Performance Marketing Speak

Learn the Language – Performance Marketing Speak

Just like in any industry, performance marketing has its own language. Don't be intimidated; pretty soon these terms will be second nature.

Application Service Provider (ASP ) – An ASP is an online network that is accessible through the Internet instead of through the installation of software. It is quickly integrated with other Web sites and the services are easily implemented and scalable. An example of an ASP is the CJ Account Manager™.

Transparency - A characteristic of the CJ Marketplace, where the performance of advertisers, publishers, and ads is published openly within the CJ Account Manager. Publishers may create a Commission Junction account and join the CJ Marketplace at no cost. Publishers must regularly generate activity within the network (within 90 days) in order to maintain an active Commission Junction account.

Commission Payout – An amount of income received by a publisher for some quantifiable action such as selling an advertiser's product and/or service on the publisher's Web site.

Click-through - Also known as a click. The action a consumer takes when they are referred from a Web site through a link or advertisement and is taken to another Web site. Click-through ratio is the percentage of click for the number of advertising impressions displayed.

Cost per action (CPA)- A metric for online advertising where a rate is set for every action that is taken by an end-user.

Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)- A metric for online advertising where a rate is set for every thousand impressions.

Conversion rate- The percentage of visitors who take a desired action. The action that determines conversion is determined by the advertiser and may be a sale on the advertiser's Web site, a completed lead form, or another action.

Average earnings per 100 clicks (EPC)- An exclusive metric of the CJ Marketplace given for publishers, advertisers, and individual ads. EPC is a relative rating that illustrates the ability to convert clicks into commissions. For publishers, an advertiser's EPC shows how well that advertiser converts traffic into actual sales or leads. EPC will also help you see what creative is working and what needs changing. For advertisers, a publisher's EPC shows how well that publisher sends relevant traffic to advertisers' sites. EPC is published in two forms, 7-day and 3-month.

Impression- The viewing of an advertising banner, link, or product.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)- The act of marketing a Web site via search engines. This can be done by "natural" or "organic" search which refers to all unpaid search results based on relevance in the content site or "paid" search which refers to all pay-per-click advertising (such as on Google, Yahoo! or MSN).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)- The process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. Varied techniques are used by content site publishers to improve a Web page's results.