Glossary

The glossary for ads, tracking and AI search.

108 terms defined in plain language, from Quality Score and Conversions API to ghost prompts.

Each definition starts with one sentence you can quote.

Google Ads and PPC.

Ad Rank: Ad Rank is the value Google Ads uses to decide whether an ad shows and in what position, calculated at auction time from the bid, ad quality, the Ad Rank thresholds, the competitiveness of the auction, the context of the search and the expected impact of assets. A higher-quality ad can win a better position at a lower cost than a higher bid. Read more
Advertiser verification: Advertiser verification is the Google Ads program that requires advertisers to confirm their identity or business details with documents before or while their ads run. Ads disclose the verified advertiser name, and failing verification can pause the account. Read more
Asset group: An asset group is the building block of a Performance Max campaign: a set of headlines, descriptions, images, videos, a final URL and optional audience signals and search themes built around one theme or offer. Google mixes the assets into ads for each placement. Read more
Assets (ad extensions): Assets, formerly called ad extensions, are extra pieces of information that can appear with a Google ad, such as sitelinks, callouts, phone numbers, locations, images and structured snippets. They make ads larger and more useful and are a factor in Ad Rank. Read more
Audience signal: An audience signal is a suggestion you add to a Performance Max asset group, such as your customer lists, website visitors or custom segments, to help Google find likely buyers faster. Google can still show ads to people outside the signal when they are likely to convert. Read more
Broad match: Broad match is the Google Ads keyword match type that lets an ad show on searches related to the meaning of the keyword, including searches that do not contain its words. It works best paired with Smart Bidding and good conversion data, and it needs regular search term reviews. Read more
Demand Gen campaign: A Demand Gen campaign is a Google Ads campaign type that runs image and video ads across YouTube, including Shorts, Discover, Gmail and Google's display partners. It is built to create demand from people who are not yet searching. Read more
Exact match: Exact match is the Google Ads keyword match type that shows an ad only on searches with the same meaning or intent as the keyword, including close variants such as misspellings and plurals. It gives the most control and the least reach. Read more
Keyword match types: Keyword match types are the settings in Google Ads that control how closely a search must relate to a keyword for an ad to show: broad match, phrase match and exact match. Broad reaches the widest set of related searches and exact the narrowest. Read more
Maximize conversions: Maximize conversions is a Google Ads Smart Bidding strategy that sets bids to get the most conversions possible within the campaign's budget. Adding an optional target CPA turns it into cost-controlled bidding. Read more
Negative keywords: Negative keywords are terms added to a Google Ads campaign or ad group to stop ads from showing on searches that contain them. They are the main tool for cutting wasted spend on irrelevant or low-intent searches. Read more
Performance Max: Performance Max is a goal-based Google Ads campaign type that runs one campaign across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps, using Google's automation to choose placements, bids and asset combinations. It depends heavily on accurate conversion tracking and good audience and asset inputs. Read more
Phrase match: Phrase match is the Google Ads keyword match type that shows an ad on searches that include the meaning of the keyword, with the word order mattering when it changes the meaning. It sits between broad match and exact match in reach. Read more
Primary conversion action: A primary conversion action is a Google Ads conversion that is counted in the Conversions column and used by Smart Bidding to optimize. Secondary conversion actions are recorded for reporting only and do not affect bidding unless added to a custom goal. Read more
Quality Score: Quality Score is a 1 to 10 diagnostic rating Google Ads gives each keyword, based on expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience compared with other advertisers. It is a guide to where ads and pages need work, not a direct input to the auction. Read more
Responsive search ad: A responsive search ad is the standard Google Ads search ad format, where you provide multiple headlines and descriptions and Google tests combinations to show the best one for each search. Pinning a line forces it into a fixed position but reduces the combinations Google can test. Read more
Search impression share: Search impression share is the percentage of impressions your Google Ads search ads received out of the total they were eligible for. Lost impression share is split into impressions lost to budget and impressions lost to rank. Read more
Search terms report: The search terms report in Google Ads lists the actual searches that triggered your ads, with their clicks, cost and conversions. It is where advertisers find new keywords and new negative keywords. Read more
Search themes: Search themes are optional words or phrases added to a Performance Max asset group to tell Google what your customers search for, so the campaign can find relevant searches it might not learn from your assets and landing pages alone. They are signals, not keywords, and they do not limit where ads can show. Read more
Smart Bidding: Smart Bidding is the set of Google Ads bid strategies that use machine learning to set a bid for each auction based on the likelihood of a conversion or the value of one. It includes Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value. Read more
Target CPA: Target CPA is a Google Ads Smart Bidding strategy that sets bids to get as many conversions as possible at or near the average cost per acquisition you choose. Some conversions will cost more and some less than the target. Read more
Target ROAS: Target ROAS is a Google Ads Smart Bidding strategy that sets bids to get as much conversion value as possible at or near the return on ad spend you choose. It requires conversion values, such as revenue or a value per lead, to be tracked. Read more

Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram).

