Do you know the difference between a Delivered and an Open? How about CTR vs CTOR? Have you got a single or double opt-in setup?
Find out all the jargon used in email marketing by searching through our Email Marketing Glossary.
The glossary is being updated all the time. If you think there is anything missing, please get in touch to let us know at justin@theonlineadvertisingguide.com
Please note: The below contains acronyms, abbreviations, synonyms, and terms related to email marketing.
If you’re looking for something specific, we recommend you use the search box.

a
- Abandoned Cart EmailAn Abandoned Cart Email is an email sent to people who started adding things to their shopping... Learn More >
- AnalyticsThe measurable statistics of a website or an ad campaign (such as impressions). Typically... Learn More >
- Analytics PlatformA provider of website analytics such as Google Analytics.
b
- Behavioural SegmentationBehavioural Segmentation is the process of splitting people by their activity (or lack of... Learn More >
- BounceThe term bounce is used in digital marketing is used in both Websites Analytics and in Email... Learn More >
- BulletinBulletin is Facebook/Meta's email newsletter product.
c
- CAN-SPAMA national standard in the USA for sending emails, which legislates around SPAM emails and... Learn More >
- CASLLegislation around email marketing in Canada which requires express permission before emails are... Learn More >
- ClickWhat is a Click? When it comes to online advertising, a click refers to a user clicking on an... Learn More >
- Click-To-Open RateCTOR is the acronym for Click-To-Open Rate. It is used to calculate the percentage of people who... Learn More >
- Conditional ContentConditional Content is content on a webpage or email that only appears when certain criteria are... Learn More >
- ConversionWhat is a Conversion? Conversion is the generic term used for an action or acquisition... Learn More >
- Conversion RateThe Conversion Rate (CR) of a campaign is the number of conversions achieved per click. It is... Learn More >
- ConvertedIn online advertising, a converted user is someone who has seen or clicked on an ad and... Learn More >
- CRThe Conversion Rate (CR) of a campaign is the number of conversions achieved per click. It is... Learn More >
- Creative AgencyA Creative Agency is a company that creates advertising on behalf of other companies. They... Learn More >
- CTORCTOR is the acronym for Click-To-Open Rate. It is used to calculate the percentage of people who... Learn More >
d
- DaypartingDayparting refers to optimising by the hour of the day (splitting a day into parts).
- Demand GenerationA type of marketing that focuses on increasing demand for a product or service, rather than... Learn More >
- Demographic SegmentationDemographic Segmentation refers to splitting up an audience by their demographics. This is... Learn More >
- Direct MailA type of marketing where a letter or piece of promotional material is sent through the post... Learn More >
- Double Opt-inAn Opt-In process where after a user has entered their details, they have to take a further... Learn More >
e
- eCommerceeCommerce refers to buying or selling goods or services online, as well as online transactions.... Learn More >
- eCommerce ConversionAn online sale. A subset of conversion in general, which don't have to be sales or money related... Learn More >
- eCommerce Conversion RateThe conversion rate of online sales (as opposed to other types of conversions).
- Email Bounce RateEmail Bounce Rate is the percentage of emails sent which weren't delivered. In general terms -... Learn More >
- Email ListOften referred to as an Email Marketing List. A list of email addresses that a company gathers... Learn More >
- Email MarketingEmail Marketing is the process of sending out emails en masse with a marketing message. It is... Learn More >
- Email Service ProviderIn marketing, an Email Service Provider (or ESP) is a company that offers email marketing... Learn More >
- EmojiA standard set of small images that can be added to messages and posts that is used to express... Learn More >
- Enhanced Tracking ProtectionThe way in which Firefox blocks all third-party cookies automatically, making analytics and... Learn More >
- ESPIn marketing, an Email Service Provider (or ESP) is a company that offers email marketing... Learn More >
- ETPThe way in which Firefox blocks all third-party cookies automatically, making analytics and... Learn More >
f
- FrequencyIn online advertising, frequency refers to how often an ad appears to a single user in a... Learn More >
g
- GAGoogle Analytics is one of the most commonly used providers of web statistics. It's free and... Learn More >
- Google AnalyticsGoogle Analytics is one of the most commonly used providers of web statistics. It's free and... Learn More >
h
- Hard-BounceHard bounces in email marketing refer to when you try to email someone, and their email address... Learn More >
i
- Inactive SubscriberIn email marketing, the term ‘Inactive Subscriber’ refers to someone who has chosen to continue... Learn More >
l
- Landing PageThe page where a person enters a website (ie the page they "land on"). In online advertising,... Learn More >
