Digital marketing acronyms cheat sheet
- Christian Aldred
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
ADVERTISING METRICS
Acronym | Full Term | Description | Formula / Details |
ROAS | Return on Ad Spend | Measures how much revenue is earned for each dollar spent on advertising | Revenue ÷ Ad Spend |
CPA | Cost Per Acquisition | Average cost to acquire a customer or conversion | Ad Spend ÷ Conversions |
CPC | Cost Per Click | Cost incurred for each click on an ad | Ad Spend ÷ Clicks |
CPM | Cost Per Mille | Cost per 1,000 ad impressions | (Ad Spend ÷ Impressions) × 1,000 |
CTR | Click-Through Rate | Percentage of ad impressions that result in a click | (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100 |
CPL | Cost Per Lead | Cost to generate one qualified lead | Ad Spend ÷ Leads |
CPI | Cost Per Install | Cost to acquire one app install | Ad Spend ÷ Installs |
CPCV | Cost Per Completed View | Cost when a video ad is watched to completion | Ad Spend ÷ Completed Views |
CPV | Cost Per View | Cost for each video view, even if not completed | Ad Spend ÷ Views |
PERFORMANCE & OPTIMIZATION
Acronym | Full Term | Description |
CRO | Conversion Rate Optimization | Process of improving the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action |
CR | Conversion Rate | Percentage of visitors who convert |
LTV / CLV | Lifetime Value / Customer Lifetime Value | Total projected revenue from a customer over their relationship with your brand |
AOV | Average Order Value | Average transaction amount |
CAC | Customer Acquisition Cost | Average cost to acquire a paying customer |
KPI | Key Performance Indicator | Core metric used to measure success against specific objectives |
UX | User Experience | The quality of interactions a user has with your website, product, or service |
UI | User Interface | Visual and interactive elements of a product or website that users engage with |
WEB, ANALYTICS & SEO
Acronym | Full Term | Description |
GA4 | Google Analytics 4 | Latest version of Google's web analytics platform |
GTM | Google Tag Manager | Tool to manage and deploy marketing tags without editing code |
UTM | Urchin Tracking Module | Tracking parameters added to URLs for analytics purposes |
SEO | Search Engine Optimization | Process of improving rankings in organic (non-paid) search results |
SEM | Search Engine Marketing | Includes both SEO and paid advertising in search engines |
SERP | Search Engine Results Page | The page of results shown after a query is entered into a search engine |
CONTENT & FUNNEL STRATEGY
Acronym | Full Term | Description |
TOFU | Top of Funnel | Awareness stage of the buyer journey; content focuses on visibility and education |
MOFU | Middle of Funnel | Consideration stage; content nurtures interest and builds trust |
BOFU | Bottom of Funnel | Decision stage; content is aimed at driving action (sales, demos, signups) |
CTA | Call to Action | A prompt that encourages the user to take action (e.g., “Buy Now”, “Get a Quote”) |
CMS | Content Management System | Platform to manage digital content (e.g., WordPress, Wix, Shopify) |
ESP | Email Service Provider | Software used to send and manage email campaigns (e.g., Mailchimp, ConvertKit) |
SALES, LEADS & BUSINESS STRATEGY
Acronym | Full Term | Description |
B2B | Business to Business | Business selling products or services to other businesses |
B2C | Business to Consumer | Business selling directly to consumers |
MQL | Marketing Qualified Lead | A lead that has shown interest and matches your target audience |
SQL | Sales Qualified Lead | A lead that has been vetted and is ready for a sales call or pitch |
ABM | Account-Based Marketing | B2B strategy that targets specific companies with personalized marketing |
SaaS | Software as a Service | Software hosted in the cloud and sold via subscription model |
GOOGLE ADS PLATFORM-SPECIFIC
Acronym | Full Term | Description |
LSA | Local Services Ads | Ads for local service providers, pay-per-lead model |
PMax | Performance Max | Automated campaign type that runs across all Google channels |
DSA | Dynamic Search Ads | Auto-generated ads using your website content |
RSA | Responsive Search Ads | Flexible ad format that tests multiple headline/description combinations to find the best performer |
Free PDF download:
Need help turning insights into results?
Rednyne Productions specializes in digital marketing, SEO, web design, and lead generation strategies that drive real growth.
Get in touch today at www.rednyne.com or hello@rednyne.com