Advantage campaign budget: Advantage campaign budget, formerly campaign budget optimization, is the Meta setting that puts one budget at the campaign level and lets Meta shift spend between ad sets toward the best results. It replaces setting a separate budget on each ad set. Read more
Advantage+ audience: Advantage+ audience is Meta's automated targeting option that uses your suggestions, such as age, interests or custom audiences, as a starting point and then expands to anyone Meta predicts is likely to convert. You can still set hard limits like location and minimum age. Read more
Advantage+ campaigns: Advantage+ is the name Meta uses for its automated campaign setups, such as Advantage+ sales, leads and app campaigns, where Meta's AI handles audience, placements, budget and creative delivery. Advantage+ sales campaigns replaced the older Advantage+ shopping campaigns, and new campaigns start with Advantage+ settings turned on unless you change them. Read more
Advantage+ placements: Advantage+ placements, formerly automatic placements, lets Meta show your ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and the Audience Network wherever results are expected to be cheapest. Manual placements let you pick specific surfaces instead. Read more
Attribution setting: The attribution setting is the window Meta uses to credit a conversion to an ad, such as 7 days after a click and 1 day after a view. It changes both what is reported and what the ad set optimizes for. Read more
Conversions API: The Conversions API is Meta's server-to-server connection that sends web, app and offline events from your server or CRM directly to Meta, rather than from the visitor's browser. It recovers events that ad blockers, browser limits and cookie loss would drop. Read more
CPM: CPM, or cost per mille, is the cost of 1,000 ad impressions. It shows how expensive it is to reach an audience and is the main way Meta and display ads are priced. Read more
Creative fatigue: Creative fatigue is the drop in ad performance that happens when the same audience sees the same creative too often, shown by falling click-through rate and rising cost per result. The fix is new creative, not more budget. Read more
Custom audience: A custom audience is a Meta audience built from people who already know your business, such as a customer list, website visitors tracked by the Pixel, or people who engaged with your page, videos or lead forms. It is used for retargeting, exclusions and as a seed for lookalikes. Read more
Event deduplication: Event deduplication is how Meta avoids counting the same conversion twice when it arrives from both the Meta Pixel and the Conversions API. It works when both copies carry the same event name and the same event ID. Read more
Event Match Quality: Event Match Quality is a score from 0 to 10 in Meta Events Manager that rates how well the customer information sent with your server events, such as email, phone and click ID, can be matched to Meta accounts. Higher scores usually mean better attribution and optimization. Read more
Frequency: Frequency is the average number of times each person saw your ad over a given period, calculated as impressions divided by reach. Rising frequency with falling results is a common sign of creative fatigue. Read more
Instant form (lead ads): An instant form is the Meta lead ad format that opens a prefilled form inside Facebook or Instagram so people can submit their details without visiting a website. Higher-intent form settings and fast follow-up help keep lead quality up. Read more
Learning phase: The learning phase is the period after an ad set launches or is significantly edited when Meta's delivery system is still exploring how to deliver it, so results are less stable. Meta's guidance is that an ad set generally exits learning after about 50 optimization events within a week. Read more
Lookalike audience: A lookalike audience is a Meta audience of new people who share traits with a source audience you provide, such as your best customers. It is not available for ads in some special ad categories, and many advertisers now use it as a suggestion inside Advantage+ audience. Read more
Meta Pixel: The Meta Pixel is a piece of JavaScript on a website that sends browser events such as page views, leads and purchases to Meta for ad measurement, optimization and audience building. It is usually paired with the Conversions API because browser tracking alone misses events. Read more
Reach: Reach is the number of unique people who saw your ad at least once. It differs from impressions, which count every time the ad was shown, including repeat views by the same person. Read more
Special ad categories: Special ad categories are the Meta ad categories that must be declared for ads about financial products and services, employment, housing, and social issues, elections or politics. Declaring one limits targeting options such as age, gender, ZIP code and lookalike audiences. Read more

Tracking and attribution.

