Ad Campaign Audit - An activity audit for a specific ad campaign.
Ad Click - A measurement of the user-initiated action of responding to (such as clicking on) an ad element causing a re-direct to another Web location or another frame or page within the advertisement. There are three types of ad clicks: 1) click-throughs; 2) in-unit clicks; and 3) mouseovers.
Ad Click Rate - The ratio of ad clicks to ad impressions.
Address - A unique identifier for a computer or site online, usually a URL for a Web site or marked with an @ for an E-mail address. Literally, it is how one computer finds the location of another computer using the Internet.
Ad Impression - 1) An ad which is served to a user's browser. Ads can be requested by the user's browser (referred to as pulled ads) or they can be pushed, such as E-mailed ads; 2) A measurement of responses from an ad delivery system to an ad request from the user's browser, which is filtered from robotic activity and is recorded at a point as late as possible in the process of delivery of the creative material to the user's browser -- therefore closest to the actual opportunity to see by the user.
Ad Impression Ratio - Click-throughs divided by ad impressions. See click rate.
Ad Recall - A measure of advertising effectiveness in which a sample of respondents are exposed to an ad and then at a later point in time are asked if they recall the ad. Ad recall can be on an aided or unaided basis. Aided ad recall is when the respondent is told the name of the brand or category being advertised.
Ad Transfers - The successful display of an advertiser's Web site after the user clicked on an ad. When a user clicks on an advertisement, a click-through is recorded and re-directs or "transfers" the user's browser to an advertiser's Web site. If the user successfully displays the advertiser's Web site, an ad transfer is recorded.
Admin Tools - Access through a site's backend system for content management by an advertiser.
Animated Advertisement - An ad that changes over time. For example, an animated ad is an interactive Java applet or Shockwave or GIF89a file.
Banner - A graphic image displayed on an HTML page used as an ad. Banners usually appear at the top or bottom of a page and act as a link to the advertiser's Web site.Bit - The smallest unit of data in a computer. A bit has a single binary value of either 0 or 1.
Bookmarking - A method of storing favorite Web sites in a browser.
Browser - A software program that can request, download, cache and display documents available on the World Wide Web. Also known as a Web Browser.
Business Directory - A searchable online database that contains information about companies.
Button - A smaller version of a Banner ad that can rotate or appear in a fixed position.
Byte - Equal to seven or eight bits, depending on whether it requires an extra bit, called a parity bit, for error correction. A byte stores a single character of information, such as the letter "A."
Chat - Online interactive communication between two or more people on the Web. One can "talk" in real time with other people in a chat room, but the words are typed instead of spoken.
Chat Room - An area online where you can chat with other people in real-time.
Click Down - The action of clicking on an element within an ad and having another file displayed on the user's screen, normally below or above the initial ad. Click down ads allow the user to stay on the same Web page and provide the advertiser a larger pallet to communicate their message.
Click Rate - The ratio of ad clicks to ad impressions.
Clicks - 1) A metric that measures the reaction of a user to an Internet ad. There are three types of clicks: click-throughs; in-unit clicks; and mouseovers; 2) The opportunity for a user to download another file by clicking on an advertisement, as recorded by the server; 3) The result of a measurable interaction with an advertisement or key word that links to the advertiser's intended Web site or another page or frame within the Web site; 4) A metric that measures the reaction of a user to linked editorial content.
Click-through - The action of following a hyperlink within an advertisement or editorial content to another Web site or another page or frame within the Web site.
Click-within - Similar to click down or click. But more commonly, click-withins are ads that allow the user to "drill down" and click, while remaining in the advertisement, not leaving the site on which they are residing.
Content Management - The flexibility for an advertiser to modify content.
Cookie - A file on the user's browser that uniquely identifies the user's browser. There are two types of cookies: persistent cookies and session cookies. Session cookies are temporary and are erased when the browser exits. Persistent cookies remain on the user's hard drive until the user erases them or until they expire.
CPA (Cost-per-Action) - Cost of advertising based on a visitor taking some specifically defined action in response to an ad. "Actions" include such things as a sales transaction, a customer acquisition or a click.
CPC (Cost-per-Customer) - The cost an advertiser pays to acquire a customer.
CPC (Cost-per-Click) - The cost of advertising based on the number of clicks received.
