The Birdeye Glossary
Tired of industry jargon? Our A–Z glossary breaks down the most-used terms in online reputation, customer experience, and social media—simple, clear, and always up to date.
A
A/B Testing
A/B testing is a method where two versions of something are compared to see which one performs better.
Algorithm
An algorithm is a set of step-by-step instructions used to solve a problem or perform a task.
Analytics
Analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to make informed decisions.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.
B
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page.
Brand advocate
A brand advocate is a customer or supporter who promotes your brand voluntarily and positively.
Brand authenticity
Brand authenticity is how genuine, transparent, and consistent a brand is in its values, messaging, and actions.
Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is the extent to which people recognize and recall your brand.
Brand style guide
A brand style guide is a document that outlines how a brand should be visually and verbally represented.
C
Call to Action (CTA)
A call to action (CTA) is a prompt that encourages users to take a specific next step, such as “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Learn More.”
Carousel ads
Carousel ads are a type of digital ad format that lets users swipe through multiple images or videos within a single ad unit.
Character count
Character count is the total number of letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation in a text.
Chatbot
A chatbot is a software application that simulates human conversation through text or voice.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who click on a link, ad, or CTA after seeing it.
Clickbait
Clickbait is content designed to attract clicks using sensational, misleading, or exaggerated headlines. Learn more with Birdeye.
Co-marketing
Co-marketing is a partnership where two or more brands collaborate to promote a shared offer, event, or piece of content.
Content curation
Content curation is the process of finding, selecting, and sharing relevant content from other sources with your audience.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a strategy focused on creating and sharing valuable, relevant content to attract and engage a target audience.
Conversion tracking
Conversion tracking is the process of measuring when a user completes a desired action, such as a purchase, form submission, or sign-up.
CPC (Cost per click)
CPC is the amount you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is a licensing system that lets creators share their work with others under specific usage conditions.
J
K
Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase users enter into search engines, guiding SEO and paid‑search targeting strategies.
Keyword Research
Keyword research identifies and analyses search terms to prioritise content and ad strategies that meet user intent and revenue goals.
Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is an outdated SEO tactic of overloading content with repetitive keywords, leading to poor UX and potential ranking penalties.
L
Landing Page
A landing page is a standalone web page designed to capture a visitor’s attention and drive a single, focused conversion action, such as a sign‑up or purchase.
Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is a free asset—ebook, checklist, webinar—offered in exchange for a prospect’s contact information, fueling lead generation funnels.
Link Building
Link building is the process of acquiring high‑quality backlinks to enhance a website’s authority and improve search rankings.
Link in Bio
A link in bio refers to the single clickable URL allowed in some social profiles (e.g., Instagram) directing followers to a landing page or link hub.
LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn Ads are paid placements—Sponsored Content, Message Ads, Dynamic Ads—targeting professionals by job title, industry, and company size on LinkedIn.
M
Machine Learning
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that enables systems to learn patterns from data.
Marketing Funnel
A marketing funnel is a strategic model mapping the customer journey from brand awareness to loyalty.
Marketing Proposal
A marketing proposal is a client-facing document outlining strategy, scope, KPIs, and budget to secure approval.
Meme
A meme is a piece of content, typically humorous or relatable, shared rapidly online through social media platforms.
Microblog
A microblog is a digital content format featuring short, frequent posts, often with text and multimedia.
N
Native Ads
Native ads are paid promotional units designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding platform’s content and visual style.
Native Advertising
Native advertising is the broader marketing strategy of distributing paid content in formats matching the look, feel, and function of the media channel.
Newsfeed
A newsfeed is a continually updating stream of user‑specific content—posts, articles, photos, ads—displayed by social networks or publisher sites.
Newsletter
A newsletter is a periodic, opt‑in email or message series that delivers curated content, updates, and offers to subscribers.
Niche Audience
A niche audience is a narrowly defined segment united by specific interests, demographics, or needs, allowing highly relevant messaging.
O
Omnichannel Strategy
An omnichannel strategy delivers a seamless, integrated customer experience across every brand touchpoint—online and offline.
On-Page SEO
On‑page SEO is the practice of optimising individual web pages—content, HTML tags, internal links, and user experience—to rank higher in search‑engine results.
Online Reputation Management
Online reputation management is the practice of monitoring, influencing, and improving how a brand or individual is perceived across digital channels.
Open Rate
Open rate is the percentage of delivered email (or push) messages that recipients open, indicating initial engagement.
Organic Reach
Organic reach is the number of unique users who see a brand’s content on social or search without paid promotion.
P
Page Speed
Page speed measures how quickly the visible content of a web page loads and becomes interactive for users.
Paid Media
Paid media encompasses all marketing channels where brands pay to distribute content or ads.
Persona Development
Persona development is the process of creating semi‑fictional profiles representing key segments of a target audience.
Post Reach
Post reach is the total number of unique users who saw a specific social‑media post within a given time frame.
PPC
PPC (pay‑per‑click) is a digital advertising model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad.
