Jargon. Sometimes it’s a helpful way for industries to communicate more effectively, but other times it’s a tool to overly complicate things that could be explained in a far simpler way. Marketers love jargon, and at times use it for both purposes. This article is intended to help you understand some of the more commonly used terms to help equip you to be better informed when dealing with agencies.

For example, let’s say you are paying a company like Walk Communications to do your marketing. During our monthly meeting we sit down and I say, “Our data-driven approach to CRO utilizes a multivariate A/B testing methodology to optimize the user journey and increase conversion rates through the use of heat mapping, session recording and behavioural analytics.”

There’s tremendous benefit to you knowing what I’m saying, to assess whether my services are actually worth acquiring. More simply put I’m saying that we are using a method to improve the performance of your website by testing different elements of the website and analysing user behaviour through tools like heat mapping, session recording and behavioural analytics. This method is called “conversion rate optimization” (CRO) and it’s focused on increasing the number of visitors who take a specific action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

In the interest of helping, you navigate this complex landscape, here are 8 commonly used terms in the marketing industry, along with simple definitions and a practical example of when they might be used, as well as what to look out for to make sure that you aren’t being fooled:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): SEO refers to the practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages. The goal of SEO is to increase visibility and drive more traffic to a website. A practical example of when it might be used would be when a company wants to improve its search engine rankings for relevant keywords to increase traffic to its website. So like, if you’re an electrician in Cape Town, you could use SEO to help make your page come up higher on google when people are looking for electricians in Cape Town.

 When looking out for SEO, make sure that the agency is using ethical and sustainable techniques, such as creating quality content and building relevant backlinks, and not using black hat tactics like keyword stuffing or buying links.

Here are 2 free websites that can be used for testing SEO:

Google Search Console: This is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to see how your website is performing in terms of search engine rankings, as well as identify any technical issues that may be impacting your SEO.

Moz Local: This free tool allows you to check your business’s online presence across various directories and platforms to ensure your business information is accurate and consistent.

• UX (User Experience): UX refers to the overall experience of a user when interacting with a product or service, including the design, functionality, and ease of use. The goal of UX is to create a positive and intuitive experience for the user. A practical example of when it might be used would be when a company is redesigning its website and wants to ensure that it is easy to navigate and user-friendly. Or making sure your website looks god and is easy to use on both your PC and your phone. When looking out for UX, make sure that the agency is conducting user research, testing and iterating to improve the overall user experience.

Here are 2 free websites for testing UX:

UserTesting: This website allows you to conduct user testing on your website or app by recruiting real users to complete tasks and provide feedback. With the free version, you can get a limited number of responses per month.

Five Second Test: This website allows you to test the first impression of a website or design by showing it to users for just five seconds and then asking them questions about what they remember.

• CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization): CRO refers to the process of optimizing a website or landing page to increase the number of visitors that take a specific action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. A practical example of when it might be used would be when a company wants to improve the conversion rate of its website, for example by testing different headlines, images, and forms to see which ones lead to the highest conversion rate. When looking out for CRO, make sure that the agency is using data-driven methods, such as A/B testing, to optimize the website and that they are transparent about the results.

Here are 2 free sites to test CRO

Optimizely: This website provides a free plan that includes A/B testing, multivariate testing, and personalization capabilities. It allows you to test different variations of your website and track the performance of each variation in terms of conversion rate, bounce rate, and other key metrics.

VWO: This website provides a free plan that includes A/B testing and split URL testing, so you can test different variations of your website and track the performance of each variation in terms of conversion rate, bounce rate, and other key metrics.

• KPI (Key Performance Indicator): A KPI is a metric used to measure the performance and success of a specific campaign or strategy. Common KPIs in the marketing industry include website traffic, conversion rate, and customer retention. A practical example of when it might be used would be when a company wants to measure the success of its marketing campaigns, for example by tracking the number of website visitors or the conversion rate of a specific landing page. When looking out for KPIs, make sure that the agency is using relevant and meaningful metrics, that they are being tracked over time, and that they are being used to make data-driven decisions.

KPI’s shouldn’t be presented as overly complex. In other words marketers and advertisers should clearly communicate what success should look like and then the should be able to clearly show you how they have gone about achieving that for you.

Here are some sites to help you understand KPI’s

Google AdWords: This tool provides data on the performance of your paid advertising campaigns, including clicks, conversions, and cost per click, which can be used to track the effectiveness of your paid advertising efforts.

Hootsuite Insights: This free tool allows you to track your brand’s social media performance by monitoring mentions, hashtags, and keywords across various social media platforms.

With all of the references provided its important to understand there are limitations, particularly with their free versions, however they are certainly helpful. I am also not trying to suggest that creative and marketing agencies are known to operate with shady practices. All I am saying is that nobody should be able to use jargon as a way of hiding behind bad work. Both parties in any business transaction should have a clear understanding of what the expected deliverables and terms of agreement are and understanding basic principles in any industry is a great way of achieving that.