CPL (Cost-per-Lead) - The cost of advertising based on the number of database files (leads) received.
CPM (Cost-per-Thousand) - A media term describing the cost of 1,000 impressions. For example, a Web site that charges $1,500 per ad and reports 100,000 visits has a CPM of $15 ($1,500 divided by 100).
CPO (Cost-per-Order) - The cost of advertising based on the number of orders received. Also called Cost-per-Transaction.
CPS (Cost-per-Sale) - The advertiser's cost to generate one sales transaction.
CPT (Cost-per-Transaction) - See CPO (Cost-per-Order).
CPTM (Cost per Targeted Thousand Impressions) - Implying that the audience one is trying to reach is defined by particular demographics or other specific characteristics, such as male golfers age 18-25. The difference between CPM and CPTM is that CPM is for gross impressions, while CPTM is for targeted impressions.
Domain Name - The unique name that identifies an Internet site (ex. www.virginislandsdailynews.com).
Drill Down - When an online user accesses more and more pages of the Web site, i.e., he or she goes deeper into the content of the site.
Dynamic Rotation - Delivery of ads on a , random basis so that users are exposed to different ads and ads are served in different pages of the site.
E-commerce - The process of selling products or services via the Web.
E-mail - Electronic mail. Text files that are sent from one person to another over the Internet. E-mail messages may also carry attached files.
E-mail Campaign - An advertising campaign distributed via E-mail.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions. FAQs are generally a list of questions about a specific subject.
Floating Ads - An ad or ads that appear within the main browser window on top of the Web page's normal content, thereby appearing to "float" over the top of the page.
Fold - An ad or content that is viewable as soon as the Web page arrives. One does not have to scroll down (or sideways) to see it.
Frequency - The number of times an ad is delivered to the same browser in a single session or time period. A site can use cookies in order to manage ad frequency.
GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) - A bit-mapped color graphic file format that uses compression to store and display images. This is the preferred format for placing a graphic, as opposed to a photo, on a Web page.
GIF89a/Animated GIF - An extension of the .gif format which creates animation through a sequence of images being stored in a single image. A delay is customizable between "frames" to render the appearance of animation, much like a flappable picturebook.
Gross Exposures - The total number of times an ad is served, including duplicate downloads to the same person.
Hit - When users access a Web site, their computer sends a request to the site's server to begin downloading a page. Each element of a requested page (including graphics, text, interactive items, and elements that cannot be seen) is recorded by the site's Web server log file as a "hit." If a page containing two graphics is accessed by a user, those hits will be recorded once for the page itself and once for each of the graphics. Webmasters use hits to measure their servers' workload. Because page designs and visit patterns vary from site to site, the number of hits bears no relationship to the number of pages downloaded, and is therefore a poor guide for traffic measurement.
Home Page - The page designated as the main point of entry of a Web site (or main page) or the starting point when a browser first connects to the Internet.
Hosting - A service provided for the management of technology necessary to place a Web site online and maintain it.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) - A set of codes called markup tags in a plain text (*.txt) file that determine what information is retrieved and how it is rendered by a browser. There are two kinds of markup tags: anchor and format. Anchor tags determine what is retrieved, and format tags determine how it is rendered.
HTML Page - A HyperText Markup Language document stored in a directory on a Web server and/or created dynamically at the time of the request for the purpose of satisfying that request. In addition to text, an HTML page may include graphics, video, audio and other files.
Hyperlink - HTML programming which redirects the user to a new URL when the individual clicks on hypertext.
Hypertext - Text or graphical elements on a page which activates a hyperlink when clicked.
IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) - IAB is a non-profit trade association devoted exclusively to maximizing the use and effectiveness of interactive advertising and marketing. See iab.net for more information.
Icon - A small abstract graphic representation of an object or idea.
Image Map - A GIF or JPEG image with more than one linking hyperlink. Each hyperlink or hot spot can lead to a different destination page.
Impression - A measurement of responses from a Web server to a page request from the user browser, which is filtered from robotic activity and error codes, and is recorded at a point as close as possible to opportunity to see the page by the user.
Interactive Advertising - All forms of online, wireless and interactive television advertising, including banners, sponsorships, E-mail, keyword searches, referrals, slotting fees, classified ads and interactive television commercials.
