Skip to main content

Anki Cloze Cards — Online Advertising Terminology 📣

🧱 Account Structure & Core Building Blocks

  1. An ads {{c1::Account / Business Manager}} is the “container” that holds {{c2::billing}}, {{c3::users/permissions}}, and tracking assets like a {{c4::pixel/tag}}.
  2. A {{c1::Campaign}} usually contains the highest-level {{c2::objective/goal}} plus broad settings like {{c3::budget strategy}}.
  3. In Meta, the middle layer is the {{c1::Ad Set}}; in Google Search/Display it’s typically the {{c2::Ad Group}}.
  4. Targeting and delivery settings usually live at the {{c1::Ad Set / Ad Group}} level (not the {{c2::ad/creative}} level).
  5. The {{c1::Ad / Creative}} is what people actually see: {{c2::image/video}}, {{c3::headline/copy}}, and a {{c4::CTA}}.
  6. A platform {{c1::Objective}} tells the system what to optimize for (e.g., {{c2::purchases}}, {{c3::leads}}, {{c4::landing page views}}).
  7. Good naming conventions reduce chaos: include {{c1::objective}}, {{c2::audience}}, and {{c3::creative angle}} in names to make reporting faster.
  8. To avoid messy tests, change {{c1::one major variable at a time}} (e.g., audience or creative) instead of {{c2::multiple}} at once.

🎯 Audiences, Targeting & Placements

  1. An {{c1::Audience}} is the group of people you want to reach; {{c2::Targeting}} is how you define/filter that group.
  2. Examples of targeting filters include {{c1::location}}, {{c2::age}}, {{c3::language}}, and {{c4::interests/behaviors}}.
  3. {{c1::Custom Audiences (Meta)}} and {{c2::Customer Match (Google)}} are built from your {{c3::own data}} (e.g., email list, visitors).
  4. {{c1::Remarketing/Retargeting}} means advertising to people who already {{c2::interacted}} (visited site, added to cart, watched video).
  5. {{c1::Placements}} = where the ad appears (e.g., Instagram {{c2::Feed/Stories/Reels}} or YouTube {{c3::in-stream}}).
  6. {{c1::Frequency}} is the average number of times a {{c2::person}} saw your ad in a period—often used to watch for {{c3::ad fatigue}}.
  7. A classic retargeting ladder: {{c1::product viewers}} → {{c2::add-to-cart}} → {{c3::checkout}} (higher intent as you go).
  8. Cold / Warm / Hot audiences map to intent: {{c1::never interacted}}, {{c2::engaged/visited}}, {{c3::high intent}}.
  9. “Prospecting” focuses on {{c1::new people}}; “retargeting” focuses on {{c2::people who already showed intent}}.
  10. Audience size impacts delivery: too {{c1::small}} can limit scale; too {{c2::broad}} can make messaging less relevant.
  11. In many platforms, you can exclude prior buyers to reduce wasted spend: exclude {{c1::Purchase}} event or {{c2::customer list}}.
  12. Placement strategy trade-off: more placements = more {{c1::inventory}} and potentially lower CPMs, but less {{c2::creative control}}.

💸 Budgeting, Bidding, Auctions & Pacing

  1. A {{c1::Daily budget}} spends an average per day; a {{c2::Lifetime budget}} caps total spend across the schedule.
  2. In an ad {{c1::auction}}, winners are determined by factors like {{c2::bid}}, {{c3::predicted performance}}, and {{c4::relevance/quality}}.
  3. “{{c1::Lowest cost / Maximize}}” strategies aim to get the most results for your budget, rather than holding a fixed {{c2::CPA}}.
  4. “{{c1::Cost cap / Target CPA}}” tries to keep average cost near a target, potentially reducing {{c2::delivery/volume}}.
  5. A {{c1::ROAS target}} strategy optimizes toward revenue efficiency instead of just minimizing {{c2::CPA}}.
  6. {{c1::Pacing}} describes how spend is distributed over time: {{c2::smooth}} vs more {{c3::front-loaded}} (platform-dependent).
  7. A common scaling rule: increase budget gradually (e.g., {{c1::10–30%}} steps) to avoid destabilizing delivery/learning.
  8. If performance collapses right after a big budget jump, you may have reset/extended the {{c1::learning phase}} or changed auction dynamics.
  9. Bids can be influenced by value: if you track purchase value, you can optimize for {{c1::conversion value}} rather than just {{c2::count}}.