Profile Visit
A profile visit occurs when a user taps or clicks through to view a brand or individual’s full profile page on social media.
Q
Qualified Lead
A qualified lead is a prospect who meets predefined criteria—demographic fit, expressed interest, buying intent.
Quality Score
Quality Score is Google Ads’ metric (1–10) evaluating an ad’s relevance, expected CTR, and landing‑page experience.
Query
A query is the word or phrase a user types or speaks into a search engine or platform.
R
Ranking Factors
Ranking factors are signals search engines evaluate—content relevance, backlinks, page speed, mobile usability.
Reach
Reach is the total number of unique users who see a brand’s content, ad, or message across channels.
Reels
Reels are Instagram’s short‑form vertical videos designed for discovery via the Reels tab and Explore.
Responsive Design
Responsive design enables websites to adapt fluidly across screen sizes, ensuring optimal user experience.
Retargeting
Retargeting serves ads to users who previously interacted with your site or app to re‑engage and drive conversion.
S
SEO
Search-engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of improving website content, technical setup and authority to earn higher rankings and organic traffic.
SERP
A search-engine results page (SERP) is the list of results—organic, paid, and rich features—displayed after a user submits a query.
Share of Voice
Share of voice (SOV) measures a brand’s proportion of total market visibility versus competitors across paid, organic, and social channels.
Social Listening
Social listening tracks and analyses online conversations about a brand or topic to uncover insights and manage reputation.
T
Target Audience
A target audience is the specific group of consumers a brand aims to reach with marketing messages, defined by demographics, psychographics and behaviours.
Testimonial Marketing
Testimonial marketing uses customer endorsements—quotes, videos, case snippets—to build trust and boost conversions.
TikTok
TikTok is a short-form video platform (15 sec – 10 min) driven by algorithmic “For You” feeds, offering massive organic reach potential.
TikTok Ads
TikTok Ads are paid placements—In-Feed, Spark, TopView—within TikTok’s feed, Discover and brand-takeover inventory.
U
UGC
User‑generated content (UGC) is any text, image, or video created by consumers—not the brand—about a product or service, often shared on social media or review sites.
Unique Visitors
Unique visitors represent the count of distinct individuals who access a website within a set period, measured via cookies or user IDs, regardless of visit frequency.
Unsubscribe rate
Unsubscribe rate is the percentage of delivered emails where recipients click “unsubscribe,” signaling disengagement with a mailing list.
URL Shortener
A URL shortener converts long web addresses into compact, trackable links, improving shareability and click tracking in social posts, SMS, or print.
User Flow
A user flow is a visual map outlining the step‑by‑step path users take to accomplish a task within a website or app, guiding UX design decisions.
V
Video Marketing
Video marketing leverages video content—short‑form clips, webinars, live streams—to achieve marketing goals such as awareness, engagement, and conversions across channels.
View-Through Conversion
A view‑through conversion (VTC) occurs when a user sees—but does not click—an ad, then later converts within the attribution window, showing impression‑level influence.
Views
Views count how many times a piece of content—video, story, page—has been displayed to users, including repeat exposures unless specified as “unique views.”
Viral Content
Viral content is any post, video, or article that rapidly spreads across the internet through extensive sharing, achieving exponential reach beyond the creator’s audience.
Virality
Virality is the phenomenon where content or products self‑propagate through user sharing at a rate that exceeds acquisition via paid or owned channels, often measured by the viral coefficient.
W
Webinar
A webinar is a live, online seminar or presentation allowing real‑time interaction—video, slides, Q&A—used for lead generation, education, and product demos.
Website Optimization
Website optimization is the ongoing process of improving site performance, UX, content, and conversion paths to increase traffic, engagement, and revenue.
Website Traffic
Website traffic counts all visits—sessions or pageviews—generated by users reaching a site via various channels (organic, paid, social, referral, direct).
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business is Meta’s free app and API for companies to communicate with customers via chat, send notifications, and automate support on WhatsApp.
White Hat SEO
White hat SEO comprises ethical optimisation tactics complying with search‑engine guidelines—high‑quality content, legitimate backlinks, technical best practices—to achieve sustainable rankings
X
X (formerly Twitter)
X (formerly Twitter) is a real‑time social‑media platform where users post short messages (tweets), images, and videos, follow topics, and engage via likes, reposts, quote tweets, and Communities.
Y
Year-over-Year Growth
Year‑over‑year (YoY) growth compares a metric—revenue, traffic, MRR—from one period to the same period in the previous year, revealing long‑term performance trends.
Yelp marketing
Yelp marketing involves optimising a business’s Yelp profile, collecting reviews, and running Yelp Ads to attract local customers searching for services.
YMYL
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) pages are web content that can impact users’ finances, health, safety, or wellbeing—subject to higher Google quality standards.
YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics is the built‑in dashboard that tracks video performance—views, watch time, audience retention, revenue—helping creators optimise content and monetisation.