Let’s face it: the world of e-commerce and SEO can feel like a whirlwind of acronyms, buzzwords, and downright confusing lingo. If you’ve ever sat through a conversation about “long-tail keywords” or “schema markup” and nodded politely while wondering what on earth they meant, you’re in the right place.
Here’s your no-nonsense, sass-filled cheat sheet to help you master the language of the digital world and actually enjoy it. Yes, you heard me... fun and functional. Let’s go!
Above the Fold
The content users see on your website before they scroll. This space does the heavy lifting: headlines, key messages, and calls-to-action all need to work hard here.
If it doesn’t explain what you do and why it matters within seconds, people won’t hang around.
Accessibility
Designing your website so everyone can use it, including people with disabilities. This includes readable fonts, colour contrast, alt text for images, and keyboard-friendly navigation.
Accessibility isn’t just ethical. It improves usability, SEO, and trust.
Ad Blocker
A tool that prevents adverts from showing while browsing online. It keeps the shopping experience cleaner and less distracting for users, letting them focus on what they actually want.
Great for shoppers. Frustrating for advertisers. One more reason to invest in SEO and content rather than relying solely on ads.
Analytics
The data behind what’s really happening on your website. Analytics tell you how people arrive, what they do, where they drop off, and what actually converts.
Without analytics, marketing decisions are guesswork dressed up as strategy.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A behind-the-scenes connector that allows different systems to talk to each other. In ecommerce, APIs link platforms like your website, payment gateways, stock systems, email tools, and CRMs.
They’re the quiet reason orders sync properly, stock updates automatically, and customers don’t fall through cracks.
Attribution
How you track where a sale or enquiry came from. Was it SEO? Email? Instagram? A Google search three weeks ago?
Attribution helps you understand what’s actually working, not just what’s loudest.
Automation
Using software to handle repetitive tasks automatically, like order confirmations, abandoned cart emails, or customer follow-ups.
Done well, automation saves time and improves consistency. Done badly, it feels robotic and irritating.
Average Order Value (AOV)
The average amount a customer spends per order. Increasing AOV doesn’t mean pushing harder sales tactics. It often comes from better product bundles, clear recommendations, or smoother upsells.
Higher AOV can be more powerful than chasing more traffic.
Backlinks
Links from other websites pointing to yours. Think of them as digital recommendations. When reputable sites link to you, Google takes that as a signal that your content is trustworthy.
A handful of strong, relevant backlinks will outperform dozens of low-quality ones every time.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who land on your site and leave without clicking anything else.
A high bounce rate usually means one of three things:
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The page didn’t answer their question
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It loaded too slowly
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It looked confusing or untrustworthy
People aren’t impatient. They’re selective.
Buyer Intent
The likelihood that someone is ready to buy based on what they’re searching for.
“Winter coats” = browsing
“Waterproof winter coat women UK next day delivery” = buying
Understanding intent is the difference between traffic and sales.
Call to Action (CTA)
The instruction that tells users what to do next. “Buy now”, “Book a call”, “Download the guide”.
If your CTA is vague, timid, or hidden, people won’t act. Clarity converts.
Cart Abandonment
When a customer adds items to their basket but leaves before checking out.
Common causes include:
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Unexpected delivery costs
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Overly complex checkout
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Forced account creation
Fixing cart abandonment often boosts revenue faster than attracting new visitors.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who click on your link after seeing it in search results, ads, or emails.
Strong headlines and clear meta descriptions can dramatically improve CTR without increasing traffic.
Content Marketing
Creating useful, relevant content that attracts and builds trust with your audience over time. Blogs, guides, FAQs, videos, and emails all count.
Content marketing isn’t about volume. It’s about answering the right questions better than anyone else.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or submitting an enquiry.
More traffic doesn’t fix poor conversion. Better clarity does.
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation)
The process of improving your website so more visitors convert into customers.
This might involve:
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Clearer messaging
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Better page layout
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Simplified checkout
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Stronger CTAs
CRO focuses on results, not aesthetics.
Customer Journey
The path someone takes from first discovering your brand to becoming a customer (and ideally, a repeat one).
Good marketing supports every stage, not just the moment of purchase.
Domain Authority (DA)
A score that estimates how likely your website is to rank in search results, based on backlinks, trust, and content strength.
You don’t need a massive DA. You need one that beats your actual competitors.
Duplicate Content
Content that appears in more than one place online, either on your own site or elsewhere.
Duplicate content confuses search engines and can dilute rankings. One clear, authoritative version always performs better.
Ecommerce
The buying and selling of products or services online. Ecommerce covers everything from product listings and payments to fulfilment, customer service, and post-purchase experience.
A successful ecommerce site doesn’t just sell. It reassures, simplifies, and builds trust at every step.
Email Marketing
Using email to build relationships with customers, not just push offers. This includes welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, product updates, and post-purchase follow-ups.
Email remains one of the highest-ROI marketing channels because you own the audience. No algorithm can take it away.
Evergreen Content
Content that stays relevant long after it’s published, such as how-to guides, FAQs, and educational blog posts.
Evergreen content quietly drives traffic and sales in the background while you focus on running the business.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
A dedicated place to answer the questions customers are already asking. Done well, FAQs reduce objections, support conversions, and cut down customer service emails.
If you’re answering the same question repeatedly, it belongs in your FAQs.
Funnel (Marketing Funnel)
The journey customers move through from awareness to purchase. At the top, they’re learning. In the middle, they’re comparing. At the bottom, they’re ready to buy.
Good marketing supports the whole funnel, not just the final click.
Google Business Profile
Your business listing on Google that appears in Maps and local search results. It includes reviews, opening hours, photos, and contact details.
For local or service-based businesses, this can drive more enquiries than social media ever will.
