Additions

Browse the list

Where terms appear in bold in the entries, please refer to the appropriate page in Key Concepts in e-Commerce.

 

A

Active token

An application of a turing number – a randomly generated series of digits – this is an electronic device that can create passwords on a one-off basis as part of a security system. The unique password is normally presented to the user as an image (rather than text) so that it must then be physically typed into the browser. An active token increases security by preventing any kind of software from reading and copying the text automatically. An active token is a type of CAPTCHA.

 

AdCenter

The trade name of Microsoft’s pay per clic advertising system. Note that it was originally MSN adCenter but is now called Microsoft adCenter. See also AdWords and Yahoo! search marketing.

 

Ad exchange

Not to be confused with a banner exchange , this is an e-marketplace - operated by a company acting as a broker - in which web site publishers who have unsold ad inventory and those who wish to buy online advertising space participate in an auction-based system to sell or buy that space. Ad agencies are rarely open to the public or individual site owners, the participants normally being ad agencies and multi-site publishers. Each exchange provides a system of controls to keep the online community safe from harmful or objectionable content. An ad exchange might be part of an online advertising network.

 

Ad network

see online advertising network.

 

Adsbot

Another creation from Google that has become a generic term for the practice (see also AdWords), Adsbot is spider used by Google to assess the quality of AdWords landing pages. The concept is that the higher the quality of the landing page the higher in a SERP listing your ad might be placed. Like their search engine algorithms, however, Google keep secret how they assess ‘quality’ - though practices such as having an ad that promotes one product and a landing page that is for another (eg adult material) is an obvious candidate for being marked down.

 

Adword sites

See domain name parking (2) .

 

Agent software

A term derived from the computing environment where software agents acts on behalf of other programs or users, the e-commerce application refers to software that helps the human user to cope with the confusing mass of information that is now (and is getting worse) available online. By seeking user preferences and tracking online practice and habit, agent software help deliver more relevant information to the individual user – for this reason the software is sometimes known as a personal agent. See also intelligent search.

 

Authority site

A search term - related to link popularity - to describe a web site that has multiple incoming links from other related – and trusted – sites. Because of its perceived neutrality, the BBC’s site is an example, and because they do not have a commercial agenda, so too are University sites. Any site with links from authority sites will score highly in Google’s PageRank .

 

Automatic optimization

This is a practice in search engine advertising which is designed to aid those advertisers who have more than one ad for the same or similar keywords. The search engine will automatically identify which ad has the best clickthrough rate and then optimizes it, by showing that ad more than others by the same advertiser.

 

B

Badvocates

The online opposite of advocates – the term being applied to people who complain about, or give bad reviews about, organizations, brands or products on social media web sites.

 

Blended search

The concept that search engines do not search for – and deliver – only the textual content of web pages. Other web site content that might be relevant to the search keywords include: images, videos, blogs, book listings, PDFs, and on–site searches for such things as products, films, maps, films, music, maps, jobs, recipes and people.

 

Banner fatigue

A term to depicting the phenomenon that web users are so used to seeing banner ads on web pages that they ignore them without consciously realizing they have done so.

 

Blogola

Having an influential blogger write about a product or service can a positive effect on the seller’s online marketing efforts (in viral marketing and search engine optimization, for example). Blogola is a slang term used to describe the act of bribing or paying bloggers to mention the promoted product in their blog. See also flog.

 

Botnet

A group of robot (bot) networks used to automate the distribution of malware on the Internet. Much of what is considered bad about the web – spam email, click fraud and denial-of-service attacks, for example - is practiced using botnets.

 

Buzz monitoring services

see online reputation management.

 

C

CAPTCHA

(Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) A security device that requires human input rather and so prevents any kind of automated access to protected areas of a network. The most common online application is that of active tokens

 

Channibalism

A term (generally attributed to Jack Aaronson) that owes much to the concept of channel conflict. However, whereas channel conflict is normally applied to channels of sales and distribution, channibalism (an amalgam of channel and cannibalism) applies to channels of not only sales and distribution, but all aspects of communication between vendors and customers (known as multi-channel marketing). Channibilism occurs when the various touch points between the organization and customers compete against each other for the customer’s attention – perhaps to meet targets set by the organization – but do not add growth to customer numbers. Aaronson – and conventional wisdom – argues that organizations should embrace and then take advantage of multiple-channel marketing, rather than fearing or ignoring it.

