Human First Digital Glossary
Business, Digital & Marketing Acronyms Explained
If you’ve ever found yourself nodding through a meeting while wondering what on earth everyone means by “SEO”, “CRM” or “MVP”, you’re not alone. This glossary explains the business, digital and technology acronyms you’ll hear most often (without the jargon).
A/B Testing
A
Also known as split testing, A/B Testing compares two versions of something (such as a webpage or advert) to see which performs better.
AEO – Answer Engine Optimisation
Optimising content so AI assistants and answer engines can understand, trust and recommend it.
AI – Artificial Intelligence
Software designed to assist with tasks such as writing, analysing, summarising and decision-making.
API – Application Programming Interface
ARPU – Average Revenue Per User
The connection that allows different software systems to communicate with one another.
The average amount of income generated by each customer.
B2B – Business to Business
B
A business selling to another business.
B2C – Business to Consumer
A business selling directly to customers.
BI – Business Intelligence
Using data to make better business decisions.
BRD – Business Requirements Document
A document describing what a project needs to achieve.
CAC – Customer Acquisition Cost
C
How much it costs to gain a new customer.
CMS – Content Management System
Software used to manage a website, such as WordPress or Squarespace.
CRM – Customer Relationship Management
A system for managing customer relationships, sales and communications.
CTA – Call to Action
CTR – Click Through Rate
The next step you want someone to take, such as “Book a Call” or “Download the Guide”.
The percentage of people who click after seeing a link or advert.
DNS – Domain Name System
D
The internet’s address book, linking website names to servers.
DX – Digital Transformation
Changing the way an organisation works by improving processes, technology and people’s capabilities.
ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
E
Software that manages finance, stock, projects, manufacturing and operations in one place.
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
A business selling directly to customers.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
F
A collection of common questions and answers.
FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out
Often used in marketing to encourage action.
FYP – For You Page
TikTok’s personalised content feed.
GA4 – Google Analytics 4
G
Google’s website analytics platform.
GBP – Google Business Profile
Your business listing on Google Maps and Search. Used to be called Google My Business.
GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation
UK and European legislation governing personal data.
HTML – HyperText Markup Language
H
The language websites are built with.
HTTP / HTTPS – HyperText Transfer Protocol (Secure)
The method used to load websites. HTTPS means the connection is encrypted.
ICP – Ideal Customer Profile
I
A description of your perfect customer.
IT – Information Technology
Technology used to run organisations.
KPI – Key Performance Indicator
K
A measurable indicator of success.
LTV – Lifetime Value
L
The total value a customer brings throughout their relationship with your business.
MVP – Minimum Viable Product
M
The simplest version of a product or service that can be tested with real customers.
MARCOMMS – Marketing Communications
Everything involved in communicating with customers.
NPS – Net Promoter Score
N
A measure of customer loyalty.
OKR – Objectives and Key Results
O
A framework for setting and measuring goals.
OOO – Out Of Office
An automatic email response indicating someone is unavailable.
PPC – Pay Per Click
P
Online advertising where you pay each time someone clicks.
PR – Public Relations
Managing a business’s reputation and media coverage.
PM – Project Manager
The person responsible for delivering a project.
QA – Quality Assurance
Q
Testing work before it goes live.
ROI – Return on Investment
R
Whether an investment generated more value than it cost.
RSS – Really Simple Syndication
A way of distributing new content automatically.
SaaS – Software as a Service
S
Cloud software paid for by subscription.A business selling to another business.
SEO – Search Engine Optimisation
SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
Improving your visibility in search engines like Google.
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
A documented process explaining how something should be done.
SERP – Search Engine Results Page
SQL – Structured Query Language
The language used to query databases.
The page of search results shown after a search.
SME – Small and Medium-sized Enterprise
A small or medium-sized business.
A planning framework.
TOFU – Top Of Funnel
T
People who are just discovering your business.
TOM – Target Operating Model
A blueprint for how an organisation intends to operate.
UI – User Interface
U
Everything a user interacts with.
URL – Uniform Resource Locator
A web address.
USP – Unique Selling Proposition
What makes your business different.
UX – User Experience
How easy and enjoyable something is to use.
WCAG – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
W
International accessibility standards for websites.
WFH – Work From Home
A way of working where you carry out your job or run your business from home instead of travelling to a separate workplace.
WWW – World Wide Web
The collection of websites and web pages that can be accessed over the internet using a web browser. Often shortened to “the web.”