Glossary

A conversion window counting purchases within 1 day of an ad impression (without a click).

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect to a URL. Ad servers use 302 redirects to track ad requests and clicks before sending the user to the final destination.

A conversion window counting purchases within 7 days of an ad click. The default click window on most platforms.

The billing and campaign container within a platform. Holds payment methods, campaigns, and reporting data.

The visual and textual components of an advertisement, including images, videos, headlines, and body copy. This is what the user sees and interacts with.

A real-time marketplace where ad impressions are auctioned between buyers (DSPs) and sellers (SSPs).

The set of rules governing what can and cannot be advertised on a platform, including prohibited content and restricted categories.

User-controlled settings that allow individuals to view and manage the interests and information influencing the ads they see. This feature provides transparency and allows users to personalize their ad experience.

The targeting, placement, and budget container within a campaign. One level above individual ads.

A system where advertisers bid to have their ads shown to a target audience, with winning bids determined by factors like bid amount, ad relevance, and estimated action rates. This determines which ads are displayed and at what cost.

A tool that allows users to see all active ads run by a specific advertiser, regardless of whether those ads were shown to them. This promotes accountability and provides insight into an advertiser's full ad presence.

Meta's suite of AI-automated campaign tools, including automated placements, audiences, and creative optimization.

Meta's AI-driven audience targeting that uses provided suggestions as a directional input but expands reach to whoever the system predicts will convert.

Meta's automated shopping campaign type that consolidates prospecting and retargeting into a single algorithmic setup with minimal manual configuration.

Amazon Ads metric: ad spend divided by ad-attributed revenue. The Amazon-native inverse of ROAS — lower is better.

The specific goals an advertiser sets for a campaign, such as driving website traffic, generating leads, or increasing sales. This objective guides the platform's optimization algorithms and available ad formats.

Guidelines established by an ad platform that define acceptable and unacceptable content, targeting, and practices for advertisements. Ads are reviewed against these policies to ensure compliance and maintain platform integrity.

Meta's post-iOS-14 measurement protocol that ranks and aggregates up to 8 conversion events per domain to comply with Apple's App Tracking Transparency.

Google's automated app install and engagement campaign type that serves across Search, Play, YouTube, and Display from a single creative pool.

Apple's iOS framework requiring apps to request user permission before tracking across other apps and sites. Drove the post-iOS-14 shift toward modeled conversions and CAPI.

The process of requesting a human review of a disapproved ad when the advertiser believes the rejection was incorrect.

The proportional relationship between width and height of an image or video. E.g., 1:1, 16:9, 9:16.

Meta's ad-set-level setting that defines the click and view windows used to credit conversions to ads (1-day click, 7-day click, 1-day view, etc.).

Google Ads report comparing your performance to other advertisers competing in the same auctions — impression share, overlap rate, outranking share.

Meta's extension that serves ads across third-party mobile apps and sites outside of Facebook and Instagram.

Performance Max input where advertisers seed the algorithm with customer lists, custom segments, and interest signals to accelerate learning — not a hard targeting filter.

Pre-defined conditions and actions set up to automatically manage ad campaigns, ad groups, or ads. These rules can pause low-performing ads, adjust bids, or notify operators based on specific performance metrics.

The average revenue per transaction. Used to sanity-check ROAS targets and CPA breakeven.

A hard ceiling on the amount an auction system can bid for a single event (click, impression, conversion).

Total marketing spend across all channels divided by total new customers acquired. Cuts through platform self-reporting by treating all sources together.

A simplified advertising method on social platforms to promote organic content to a wider audience. It offers fewer targeting and optimization options compared to a full ad campaign created in Ads Manager.

Conversion-stage campaigns targeting audiences closest to purchase — cart abandoners, past site visitors, etc.

TikTok reservation ad format showing a full-screen static or short video ad on app open. Limited to one advertiser per category per day.

A TikTok ad solution that allows brands to leverage user-generated content by inviting creators to participate in a branded campaign. Brands can select the best-performing user videos to boost as ads.

