WebReach Product Glossary September 2009 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Active Month Any month in which an account is being actively managed by hibu. Statuses that qualify as active are accounts that are in one of the following statuses: Live, Paused, Target Budget Met or Published. Active months are eligible for billing. Ad The message displayed on the search engines to prospective customers. A text ad usually contains ad title, ad description and a display URL. This is also known as a sponsored ad, sponsored listing, paid search ad or text ad. Ad Description The section of the ad below the headline that contains information on the advertiser's product, service and/or promotion that is being advertised. For best results, the ad's description should correspond to the related keywords and landing page. The campaign analyst uses the ad description area for creating more effective ads, i.e., rotating ads and call-to-action phrases. Ad Group An ad group is a form of account structure that is used by the campaign analyst to separate a WebReach campaign into different segments. One WebReach campaign may have multiple ad groups, each one representing a different segment of the business. Ad groups can be formed based on a variety of structural strategies. Typically WebReach ad groups are based on the different products and services offered by a advertiser. For example, a plumber may have three ad groups: plumbing, heating and air conditioning. 1
Each ad group contains multiple ads which are triggered by a specific set of keywords The number of ad groups and the structure used by the analyst depends on a variety of factors including budget, services offered, website design, geo-targeting and customer goals. Ad Position (or Ad Rank) The position of the ad within the sponsored results section on the search results page. On Google, Yahoo! and Bing, the ad's position is based on the keyword bid and the quality score. The average ad rank over a segment of time is referred to as Average Position and can be found in the WebReach Report Center. Ad title The title line of the text ad that is placed on the search engines. On Google, the title line can be up 25 characters long including spaces and punctuation. On Yahoo!, it can be up to 40 characters long. On Bing, it can be up to 25 characters long. Algorithms Sets of rules that search engines use to rank web pages by calculating the relevance to the search query. B Broad Match Broad match is one of the match types that can be selected for WebReach keywords. Keywords set to broad match will return relevant variations of the keywords selected by the campaign analyst, even if the exact terms aren't in the keyword lists. Keyword variations can include synonyms, singular/plural forms, relevant variants of the keywords, and phrases containing the keywords. For example, if ads are currently running on the broad-matched keyword web hosting, ads may show for the search queries web hosting company or webhost. The keyword variations that are allowed to trigger ads will change over time, as the system continually monitors keyword quality and performance factors. Ads will only continue showing on the highest-performing and most relevant keyword variations. Broad matched keywords must be used strategically since they are often general keywords that are searched often, but do not always convert well. For example, Lawyer would be a broad match keyword that would be searched often, but a more specific phrase, such as Bankruptcy Lawyer, would convert better. Campaign analysts use a variety of match types to effectively manage a WebReach campaign. 2
C Call Recording An optional feature in the Report Center that records all incoming calls to the call tracking number in the ad. If enabled, calls may be listened to on the Call Tracking tab of the Report Center. The optional Lead Tracker feature would need to have been purchased for the campaign analyst to enable call recording. Call to Action A phrase that encourages the user to click on an ad. For example, the phrase Buy now! or Call for discount. A call to action phrase is often included in the ad. Click (or Click-thru) When a user 'clicks' on an ad on the search results page and is taken to a website or conversion page. A click is recorded when the user is linked to another page and that page downloads on the user's browser. Click Fraud Occurs in pay-per-click advertising when a person, automated script or computer program imitates a legitimate user by clicking on an ad for the purpose of driving up costs. All search engines used by WebReach have proprietary anti-click fraud technology, which they refine on an on-going basis. If the search engine determines that there were invalid clicks in an advertiser's campaign, they will automatically credit the account. Click-thru-rate (CTR) The number of clicks an ad receives divided by the number of impressions an ad generates. For example, an ad that is displayed 100 times and clicked on 2 times has a CTR of 2%. Conversion The successful completion of a desired action by a customer. Depending on the product or service offered, this can be a variety of different actions. A sale, price quote, product registration, email, form submission, direction print, and coupon view may all be considered conversions. Conversion Page A separate web page that is designed to generate a specific action (i.e., call the advertiser, fill out for more information, etc.). A conversion page is usually a single web page between the ad or listing on the search results page and the website. A conversion page does not replace the business website. 3
