Ad Request - A request for an ad from the server. This happens when someone visits a Web page that has an advertisement and the surfer's browser asks the server to deliver the ad.
Ad View - The delivery or viewing of an ad.
Bandwidth - The amount of information that can be transferred through an Internet connection at a given time.
Banner - A rectangular ad usually appearing at the top or bottom of a Web page, commonly 468 x 60 pixels in size.
Bookmark - A Web browser feature that serves as an address book for Web addresses.
Browser - The software that runs on your computer and translates the information transferred on the Internet into the Web pages that you see.
Button - A small, usually square or rectangular ad in the following dimensions: 125 x 125, 120 x 90, 120x 60, 88 x 31 or 120 x 240 pixels.
Cache - The temporary storing of a Web page on your computer so that the next time you request that page it is accessed from the cache on your computer instead of from the Web server.
Click-through - The number of times an ad is clicked on.
Click-through Rate (CTR) - The percentage of times an ad is clicked on divided by the total number of times it is viewed.
Conversion - The rate at which a goal is reached (for example, orders or leads).
Cookie - Text that is placed on your computer (in your cookie file) by a Web site. The Web site can view the cookies it places when you move through the site, and use cookies as a means of tracking return visits and visitor's specific interests.
Cost Per Click (CPC) - The cost of placing an ad on a site based exclusively on how many times the ad is clicked on by users.
Cost Per Lead (CPL) - The cost of placing an ad on a site based on how many leads the ad generates.
Cost Per Sale (CPS) - The cost of placing an ad on a site based on how many sales result from the ad.
Counter - A program that a Web site uses to count the number of visits to a Web page.
CPM (cost per thousand) - The cost of an ad for every 1,000 times the ad is shown on a Web page. (The "M" stands for the Latin mille, meaning "one thousand".)
Directory - A listing of Web sites organized into categories.
Discussion List - An e-mail forum for people to discuss a particular topic. Discussion lists usually have a moderator who guides the discussion and ensures that it is pertinent to the discussion list's topic.
Domain Name - A naming system that translates the numeric name given computers on the Internet into user-friendly addresses.
Dynamic Rotation - Ads delivered on a rotating or random basis, allowing visitors to see different ads on a given page.
E-mail List - Similar to a mailing list, except that it contains e-mail addresses.
Exposures - The number of times that an advertisement is viewed. Commonly used interchangeably with impressions.
Extranet - A private network of networked computers that uses Internet protocols to share information between businesses. It is often part of a company's intranet that is shared with vendors and customers.
File - A computer document.
Firewall - A security barrier that separates a company's internal system from outside systems.
Flame - A hostile note either posted in a discussion list or sent as an e-mail message.
GIF or .gif (Graphic Interchange Format) - A format for saving images for use on the Web. Mostly used for line art and simple logos and not meant for high quality art or photographic images, which require the more robust JPEG format.
Hit - A line that is recorded in a log file when something is requested of a Web server. For example, if someone goes to a Web page that has five graphics, six hits will be recorded in the log file: one hit for the HTML page and one for each of the graphics. Hits are considered an inaccurate way to measure traffic.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) - The coding language used to make Web pages. HTML works by surrounding text with codes, called tags, that identify how the text should appear. HTML also lets you link one file to another.
Hypertext
Text that when clicked on causes the browser to jump to another file either on the same Web site or in another location on the Web. Browsers generally display hypertext by underlining.
Impressions - The number of times an ad is delivered. When an advertiser buys advertising on a CPM basis, the advertiser is paying for every 1,000 impressions that the site can deliver. Different sites measure an impression differently. Some sites count an impression when an ad is requested, others only when an ad is fully downloaded, and there are other definitions that are used as well. A savvy advertiser will ask publishers how they define impressions.
Internet - A global network of linked computers.
Intranet - A network of networked computers that is contained within an enterprise. Often a private Web site usually servicing a single company. Its primary purpose is to share company information and computer resources within the company.
Java - The programming language developed by Sun Microsystems to create self-running applications that can be easily distributed through networks like the Web.
Java Applets - Small Java programs used on Web pages to operate animation, calculators, and other tasks.
JPEG or .jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group) - A format for saving photographic and high quality images for use on the Web.
Keyword - A word or series of words that describe a page or site.
Link - A hypertext entry that lets a reader jump from one Web page to another within on the same site or on another Web site.
Log File - A text file that records all activity on a server: the items that are requested (Web pages, graphics, etc.), the times they are requested, the browser used by the surfer, and other information. Traffic analysis software crunches log files to produce traffic reports that are easy to understand and use as a basis for measuring Web site success.
Meta Tag - A tag that appears in the head portion of an HTML page after the title tag where you can list a series of keywords for your site.
Netiquette - Proper Internet behavior.
Newsgroup - A Usenet discussion group that talks about a specific topic
Page View - A common measurement of Web site traffic, usually representing all of the elements that comprise a Web page (graphics, text). It is generally agreed that if someone looks at a Web page that has frames, a page view will be looking at all of the elements of the page.
Pay Per Click (PPC) - An ad pricing structure by which the advertiser pays the publisher according to how many times an ad is clicked on by users (see Cost per click).
Pay Per Lead (PPL) - An ad pricing structure by which the advertiser pays the publisher according to how many leads are generated by an ad, often determined by information submitted directly into the banner ad.
Pay Per Transaction (PPT) - Ad pricing structure by which the advertiser pays the publisher according to the number of sales generated by an ad.
Plug-in - A small application file that is added on to a browser to allow it to play certain applications such as Shockwave and Flash files.
Reciprocal Link - A link provided from one site to another in exchange for a link back.
Rich-media Ads - Ads incorporating video, audio, and other technology components beyond simple animation. Rich media is considered higher bandwidth advertising that delivers more of a brand impact than an animated banner advertisement.
Robot - A program that automatically surfs the Web. Search engines use robots to surf the Web and catalog different Web sites in their databases. This allows the Web pages to be found when someone performs a search. Robots are commonly referred to as bots and spiders.
Search Engine - A tool for finding information on the Web. Users can type in exact text, or keywords representing their interest, to initiate the search.
Shockwave - A program (see Plug-in) that allows Macromedia Director animated files to be played on a browser.
Signature - Text often appended to the end of someone's e-mail message to identify him. It can contain a personal name, company name, and contact information. Many people use it as a form of advertising themselves when they post to an e-mail discussion list.
Site Traffic - The amount of activity on a Web site. This is usually measured in page views or visitors.
Spam - Unwanted and unsolicited messages, either on a discussion list or as an e-mail message.
Unique Users - Individual visitors who have been to a Web site within a given amount of time.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - A Web address.
Usenet - The Internet's bulletin board system of discussion groups on specific topics. There are over 25,000 Usenet groups.
Visitor - A person who goes to a specific Web site. Sites often define their traffic levels in terms of the number of visitors they've had in a given time period.
Visits - Another way to compare and measure Web site traffic. A visit is activity on a Web site from a specific individual. That activity usually counts as a new visit if the individual has been away from the Web site for a period of fifteen minutes or longer.
Web Page - A page of a Web site.
Web Site - A collection of documents made available to users by a publisher on the Internet. These can include news and entertainment centers as well as corporate information sites.