ACOS: ACOS, or advertising cost of sale, is Amazon ad spend divided by the sales attributed to those ads, shown as a percentage. It is the inverse of ROAS and is judged against the product's margin. Read more
Attribution model: An attribution model is the rule a tool uses to assign credit for a conversion across the ads and channels a customer touched, such as last click or data-driven. Different models, and different tools, give different answers for the same sale. Read more
Attribution window: An attribution window is the number of days after a click or view during which a conversion can be credited to an ad. Longer windows credit more conversions to ads, so platforms with different windows will report different totals. Read more
Auto-tagging: Auto-tagging is the Google Ads setting that automatically adds a click ID, the GCLID, to ad landing page URLs so Google Ads and Google Analytics can connect clicks to conversions. It should stay on unless there is a specific reason to turn it off. Read more
Consent mode: Consent mode is Google's way for websites to pass visitors' cookie consent choices to Google tags, so tags adjust their behavior when consent is denied. Consent mode v2 adds signals for ad personalization and user data, and Google requires it for advertisers using its ad features with users in the European Economic Area. Read more
Contribution margin: Contribution margin is revenue minus the variable costs of each sale, such as product cost, shipping, payment fees and ad spend. It shows how much each order actually contributes to fixed costs and profit, which makes it a better target than ROAS. Read more
CPA: CPA, or cost per acquisition, is the average ad spend needed to get one conversion, such as a sale, signup or booked job. Ad platforms report CPA on the conversions they track, which may differ from what the CRM shows. Read more
CPC: CPC, or cost per click, is the amount you pay on average for each click on an ad, calculated as total spend divided by clicks. On Google Ads you pay at most your bid and often less. Read more
CPL: CPL, or cost per lead, is the average ad spend needed to get one lead, such as a form fill or qualified call. It is most useful when leads are filtered for quality, because cheap leads that never buy raise the real cost. Read more
CTR: CTR, or click-through rate, is the percentage of people who clicked an ad after seeing it, calculated as clicks divided by impressions. It is a signal of how relevant an ad is to the audience or search. Read more
Data-driven attribution: Data-driven attribution is the attribution model in Google Ads and GA4 that uses each account's own conversion paths to estimate how much each touchpoint contributed to a conversion. It is the default model in both products. Read more
Enhanced conversions: Enhanced conversions is a Google Ads feature that sends hashed first-party customer data, such as email or phone number, along with a conversion so Google can match it to signed-in users more accurately. Enhanced conversions for leads also lets you upload offline sales tied to those leads. Read more
First-party data: First-party data is information a business collects directly from its own customers and visitors, such as CRM records, purchases, form submissions and site behavior. It powers enhanced conversions, customer lists and server-side tracking as browser cookies become less reliable. Read more
GCLID: The GCLID, or Google Click Identifier, is a unique ID that Google Ads adds to the landing page URL when someone clicks an ad with auto-tagging turned on. Saving it with the lead lets you send offline conversions back to Google Ads. Read more
Google Tag Manager: Google Tag Manager is Google's free tool for adding and managing tracking tags, such as analytics and ad conversion tags, on a website without editing the site's code for each change. Tags fire based on triggers you set, such as a page view or form submit. Read more
Holdout test: A holdout test is an experiment where a random group or set of regions is kept from seeing ads while the rest see them, so the difference in results shows the ads' true lift. It is the most direct way to measure incrementality. Read more
Incrementality: Incrementality is the share of conversions that would not have happened without a given ad, channel or partner. It is measured with controlled tests rather than attribution reports, which credit sales that may have happened anyway. Read more
Key event (GA4): A key event is a GA4 event you mark as important to your business, such as a lead or purchase. Google renamed GA4 conversions to key events, and the term conversion in GA4 now refers to key events used in Google Ads. Read more
Marketing mix modeling (MMM): Marketing mix modeling is a statistical method that estimates how much each channel contributes to sales by analyzing spend, sales and outside factors such as seasonality over time. It works on aggregate data, so it does not need user-level tracking. Read more
MER: MER, or marketing efficiency ratio, is total revenue divided by total marketing spend across all channels over the same period. Because it does not depend on any platform's attribution, it is a reliable check on whether marketing as a whole is paying off. Read more
Offline conversion import: Offline conversion import is the process of sending conversions that happen outside the website, such as qualified leads, booked appointments or closed sales from a CRM, back to an ad platform. It lets bidding optimize for real revenue instead of form fills. Read more
Postback: A postback is a server-to-server message that tells a tracking platform, affiliate network or ad platform that a conversion happened, usually carrying the original click ID. It works without browser cookies, which makes it more reliable than a pixel. Read more
ROAS: ROAS, or return on ad spend, is the revenue attributed to ads divided by what was spent on them, so 4 means four dollars back for each dollar spent. It ignores product costs and margin, so a good ROAS can still lose money. Read more
Server-side tagging: Server-side tagging is a tracking setup where events are sent from the browser to a server you control, which then forwards them to analytics and ad platforms. It gives more control over what data is shared and is more resilient to browser restrictions than tags that run only in the browser. Read more
TACOS: TACOS, or total advertising cost of sale, is Amazon ad spend divided by total Amazon sales, including organic sales. It shows how dependent a brand's Amazon revenue is on advertising, unlike ACOS, which only compares spend to ad-attributed sales. Read more
UTM parameters: UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL, such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, that tell analytics tools where a visit came from. They let you report on traffic from links that ad platforms do not tag automatically. Read more
View-through conversion: A view-through conversion is a conversion credited to an ad that a person saw but did not click before converting within the view window. These conversions are easy to overstate, so they are best checked with incrementality tests. Read more

