You shouldn’t need a dictionary to market your business. The terms below come up constantly in conversations with vendors, in ad platforms and in marketing advice.
Each definition focuses on what the term means for a local small business and why it matters.
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SEO (search engine optimization): improving your website and listings so you appear higher in search results. Local SEO: SEO focused on location-based searches such as “near me.” Map pack: the group of local businesses shown with a map at the top of local search results.
Google Business Profile: your free listing on Google Search and Maps. Citation: any online mention of your business name, address and phone. NAP: name, address and phone, which should be identical everywhere.
PPC (pay-per-click): ads you pay for only when someone clicks. Impressions: how many times an ad or post was shown. Reach: how many different people saw it.
CTR (click-through rate): the share of people who clicked after seeing it. CPC (cost per click) and CPA (cost per acquisition): what you pay for each click, and for each customer or lead.
CTA (call to action): the prompt that tells a customer what to do next, such as “Call now” or “Book online.” Conversion: when someone takes that action. Conversion rate: the share of visitors who convert.
Lead: a potential customer who has shown interest. Funnel: the path from first hearing about you to becoming a customer. Landing page: a page built for one offer and one action.
Target audience: the specific group you are trying to reach. Segment: a subgroup of that audience with shared needs. Retention: keeping customers coming back.
Omnichannel or coordinated marketing: marketing that works together across many channels instead of in isolation. That coordination is what C2OC’s twelve AI marketing channels provide for members.
Domain: your website address. Hosting: the service that keeps your site online. Responsive design: a site that adapts to phones, tablets and computers. Page speed: how fast a page loads, which affects both visitors and search rankings.
Content marketing: creating useful articles, videos or guides that attract and help customers. Schema markup: code that helps search engines understand your business details.
Reputation management: monitoring and responding to reviews and mentions. Social proof: evidence that others trust you, such as reviews, testimonials and customer counts. Referral: a new customer sent by an existing one.
Customer lifetime value (CLV): the total a customer spends with you over time. Customer acquisition cost (CAC): what it costs to win a new customer. Comparing the two tells you what marketing you can afford.
It is the group of local businesses shown with a map at the top of local search results, one of the most valuable places for a local business to appear.
Impressions count total views; reach counts different people. One person who sees your ad twice is two impressions but one reach.
When a visitor takes the action you want, such as calling, booking, buying or filling in a form.
C2OC business membership puts AI marketing to work across twelve channels, inside a network of 700+ chambers and 165,000+ members.
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