This digital marketing glossary brings together the definitions used on Elev8 Lab. It is organized into two detailed lexicons. The first covers search optimization, in search engines as well as in AI answer engines. The second covers search engine advertising. The key terms of the other levers are defined further down, with a link to the guide that covers them in depth.
SEO and GEO lexicon: from search engines to AI engines
It defines the terms of search optimization in Google and Bing: crawling, indexing, tags, internal linking, link building, Core Web Vitals, structured data. It also covers GEO, for Generative Engine Optimization: AI Overviews, AI Mode, query fan-out, AI crawlers, citation, AI share of voice.
Useful to read an audit, brief a writer or understand what ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google say about your brand.
See the SEO and GEO lexicon · related guides: SEO from A to Z and GEO explained.
SEA lexicon: the vocabulary of Google Ads
It defines the terms of pay-per-click advertising: bidding, Quality Score, campaign types, Performance Max, automated bidding, profitability metrics.
See the SEA lexicon · related guide: SEA and Google Ads.
Key digital marketing terms
These notions come up in every guide on the site. Here is their short definition.
- SEO: search engine optimization. These are the actions that help engines crawl, understand and rank a site’s pages, without paying for clicks.
- GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. These are the actions that make a brand visible and cited in the answers of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or AI Overviews.
- SEA: search engine advertising, such as Google Ads. Ads are paid per click and appear around the organic results.
- SERP: a search engine results page. It mixes organic results, ads, AI overviews, related questions, maps and videos.
- Click-through rate (CTR): the ratio between the clicks and the impressions of a result or an ad.
- Conversion rate: the share of visitors who complete the expected action, such as a purchase, a quote request or a sign-up.
- CRO: Conversion Rate Optimization. The approach increases the conversion rate through measurement, observation and testing. See the CRO guide.
- Web analytics: measuring and analyzing a site’s usage data in order to make decisions. See the web analytics guide.
- CRM: a tool and an approach that centralize what the company knows about each customer, to serve them better and retain them. See the customer loyalty guide.
- Email marketing: sending emails to a list of contacts to inform, sell or build loyalty. See the email marketing guide.
- Social ads: ads bought on social networks. They target profiles, not searches.
- Programmatic advertising: automated buying of ad space, often through real-time auctions, on websites and apps.
How these definitions are written
Each definition is based on the official documentation of the provider concerned (Google, Microsoft, OpenAI) or on a dated primary source. The lexicons show their update date. They are reviewed when a term changes meaning or disappears. The details are in our editorial method.
For the official French equivalents of English terms, the FranceTerme database is the reference. It is published by France’s official scheme for the enrichment of the French language. For the vocabulary of personal data, refer to the glossary of the CNIL, the French data protection authority. Beginners will find basic digital vocabulary on France Num. These three resources are in French.