Interstitial Ads - Ads that appear between two content pages. Also known as transition ads, intermercial ads, splash pages and Flash pages.
In-unit Click - A measurement of a user-initiated action of responding to an ad element that generally causes an intra-site redirect or content change.
Java - A programming language designed for building applications on the Internet. It allows for advanced features, increased animation detail and real-time updates. Small applications called Java applets can be downloaded from a server and executed by Java-compatible browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) - A file format that uses a compression technique to reduce the size (number of bytes) of graphic files. JPEG is the preferred file format for placing photographs on a Web page.
Jump Page Ad - See Microsite.
Key Word - Specific word(s) entered into a search engine by the user that result(s) in a list of Web sites related to the key word.
Kilobyte - Abbreviated as k as in "10k", the equivalent of 1000 bytes.
Link - An electronic connection between two Web sites. Also called "hot link" and hyperlink.
Microsites - Multi-page ads accessed via click-through from initial ad, such as a Button or Banner. User stays on the publisher's Web site, but has access to more information from the advertiser than a standard ad format allows. Also called Jump Page.
NAI (Network Advertising Initiative) - A cooperative group of network advertisers which has developed a set of privacy principles in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission. The NAI provides consumers with explanations of Internet advertising practices and how they affect both consumers and the Internet. See networkadvertising.org for more information.
Non-registered User - Someone who visits a Web site and elects not to, or is not required to, provide certain information, and hence may be denied access to part(s) of the site.
Opt-in - Refers to an individual giving a company permission to use data collected from or about the individual for a particular reason, such as to market the company's products and services.
Opt-in E-mail - Lists of Internet users who have voluntarily signed up to receive commercial E-mail about topics of interest.
Opt-out - When a company states that it plans to market its products and services to an individual unless the individual asks to be removed from the company's mailing list.
Page - A document having a specific URL and comprised of a set of associated files. A page may contain text, images, and other online elements. It may be static or dynamically generated. It may be made up of multiple frames or screens, but should contain a designated primary object which, when loaded, is counted as the entire page.
Page Display - When a page is successfully displayed on the user's computer screen.
Page Impression - A measurement of responses from a Web server to a page request from the user's browser, which is filtered from robotic activity and error codes, and is recorded at a point as close as possible to the opportunity to see the page by the user.
Page View - When the page is actually seen by the user. Note: this is not measurable today; the best approximation today is provided by page displays.
Pay-per-Click - An advertising pricing model in which advertisers pay agencies and/or media companies based on how many users clicked on an online ad or E-mail message.
Pay-per-Impression - An advertising pricing model in which advertisers pay based on how many users were served their ads.
Pay-per-Lead - An advertising pricing model in which advertisers pay for each "sales lead" generated. For example, an advertiser might pay for every visitor that clicked on an ad or site and successfully completed a form. See CPL.
Pay-per-Sale - An advertising pricing model in which advertisers pay agencies and/or media companies based on how many sales transactions were generated as a direct result of the ad. See CPS.
PDF Files (Portable Document Format) - A translation format developed by Adobe used primarily for distributing files across a network, or on a Web site. Files with a .pdf extension have been created in another application and then translated into .pdf files so they can be viewed by anyone, regardless of platform. The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded as freeware.
Pixel - A picture element (single illuminated dot) on a computer monitor. The metric used to indicate the size of Internet ads.
Pop-under Ad - An ad that appears in a separate window beneath an open window. Pop-under ads are concealed until the top window is closed, moved, resized or minimized.
Pop-up Ad - An ad that appears in a separate window on top of content already on-screen.
Pop-up Transitional - Initiates play in a separate ad window during the transition between content pages. Continues while content is simultaneously being rendered. Depending primarily on line-speed, play of a transitional ad may finish before or after content rendering is completed.
Portal - A Web site that often serves as a starting point for a Web user's session (ex. yahoo.com). It typically provides services such as search, directory of Web sites, news, weather, E-mail, homepage space, stock quotes, sports news, entertainment, telephone directory information, area maps and chat or message boards.
Priority Listing - A ranking system that lists a company within the top 100 in its category when Business Directory search results are presented.