 

Cloud computing

A term made popular by Google’s use of it, this is where computing resources are shared, with data being stored on a virtual platform, rather than on an individual hard drive. The data can then be accessed from any Internet–connected computer anywhere in the world.

 

Code

See source code.

 

Code Hunting

This is a practice that originated in the technical community but has developed into a marketing tool. For many years tech-savvy users have hunted around the web to find errors in web site source code – hence code hunting – which lead the seeker to exclusive or ‘insider’ offers. For example, a code hunter might find an element of a web site that is running a pre-launch test for a new product or service. By finding the code the hunter might take a lead in being able to order the product before it is widely available. Online marketers have noted the practice and now use it as part of marketing strategy. The model is that the product or brand deliberately releases code ‘errors’ so that enthusiastic consumers can a trail of clues – a kind of online treasure hunt – to the ultimate prize. Such is the nature of the participants that the prize is often the glory – so-called social currency – rather than monetary reward. The model relies heavily on viral marketing for its success and works particularly well for cultural brands which have a passionate following.

 

Code swapping

See search engine cloaking .

 

Cost Per Engagement

A metric in online advertising where the advertiser pays only if the viewer engages with the ad (rather than simply sees it). Engagement metrics are normally time related, such as the time spent on a web page or site or whether a video or podcast was played. However, more specific actions that suggest engagement can be applied, for example, commenting on a blog or adding a review.

 

D

Dark

In the online environment dark is used to describe an entity or someone who does not participate in social media or community web sites. It is most commonly used as a criticism when there is no response to comments made by others in blogs, chat rooms and so on – as in ‘company x was dark on the subject, adding to the frustrations of dissatisfied customers’.

 

Data web

See semantic web

 

Decentralized (e)commerce

Although the term has been used in other environments with differing meanings, in an e-commerce context, decentralized commerce refers to taking the purchase facility to the customer, no matter what web site they are on. First used as an e-commerce application by Jack Aaronson (www.aaronsongroup.com) in July 2007, the concept is that in centralized commerce the customer – in response to, paid search, organic search, advertising and affiliate networks – take customers to the organization’s web site to make a purchase. The use of new technologies – particularly widgets – allows the ‘shop’ (i.e. merchandise and checkout process) to be placed on the advertising site, so allowing customers to make a purchase from the ad, rather than having to go to the product’s ‘home’ web site.

 

Domainers / domaining

A new term for the practitioners and practice of domain name parking (2).

 

Domain kiting

see domain tasting.

 

Domain tasting

Also sometimes known as domain kiting, this was a practice that took advantage of the fact that domain names could be registered on a five day free trial. Tasters might register thousands of domains per day and then monitor them for traffic over the five ‘free’ days – then purchase the ones that get visitors. However, action by ICANN in 2008 meant that the refund of a surcharge was dropped. Although this surcharge was only 20 cents per name, with the numbers involved it meant the costs for 'tasters' increased, so making the practice less viable. Note that domain tasting would normally also involve the use of black hat search engine optimization. See also domain name parking (2).

 

Double-dippers

People who surf the web while watching television ie, they ‘dip’ into two media at the same time.

 

Double Serving

A term used in search engine advertising meaning that a person or organization is displaying more than one ad at a time for the same keyword(s).

 

Dynamic IP Address

An IP address which a service might allocate randomly as and when they it is required. For example, an Internet service provider might host thousands of web sites, but rarely will all of them be requested at the same time – so each site is [dynamically] allocated an IP number from a group only when it is requested by a user.

 

Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)

A facility made available on search and network ad systems (e.g. Google’s AdSense, Yahoo! search marketing and Microsoft adCenter) whereby the text in the presented ad includes the actual keywords used in the search inquiry. Although this can be achieved manually by writing specific content for every keyword they bid on, using DKI simplifies the administration of any online advertising. All other things being equal, the searcher is more likely to click on an ad that includes the search term than one that doesn’t.