The maximum CPA at which a new customer is still profitable, calculated from AOV, gross margin, and any expected LTV uplift.

The minimum ROAS required for paid media to be profitable, calculated as 1 divided by gross margin. The floor — not the target — when setting ROAS goals.

How a platform distributes spend across the day or campaign duration — standard (even pacing) vs. accelerated (spend as fast as possible).

A centralized hub within TikTok Ads Manager for managing multiple ad accounts, users, and assets. It provides a structured environment for agencies and businesses to collaborate and oversee their advertising efforts.

Meta's administrative hub for managing ad accounts, pixels, pages, and user permissions across an organization.

California state privacy law granting residents rights over how businesses collect and sell their personal information. Affects how advertisers target and measure California users.

Meta campaign setting that distributes a single campaign-level budget across ad sets in real time based on performance, rather than splitting budgets manually per ad set.

LinkedIn's ad management interface. Also used generically to describe any platform's top-level campaign builder.

Meta ad format that dynamically pulls products from a catalog and personalizes the ad per viewer based on browsing behavior or prospecting signals.

A conversion credited to an ad click that occurred within the defined attribution window.

The percentage of impressions that result in a click. A primary creative relevance signal.

Meta mobile-only ad format that pairs a hero image or video with a grid of products underneath, opening into an Instant Experience on tap.

Google's framework that adjusts tag behavior based on user consent state, sending cookieless pings and modeled conversions when consent is denied.

Revenue minus variable costs (COGS, shipping, payment fees, ad spend) on a per-order basis. The cleanest single number for evaluating whether paid media is actually profitable.

The percentage of clicks that result in a conversion. Measures landing page and offer fit.

Meta's server-side event tracking that sends conversion data directly from a server to Meta, bypassing browser restrictions.

A target average cost per result. The system optimizes to keep the average CPA at or below the cap over time.

The cost of a defined conversion action — purchase, sign-up, lead form submit, etc.

The price paid for each click on an ad. Calculated as total spend divided by total clicks.

The price paid per video view that reached the defined completion point (often 100%, sometimes 15s or 30s). Standard pricing model for YouTube and CTV.

The cost to acquire one app install via an ad. Common in mobile UA campaigns.

The cost to generate one qualified lead, typically measured from form submission or call.

Cost per one thousand impressions. The standard pricing model for brand awareness and reach campaigns.

Cost per video view, with the view threshold defined by the platform (e.g. 30 seconds or the full ad on YouTube TrueView).

The decline in performance of a creative after repeated exposure to the same audience. Signals need for fresh assets.

The practice of running advertising campaigns across multiple distinct online channels and platforms, such as search, social, and display. This approach aims to reach users at various touchpoints in their journey.

A targeting segment built from an advertiser's own data — email lists, site visitors, app users, or CRM segments.

The fully-loaded cost to acquire one new customer, including ad spend, creative, and tooling costs.

The maximum amount an ad set or campaign can spend in a single day. May be exceeded by up to ~25% on some platforms.

A machine learning model that distributes conversion credit across multiple touchpoints based on their predicted incremental impact.

A unique identifier for a negotiated private marketplace deal, enabling a DSP to bid on specific publisher inventory.

Google's visual, social-style campaign type that serves across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. Replaced Discovery campaigns in 2024.

Software used by advertisers to buy ad inventory across multiple exchanges and publishers through automated bidding.

When a platform rejects an ad for violating a policy. The ad cannot run until the issue is resolved and re-reviewed.

Google Ads campaign type that serves image and responsive display ads across the Google Display Network of partner sites and apps.

Automated assembly of ad variants from a library of headlines, images, and CTAs to find top-performing combinations.

Catalog-driven retargeting ads that automatically show the specific products a user viewed, added to cart, or browsed.

A Google Search ad type that auto-generates headlines and targets queries by crawling the advertiser's website, rather than using keywords.

A semi-automated Google Ads strategy that adjusts manual CPC bids up or down based on conversion likelihood, capped within a defined range.

Meta's interface for setting up, testing, and troubleshooting pixel events and Conversions API events.