Profiling - The practice of tracking information about consumers' interests by monitoring their movements online. This can be done without using any personal information, but simply by analyzing the content, URL's, and other information about a user's browsing path/click-stream.
Push Advertising - Pro-active, partial screen, dynamic advertisement which comes in various formats.
Rail - The extreme left or right-hand sides of a Web page.
Reach - 1) Unique users that visited the site over the course of the reporting period, expressed as a percent of the universe for the demographic category; also called unduplicated audience; 2) The total number of unique users who will be served a given ad.
Referral Link - The referring page, or referral link is a place from which the user clicked to get to the current page. In other words, since a hyperlink connects one URL to another, in clicking on a link the browser moves from the referring URL to the destination URL. Also known as source of a visit.
Repeat Visitor - Unique visitor who has accessed a Web site more than once over a specific time period.
Return Visits - The average number of times a user returns to a site over a specific time period.
Rich Media - A method of communication that incorporates animation, sound, video, and/or interactivity. It can be used either singularly or in combination with the following technologies: streaming media, sound, Flash, and with programming languages such as Java, Javascript, and DHTML
ROS (Run-of-Site) - The scheduling of Internet advertising whereby ads run across an entire site, generally at a lower cost to the advertiser than the purchase of specific site sub-sections.
Search Engine - A program that helps Web users find information on the Internet. The method for finding this information is usually done by maintaining an index of Web resources that can be queried for the keywords or concepts entered by the user. Click here for a list of search engines.
Spam - Unsolicited E-mail messages or Newsgroup postings, usually advertising a product.
Sponsorship - An association with a Web site in some way that gives an advertiser some particular visibility and advantage above that of run-of-site advertising. When associated with specific content, sponsorship can provide a more targeted audience than run-of-site ad buys.
Static Ad Placement/Static Rotation - 1) Ads that remain on a Web page for a specified period of time; 2) Embedded ads.
Streaming - 1) Technology that permits continuous audio and video delivered to a computer from a remote Web site; 2) An Internet data transfer technique that allows the user to see and hear audio and video files.
Total Ad Impressions - The total of all graphical and textual ad impressions delivered, regardless of the source. See ad impression.
Total Marketing Packages - Combinations of various types of advertising purchased in 13-week, 26-week or 52-week intervals.
Total Unique Users - See Unique User.
Total Visits - The total number of browsers accessing a Web site within a specific time period. Total visits should filter robotic activity, but can include visits from repeat visitors.
Total Visitors - The total number of browsers or individuals that have accessed a site within a specific time period.
Traffic - The number of visits and/or visitors who come to a Web site.
Transitional Ad - See Interstitial Ads.
Transitional Pop Up - An ad that pops up in a separate ad window between content pages.
Unduplicated Audience - The number of unique individuals exposed to a specified domain, page or ad in a specified time period.
Unique User - A unique individual or browser that has either accessed a site (see unique visitor) or has been served unique content and/or ads such as E-mail, newsletters, interstitials and pop-under ads. Unique users can be identified by user registration or cookies.
Unique Visitor - A unique user who accesses a Web site within a specific time period. See Unique User.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - The unique identifying address of any particular page on the Web. It contains all the information required to locate a resource, including its protocol (usually HTTP), server domain name (or IP address), file path (directory and name) and format (usually HTML or CGI). Also known as Web site address.
User - An individual with access to the World Wide Web.
User Registration - Information contributed by an individual which usually includes characteristics such as the person's age, gender, zip code and often much more. A site's registration system is usually based on an ID code or password to allow the site to determine the number of unique visitors and to track a visitor's behavior within that site.
Viewer - A person viewing content or ads on the Web. There is currently no way to measure viewers.
Virtual Coupons - Online coupons that pop up when clicked upon and can be printed for redemption.
Visit - A measurement which has been filtered for robotic activity of one or more text and/or graphics downloads from a site without 30 consecutive minutes of inactivity and which can be reasonably attributed to a single browser for a single session.
Visit Duration - The length of time the visitor is exposed to a specific ad, Web page or Web site during a single session.
Visitor - An individual or browser that accesses a Web site within a specific time period.
Web Site - The virtual location (domain) for an organization's or individual's presence on the World Wide Web.
Yield - The percentage of clicks vs. impressions on an ad within a specific page. Also called ad click rate.
