ICDL Digital Marketing (ICDL) key terms

Promoting products, services, or brands through internet-connected channels such as websites, search engines, email, social media, and online ads, with results tracked using digital data.

The specific group of people a business wants to reach with its marketing, defined by shared needs, interests, location, or behaviour rather than by the general public.

A fictional profile that represents a typical customer in a target segment, describing goals, challenges, preferences, and online habits so marketing messages can be tailored to real people.

The stages a person goes through from first becoming aware of a product to considering it, buying it, and possibly becoming a repeat customer or advocate.

A completed action that a marketer wants a visitor to take, such as buying a product, filling in a form, subscribing to a newsletter, or downloading a file.

A clear instruction or button that tells the audience what to do next, for example 'Buy now', 'Sign up', or 'Download the guide'.

A person or organisation that has shown interest in a product or service and has shared contact details, making them a possible future customer.

The unique, easy-to-remember address of a website on the internet, such as example.com, which users type into a browser to reach the site.

A service that stores website files on a server connected to the internet so visitors can access the site at any time.

A single web page designed for a specific campaign or offer, usually with one clear call to action, where visitors arrive after clicking an ad or link.

A website-building approach that makes pages adjust automatically to different screen sizes, so content remains readable and usable on phones, tablets, and desktop computers.

Software that lets people create, edit, organise, and publish website content without needing to write code from scratch.

An online tool that indexes web pages and returns a ranked list of results when a user enters a query, helping people find relevant information.

A word or phrase that describes what a user might type into a search engine, or that a marketer uses to match content and ads to audience interests.

The process of finding and evaluating the words and phrases people use in search engines, so content and advertising can target relevant, achievable queries.

The page a search engine displays after a query, containing organic results, paid ads, and sometimes maps, images, or featured snippets.

Changes made within a website, such as improving content, titles, headings, links, and page speed, to help pages rank better in search results.

Actions taken outside a website, especially earning links and mentions from other reputable sites, to build authority and improve search rankings.

A link from another website to your site. Search engines often treat high-quality backlinks as signals that your content is useful and trustworthy.

A short summary of a web page that search engines may show under the page title in results, helping users decide whether to click.

A written description of an image added in HTML, used by screen readers and shown when an image fails to load; it can also help search engines understand the image.

Unpaid visits to a website that come from people clicking search engine results rather than paid advertisements; improving this traffic usually requires SEO work.

An online service where users create profiles, share content, and interact with others, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

The public identity of a person or business on a social platform, showing a name, image, description, and posts that others can view or follow.

A word or phrase preceded by the # symbol that groups related posts on social media, making content easier to find and join conversations.

A schedule that plans what content will be published, where, and when across channels, helping a team stay consistent and coordinated.

Monitoring social media conversations and mentions to understand what people say about a brand, product, or topic, and to spot opportunities or risks.

The measurable interactions an audience has with content, such as likes, comments, shares, saves, and clicks, showing how actively people respond.

A person with a trusted online following who can shape the opinions or buying behaviour of their audience, often through sponsored or partnered content.

Sending targeted messages by email to subscribers or customers to build relationships, share information, and encourage purchases or other actions.

A coordinated set of promotional activities with a clear goal, audience, message, timeline, and channels, designed to achieve a specific marketing result.

An online advertising model where the advertiser pays a fee each time someone clicks their ad, often used in search results and social feeds.

Online ads that appear as images, video, or interactive formats on websites, apps, or social platforms, usually to build awareness or drive traffic.

The percentage of people who see an ad or link and then click it, calculated by dividing clicks by impressions and multiplying by 100.

Showing ads to people who previously visited a website or interacted with a brand, aiming to bring them back and encourage a purchase or other action.

The collection and analysis of data about website or app visitors, such as where they come from, what they view, and how they behave.

The percentage of visits in which a person arrives on a website and leaves after viewing only one page without taking any further action.

The percentage of visitors or users who complete a desired action, such as buying or signing up, out of the total number who could have done so.

A measurable value chosen to show how well a marketing activity is achieving an important goal, such as sales, sign-ups, or engagement.

The origin of visits to a website or app, such as search engines, social media, direct visits, referrals, or paid ads, used to judge which channels work.