An audience added to an ad set with the explicit purpose of preventing impressions to its members — typically past converters or existing customers.

A unique parameter Meta appends to ad click URLs, enabling server-side conversion matching via the Conversions API.

Data the advertiser collects directly from its own customers — purchase history, email signups, app users — owned outright and unaffected by third-party cookie deprecation.

The average number of times each person sees an ad. High frequency often correlates with diminishing returns.

A limit on the number of times a single user sees the same ad within a defined time window. Standard tool for managing creative fatigue on awareness campaigns.

EU regulation governing personal data processing. Requires lawful basis, user consent for non-essential cookies, and data subject rights — affects ad targeting, measurement, and retargeting in the EU.

A unique parameter Google Ads appends to ad click URLs, enabling conversion import back into Google Ads and cross-domain attribution.

A publisher-side technique where multiple demand sources bid simultaneously before the ad server is called.

A bid strategy that prioritizes conversions predicted to generate the most revenue rather than the most conversions.

The percentage of viewers retained after the first 1–3 seconds of a video. A leading indicator of creative performance.

Pinterest multi-page, video-first ad format designed for storytelling and product demonstration in the home feed.

The percentage of impressions an ad received divided by the total impressions it was eligible for. Used to diagnose budget vs. rank-based limits.

The total number of times an ad was displayed, counting multiple views by the same person.

TikTok ad format that appears between organic videos in the For You feed, behaving like a native post with sound on by default.

The lift in conversions, revenue, or other outcomes that would not have happened without the ad exposure. Measured via geo holdouts, ghost ads, or matched-market tests.

LinkedIn's site-side pixel for tracking conversions, building retargeting audiences, and powering audience insights.

Meta's full-screen mobile landing experience that loads inside the Facebook or Instagram app instead of opening a browser.

Fast-loading, mobile-optimized landing pages built directly within the TikTok Ads platform. They reduce load times and friction for users clicking on an ad, potentially improving conversion rates.

Additional interactive elements that can be integrated into ads, such as stickers, polls, or countdowns. These aim to increase engagement and interaction with the ad content.

Google Ads keyword targeting modes: Exact, Phrase, and Broad. Each defines how closely a search query must match the bid keyword for the ad to be eligible.

Rules governing where an ad can send users. Prohibits misleading pages, prohibited products, and certain data collection practices.

A model that assigns 100% credit for a conversion to the final touchpoint before the conversion occurred.

Meta ad format that opens a pre-filled native form instead of sending users to a landing page. Used for newsletter signups, demo requests, and lower-friction lead capture.

LinkedIn pre-filled native lead capture forms attached to Sponsored Content or Message Ads. Pull profile data with one tap.

Meta's initial phase for new or significantly edited ad sets where the algorithm is still calibrating. Performance is typically less stable and CPA is higher until ~50 conversions accumulate.

The total spend cap for a campaign over its entire scheduled duration. The platform paces delivery across the date range.

The projected total revenue a customer generates over their entire relationship with a business.

A targeting segment created by an algorithm to find users similar to an existing customer or engagement list.

The time period used to build a retargeting audience — e.g. people who visited the site in the last 30 days. Different from the attribution window.

Synonym for bottom-of-funnel — conversion-focused activity targeting high-intent audiences, measured by CPA, ROAS, and direct conversions.

Meta's default automated bid strategy that aims to get the most results for the budget, with no bid or cost cap.

Google Ads bidding mode where the advertiser sets the maximum CPC bid for each keyword or ad group, with no automated adjustment.

The return on the next incremental dollar of spend, as opposed to the average return on all spend. Used to decide whether to scale a campaign further.

Total revenue divided by total ad spend across all channels. A blended, channel-agnostic sanity check.

LinkedIn's umbrella term for first-party targeting segments — uploaded contact lists, company lists, retargeting from website, lead forms, or video views.

Google Ads bid strategy that automatically sets bids to get as many clicks as possible within the budget. Useful for traffic-driving campaigns, weaker for conversion goals.

Google Ads bid strategy that spends the daily budget to drive the highest possible total conversion value, with an optional tROAS target.