Conversion Rate The number of visits to a website or conversion page that convert to a desired action divided by the total number of visits to the website. For example, if 100 users click-thru to the website and 12 convert by viewing a coupon, the conversion rate is 12%. Cost-per-click (CPC) The amount the advertiser pays each time a user clicks on business' advertisement. To calculate the CPC for a given time period, divide the total cost of advertising by the total number of clicks received. Crawler A component of a search engine that gathers listings by automatically crawling the web. The crawler follows links to web pages, makes copies and stores them in the search engine's index. This is also called a spider or bot. D Daily Budget The amount a campaign has budgeted to spend each day on the search engines. This is calculated by dividing the monthly campaign amount by the number of days in the month. Destination URL URL of the landing page to which the ad is linked. When a user clicks on a WebReach ad they are sent to the destination url. Display URL URL that is shown in the ad. If the destination URL is too long, a shorter display URL maybe shown in the ad. For example, an ad with a destination URL www.example.com/s_id+0&bc=1005 could have a display URL of www.example.com. Domain Name A unique name that identifies a website on the internet. Domain names provide an easy-to-remember internet address for users. The domain name translates into an IP address to route traffic across the internet. An example of a domain would be www.yellowbook.com. 4
Dynamic Ad An ad where the normal headline and/or description are replaced with the term the user typed in the search box. If the user types in a search query that will not fit into the headline parameters, a default headline set by the campaign analyst will appear. Dynamic ads may help boost the CTR since the ad contains the same search term that was typed in by a user. For example, if the user types furniture, then furniture will appear in the heading. This strategy is also referred to as keyword insertion or using keyword tokens. E Editorial Guidelines What the search engines use to ensure that the ads listed on their results page are accurate and relevant to the service being advertised. The guidelines cover topics such as ad style, grammar, ad and keyword relevance, ad content, use of superlatives, prohibited headings, and links. If ads do not adhere to the guidelines, they may be stopped from running on the search engines. WebReach campaign analysts will ensure that all campaigns comply with editorial guidelines. Exact Match Exact match is one of the match types that can selected for WebReach keywords. Keywords set to exact match will only return results that exactly match the keyword. For example, the keyword "green mountain bikes set to exact match will only show an ad when users search for green mountain bikes. It would not appear if the user searched for mountain bikes because the keywords do not match exactly. F G Geo-Targeting (Geographical Targeting) Allows the campaign to be targeted to specific locations (country, region, city, town, distance from business, etc). The campaign's ads will only appear to users either located in or specifically searching for the targeted areas. For example, a florist in Philadelphia selects Philadelphia as their targeted region. Their ads would only be displayed to users located within Philadelphia or to anyone who searches for Philadelphia florists. Google AdWords Google's pay-per-click advertising program. 5
H HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) A common programming language used for creating websites or web pages. I Impression Each time an ad is displayed on the internet. For example, each time an ad appears on a page, it counts as one impression. This is also known as ad views. IP Address Each computer connected to the internet is assigned a unique number known as an IP (Internet Protocol) Address. Since IP Addresses are usually assigned in either country or region-based blocks, it can often be used to identify the user's location. Search engines use IP Addresses to help determine what area the user is accessing the internet from. The search engines will then target ads based on a variety of factors including a user's IP address. This practice is commonplace although is known to suffer from some level of inaccuracy due to limitations inherent in the assignment of IP addresses. J K Keyword A word or set of words that relate to the products or services the business is advertising. The WebReach campaign analyst selects and bids on keywords that are relevant to the business' product or services. When a user enters a keyword into a search engine, ads related to the keywords will be displayed. The position and appearance of the ads are related to a variety of factors including the Max Bid and Quality Score. 6
L Landing Page The first web page a user sees after clicking on the ad or search engine listing. This could be a page within a website for a particular product or service, the website homepage, a conversion page, or any other web page. Lead Tracker A phone tracking option that uses call forwarding technology to track phone calls that are generated from a WebReach campaign. A special phone number replaces the customer's existing phone number ONLY in the WebReach campaign which allows calls to be monitored and in some cases, recorded. Local Business Listing (Map Listings) Listings that appear above the standard organic listings and adjacent to a small map on the standard search results page. The keyword phrase entered by the user will determine whether the map listings will appear and the number of results returned. On Google, these listings can be considered organic ads because they are displayed and ranked based on their physical address. Payment cannot increase your position and listings are not on the PPC model. On Yahoo!, free listings are available, but higher placement can be purchased. On Google, there are often 10 listings in this section, earning this section the nickname The Ten Pack. Long Tail A feature of statistical distributions used in an influential Wired Magazine article to describe certain business and economic models, such as Amazon.com, where 57% of sales come from keywords outside of the popular terms. This approach advocates the use of tail terms relatively low-volume, low-cost phrases in addition to the popular short tail terms. For example, in a campaign where sheets is the most popular keyword, tail terms such as linen sheets or Egyptian cotton sheets may yield a better performance than keywords such as sheets. M Match Type Keywords Keywords can be set to 'match' the search query in four different ways. The four match types are: broad, exact, phrase, and negative. Each category is described in more detail under each specific type. 7
