Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce cheat sheet
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce · Keep the key ideas within reach.
Foundations of Digital Marketing and E-commerce
Digital marketing reaches customers through owned media (website, blog, email list), paid media (ads, sponsored posts), and earned media (reviews, shares, press coverage).
The marketing funnel stages are awareness, consideration, conversion, and loyalty; each stage maps to different channels, messages, and success metrics.
E-commerce business models include business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), and consumer-to-business (C2B).
A unique selling proposition (USP) states what distinguishes a product from competitors; it anchors positioning, messaging, and creative briefs.
Buyer personas summarize a target segment's demographics, goals, pain points, and preferred channels, and guide channel selection and copy.
The marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion) applies online as: offer, pricing strategy, sales channels, and promotional channels.
Customer lifetime value (CLV) estimates total profit from a customer over the relationship; compare it with customer acquisition cost (CAC) to judge channel viability.
A digital channel plan names the channels, target audience, budget, content formats, and KPIs for each funnel stage before launch.
Attract and Engage Customers with Digital Marketing
Search engine optimization (SEO) has three pillars: on-page (content, titles, structure), off-page (links, mentions), and technical (speed, crawlability, mobile usability).
Keyword intent types are informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional; transactional and commercial queries convert best for product pages.
Search engine marketing (SEM) uses paid search ads triggered by keywords and match types (broad, phrase, exact); quality and relevance influence ad rank alongside bid.
A content calendar specifies publish date, channel, format, target keyword or theme, owner, and call to action for each planned asset.
Social media platforms differ by audience and format: short video, image feeds, long-form posts, and professional networks; select platforms by persona behavior, not reach alone.
Engagement metrics include impressions, reach, click-through rate (CTR = clicks / impressions), saves, shares, and comments; each signals a different depth of interest.
Landing page conversion depends on message match with the ad or post, a single clear call to action, fast load time, and minimal form fields.
Influencer and affiliate partnerships extend reach; vet partners for audience fit, engagement quality, and disclosure compliance rather than follower count alone.
From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online
A lead is a contact who has shown interest and shared identifying information; a marketing qualified lead (MQL) meets engagement criteria, and a sales qualified lead (SQL) meets readiness criteria.
Lead magnets (guides, webinars, free trials, discounts) exchange value for contact details; the offer must match the funnel stage of the audience.
A conversion path is the sequence from first touch to desired action; map every step and remove friction (extra fields, unclear copy, slow pages).
Lead scoring assigns points for fit attributes (role, company size) and behavior (page visits, downloads, email clicks) to prioritize follow-up.
CRM systems store contact records, interaction history, and pipeline stages; clean, deduplicated data is required for segmentation and reporting.
Chat, community, and social inbox tools handle real-time customer interaction; response time and tone affect conversion and brand perception.
Consent-based lead capture requires clear notice of how data will be used and an opt-in that complies with privacy rules such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
Nurture sequences deliver staged content over time; measure progression by stage-to-stage conversion rather than total lead volume.
Think Outside the Inbox: Email Marketing
Core email metrics: open rate = opens / delivered; click-through rate = clicks / delivered; click-to-open rate = clicks / opens; unsubscribe rate = unsubscribes / delivered.
List segmentation by behavior, purchase history, lifecycle stage, or geography raises relevance; a single blast to the full list lowers engagement.
A welcome series is an automated sequence sent after signup; onboarding emails typically produce higher open and click rates than bulk campaigns.
Authentication records SPF, DKIM, and DMARC verify sender identity and improve deliverability; a clean list and consistent sending volume also protect reputation.
Subject lines and preview text determine opens; keep subject lines specific and short, and avoid spam-trigger phrasing and misleading claims.
A/B testing changes one variable at a time (subject line, send time, call to action) with a large enough sample to judge a winner.
Automation flows include welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, win-back, and birthday/anniversary; each triggers on a defined event or inactivity period.
Deliverability hygiene: remove hard bounces, re-engage or suppress long-inactive contacts, and honor unsubscribe requests promptly to avoid spam complaints.
Assess for Success: Marketing Analytics and Measurement
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are chosen per objective: awareness (reach, impressions), consideration (CTR, time on site), conversion (conversion rate, cost per acquisition), loyalty (repeat rate, CLV).
Conversion rate = conversions / sessions (or visitors); cost per acquisition (CPA) = total spend / conversions; return on ad spend (ROAS) = revenue / ad spend.
Return on investment (ROI) = (revenue − cost) / cost, expressed as a percentage; ROAS compares revenue to ad spend only, not total cost.
Attribution models assign credit for conversions: last click, first click, linear, and position-based; each yields different channel valuations.
Google Analytics-style reports organize data into acquisition, engagement, monetization, and retention; set up conversion events and goals before campaigns run.
UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign, term, content) tag URLs so traffic sources are distinguishable in analytics reports.
Dashboards should show a small set of KPIs against targets and trend over time; data storytelling frames the metric, the change, and the recommended action.
Data privacy and consent rules (cookie consent, GDPR, CCPA) affect tracking; anonymized or aggregated reporting may be required.
Make the Sale: Build, Launch, and Manage E-commerce Stores
E-commerce platforms range from hosted (Shopify, Squarespace) to open-source (WooCommerce) to marketplace sellers (Amazon, Etsy); choice depends on control, cost, and technical skill.
Product pages need clear photos, descriptive titles, price, variants, stock status, shipping and return details, and reviews to reduce purchase hesitation.
Checkout optimization: fewer steps, guest checkout, visible costs early, multiple payment options, and trust signals reduce cart abandonment.
Cart abandonment causes include unexpected shipping cost, forced account creation, slow checkout, and limited payment methods.
Inventory and order management track stock levels, fulfillment status, and returns; overselling damages trust and marketplace ratings.
Store speed and mobile usability affect both ranking and conversion; compress images, limit heavy apps, and test on mobile devices.
Product listing optimization for marketplaces includes keyword-rich titles, bullet benefits, and high-resolution images aligned with marketplace rules.
Legal and operational essentials: clear shipping, return, and privacy policies; secure payment processing; sales tax and currency handling for target markets.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: Develop Customer Loyalty Online
Customer retention is cheaper than acquisition; repeat purchase rate = customers with more than one order / total customers.
Customer lifetime value (CLV) can be estimated as average order value × purchase frequency × customer lifespan (or margin-adjusted versions).
Net Promoter Score (NPS) = % promoters (9–10) − % detractors (0–6) on a 0–10 likelihood-to-recommend question; scores range from −100 to 100.
Loyalty programs use points, tiers, referrals, or exclusive access; measure enrollment, redemption, and incremental repeat purchases.
Customer service channels (chat, email, social, help center) should have defined response-time targets; fast resolution drives retention and positive reviews.
Post-purchase emails (order confirmation, shipping updates, review requests, replenishment reminders) build trust and generate repeat engagement.
Reviews and user-generated content influence buying decisions; request reviews after delivery and respond to negative feedback publicly and constructively.
Churn signals include declining purchase frequency, unsubscribes, and low engagement; win-back campaigns target customers inactive for a defined period.