More Than Just An - Engineer An Icon - Definition, Get Perspective

- Even the most basic keywords are worth reading for our perspective. Always adding, always revising

CPM - Cost Per Thousand, a purchasing structure associated with PPC whereby bids are made per 1,000 impressions irrespective of the number of clicks that result. Typically there should be a specific and intentional strategy associated with this system of advertising.

CTR - Click Through Rate, related to any type of online ad, it is calculated by establishing the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions. This is a commonly used metric to determine the effectiveness of an ad, the keyword that may have prompted the impression, or the website where the ad has been displayed. CTR can indicate how relevant an ad is to the audience which has viewed it. Don't underestimate the value of CTR across keywords, ads and site placements because it effects the rate which you display, your ad's position on the page, your minimum bid, and the minimum bid. A typical measuring stick for an "average" CTR % regardless of industry or circumstance is about 1%.

Guaranteed First Page Ranking - bull crap, on so many levels

Impression - indicates that an item has displayed and/or been viewed, particularly applicable to ads displayed and pages viewed of a website. It is important in that it signifies an attempt to compete for attention. However, be mindful that high impressions resulting in low user participation may indicate a lack of effectiveness. For ads, high impressions resulting in low clicks increases the cost of your clicks.

PPC - Pay Per Click, sponsored ads placed through the search engine medium whether for search or content network. Ad position can be manipulated by increasing the bid, CTR and/or a quality score. These ads accumulate cost each time they are clicked on.

Quality Score - (Google) is quite a tricky term to define, particularly because there a re two separate Quality Scores. Initial QS weighs a number of factors that result in an initial minimum bid price. A second QS weighs similar factors as the initial QS, but is different in that while it can affect the minimum bid price, it mainly determines ad position and the frequency at which your ad displays. Poor Quality Scores typically result in a decrease in impression frequency. Here is our blog post on Quality Score.

Search Marketing - advertising efforts targeted exclusively when individuals are looking for specific information or opportunities via the search engine medium

SEM - Search Engine Marketing, advertising through the various channels that the search engines offer, in addition to search. SEM includes search, content network partner sites, maps, and whatever else the search engines may offer beyond search. (Often erroneously synonymous with PPC.)

SEO - Search Engine Optimization, optimizing pages and websites specifically for the advancement of organic (or natural) rankings. The higher the ranking, the lower the rank number, the more exposure is gained.

SERP - Search Engine Results Page, presenting natural and paid listings sequentially ordered according to the search query and specific search engine algorithm