 

E

East ads

An advertising term used to describe the sponsored ads on a search engine results page that run to the right – the east – of the organic listings. Ads that above the organic listings are the north ads.

 

Echo Monday

See Cyber Monday .

 

E-fluencer

A term used to describe the online version of the offline influencer – those people whose opinion is sought and accepted by ‘followers’ who perceive that the e–fluencer has credibility in specific subject areas. Online, the e-fluencer is likely to be a prolific blogger who has become an expert in a field through either research or empirical knowledge.

 

Ego bidding

A phenomenon of paid search, this is where an organization (or individual) pays more for a top listing than they will ever recover in income from that sponsored listing. So called because those guilty of the practice normal forgo any ROI in favour of seeing themselves at the top of the search engine listings.

 

Email Hijacking

Although email addresses might be obtained in a number of ‘dubious’ ways, the term hijacking is normally applied the practice of using the email addresses found in the 'cc:' field of personal emails to promote a business.

 

F

Fake copy listing

The term used to describe the unscrupulous practice of copying the textual content of a web site which is high on search engine listings and reproducing that content on another site in the hope that it too will do well on s earch engine listings . As all web site content is copyrighted, the practice is illegal - the content is, effectively, being stolen.

 

Feedback loop

A facility, now employed by most Internet service providers (ISPs) and email service providers (ESPs), which feeds back to the email sender if the recipient has reported an email as being unwanted by using the spam button. Whilst spam button reports are anonymous – a sender is simply told that they have been reported – with the feedback loop the complainant's email address is passed on to the sender so that it can be removed from the email list.

 

Findability

In an e-commerce (or in a wider context, marketing) environment findability refers to how easy – or hard – it is for a user to find whatever it is that satisfies their need the that prompted the search – be that a product, service or information. Although the term has been used to depict a web site’s listing on a search engine results pages (ie findable on the web), its more common use is in web site design. In this context it is an element of usability, navigation and information architecture and refers to how findable information is on a particular web site. More specifically, on a transactional e-commerce site, findability is about developing a web site in such a way that users (customers) can easily find the product that will satisfy their need. This can be by way of design features such as a breadcrumb, or sales oriented characteristics such as ‘related product’ or ‘more like this’ guides.

 

Friendonomics

A term used in social networking (SN) where a value is placed on the referral of a product to a SN friend or friends. For example, in February 2007, US car manufacturer Pontiac issued MySpace users with a ‘Friends with Benefits’ card that allowed them to earn money if a friend buys a car. Although this kind of online referral scheme is commercial in nature, friendonomics can also refer to your ‘value’ as a SN friend, ie the more friend you have, the more ‘valuable’ your are in SN circles.

 

G

Geolocation

The physical location of an internet user based on their IP address (which is transmitted with every web page request). For example, if a member of staff or student uses a University PC to access the web then their IP address betrays their location - down to the post code. If the IP address is for a hotel lobby's free Internet service – you can tell where the user is actually sitting . Geolocation is used in IP-based targeting. . See also IP recognition and geo-destination targeting.

 

Geotargeting

see IP-based targeting.

 

H

Halo effect

Although widely used offline to describe the benefits of being associated with a famous or recognized individual or group, online the term is commonly linked to having your ads on the page of an expert in the subject area. For example, a search marketing company ad being displayed on the blog of a ‘guru’ in the subject.

 

Haptics

Derived from the Greek ‘to touch’, the term describes anything related to the sense of touch. In an e-commerce environment it is most commonly used when referring to the interaction between a human and a two dimensional object where the person is ‘fooled’ into thinking the object is actually three dimensional. For example, touching an image of button on a flat screen, yet feeling as though a real button has been pushed.

 

Hashers

A term used to describe individuals who search the web for videos of copyrighted content and report their findings to the owners of those copyrights. Although this task might be part of an online reputation management strategy , the task is normally undertaken as out-sourced consultancy.

Hero shot

A term taken from publishing – and used in advertising – the hero shot is the main image on a page or ad. A classic example would be the firefighter carrying a child from a burning building. Online, the term could describe the key image on a web page or an email, and in commercial terms it would be the image that would prompt the user to stay on that page and read more.

