Small Business Marketing Mini Dictionary

Demystifying the Language of Digital Marketing

Marketing jargon shouldn't feel like a barrier between you and the goals you're trying to reach. So here's a simple, human-friendly guide to the terms you see all the time and why they matter.

Whether you're DIY'ing your online presence or working with a designer or strategist, this glossary was crafted to help you understand what's happening behind the scenes to you can make informed, confident decisions.

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Above the Fold: A term used to describe the portion of a webpage that is visible before someone scrolls. This is your very first impression. Make sure visitors immediately understand who you are, what you do, and what action they should take next.

Alt Text: A short written description attached to an image. It helps improve accessibility for those using screen-readers and tells Google and other search engines what your visuals show.

Analytics: The data behind how your website or content performs. Tracking which pages get the most traffic, or which reel leads to the most profile visits, is extremely helpful in understanding what is working and what isn't.

Backlinks: Links from other websites that point to your website. For example, listings on Yelp or your local business listing. You can also look to collaborate with others on their social content. Backlinks tell Google and other search engines that your site is trustworthy. High quality backlinks boost your SEO and help your site rank higher in search results.

Brand Identity: Your visual expression - colors, logo, fonts, and imagery. These small details are what create recognition and consistency across your digital presence.

Brand Voice: The personality and tone behind your words. At Threadlined Presence, we aim to be warm, clear, friendly, and encouraging. Your voice builds trust and makes your content instantly recognizable.

CTA (Call To Action): A prompt telling people what you want them to do next. For example, "Schedule a Call", "Sign Up", or "Explore More".

CMS (Content Management System): The platform where your website is built and managed. It affects your site's speed, flexibility, SEO, and ease of updating.

Conversion: When someone completes the action you wanted them to take. This is one of many rates we look at when we measure success. Are our events bringing in new customers? Are our ads resulting in a new appointment, purchase, or form submission?

Content Pillars: Core themes your content is built around. These pillars should be identified as early as possible, as they'll help keep your content consistent and on-brand. You might start with Education, Celebrations, and Community Building related to your niche.

Engagement Rate: This is how much your audience interacts with your content through likes, comments, saves, and shares. High engagement signals strong community and good content.

Favicon: The tiny icon that appears in a browser tab next to your website name. An on-brand Favicon strengthens your brand identity and makes your site easier to recognize when someone has multiple tabs open.

Keywords/Key-phrases: Words or phrases you intentionally include throughout your site and content. You want your keywords to reflect what your ideal customers might search for. For example, "Rockville Web Designer" or "Marketing Terms Defined".

Landing Page: A single, focused page on your site created to achieve one specific conversion action - download a resource, educate on a topic, or bring in new clients through contacts.

Meta Description: The small preview text that appears under the Google result for any given webpage. It gives viewers a preview of the page and influences whether they will want to click on it.

Open Graph Image: The image that appears when someone shares your webpage on social media. A strong open graph image improves click-through rates and makes shared links look polished and professional.

Organic Traffic: Visitors who come from search, social, or referrals - not paid ads. This is my personal favorite type of traffic as it is free, long-term, and offers sustainable growth.

Paid Traffic: Visitors who come from ads. You might see faster growth here, but it does cost money.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Ongoing strategies that help your website show up in search engines like Google. Thoughtful planning to consistently improve your site's SEO will help your site gain more visibility, giving you more opportunities.

Sitemap: A list or diagram of all the pages on your site. Every website should have one to help search engines like Google index your site.

SSL Certificate: A security feature that ensures your website is safe for visitors by encrypting their connection. Google always prioritizes secure sites. Without SSL, your site may show a "Not Secure" warning or worse - be blocked by your intended viewer's firewall.

User Experience (UX): How your site is crafted. Is it easy and enjoyable for visitors to navigate? For example, can someone find what they need in 3 clicks or less? The better your UX, the happier your visitors, and the higher your conversions.

Wireframe: A simple layout showing the structure of a webpage before design. Its one of the first steps to building a website, used to keep the build aligned with the strategy.