Local and lead generation.

A2P 10DLC: A2P 10DLC is the US carrier registration system for businesses that send text messages to customers from standard 10-digit phone numbers. Unregistered business texting is filtered or blocked by carriers. Read more
Call tracking: Call tracking is the use of trackable phone numbers to record which ad, keyword, page or listing produced each phone call, along with call details and often a recording. It lets businesses count calls as conversions and judge them by quality. Read more
CRM: A CRM, or customer relationship management system, is software that stores leads and customers along with every call, email, quote and sale tied to them. It is also the source of truth for sending real sales and qualified leads back to ad platforms. Read more
Dynamic number insertion (DNI): Dynamic number insertion is a call tracking method that swaps the phone number on a website to a unique tracking number based on how the visitor arrived. It ties each call back to the source, campaign or keyword without changing the site's main number for search engines. Read more
Exclusive lead: An exclusive lead is a lead sold to only one business, while a shared lead is sold to several competitors at once. Exclusive leads cost more but usually close at a higher rate. Read more
Google Business Profile: A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows a business's name, location or service area, hours, reviews, photos and contact options in Google Search and Maps. It is the main factor a local business controls for appearing in the map pack. Read more
Google Verified: Google Verified is the badge Local Services Ads shows on businesses that pass Google's checks, such as license, insurance and background checks where required. It replaced the earlier Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified by Google badges in October 2025, and it does not include the old money-back guarantee. Read more
Lead dispute (Local Services Ads): A lead dispute is a request to Google to credit back a charge for a Local Services Ads lead that does not qualify, such as spam, a wrong number or a service you do not offer. Disputes are reviewed by Google and must be filed within its time limit. Read more
Lead scoring: Lead scoring is ranking leads by how likely they are to buy, using details such as job type, location, budget and engagement. It helps sales follow up on the best leads first and gives ad platforms better quality signals. Read more
Local citation: A local citation is any online mention of a business's name, address and phone number, such as a directory, review site or chamber listing. Accurate citations support local rankings and help customers find correct details. Read more
Local Services Ads: Local Services Ads are Google ads for local service businesses that appear at the top of search results with the business's reviews and the Google Verified badge, and charge per lead rather than per click. Businesses must pass Google's screening and verification before ads can run. Read more
Map pack: The map pack is the block of local business listings with a map that Google shows for searches with local intent, such as plumber near me. Placement depends mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Read more
Missed call text back: Missed call text back is an automation that sends a text message to a caller right after a call goes unanswered, so the lead can reply instead of calling a competitor. It must follow text messaging rules such as carrier registration. Read more
NAP: NAP stands for name, address and phone number, the core business details that should match exactly across a website, Google Business Profile and directory listings. Consistent NAP helps search engines trust which business is which. Read more
Pay per call: Pay per call is a lead generation model where a business pays for qualified inbound phone calls instead of clicks or form fills, usually only when a call lasts past a set duration. Buyers should confirm how calls are sourced and filtered. Read more
Qualified lead: A qualified lead is a lead that meets the business's basic criteria to become a customer, such as being in the service area, needing a service offered and being reachable. Counting only qualified leads as conversions keeps ad bidding from chasing junk. Read more
Service area business: A service area business is one that serves customers at their location, such as a plumber or roofer, rather than at a storefront. On Google Business Profile it can hide its address and list the areas it serves instead. Read more
Speed to lead: Speed to lead is the time between a lead coming in and the business making first contact. Faster responses usually mean much higher contact and close rates, which makes it one of the cheapest ways to improve lead generation results. Read more
TCPA consent: TCPA consent is the permission a person gives, usually on a web form, to be contacted by phone or text under the US Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Clear consent language and records of it protect businesses that call or text leads. Read more

SEO and AI search.