High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)

A collection of protocols from the 3G generation of services, which - because of its advanced nature - is sometimes referred to as a 3.5G application. Essentially, HSDPA facilitates faster download speeds on mobile allowing applications as such as video and streaming music.

 

I

id10t error

An expression that is most commonly used by technical staff, but one that non-technicians may come across – often to their embarrassment. The id10t error is an abbreviation describing a computing error caused by an inexperienced or unskilled user – id10t being a representation of the word idiot.

 

iJack (iJacking)

A term that is used in two contexts. Most common is its use to describe the theft of personal information with the intention of using it for fraudulent purposes – as in hijacking the person’s identity. A less common application is the use of the term to describe someone stealing a laptop computer by snatching it from its owner while they are using it.

 

Image suppression

A term used in email marketing to describe the function within most email service providers whereby it is the default operation to block images in emails when they are delivered. See also domain modelling and visual rendering tools.

 

Implied web see semantic web

Impression fraud

A variation of click fraud, this practice is a consequence of ad publishers (search engines in particular) penalizing those advertisers who have a low clickthrough rate by relegating them down the list of featured ads (or sponsored listings). The fraud is normally perpetrated thus: An advertiser’s competitor makes numerous searches on the keyword for which the advertiser has purchased the listing – but then does not click on the ad. As a result, the search engine makes the assumption that the ad does not meet the requirements of people searching for that keyword and so penalize it as not being relevant.

Impression share (IS)

An e-metric introduced by Google's AdWords in the summer of 2007. The metric represents the percentage of impressions an advertiser's ads are shown out of the total available impressions in the market being targeted.

 

Integrated warehouse management system (IWMS)

A technology application that allows for real–time stock levels to be availability to both customers (via the website) and the organization (to avoid being ‘out of stock’).

 

Internet Protocol version 6 (Ipv6)

Although it has a more complex technological definition, in an e-commerce context IPv6 is the second version of Internet protocol (superseding IPv4) and is important because it will increase in the number of IP addresses available for networked devices. This means that virtually any electrical device can have its own IP address and so be part of the Internet. Emailing your home’s central heating system to tell it to turn on , is one example being toted by proponents of such technology.

 

In–text ads

Depending on your point of view these are either excellent sources of income or an unwanted annoyance when reading web site content. Also known as in-textification, in–text ads – as the name suggests – are ads that are embedded into textual content. Normally, though not always, identified as a hyperlink (by being bold, a different colour, underlined or double–underlined), when the words that are in–text ads are scrolled over by a mouse (though not necessarily clicking on it) a small pop–up ad appears. For publishers and content providers this is form of income generation as they can ‘sell’ words or phrases that are included in the article. For readers, the usability of the page is compromised by the intrusion of the ads and writers argue that their credibility is threatened as the ads can intrude on serious articles or content. Note that the concept has its origins in text–link ads and that the same technology can be used to enhance the content for readers. An in–page glossary, for example would allow users to mouse over terms to see a definition of the phrase.

 

In-textification

see in–text ads.

IS

See impression share.

 

K

Keyword cannibalization

See keyword stuffing.

 

Keyword Driven Media (KDM)

Another term for search engine marketing (SEM).

 

Keyword long tail

This search engine marketing take on the long tail refers to the concept that whilst the top terms - heads - might create most clickthroughs, they are also the most expensive. At the other end of the tail, however, are the rarely used – but inexpensive – keywords. It is also the case that such terms are so unusual that anyone using them should be considered as being better candidates for conversion.

 

Keyword Matching Options

A term used in search engine advertising to describe how closely or widely you wish your key word(s) to match search terms. Google offers three options; broad, phrase match and exact match. As their titles suggest, the three move from less targeted to specific matches. See also negative keyword.

 

 

L

Last click model

An online marketing concept where credit is awarded to whichever web site (e.g. search engine or advert) that is the last link prior to the customer making a purchase. Experienced marketers are wary of the model in that the last click might be almost coincidental – with other sites or media actually playing a more prominent role in the purchase decision. Giving too much praise to the last click can skew allocation of future budgets.

 

Linkerati

see link baiting.

