standards, your ads will be “Google Slapped” — i.e. disappear from Google search results (in other words, disaster for you and your online business).

 

Hit
A hit is when someone clicks onto your Web page.

 

Home Page
This is the main page of your website. I don’t usually recommend linking your Google ad to the home page of your main website. Instead, link your Google ad to a “landing page” that’s specifically designed for your Google ad.

 

Impression
In theory and “impression” is when someone sees your ad, but does not necessarily click on it.  Google counts each time a page loads as an impression.  You can choose to pay Google per-1,000 impressions instead of per-click. My maximum bid price is usually about $2 per-thousand impressions compared to about $2 per click.  You can only bid per-thousand impressions if you are advertising on the Google Content Network.

 

Keyword/Keyword Phrase
When someone is search on the Internet, they type keyword or phrases into the search engine.  The search engine then lists sites according to “relevance”, as well as site popularity among others who found the site by using these same keywords. Your keyword selection is the primary method of how you tell Google when to show your ads.  If your site is about “ski racing”, this is a phrase you would want to include in your keyword selection list when setting up your ad.

 

Keyword Matching
You can choose “exact match” for your keywords; “phrase match”; or “broad match.”  If you select “exact match,” your ad will be shown only if the searcher types in the exact keyword or phrase. If you select “phrase match,” your ad will show if your exact keyword phrase is included in the keyword phrase of the searcher.  If you select “broad match,” you just let Google decide when to show your ad.  If you put a minus (-) sign in front of your keyword, that’s called a “negative” match, which means you’re ad won’t show when that keyword or phrase is used.

 

Keyword Status
You keywords for your ads could have one of these four status designations: Active, Ad Shows Rarely, Bid is Below First Page, Disabled.  The status you want is “Active.”  everything else is a problem — though sometimes I don’t mind if my ads are appreaing on the second page of search results if the keyword I’m targeting is especially competetive.

 

Keyword Tool
This can also be called a Keyword Selector Tool or a Keyword Research Tool.  This is a tool that helps you determine how much traffic your keywords will generate; and how much you are likely to pay per click or impression.  Google has a number of free Keyword Selector Tools as part of its system.  Good keyword research tools that you can pay for include WordTracker.com (which I use); Keyword Discovery; and GoodKeywords.com

 

Landing Page
This is the page that’s linked to your Google ad.  It’s the page the searcher lands on after clicking on your ad.

 

“Longtail” Keywords

Your root keyword with modifier words.  When people are searching, they try to be as exact as possible.  They usually don’t just type “ski.” The type “ski vacations” or “ski equipment” to zero in on exactly what they are looking for. Often searchers are super-specific, i.e. “red ski parka.”  That is definitely a longtail keyword.  Usually your site will move up the search results rankings first for your longtail keyword phrases.

 

Maximum/Minimum Cost Per Click

The minimum cost-per-click with AdWords is a five cents.  The maximum-cost per-click is what you pay for your ad to rank #1.

 

Misspellings
You need to included commonly misspelled words in your keyword list.  Example: “restaurant” is often misspelled as “resteraunt.”  You will mis traffic if you don’t include common misspelled words.

 

Merchant
Anyone who is selling products or services on the Internet.  Most merchants have affiliate programs you can join.
 

Metrics
These are key numbers you track to know how your ads are doing.  Examples: cost-per-click; cost-per-lead (sign-up); cost-per-sale

 

Negative Keyword
By putting a minus (-) sign in front of a keyword in your keyword list, you are telling Google not to show your ad when that keyword or phrase is typed into the search engine.  I often put a minus (-) sign in front of “Free [Keyword]” if I don’t want people who are just looking for free versions of what I am selling.

 

Organic Results
These are the sites Google lists down the middle of the page that the site owners are not paying for.  Google as determined that sites that come up on page one for the “organic” search results list are especially good for the keywords typed into the search engine.  The pay-per-click ads run down the right hand side of the search results and sometimes along the top of the results in the shaded area.  Google has determined that the PPC ads in the shaded area at the top of the search results list are also especially good.

 

Overture
The original pay-per-click program, bought by Yahoo.  Yahoo Overture changed it’s name to Yahoo Search Marketing and is the main competitor to Google Adwords.

 

Placement
You can target your ad by keyword or phrase.  Or you can pay for placement of your ad in a specific location on a website. For example, if your are selling power drills, you might want to make sure your ad for power drills appears on certain handyman and craftsman sites.  You can only pay for placement if you are running ads on the Google Content Network.

 

Pay Per Click (PPC)

You pay only when someone clicks on your ad — pay-per-click.
 

Pay Per Lead
You can also pay Google by the action you want, such as when a clicker on your Google ad goes to your website and fills out your sign-up form.  That would be paying-per-lead.

 

Pay Per Sale
As part of Google’s new “pay-per-action system,” you can also pay Google for each sales that comes through one of your Google ads.

 

Pay Per View or Impression

You can also pay Google for every 1,000 impressions. Theoretically, it’s paying when someone sees your ad.  But Google records an “impression” or “view” as the loading of a Web page.