Maximum Bid (or Max Bid) The amount the campaign is willing to pay for a click (when a user selects the advertiser's ad). When placing ads on search engines a maximum bid will be selected for each keyword. The bid works with other factors to determine the ranking or position of the ad in the search results. Microsoft AdCenter Bing's pay-per-click advertising program. Minimum Bid (or Min Bid) A minimum bid is designated for each keyword by the search engines. The minimum bid is based on campaign history and quality score. Mirrored Sites Mirrored sites are created as a way of providing call tracking information. To create a mirror, an exact copy of the customer's website is created with the exception of the phone number. The phone number is replaced by a special call tracking number. Mirrored sites can be both dynamic and static. Most search engines do not recommend using static mirror sites. Dynamic mirror sites are used quite often in WebReach. A dynamic mirror site is one that mirrors the customer's website. When a user clicks on the sponsored ad that has a call tracking number, the request is sent to a WebReach proxy server, which changes the way the advertisers site appears in real time (phone number, etc.). The site is changed only for the user who just clicked on the ad. The user is not aware that anything different has taken place. N Negative Match Negative match is one of the match types that can selected for WebReach keywords. Keywords set to negative match are used as a filtering tool. If there are negative keywords in a campaign and that word is included in the search term, the ad associated with the keywords will not show. Campaign Analysts determine if negative keywords are needed in the advertiser's campaign. For example, if the user searched for free flooring estimates and the campaign had -free as a negative match keyword, the ad would not be displayed. 8
O Organic Search Results Unpaid search engine results that are returned on the left-hand side of the search results page are based on the keyword phrase entered by the user. Results are ranked by estimated relevancy which is calculated from information found on each website. Examples of this information include: link information, page content, usage data, trust-related data, and other factors as determined by the search engines. Since these rankings are driven by the content and structure of the website, in order to improve organic ranking, the website must be modified. The practice of modifying a website to improve organic ranking is referred to as search engine optimization (SEO). These results are also known as organic listings, natural results, free listings, or natural/algorithmic search results. P Pacing Pacing is a reference to the rate at which a campaign is spending budget in relation to the targeted budget. If a campaign is spending less than the target the account is said to be under-pacing. If an account is spending more than the targeted spend the account is said to be over-pacing. Pacing is managed systematically by the WebReach system. Often accounts will be set to the status Target Budget Met to prevent significant overspend. Pacing will vary due to natural fluctuations in campaign performance. Accounts are systematically monitored to measure and report any serious pacing problems. If an account is significantly off pace a campaign analyst will intervene and apply various optimization techniques. If the account cannot be brought into an acceptable pacing range, the customer and media consultant may be contacted to discuss options. Paid Search Results Paid ads that are returned at the top and right-hand side of the search results page based on the keyword phrase entered by the user. This is where WebReach ads are shown. These are pay-per-click (PPC) ads since the advertiser is only charged each time their ad receives an actual click. The ads are displayed and ranked based on the maximum cost an advertiser is willing to pay for a click and the quality score assigned by the search engines. These are also known as paid listings, sponsored listings, the right side, or sponsored links. 9
