The Digital Academy, explained simply

The training program

A complete path, from beginner to advanced, to master all of digital — at your pace and for free.

Digital glossary

Every digital term, defined simply.

A/B testing

Comparing two versions of an element (title, visual, button) across two groups to determine which performs better based on data.

Attribution

Method that distributes credit for a conversion among the various channels and touchpoints in the customer journey.

Average order value

Average amount spent per order. Increasing it (upsell, cross-sell) boosts revenue without acquiring more customers.

Backlink

A link pointing to your website from another site. High-quality backlinks strengthen your authority in the eyes of search engines (netlinking).

Bounce rate

Percentage of visitors who leave the site after viewing only one page, without interaction. A high bounce rate may indicate unsuitable content.

CAC

Customer Acquisition Cost: the average amount spent to convert a new customer. To be compared with the value they bring (LTV).

Canonical URL

Tag that indicates to search engines the 'official' version of a page in case of similar content, to avoid duplicate content.

Community management

Engaging a community on social media: posting, responding to comments and messages, and maintaining relationships.

Consent (GDPR)

Free and informed agreement from an individual for the use of their data. Mandatory for email marketing and many trackers.

Conversion

The desired action taken by a visitor: purchase, contact, sign-up, call. The conversion rate is a central indicator.

Conversion rate

The proportion of visitors who complete the targeted action. E.g., 100 visitors, 3 purchases = 3% conversion rate.

CPC

Cost Per Click: the amount paid each time a user clicks on your advertisement.

CPM

Cost Per Thousand: the amount paid for one thousand ad impressions, regardless of clicks. Primarily used for brand awareness.

Crawl (exploration)

The process where search engine bots browse web pages by following links to discover and analyze them.

CRM

A tool to centralize and manage relationships with prospects and customers (contact details, history, follow-ups).

CTA

Call To Action: a button or phrase that prompts an action (e.g., 'Get a quote,' 'Buy,' 'Book').

CTR

Click-Through Rate: the percentage of people who click on a link or ad after seeing it. An indicator of attractiveness.

Deliverability

Ability of your emails to reach the inbox rather than the spam folder. It depends on list quality and sender reputation.

Double opt-in

Two-step confirmed subscription (form + email validation click). Ensures consent and a high-quality list.

E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust: quality criteria valued by Google (lived experience, expertise, authority, trustworthiness).

Email marketing

Sending marketing emails to a list of consenting contacts. One of the most cost-effective channels for retention and re-engagement.

Engagement

Interactions generated by content (likes, comments, shares, clicks) relative to the number of people reached.

Featured snippet

Answer box displayed at the top of Google search results, extracted from a page deemed particularly relevant to the query.

First-party data

Data collected directly from your customers with their consent (purchases, emails). More reliable and sustainable than third-party data.

Funnel (conversion funnel)

The step-by-step journey of a prospect, from discovery to purchase. Analyzed to identify where people drop off for optimization.

GEO

Generative Engine Optimization: optimizing content to be understood and cited by generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.), beyond traditional search engines.

Google Business Profile

A free business listing on Google (Maps + Search) featuring hours, reviews, photos, and calls. The top driver of local visibility.

Hallucination

When an AI generates false information presented as true. Always verify facts and figures before publishing.

Impressions

The total number of times a piece of content or ad is displayed, including multiple views by the same person.

Indexing

The process by which a search engine records a page in its index so that it can appear in search results. Without indexing, there is no visibility.

Internal linking

Network of links between pages of the same website: it helps search engines understand the structure and distributes popularity across pages.

Keyword

The phrase a user types into a search engine. Identifying your customers' keywords is the foundation of SEO and SEA.

KPI

Key Performance Indicator: a key metric chosen to track the achievement of an objective (e.g., conversion rate, cost per contact).

Landing page

A web page where a visitor lands after clicking (ad, email). It must deliver on the promise and drive action.

Lead

A potential customer: someone who has shown interest (filled out a form, requested a quote) but hasn't yet made a purchase.

LLM

Large Language Model: an AI trained on vast text corpora to understand and generate natural language (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini).

Long-tail

Set of precise and individually low-search-volume queries that, when combined, represent a large portion of traffic and convert well.

Lookalike audience

An advertising audience composed of people who resemble your best customers, automatically generated by the platform to expand targeting.

LTV

Lifetime Value: the total revenue a customer generates throughout their relationship with the company.

Marketplace

Platform connecting sellers and buyers (Amazon, Etsy, etc.). It provides traffic in exchange for a commission on sales.

Meta description

The short descriptive text displayed below the title in search results. It does not influence ranking but affects click-through rate.

Newsletter

A regular email sent to subscribers to maintain engagement, share updates, and drive traffic to your site or offers.

Nofollow

Link attribute instructing search engines not to pass 'popularity' to the target page (e.g., sponsored links).

Performance Max (PMax)

A fully automated Google Ads campaign type that runs across all Google networks (Search, Display, YouTube, Maps, Gmail) based on provided goals and assets.

Persona

A fictional representation of an ideal customer (needs, pain points, habits) used to guide messaging, channels, and offers.

Prompt

The instruction or question given to a generative AI. The quality of the prompt largely determines the quality of the response.

Reach

The number of unique individuals who have seen a piece of content. Distinct from impressions, which count every display.

Reel / Short

Short vertical video (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok), a format heavily promoted by algorithms to reach new audiences.

Responsive design

A website that automatically adjusts to screen size (mobile, tablet, desktop) to remain readable and user-friendly.

Retargeting

Displaying ads to users who previously visited your site without converting, encouraging them to return and complete a purchase.

ROAS

Return on Ad Spend: the revenue generated for every euro spent on advertising. A key profitability indicator for a campaign.

robots.txt

File located at the root of a website that tells search engine bots which pages they can or cannot crawl.

ROI

Return on Investment: the net gain relative to the amount invested. Measures the overall profitability of an action.

SEA

Paid advertising on search engines (e.g., Google Ads), where you pay to appear, typically per click.

SEM

A comprehensive term that includes both SEO (organic) and SEA (paid) on search engines.

SEO

The set of techniques to appear organically as high as possible in search engine results.

SERP

The results page displayed by a search engine after a query, where the goal is to rank well.

Session

Set of actions performed by a visitor during a visit (page views, clicks), grouped within a continuous period.

Sitemap

File listing a website's pages to help search engines discover and index them (sitemap.xml).

Structured data

Markup (schema.org) added to a page's code to help search engines and AI understand its content (product, reviews, FAQ, course, etc.).

Title tag

The title of a web page displayed in the browser tab and as the clickable headline in search results. A critical SEO element.

Tone of voice

A brand's personality and style of expression (friendly, expert, casual, etc.), applied consistently across all content.

Tracking pixel

Small code installed on a website to measure conversions and fuel ad targeting (e.g., Meta pixel).

UGC (User-Generated Content)

Content created by your customers (photos, reviews, videos). Authentic and persuasive, it builds trust.

UI (User Interface)

The visual and interactive aspect of an interface: colors, buttons, typography, and layout. Complementary to UX.

Upsell & cross-sell

Upsell: offering a premium version. Cross-sell: offering a complementary product. Two strategies to increase sales value.

UX (User Experience)

The quality of the experience a user has on a website or app: ease of use, clarity, speed, and enjoyment.

Value proposition

A clear promise that explains why a customer should choose your offering over others: the unique benefit provided.

Wireframe

A simplified (often grayscale) mockup that defines the structure and layout of a page before graphic design work begins.