AI citation: An AI citation is a link or named mention of a website or brand inside an AI-generated answer, such as an AI Overview or an assistant's response. Citations drive referral traffic and shape which brands buyers shortlist. Read more
AI Mode: AI Mode is a Google Search experience that answers questions in a conversational, AI-generated response with links to sources, and lets people ask follow-up questions. Its clicks and impressions are counted in Search Console's Performance report along with regular search. Read more
AI Overviews: AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that Google shows at the top of some search results, with links to the web pages used as sources. Pages are eligible if they are indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet, and no special markup is required. Read more
Answer engine optimization (AEO): Answer engine optimization is the practice of structuring content so search features and AI assistants can pull it as a direct answer to a question. In practice it overlaps heavily with GEO and featured snippet optimization. Read more
Backlink: A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Links from relevant, trusted sites help search engines judge a page's authority, while spammy links are usually ignored. Read more
Canonical tag: A canonical tag is a link element in a page's HTML that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version when the same or similar content appears at several URLs. Google treats it as a strong hint, not a rule. Read more
Core Web Vitals: Core Web Vitals are Google's metrics for real-user page experience: Largest Contentful Paint for loading, Interaction to Next Paint for responsiveness, and Cumulative Layout Shift for visual stability. They are reported in Search Console from real Chrome user data. Read more
Disavow tool: The disavow tool is a Google Search Console tool that lets a site owner ask Google to ignore specific links pointing to their site. Google says most sites never need it and should use it only for links tied to a manual action or clear link schemes. Read more
E-E-A-T: E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, the qualities Google's search quality rater guidelines use to judge content. It is not a single ranking factor, but it describes what Google's systems aim to reward. Read more
Featured snippet: A featured snippet is a highlighted answer Google shows near the top of some search results, pulled from a web page and linked to its source. Clear, direct answers to a question near the top of a page make it eligible. Read more
Generative engine optimization (GEO): Generative engine optimization is the practice of making a brand and its content more likely to be cited or recommended in AI-generated answers from assistants and AI search features. It builds on SEO, with extra focus on clear facts, third-party mentions and pages AI systems can easily quote. Read more
Ghost prompts: Ghost prompts are long, machine-templated, prompt-style queries that appear in Search Console performance reports, consistent with automated tools that track brand visibility in AI search. They usually earn impressions but are rarely clicked, so they can distort query reports. Read more
Google Search Console: Google Search Console is Google's free tool that shows how a site performs in Google Search, including queries, clicks, impressions, indexing status and technical issues. It is the primary source of truth for organic search data from Google. Read more
Indexing: Indexing is when a search engine stores a page in its database so it can be shown in results. A page that is not indexed cannot rank, while an indexed page can still get no impressions. Read more
llms.txt: llms.txt is a proposed convention for a plain-text file at the root of a website that summarizes the site and lists its key pages for AI systems to read. It is not an official web standard, and support varies by AI system, so treat it as a low-cost addition rather than a ranking lever. Read more
Query fan-out: Query fan-out is the technique Google describes for AI Mode and AI Overviews, where one question is broken into many related sub-searches that run at the same time to gather sources for the answer. It means a page can be cited for searches it was never directly targeting. Read more
robots.txt: robots.txt is a text file at the root of a site that tells search engine crawlers which paths they may or may not crawl. Blocking a page in robots.txt stops crawling but does not reliably remove it from results. Read more
Schema markup: Schema markup is structured data added to a page's code, usually in JSON-LD format using the schema.org vocabulary, that describes what the page is about, such as a business, product, article or FAQ. It can make pages eligible for rich results and helps machines read the content correctly. Read more
Search engine optimization (SEO): Search engine optimization is the work of improving a website's content, structure and reputation so it ranks higher in unpaid search results. It covers technical health, content that matches search intent and links from other sites. Read more
Search intent: Search intent is the goal behind a search, such as learning something, comparing options or buying. Pages rank and convert best when they match the intent of the queries they target. Read more
XML sitemap: An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs on a site you want search engines to find, often with last-modified dates. It helps discovery but does not guarantee indexing. Read more
Zero-click search: A zero-click search is a search that ends without the person clicking any result, because the answer was shown on the results page itself, such as in a featured snippet, map pack or AI Overview. Visibility still matters in these searches even when it does not show up as traffic. Read more

Work with us

Let’s talk about what’s next.

A short note on where the business is and where it needs to go. A senior partner replies within one business day.

t@theoryroad.com

Your briefUnder a minute

Step 1 of 2

How can we help you get found?

Tick everything that applies. You can pick more than one.

Next: name, email and budget. That’s it.