 

Link Sabotage

A nefarious practice based on the concept that the major search engines penalize web sites if they are submitted to the search engine more than once. The link saboteur makes multiple submissions of a competitor’s site in the hope that it might be placed on the search engines blacklist.

 

Link tagging

The addition of variables to a destination URL used in an online ad or email so that analytical software can detect and associate each link to that URL with a specific campaign. When a visitor responds to the ad it is normal practice to store a cookie on the respondents PC and so is able to connect any subsequent actions (e.g. a purchase) with the original ad.

 

List hygiene

see email list (1) permission based.

 

Lureware

A term used to describe software applications that are used to trick users into downloading spyware onto their computers. The idea is that unsuspecting users are given free software – such as such as screensavers or games – which has the spyware embedded in it.

 

 

M

Markup language

See source code.

 

Media 2.0

See social media.

 

Me Selling Proposition

Leaning on the [now] traditional marketing concept of the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for its name, the Me Selling Proposition (MSP) refers to an element of contemporary consumer behaviour where the consumer takes personal ownership of their favourite brands – rather than the brand being controlled by the corporation. Although the concept is promoted as a product of the Internet age (particularly Social Media) marketers will recognise MSP as a logical extension of market orientation. As is the norm in the Internet age, users of the MSP are dubbed the Me Selling Proposition Generation.

 

MFA ( Made for Advertisements/AdSense )

See domain name parking (2) .

 

Mobshopping

A practice – believed to have originated in China – where customers register an interest in a specific product on a social media web site. When enough interested customers are gathered, the site facilitates a mobshop – synchronizing numerous shoppers arriving at a single store at the same time. The mob then demand high discount on the product for the mass–purchase.

 

Monetization

A term that is used widely in American business in reference to income generation. Online, monetization refers to the way, or ways, in which a web site might make money for its publisher. For example; a web site could be monetized by hosting ads.

 

N

Natural search

See organicsearch.

 

Negative search engine optimization (SEO)

Working on the assumption that link popularity is a good thing, the search engines’ algorithms reward sites that have links going into them with a higher ranking. Realising that this was the case, black hat SEOs would attempt to trick the search engine by purchasing site-wide text link ads (on legitimate web sites) and so get lots of incoming links in a hurry. For example; if the legitimate site had 500 pages and an ad was placed on each, the result is an instant 500 incoming links to the promoted site. Naturally, it didn’t take Google long to realise this, and soon began filtering sites that indulged in this kind of link-scam and either penalised or removed guilty sites from its database. This was bad news for the business employing the black hats and good news for their competitors. Black hats being black hats however, they looked to turn this to their advantage, which they did by buying site-wide text link ads for their competitors’ sites. The result is that the competitors get penalised by Google, and the black hat-promoted site gains more customers. This particular trick is also referred to as Google bowling.

 

North ads

An advertising term used to describe the sponsored ads on a search engine results page that run across the top - the north – of the organic listings. Ads that are to the right of the organic listings are the east ads.

 

NPS (net promoter score)

A metric attributed to Fred Reichheld, the NPS gauges the likelihood of a customer recommending an organization, brand, product or service to a third party. The practice has taken on increased visibility with the advent of not only the web, but social media sites that encourage users to advocate – or criticise – practically anything they might come across.

 

NSFW(not safe for work)

A term used to describe web site content that is considered not suitable to be seen in a working environment. Although originally aimed specifically at adult content – which most companies block from their servers – the proliferation of social media sites has seen the description spread to cover such issues as political and religious comment or any individual’s opinion that might be offensive to people who do not choose to download it (but may see it accidentally at work). An even greater dilution is where any web site that shouldn’t be viewed whilst at work is classed as NSFW – online gaming or social sites like MySpace, for example.

 

O

On the fly

Although the term is used widely in the business world where it means that something is developed at the same time as it is practiced (a presentation delivered with no preparation, for example), in an e-commerce environment it normally refers to web pages that are developed only when they are requested by a user – see dynamic web pages.

 

P

Personal agent

See agent software.