- Last ClickSometimes referred to as Last Touch, this is the most common type of attribution for conversions... Learn More >
- LeadA potential customer, or a way to get in touch with a potential customer (eg email address,... Learn More >
- Lead GenerationLead generation (or Lead Gen) is the gathering of potential customers' contact information and... Learn More >
- Lifetime ValueLTV (often called Customer Lifetime Value or CLTV) is an attempt at predicting the amount of... Learn More >
- LinkedIn NewsletterLinkedIn's built in email marketing platform. There are a lot of suprisingly good ones on there... Learn More >
- LTVLTV (often called Customer Lifetime Value or CLTV) is an attempt at predicting the amount of... Learn More >
m
- MetricsMetrics are measurable statistics that are used in digital marketing to improve performance such... Learn More >
- MonetizedIf something is monetized that means that it has been set up so that money is earned from it.... Learn More >
- Multi-Touch AttributionSometimes referred to as multi-channel attribution, this is a way of attributing conversions... Learn More >
o
- Open RateOpen Rate is the percentage of people who were sent an email who opened it. It is one of the... Learn More >
- OptimisingWhat does optimising mean? Optimising means making changes to improve performance. It is a... Learn More >
- Opt-In‘Opt-in’ or ‘Opting in’ means requiring a user to make an active, positive choice to increase... Learn More >
- Opt-OutIn email marketing, an opt-out means unticking a pre-ticked box that says "I would like to... Learn More >
- Owned MediaOwned Media refers to advertising using channels an advertiser controls. This includes your own... Learn More >
p
- PhishingPhishing is a type of scam through digital communication in order to obtain personal information... Learn More >
- Post-Click ConversionA Post-Click Conversion, or PC Conversion is when a user converts after a click. This click can... Learn More >
- Post-Click WindowThe Post Click Window, or PC Window, is the amount of time after a user has clicked on an ad and... Learn More >
r
- Return On InvestmentWhat is an ROI? ROI stands for Return on Investment and means the amount of money you get back... Learn More >
- RevueRevue was launched in 2015 and bought by Twitter in 2021, which then shut it down in January... Learn More >
- ROIWhat is an ROI? ROI stands for Return on Investment and means the amount of money you get back... Learn More >
- Role-Based AddressA role-based address is an email address that uses a job title rather than the name of an... Learn More >
s
- SaaSA business model where users are charged a subscription fee for using software as opposed to a... Learn More >
- SegmentationSegmentation can take place in any form of digital marketing, and simply involves breaking... Learn More >
- Single Opt-inAn Opt-In which only has one step. For example, entering an email address into a box and then... Learn More >
- Soft-BounceIn Email Marketing, Soft-Bounces refer to what are usually temporary issues – the recipient... Learn More >
- Software as a ServiceA business model where users are charged a subscription fee for using software as opposed to a... Learn More >
- SpamSpam refers to unsolicited emails but also can be used to describe emails that use deceptive... Learn More >
- SubscriberThis is the name for a person or group of people who have voluntarily decided to become notified... Learn More >
- SubstackA subscription newsletter platform.
t
- Third-Party CookiesCookies that are dropped onto a person's computer when visiting a website that are not from the... Learn More >
- TrafficTraffic in online advertising is a catch-all term for visitors to a site (the online equivalent... Learn More >
- TroubleshootingThe process of systematically testing for, finding and fixing problems (such as broken ads,... Learn More >
u
- Uniform Resource LocatorThe web address of a website or webpage. For example, the address of this website is... Learn More >
- UnmonetizedIf something is unmonetized that means that it has not been set up so that money is earned from... Learn More >
- UnsubscribeWhen someone unsubscribes from something, it means they have decided they no longer want to... Learn More >
- Unsubscribe LinkAll email marketing is required to have a working Unsubscribe link contained within it. An... Learn More >
- Unsubscribe RateIn email marketing, the unsubscribe rate means the percentage of your users who are choosing to... Learn More >
- Urchin Tracking ModuleUTM parameters are 5 tracking parameters you can add to the end of a URL which can be read by... Learn More >
- URLThe web address of a website or webpage. For example, the address of this website is... Learn More >
- UTMUTM parameters are 5 tracking parameters you can add to the end of a URL which can be read by... Learn More >
w
- Welcome EmailAn initial email to someone who has joined any type of email list (eg because they've signed up... Learn More >
z
- ZapierA company with a set of tools which link different platforms to make them easier to use (for... Learn More >
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