A fully-automated Google Ads bid strategy that spends the daily budget to drive the most conversions possible, without a CPA target.

A top-down statistical model that uses historical aggregated data (spend, sales, seasonality, macro factors) to attribute revenue across channels without relying on user-level tracking.

Consideration-stage campaigns targeting audiences who have shown interest but not yet converted.

An optional floor set on a Performance Max or Demand Gen campaign that prevents the algorithm from bidding on traffic projected to fall below the specified ROAS.

User-level attribution model that distributes conversion credit across multiple touchpoints in a customer's path, weighting each by position or data-driven rules.

Keywords added at the campaign or ad-group level to prevent ads from showing on specific queries — used to filter out irrelevant traffic and protect quality score.

The default real-time bidding environment where any eligible buyer can bid on available impressions.

The number of months it takes for the cumulative revenue from a new customer to exceed the cost of acquiring them. Standard health check for paid-acquisition-driven businesses.

Google's automated campaign type that serves across Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, and Gmail from a single setup.

A snippet of JavaScript placed on a website to track user actions and feed them back to the ad platform for optimization.

The specific surfaces (feed, Reels, Stories, search, in-stream) where an ad can appear. Most platforms support either automated placement selection or manual placement targeting.

Interactive ad formats that allow users to play a short game or experience a mini-app directly within the ad. These are commonly used for app promotion to give users a preview before downloading.

Ads relating to elections, candidates, or social issues. Require identity verification and disclaimer labels on most platforms.

A shared Google Ads bid strategy applied across multiple campaigns, ad groups, or keywords so the algorithm can optimize across the pooled inventory.

A questionnaire shown to customers after checkout asking how they heard about the brand. Used to triangulate channel mix.

An invitation-only auction where select buyers bid on premium publisher inventory at negotiated floor prices.

A direct deal where inventory is reserved at a fixed price, combining programmatic efficiency with guaranteed delivery.

Pinterest's base paid ad format — a standard Pin boosted into search, browse, and home feed placements.

Reddit ad format that boosts a standard post into feed and conversation placements, with native comment threading enabled.

Targeting new potential customers who have not yet engaged with the brand, based on lookalikes or interest signals.

Google Ads metric estimating ad relevance, expected CTR, and landing page experience. Scored 1–10.

The number of unique people who saw an ad at least once. Distinct from impressions, which counts total views.

Meta ad placement that serves vertical full-screen video ads between organic Reels on Facebook and Instagram.

Meta's estimate of how relevant an ad is to its target audience, based on positive and negative feedback.

The pixel dimensions of a creative asset, expressed as width × height (e.g., 1080×1920).

Google Display ad format where the advertiser supplies headlines, descriptions, images, and logos, and Google auto-assembles ad variants sized to each placement.

A Google Search ad format where the advertiser supplies up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Google assembles combinations to match each query.

A product or service category (e.g., alcohol, financial services, health products) subject to extra verification or limitations.

Advertising placed on a retailer's owned properties, such as their websites, apps, or in-store screens. These ads often leverage first-party data from the retailer's customer base to target shoppers directly at the point of purchase.

Serving ads to people who have previously interacted with a brand's website, app, or content.

Revenue generated per dollar spent on ads. A 4:1 ROAS means $4 revenue for every $1 in ad spend.

Net profit divided by total cost, expressed as a percentage. Broader than ROAS because it accounts for COGS, fulfillment, and other operating costs — not just ad spend.

Marketing-attributable revenue minus marketing cost, divided by marketing cost. Used to compare channel and program efficiency on a true-margin basis.

The area of a creative guaranteed to be visible across all placements and devices. Critical text and CTAs should live here.

A campaign type focused on displaying ads to users who are actively searching for content on the platform. This allows advertisers to reach users with high intent based on their search queries.

Google Ads campaign type serving text ads on the Google Search results page based on keyword targeting.

Google Ads report showing the actual queries that triggered ads, as opposed to the keywords bid on. Source of negative keyword candidates and new keyword ideas.

