Essential terms and definitions relating to buying or selling advertising on the Web.
The part of a Web page that visitors can see on their computer monitor without the need to scroll down. This term is commonly used to designate the placement of Web advertising. Advertisements placed above the fold are more prominent and fetch a higher price than advertisements placed below the fold.
A broker between advertisers and individual Web sites. Most Web sites do not have enough traffic to attract large advertisers. To solve this problem, smaller Web sites join ad networks which can combine their traffic into larger inventory packages that are more attractive to advertisers. Ad networks usually charge a commission rate of 40-60% for their services.
A marketing model where a Web site (the affiliate) agrees to feature ads for an advertiser in exchange for a commission on the sales generated by such ads. For example, many Web sites generate sales leads for Amazon.com by displaying Amazon's ad banners. In return, Amazon pays these Web sites a percentage of the sales revenue generated by the ad banners.
Statistical analysis of the behavior of a Web site's visitors, such as where they came from, what information they were looking for, how they navigate around the Web site, and whether they performed a desired action (e.g. purchase a product or register for an account). The results of such analysis is used to determine whether a Web site is achieving its business objectives. Also known as web analytics.
A graphical ad with movement, usually generated by an interactive Java applet, flash or an animated GIF file.
A graphical ad that links to an advertiser's Web site.
Short for Web log. A journal-like Web site that displays its entries in reverse chronological order. Common characteristics of blogs include an informal writing style, frequent updates, and a focus on strong community interactions between blog writers (known as bloggers).
Commercial activity conducted between two businesses, as opposed to between a business and an end consumer.
Commercial activity conducted between a company and an end consumer. B2C is often used to describe the retail part of Ecommerce.
The portion of ad copy that prompts customers to take a specific action. Popular calls to action include "click here to buy now," "enter your email to join today," or "use our secure form to order."