Headings (H1, H2, H3)
The structure of your website content. Headings help users scan pages quickly and help search engines understand what each page is about.
Clear headings improve readability, accessibility, and SEO in one go.
Heatmaps
Visual tools that show where users click, scroll, and linger on your website.
Heatmaps reveal what people actually do, not what you think they do. They’re invaluable for improving layouts and conversions.
Indexing
The process by which search engines store and organise your web pages so they can appear in search results.
If a page isn’t indexed, it doesn’t exist as far as Google is concerned. No matter how good the content is.
Internal Linking
Links that connect pages within your own website. Internal links help users navigate more easily and help search engines understand the structure and importance of your content.
Done well, internal linking quietly boosts SEO and keeps people on your site longer.
Keyword Cannibalisation
When multiple pages on your site compete for the same keyword. Instead of helping, they confuse search engines and dilute rankings.
One clear page per core topic almost always performs better.
Landing Page
A focused page designed to convert visitors, usually tied to a specific campaign, product, or service.
Landing pages remove distractions and guide users towards a single action. They’re not the place for waffle.
Load Speed
How quickly your website loads for users. Slow sites frustrate visitors and hurt rankings.
If your site feels sluggish to you, it’s definitely sluggish to your customers.
Local SEO
Optimising your online presence to attract customers in a specific geographic area. This includes location pages, Google Business Profile, local keywords, and reviews.
Local SEO is how small businesses compete with much bigger brands.
Long-Tail Keywords
Longer, more specific search phrases that signal stronger buying intent. They tend to have less competition and higher conversion rates.
Less traffic. Better traffic.
Meta Description
The short snippet of text that appears under your page title in Google search results. Its job isn’t to rank. It’s to persuade someone to click.
A good meta description makes a promise the page actually keeps.
Meta Title (Title Tag)
The clickable headline that appears in search results and browser tabs. It’s one of the most important on-page SEO elements.
Clear, keyword-focused titles outperform clever but vague ones every time.
Mobile Optimisation
Making sure your website works seamlessly on phones and tablets. Google primarily judges your site based on its mobile version.
If it’s awkward on mobile, you’re quietly losing customers.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who find your website naturally through search engines rather than paid ads.
Organic traffic compounds over time. Paid traffic stops the moment you stop paying.
Page Speed
How fast individual pages load for users. Page speed affects user experience, SEO, and conversion rates.
Slow pages don’t just frustrate people. They cost sales.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising)
Paid advertising where you’re charged each time someone clicks your ad. Google Ads is the most common example.
PPC can drive quick wins, but it’s not a replacement for strong SEO or a solid website.
Product Page
The page that does the selling. Product pages need clear descriptions, strong imagery, pricing clarity, delivery info, and reassurance.
If customers hesitate here, it’s rarely about price. It’s about confidence.
Quality Score
A metric used by advertising platforms (like Google Ads) to judge how relevant and useful your ads are. It’s influenced by keyword relevance, landing page experience, and click-through rate.
Higher quality scores mean lower costs and better ad placements.
Query
The actual phrase a user types into a search engine. Queries reveal intent, not just keywords.
Understanding real search queries helps you write content that answers what people are actually asking.
Rankings
Your position in search engine results for specific keywords. Higher rankings usually mean more visibility and clicks.
Chasing rankings alone is pointless. Ranking for the right terms is what drives sales.
Schema Markup
Structured data added to your website to help search engines better understand your content. It can enhance listings with reviews, prices, FAQs, and availability.
Invisible to users. Very visible in results.
Search Intent
The reason behind a search. Is the user researching, comparing, or ready to buy?
Matching content to intent is one of the biggest ranking and conversion levers available.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page displayed after someone runs a search. If you’re not on page one, you’re largely invisible.
Brutal, but accurate.
Site Speed
How quickly your website loads overall. Speed affects rankings, user experience, and trust.
People don’t wait. Google knows this.
Technical SEO
The structural foundations of your website that allow search engines to crawl and understand it properly. This includes indexing, site speed, mobile performance, and clean code.
It’s not glamorous, but without it, nothing else sticks.
Trust Signals
Elements that reassure visitors your business is legitimate. Reviews, testimonials, secure checkout, clear contact details, and transparent policies all count.
Trust converts faster than persuasion.
URLs (Uniform Resource Locators)
The web address of a page on your site. Clean, readable URLs help both users and search engines understand what a page is about.
If a URL looks like a random keyboard smash, it’s doing you no favours.
User Experience (UX)
How easy, intuitive, and pleasant your website is to use. Navigation, layout, clarity, speed, and accessibility all fall under UX.
Good UX quietly supports conversions. Bad UX kills them without anyone noticing why.
User Journey
The path someone takes from first discovering your brand to becoming a customer. This might involve search, social, email, and repeat visits.
Strong marketing supports the whole journey, not just the final click.
Voice Search
Searches made using voice assistants like Siri or Alexa. These tend to be longer, more conversational queries.
Voice search reinforces the importance of natural language and clear, helpful content.
Web Vitals (Core Web Vitals)
Google’s performance metrics that measure page speed, responsiveness, and visual stability.
They’re technical, yes. But they directly affect rankings and user experience.
Website Architecture
How your site is structured and how pages are connected. Good architecture makes it easy for users to navigate and for search engines to crawl.
A messy structure makes even great content hard to find.
Zero-Click Searches
Search results where users get their answer directly on Google without clicking through to a website.
This is why your content needs to be useful, clear, and still give people a reason to visit you.
Why Does This Matter?
Knowing your SEO and e-commerce terms isn’t just about sounding smart in meetings, it’s about understanding the tools that can transform your online business. From attracting the right customers to keeping them coming back for more, these terms are the building blocks of success.
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