 

Personally identifiable information (PII)

A self–descriptive term that in an e–commerce environment refers to the data that organizations gather – online – about their customers or visitors to their web site. In this instance it is data that identifies an individual – for example, their credit card number, email or postal address. Such information can be used for marketing purpose (and so be advantageous to the individual), but can also be valuable to criminals (for fraud and identity theft) and so should be disseminated with care.

 

Personalized search

See intelligent search.

 

PET (privacy enhancing technologies)

A European Commission interpretation of PIP, which is intended to encourage users and retailers to use them (PIPs).

 

PlP (Platform for Privacy Preferences)

An online tool, designed by the World Wide Web Consortium , which alerts users to the privacy practices of sites they visit. Research conducted by the Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 suggest that users are willing to pay more for goods that are sold from sites which have implemented established privacy technology.

 

Point of action assurances

As part of its site navigation or sales funnel a web page may include a call to action. In order to validate the call, increase the credibility of the site and generally inspire confidence in the user, close to the call – the point of action – the web site developer can add things like: links to privacy policies (e.g. if the call is to join an email list), hacker safe icons (on data forms) or guarantees (on product pages).

 

Post search advertising

See re-targeting .

 

Preheader text

The text – usually very small – at the very top of the email that is most commonly used to encourage the receiver to unblock images and/or add the sender to their address book or whitelist. See also image suppression and domain modelling.

 

Preroll (or pre roll) ad

A clickable video/audio ad, normally five to thirty seconds in length, that is shown before a selected video is shown.

 

Preview pane

A generic term used to describe that part of an email message seen by the receiver before they open the email fully. Although it is normally the top two inches or so, the actual appearance is controlled by the recipient and also is also dependent on the email client being used. Each email service provider uses its own version of the preview pane (Outlook calls it the reading pane, for example), and the format is constantly changing. Google’s gmail, for example, uses snippets which show the first part of the message in the title bar in a similar way to how Google shows snippets of web pages in their search result pages.

 

Proximity Marketing

The name given to the deliver of wireless, location-based promotions to people via their mobile phones or other portable devices such as PDAs. There are three main ways of achieving this:

• Via mobile phones when they are in a specific location served by a particular transmitter.


• Via devices that have a global positioning system (GPS) that can identify the location of the device.


• Via Bluetooth or WiFi enabled devices that are in range of a transmitter.

The concept is that the target market is prompted to visit a retail outlet that is located close to where the recipient is when they get the promotional message. Mobile phone and GPS messages must be sent by the service operator, but the latter – particularly Bluetooth – can be sent from a local computer. With a range of around 10 metres for mobile phones and 100 metres for laptop/PDAs, the system operates from a small server which scans for Bluetooth targets in its reach, sending messages as people enter the covered area.

 

Q

Question and answer (Q & A) web sites

The name of these sites rather gives away their purpose. The key, however, is that the questions are both posed and – hopefully – answered by users. Questions are on a multitude of subjects from relationship advice to how to repair classic motor cars. Q & A sites are part of consumer generated media.

 

R

Ratings

Included here in reference to social network sites, where entries are rated, or voted on, to improve their standings – ratings – on a particular site (MySpace, for example). Ratings are also an element of social media optimisation.

 

Resolution page

Also known as an encore page, this is the web page that is delivered to a user immediately after they have completed an action (eg a purchase, PDF download or subscribe to a newsletter). As users will have already communicated with the organization (to actually see the page) they would normally be receptive to any marketing message on that page. Too often, however, the opportunity is lost with most simply having a message saying ‘return to home page’ or ‘thank you’.

 

Reverb marketing

In an offline context reverb (from reverberate, meaning echo or resound) marketing refers to the use of multiple media to get a marketing message across. More specifically it means to appeal to more than one sense in doing so – a magazine which includes a sample of a perfume (smell) with a picture of the bottle (sight) in its ad, for example. In an online context reverb marketing has taken this model –with use of images and music to appeal to sight and sound – and included multiple media also. Developed from the common practice of users to surf the web whilst watching TV or listening to the radio, an advertiser might, for example, feature visual elements of a product on TV or web content whilst a radio ad focuses on the sound. Whilst total synchronicity cannot be achieved, having ads run within the same timeframe (eg a specific hour) will emphasize the message.

