SEO Fundamentals

SEO subject level: Beginner



Newb

Slang term for someone who is new or relatively green when it comes to the web, but willing and happy to learn. The word "newb" has a positive connotation, as opposed to "noob" which has negative meaning.



Yes, the difference is perilously subtle. But hey, the web world is full of nuances that can either win excellent visibility or get you into trouble.



Fortunately, StorageFront’s team speaks the languages of both "web" and "storage." You can come to us to help you take on the web while you focus on operating your self storage business.



It is our pleasure to help you understand the web as much as it is to sell our packaged services. That’s because we believe the more you "get" what’s really going on out there – especially in SEO & SEM – the more you’ll understand how to make the most of your StorageFront subscription.



So here’s a start: a bunch of definitions for the jargon we web types tend to toss around in everyday conversation. As StorageFront's resident search engine guru, I'll expand the list as things come to mind, and refer back to this list in future posts focusing on SEO.



Bounce rate

Also known as "exit rate." It represents the % of initial visitors to a website who leave quickly, rather than continue on to other pages within the web site. Bounce rate = total # visits on page / total number of visits.



Conversion

The process of "converting" a sales lead into an opportunity, account, or rental.



Conversion funnel

The track a consumer takes while visiting a website. Effective marketers monitor the funnel through KPIs to consistently improve efficiency and sales effectiveness.



CPA

Cost Per Action (or Acquisition). Also known as PPA (Pay Per Action). The advertiser pays for each specified action (a purchase, a form submission, or another type of lead conversion) linked to the advertisement.



CPC

Cost Per Click. The money an advertiser pays for a single click on an ad. The model is applied to web banners, text links, email spam, and opt-in email advertising.



CPM

Cost Per Thousand. Advertisers pay for impressions (how many times visitors see the ad) as opposed to clicks (how many times visitors click).



Economies of scale

The cost advantages that come from expansion (decreased per-unit cost as output increases). In StorageFront’s case, heavy investment in web exposure can benefit many storage facilities, greatly decreasing the cost-per-facility for premium visibility.



KPI

Key Performance Indicator. A measure of performance, used by web marketers to evaluate ROI. KPIs differ depending on the strategy.



Meta

Metadata is information about data. The code tag provides metadata about a website. Meta elements are used by browsers and some search engines to identify page details, keywords, date modified, etc.



PageRank

An algorithm used by Google to determine the relative importance of a web page. Despite the numerous how-to’s, seminars and services offering SEO tips & tricks, the truth is that high rank is extremely difficult to attain. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work, both on-site and off-site, to make (and keep) a website relevant.



PPC

Pay Per Click. A form of SEM in which advertisers pay for web exposure only when the ad is clicked. PPC is often the subject of hot debate relating to relevance, limited supply, high costs, and rampant click fraud.



ROI

Return on Investment. Ratio of money gained or lost on an investment, relative to the amount invested. In lay terms, if you increase your rentals thanks to a marketing campaign, that campaign has positive ROI.



SEM

Search Engine Marketing. Where SEO refers to "unpaid" tactics, SEM is "paid" and covers a range of marketing tactics, such as paid inclusion and contextual advertising. U.S. companies spend well over ten billion on SEM.



SEO

Search Engine Optimization. The techniques for improving rank on SERPs, in an effort to increase website traffic volume. Theoretically, SEO is "unpaid" or "natural." However, due to the increasing complexity and demands of search algorithms, SEO today requires serious investment of time, energy and even money.



SERP

Search Engine Results Page. SERPs respond to user search queries in, say, Google. SERPs include page titles, descriptions and hyperlinks.



Originally published on Self Storage Marketing Ahead .



StorageFront.com is a self storage search engine that provides web marketing services to self storage owners.