The source audience (customer list, high-LTV cohort, recent purchasers) used as the input for generating a lookalike audience.

Conversion tracking architecture where event data is sent from the advertiser's server to the ad platform, rather than from the browser. Bypasses ad blockers and iOS restrictions.

Google Ads campaign type that serves product listing ads (PLAs) driven by a Merchant Center product feed rather than keywords.

The loss or degradation of data signals over time, due to factors like privacy changes, cookie restrictions, or user behavior. This can make it harder to accurately track conversions and attribute performance across the customer journey.

Google's umbrella term for its machine-learning conversion-based bid strategies: tCPA, tROAS, Maximize Conversions, and Maximize Conversion Value.

Snapchat's website event tracking pixel, used for conversion measurement, optimization, and audience building.

TikTok ad format that boosts an existing organic TikTok post (yours or a creator's, with permission) as a paid ad, preserving likes, comments, and the original handle.

Amazon Ads format featuring brand logo, custom headline, and multiple products at the top of search results.

LinkedIn ad format that appears in the feed as a promoted post, available as single image, video, carousel, document, or event formats.

Amazon Ads format that retargets shoppers on and off Amazon based on browsing and purchase signals from the Amazon ecosystem.

LinkedIn ad format delivered to a user's LinkedIn inbox. Includes Message Ads (single sender) and Conversation Ads (branching CTA flow).

Amazon Ads format that promotes individual product listings in search results and on product detail pages. The highest-intent Amazon placement.

Software used by publishers to sell ad inventory to multiple demand sources, including DSPs and ad networks.

A bidding strategy where the platform aims to maintain a stable cost per result, accepting some variance.

A Google Ads automated bidding strategy that targets a specific average cost per conversion. The system bids more aggressively for high-intent users and pulls back on lower-probability conversions.

A Google Ads automated bidding strategy that targets a specific revenue-to-spend ratio (e.g. 400% = $4 revenue per $1 spend). The system raises or lowers bids in real time to hit the target across eligible auctions.

The process of selecting specific audience characteristics, such as demographics, interests, or behaviors, to ensure ads are shown to the most relevant users. Effective targeting improves ad performance and efficiency.

A text ad includes a headline, descriptive text, and a display URL. These ads typically appear on search engine results pages and partner websites.

Copy burned directly onto a creative asset. Some platforms penalize or restrict excessive text overlay in images.

A cookie set by a domain other than the one a user is visiting. Long the backbone of cross-site retargeting and frequency capping; being phased out across major browsers.

The percentage of viewers who watch at least 3 seconds of a video ad. Signals creative hook strength.

A specific ad placement within the TikTok feed, often associated with Reach & Frequency buying, designed to secure high-visibility ad slots. It offers advertisers a premium placement opportunity for increased brand exposure.

Awareness-stage campaigns targeting broad, cold audiences who have not interacted with the brand before.

TikTok's premium reservation ad format that takes over the app on first launch with a full-screen video. Brand-awareness placement, sold on a reservation basis.

Amazon ad spend divided by total brand revenue (ad-attributed plus organic). Captures the halo effect of advertising on organic sales.

Synonym for top-of-funnel — awareness-stage activity targeting broad cold audiences, typically measured by reach, view-throughs, and assisted conversions rather than direct response.

Query string tags appended to landing page URLs (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, etc.) to identify traffic source in analytics tools.

Google Ads feature that adjusts the reported conversion value up or down based on audience, device, location, or other signals — feeding tROAS the right relative value per conversion.

TikTok bid strategy that optimizes toward higher-value conversions (purchases, high-AOV orders) rather than treating all conversions equally.

Google Ads campaign type serving on YouTube and Google video partners, with subtypes for skippable in-stream, non-skippable, bumper, and in-feed.

A conversion credited to an ad impression even when the user did not click the ad before converting.

The percentage of impressions that met the industry viewability standard (MRC: 50% of pixels in view for 1+ seconds for display, 2+ seconds for video).

Cost per thousand viewable impressions, counting only impressions that met the platform's viewability threshold (typically 50% of pixels in view for 1+ seconds).