 

S

Searchandizing

A combination of search and merchandizing, essentially this refers to the optimization of a web site’s content so that in–site searchers are directed to suitable products – often promotions or opportunities for up– or cross-selling.

 

Search affiliates

A recent off-shoot of affiliate marketing (though some would argue it is an element of it), search affiliates are a business model where profit is made by purchasing keywords on search engines paid placement and arbitraging between the coat of clicks and the affiliate payments made on subsequent sales conversions. There is an element of controversy in the practice, however. While on the face of it the vendor gains by having increased customer referrals, it is often the case that affiliates bidding on key words associated with the brand or product might drive up the cost of the ads for the actual vendor. The potential for dubious practices by the affiliates might also lead to damage for the brand.

 

Search-influenced demand

Based on the fact that any kind of promotional activity can influence the demand for a specific product, service or brand, this is the concept that search engine marketing can do the same. See also search-to-store marketing

 

Search-to-store marketing / shoppers

Building on the fact the Internet is changing buyer behaviour, and that more and more customers start their buying cycle by looking not simply online, but online and using a search engine. These customers, however, will not make their purchase online, but in a bricks and mortar store – hence the term referring to the buyer moving from original search, to identifying and researching a product and eventually making the purchase from an offline shop. See also search-influenced demand, i ntegrated marketing and multi channel retailing.

 

SEPOV (search engine’s point of view)

Aterm used to describe how the search engine spiders see a web page – that is, the source code in which it is written rather than the way it is seen in a browser by a user.

 

Shoulder surfing

A term used to describe the practice of watching another person while they are online – looking over their shoulder. Although this can be quite innocent, a couple using the same PC to research a holiday for example, it can have a more ominous application, particularly if the web user is in a public place. Looking over a person's shoulder to obtain bank log in or credit card details, for example. Whilst the term suggests the ‘watcher’ is close to the computer user, the use of binoculars or cameras could allow the perpetrator to be some distance away.

 

Snorkelling tools

So named because the search goes ‘below the surface’, this is a term used to describe software that facilitates the search of social media sites. Such tools are normally used as part of an organization’s online reputation management.

 

Social currency

Also known as or cultural currency, this is the reward someone might gain in the eyes of their peers if they achieve something others perceive as being valuable or revered in the social circle in which they exist. Although the term is used in wider circles, it is commonly used in social networks.

 

Social Media

A collective term for the various social network community sites including such online applications as blogs, podcasts and wikis. As with a number of other aspects of e-commerce (such as web 2.0, for example – which itself incorporates the notion of social media), what is construed by the term social media is yet to be determined to the satisfaction of everyone. However, consensus of opinion suggests that the following are all relevant to the concept.

• Sometimes referred to as ‘media 2.0’, social media is different to ‘traditional’ media (eg newspaper, radio, TV).
• It is not a broadcast medium – which follows a one-to-many communications model, rather it is a many-to-many medium.
• It is Conversational – that is two-way, traditional broadcast media being one way.
• The way in which anyone can participate blurs the distinction between audience and sender (media).
• It has an element of connectedness. The Internet allows the interaction between other sources (links) and the combination of media in one place; eg, written word, video, audio.
• The barriers to entry are low – extremely so when compared to traditional media (eg setting up a blog, compared with education & training required to get a job as a newspaper journalist).

Not everything is positive, however. The content of traditional media is, to a certain degree, controlled – that is, edited or reviewed. This helps maintain not only a level of quality, but accuracy also. For example, the book you are reading (traditional media) has been reviewed, proof read and been through the publisher’s editorial process before it reached the book shops. Conversely, a blog (social media) by the same author would go through none of this process and so simply represents the views of the author – rather than a document that carries validity gained by the editorial procedure through which it has passed.

A further criticism made by some is that many organizations see social media as an extension of public relations – and so dismiss much of its content as marketing material – and so not independent. That the term was reputedly first coined by Rohit Bhargava – who leads the interactive marketing team at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide – might go some way to explain this notion.