 

Phrase Match
Google will show your ad if your keyword or term appears in a phrase typed into the search engine.

 

Quality Score

Google looks closely at your website to make sure it matches your ad and the keywords typed by the searcher.  If your Quality Score is too low, Google will deactivate your ad for certain keywords — might even deactivate your entire account.  Quality Score is determined by a combination of RELEVANCE, VISITOR EXPERIENCE on your site and the HISTORY  of your account.  This latter metics is especially scary because, if you have a history of delivering a poor VISITOR EXPERIENCE, this effectively torpedoes your Google AdWords campaigns permanently. Google measures VISITOR EXPERIENCE by tracking how long visitors stay on your sitem whether they click through to other pages on your site and whether they return repeatedly to you site.

 

Reactivation Fee
Google charges a reactivation fee (it’s fairly modest) to restore full delivery of your ads after it has been paused or slowed.

 

Relevancy
This is the most important factor to Google in deciding when to show your ads.  The more exact the match between the keywords typed into the search engine, your ad and the site your ad links to, the more likely Google will show your ad — assuming your site is getting an acceptable Google “Quality Score.”  It’s all about “relevance” and the “visitor experience” on your site.

 

Results Page
The list of sites Google serves you after you type in your keyword search term.  It’s also called “Search Results.”

 

Return On Investment (ROI)
How much money are you bringing in for every dollar you are investing in your advertising? That’s your Return On Investment (ROI).

 

Root Keyword

This is the main keyword your are targeting. Usually you then attach “modifier” words to your root keyword to create a “family” of keywords.

 

Search Engine
Google and Yahoo are the leading search engines. They are Web programs that enable us to find what we are looking for by typing words and phrases into the search field. Google powers about 70 percent of the searches on the Internet.
 

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

This term refers to any marketing that relies on search engines, whether 
pay-per-click advertising (PPC) or search engine optimization of your website (SEO).
 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A term that describes all steps you might take to ensure that your
website or Web page ranks as high as possible on search results for the keywords and phrases you are targeting.

 

Search Term

A word or phrase through which a person defines what s/he is looking for. The phrase is used to inquire the database of indexed pages of a search engine.
 

Squeeze Page

Requires you to fill out an opt-in form to get what you are looking for.  I often require visitors to my site to fill out my opt-in form before they can even see my full-blown sales presentation.  This is how I build my list of leads — who I can then bring back to my site (sales presentations) over and over again with my emails.  The reason this is called a “squeeze page” is that you are requiring a “yes” or “no” decision of some kind before your visitor can see the rest of your site.  And they must fill out your opt-in form.

 

Statistics, Stats
Good marketing is dependent on good data.  To be successful, you need to be tracking exactly how each of your ads is doing.  You need to be testing ads against each other.  Data you need to do this include tracking
cost-per-click, cost-per-lead, cost-per-sale.

 

Stemming
Stemming starts with the “root” keyword your are targeting.  What you do is add modifying words to your “root keyword” to create a family of keywords. If “ski” is your root keyword, examples might be “apres ski,” “ski boots,” “ski equipment.”  This is a powerful strategy for developing your list of keywords.  You can do this with a thesaurus.  Or you can do this with the help of keyword research tools such as what Google offers, and also other keyword research services such as Wordtracker. Very often I will sub-divide families of keywords and create separate ads around those more targeted categories of keywords.

 

Stickiness

If your visitors stick around on your website, and if they return over and over again, this means your website is “sticky.”  When Google measures the quality of a visitor’s experience on your website, Google tracks how long visitor’s stay, whether they return, and how often they return.  These “metrics” Google tracks contributes to your “Quality Score.”

 

Targeted Traffic

People who arrive at your site because they are specifically interested in what you are selling or in what you are saying.

 

Tracking URL

A URL that has code attached to it (i.e. extra digits and characters) so that you can track how your ad is doing or how this landing page or website is performing.

 

Traffic
The people who visit your website are your “Traffic.”  You want a lot of “targeted traffic” coming through your site because “traffic” ultimately leads to sales.

 

Two-Tier or Multi-Tier
The same as multi-level marketing (MLM) but on the Internet.  It’s a system by which affiliates can sign up other affiliate marketers, thereby creating a “downline.”  You are then paid commisions on everything your “downline” affiliates sell.  It’s a strategy for keeping your affiliates engaged and creating teams of coaches who will recruit and train new affiliates.

 

Unique Visitor
Each computer that’s connected to the Internet has a unique IP address.   Google tracks you by your IP address. A unique visitor at a Website is a visitor who has a new IP address. 

 

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
This is the specific address on the Internet of a Web page.   You must type the exact characters into a browser to find the Web page.

 

Useability
The ease of navigating a website; and the potential of delivering real value to visitors.

 

WordTracker
This is the primary keyword research and selection tool I use. It’s also the keyword research used by most professional Internet marketers. Good competitors include Keyword Discovery and Good Keywords.