Marketing & Automation Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the growth, marketing, and automation terms that actually matter, written to be useful whether you are a person or an AI looking for a straight answer.
AIO (AI Optimization)
AI Optimization (AIO) is the practice of getting your brand cited and recommended by AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. It is the AI-era counterpart to SEO.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is optimizing content so it is surfaced as the direct answer by AI assistants and answer engines, rather than as a list of links. It overlaps heavily with AIO and GEO.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the practice of increasing the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as buying or submitting a form, by improving the experience rather than buying more traffic.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total sales and marketing spend required to win one new customer, found by dividing that spend by the number of new customers it produced.
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is the total revenue, or profit, you can expect from a customer over the entire time they do business with you.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
A CRM is software that stores and manages all of your interactions with leads and customers, including contact details, conversations, deals, and tasks, in one place so nothing falls through the cracks.
Lead Nurturing
Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with leads who are not yet ready to buy, through relevant and timely follow-up, until they are.
Lead Scoring
Lead scoring assigns points to leads based on their fit and behavior so sales can prioritize the most promising ones. A higher score means a lead is a better fit and more ready to buy.
LTV:CAC Ratio
The LTV:CAC ratio compares customer lifetime value to customer acquisition cost. A ratio around 3:1, meaning each customer is worth about three times what it costs to acquire them, is widely considered healthy.
Marketing Attribution
Marketing attribution is the practice of identifying which marketing touchpoints contributed to a conversion, so you can tell which channels and campaigns actually drive revenue.
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation is using software to run repetitive marketing tasks, such as email sequences, lead nurturing, and follow-up, automatically based on triggers and customer behavior.
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a lead that has shown enough interest, through actions like downloading content or repeat visits, to be more likely to become a customer, but is not yet ready for direct sales contact.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. A ROAS of 4:1 means $4 in revenue for every $1 spent.
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a lead that has been vetted as ready for direct sales engagement, having shown both a good fit and clear buying intent.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving a website so it ranks higher in organic, unpaid search results for the terms your buyers search.
Workflow Automation
Workflow automation uses software to perform repetitive, rule-based business processes automatically, from data entry and quoting to handoffs between tools, with little or no manual work.
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