 

 

Social Media Optimization (SMO)

A term used to describe the process of optimizing a specific online presence other than a web page – a podcast, video, RSS feed or blog, for example – so that it is more visible through searches within online communities and network community web sites. As well as established methods of search engine optimisation, SMO include the use of use of tags, RSS feeds, trackbacks, ratings and general participation in networked community groups. As the popularity of the presence is, essentially, governed by the users, social media search is driven not by algorithms – as with conventional search engines – but by popular vote.

 

Social Media Search

The search of Social Media web sites not only for web pages but also podcasts, videos, RSS feeds and blogs. See also social media optimisation.

 

Social search

The term used to describe search facilities (engines) that are not driven simply by automated algorithms that respond to a predetermined set of criteria. Using a model similar to a wiki, and building on the concept of social proof, social search includes input from individual users to grade or rate how relevant each web site will be to search keywords. Whilst supporters argue it produces more pure results, detractors say any such system is open to manipulation by unscrupulous site publishers eg voting their own site as being highly relevant.

 

Social reviewers

Web users who use social media sites – particularly those that contain user generated content – to research a product or service before making a purchase.

 

Spamdress

An abbreviation of spam email address – something a person might use as a secondary email address when completing an online form for discussion forums or similar sites where the user is unsure of the credibility of the site. The idea is that if the site then divulges the email address to third parties for use in spamming, the users primary email address is not deluged with any resulting spam.

 

Specialized search

See vertical search.

 

Stealth marketing

In an offline environment this is the practice of hiring people to surreptitiously recommend a product or service – a brand of beer in a crowded bar, for example. Online, the practice would take place in chat rooms, forums or social media sites.

 

Specialty search

See vertical search .

 

Sub domaining

Supplemental index / results

 

T

Terminator website

Named in reference to the Hollywood movie in which machines are able to think for themselves, the terminator site uses technology to reduce human input – and interaction – to a business process. The concept is that while people can make mistakes, be unreliable or emotional when dealing with customers – computers have none of these human traits. Examples include Amazon–style automated ‘people who bought this also bought this … ‘sales advice or integrated warehouse management systems that inform customers of stock availability.

 

Text–link ads

A concept which stems from the practice – often in affiliate marketing – of making links out of references to a product within textual content, something that is effective when compared to other methods of on–page advertising. For example, the author of a gardening site might recommend a book on the subject at hand. Within the text, where the book is mentioned its title would be a link to a landing page.

 

Touch points

A term used to describe the various points in which an organization can communicate with customers and prospects. An integral element to multi-channel marketing, the term is included here because Internet technology has added a number of virtually touch points (email, web site) to the traditional hard points of contact (retail outlets, sales staff).

 

V

Vanity publishing

Although the term is sometimes applied to personal web sites – that is, the content about its writer – in an e-commerce environment it is used to describe sites that are developed with an internal rather than external focus. The most common cause of this is that designers wish to display their skills – the vanity aspect of the phrase. In business terms a web site should be designed to meet customer related business objectives, with updates being made only to help better achieve those objectives.

 

W

WADD (Web Attention Deficit Disorder)

A rather tongue in cheek phrase used to describe web users' impatience with web sites that fail to deliver whatever it is the visitors has gone to the site for eg, they want to find a site, complete a task and move on as quickly as possible.

 

Word farms

A term used to describe sites with content that is optimized purely to drive ad traffic rather than having any value of its own. The objective is to appear in search engine listings and (hopefully) profit from ads featured on them. See also domain name parking (2) and spam (2) web sites.

 

Wugging

A term that is an abbreviation of web-use-giving. The concept is that a charitable concern raises money by having an element of the Internet sponsor the cause. For example, a search engine might make a donation every time a search is conducted or an online store gives cash when a product is purchased. The actual user pays nothing, the contribution being made by the organization.

 

Web page

Something of a metaphor (from the print media) used describe an HTML document when presented on the world wide web – but whose validity is now coming into question. In the early days of the web, when users began to access web sites, a term was needed to describe each element of the web site – and the association with the offline printed pages was obvious. It is still the case that many web presences resemble a printed page, and so for them the term ‘page’ is still valid. However, the metaphor is not as compelling when the web experience is a video or music download – and it is for this reason that the term ‘web page’ might have a limited application in the future.

 

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