Pause (and Unpause) What will happen if a payment is late or declined. The WebReach campaign will be paused and attempts will be made to collect the outstanding balance. If payment is collected, the account will be unpaused and resume normally with no loss of campaign history. If payment is not collected after 120 days, the account will be cancelled. Pay-per-click (PPC) A method of advertising where a certain amount of money is paid each time a user clicks on an ad on the results page. Phrase Match Keyword Phrase match is one of the match types that can selected for WebReach keywords. Keywords set to phrase match will only return results when the exact phrase is contained in the search query.. For example the keyword tennis shoes set to Phrase Match will generate ads against the keywords new tennis shoes or tennis shoes used since they both contain the phrase tennis shoes. Phrase match is more targeted than broad match, but more flexible than exact match. Pop-Ups An ad that appears in a separate window on top of content already on-screen. Pop-ups are used to display advertising or unwanted content on the screen. Search engines do not allow WebReach ads to link to pages that use pop-ups. Q Quality Score A criteria used by Google to evaluate the quality of the keywords in a pay-per-click advertising campaign. The quality score is considered along with the Max CPC bid to determine the ad rank. Having a high quality score allows an ad to rank higher without having to increase CPC. A low quality score means that the CPC bid must be raised to attain a desired position. The Quality Score for ad rank on Google and the search network is determined by: The historical click-through rate (CTR) of the keyword and the matched ad on Google; if the ad is appearing on a search network page, its CTR on that search network partner is also considered Account history, which is measured by the CTR of all the ads and keywords in your account The historical CTR of the display URLs in the ad group The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group The relevance of the keyword and the matched ad to the search query Account performance in the geographical region where the ad will be shown Other relevance factors 10
R Radius Targeting One of the geo-targeting options, radius targeting is the ability to target searchers based on their IP address, within a certain radius of the target location. This feature is available for targeting within a 20-mile minimum radius for the city selected. Recommended Budget The budget recommendation necessary for an ad to appear frequently on the search engine results page. There are various levels of visibility possible based on a particular budget, and adhering to the recommendation helps ensure the relevant level of exposure. The campaign's budget controls how often an ad appears on the search engines. Results Page The web page that is displayed after a user enters a search query. This is also known as a search engine results page or SERP. Return on Investment (ROI) ROI refers to the percentage of profit or revenue generated from a specific activity. S Search Engine A website that searches other websites for specified keywords and returns a list of the sites where the keywords were found. Typically, a search engine works by sending out crawlers (or spiders or bots) to explore as many websites as possible. Another tool, called an indexer, then reads the website information and creates an index based on the words contained on each site. Each search engine uses a proprietary algorithm to create its index so that, ideally, only meaningful results are returned for each keyword query. Examples of search engines are: Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) The process of marketing a website via search engines whether for organic, paid or a combination of both and other search-engine related activities. SEM includes pay-per-click advertising (such as WebReach), search engine optimization and other types of internet advertising. 11
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) The process of modifying a website so that it performs better in the organic section of search engines. Search Engine Results Page (SERP) The results page displayed after the user enters a search query. This is also known as a results page. Search Query The word or phrase a user enters into a search box on a search engine. This is also known as search term, query, query term or keyword. Static Ad An ad where the normal headline and/or description do not change, no matter what term the user types in the search box. This is in contrast to a dynamic ad. T Traffic There are many different ways to measure website traffic. Some common data points to measure traffic are: Unique Visitors, Total Visits or Page Views. Website analytics tools monitor these traffic metrics in order to show overall traffic changes as well as which sections of a website are popular. The data can be used to help website designers make changes to a site to improve the user experience as well as to structure the site for SEM and SEO. U UDAC (Universal Directory Advertising Code) Abbreviations (codes) that refer to advertising products available from hibu. Examples of WebReach UDACS are: ASX (advertiser site), MRRX (mirrored site), RCF (lead tracker number), CPX (conversion page), etc. Unique Visitor Individuals who have visited a website (or network) at least once in a fixed time frame, typically a 30-day period. This is a common statistic used to measure website activity. 12
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) The location of a webpage on the internet. For example, www.yellowbook.com is where hibu's website is located. There are both display and destination URL's. V W WebReach WebReach is a fully managed search engine advertising service that places ads for a business on major search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. For additional information, please see the WebReach FAQ. WebReach Network The WebReach Network is comprised of the three major search engines Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Each of these search engines also has their own network, which include hundreds of other sites. The WebReach ad could be displayed on any of these sites. For example, an ad that is on Google could also be shown on Ask.com. The campaign analyst will determine the best strategy for each WebReach campaign based on the campaign budget and performance. WebReach Report Center Campaign activity and the current status of a WebReach campaign may be accessed thru the Report Center. The website address is www.reports.yellowbook.com. X Y Yahoo! Sponsored Search Yahoo's pay-per-click advertising program. Z 13