📊 Metrics & Math (Performance Language)

  1. An {{c1::Impression}} is one instance of an ad being shown; {{c2::Reach}} counts unique people who saw it.
  2. {{c1::CTR}} = {{c2::Clicks ÷ Impressions}}.
  3. {{c1::CPC}} = {{c2::Spend ÷ Clicks}}.
  4. {{c1::CPM}} = cost per {{c2::1,000 impressions}}.
  5. A {{c1::Conversion}} is a desired action like {{c2::purchase}}, {{c3::lead}}, or {{c4::signup}}.
  6. {{c1::CVR}} is often {{c2::Conversions ÷ Clicks}} (or sometimes ÷ sessions, depending on setup).
  7. {{c1::CPA/CPL}} = {{c2::Spend ÷ Conversions/Leads}}.
  8. {{c1::ROAS}} = {{c2::Revenue attributed to ads ÷ Ad spend}}.
  9. Example: ROAS 3.0 means about {{c1::$3}} revenue for each {{c2::$1}} spent.
  10. {{c1::AOV}} = {{c2::Revenue ÷ Number of orders}}.
  11. {{c1::LTV/CLV}} estimates customer value over time and helps decide how high a {{c2::CPA}} can be while staying profitable.
  12. Profit-aware thinking: break-even ROAS ≈ {{c1::1 ÷ gross margin}} (e.g., 50% margin → {{c2::ROAS 2.0}}).
  13. A quick sanity check: if CTR is fine but CVR is low, the bottleneck is often the {{c1::landing page}} or {{c2::offer}}.
  14. If CPM spikes but CTR stays stable, you may be hitting higher competition or a narrower {{c1::audience}}.
  15. If CPC rises while CPM is stable, CTR likely {{c1::dropped}} (since CPC is influenced by {{c2::CTR}}).
  16. Always align the “conversion” you optimize for with your goal: optimizing for {{c1::clicks}} rarely maximizes {{c2::sales}}.

🧭 Tracking, Events, UTMs & Attribution

  1. A {{c1::Pixel (Meta)}} / {{c2::Tag (Google)}} is site code that tracks events and builds audiences.
  2. Common events include {{c1::PageView}}, {{c2::AddToCart}}, {{c3::Purchase}}, and {{c4::Lead}}.
  3. {{c1::UTM parameters}} are URL tags like {{c2::utm_source}} and {{c3::utm_campaign}} used for analytics tools (e.g., {{c4::GA4}}).
  4. Attribution is the rule for assigning credit for conversions to ads, like {{c1::last-click}} or {{c2::data-driven}}.
  5. {{c1::Click-through}} attribution credits conversions after a click; {{c2::view-through}} credits conversions after an impression (no click).
  6. An {{c1::attribution window}} might be “{{c2::7-day click}} / {{c3::1-day view}}” (platform dependent).
  7. {{c1::Conversion API (Meta CAPI)}} / {{c2::Enhanced Conversions (Google)}} are {{c3::server-side}} methods to improve measurement when browsers block cookies.
  8. A common tracking mistake: counting the wrong event (e.g., optimizing for {{c1::PageView}} instead of {{c2::Purchase}}).
  9. UTMs help reconcile platform reports with analytics: platform may {{c1::overcount}} relative to GA4 due to differing {{c2::attribution}}.
  10. Better signal quality often comes from sending {{c1::value}} and {{c2::currency}} with purchase events, not just “purchase = true.”
  11. “Deduplication” means preventing double counting when both {{c1::browser pixel}} and {{c2::server events}} fire.

🧠 Creative, Copy, Landing Pages & Offers

  1. “{{c1::Creative}}” includes the asset (image/video) plus {{c2::messaging}} and {{c3::format}}.
  2. “{{c1::Copy}}” includes the {{c2::primary text}}, {{c3::headline}}, and optional {{c4::description}}.
  3. A {{c1::CTA}} is the prompt/button (e.g., {{c2::Shop Now}}, {{c3::Learn More}}).
  4. The {{c1::Landing Page}} is where users arrive after clicking; it must match the ad’s {{c2::promise}}.
  5. An {{c1::Offer}} is the value proposition: {{c2::discount}}, {{c3::free trial}}, {{c4::free shipping}}.
  6. {{c1::Ad fatigue}} often shows up as falling {{c2::CTR}} and/or rising {{c3::CPA}} at similar frequency.
  7. Good creative testing varies {{c1::hooks}} (first 1–2 seconds / headline), not just colors or minor tweaks.
  8. Message match: if the ad sells “{{c1::20% off}},” the landing page should show {{c2::the same offer}} immediately.
  9. In short-form video, the first {{c1::2–3 seconds}} often determine whether users keep watching, impacting overall {{c2::performance}}.

🧩 Funnel Strategy & Incrementality

  1. A marketing {{c1::funnel}} often uses {{c2::TOF}} (awareness), {{c3::MOF}} (consideration), and {{c4::BOF}} (conversion).
  2. TOF creatives typically optimize for attention; BOF creatives emphasize {{c1::proof}} and {{c2::offer}} to drive action.
  3. Retargeting usually works best when segmented by {{c1::recency}} (e.g., 1–7 days vs 8–30 days).
  4. “{{c1::Incrementality}}” asks: how many conversions happened {{c2::because of ads}} vs would have happened anyway?
  5. A simple incrementality approach: run a {{c1::holdout}} (no-ads) group and compare to an {{c2::exposed}} group.
  6. Over-relying on last-click can undervalue TOF; data-driven models try to account for {{c1::assist}} and {{c2::multi-touch}} impact.

🧪 Testing, Learning Phase & Optimization

  1. An {{c1::A/B test}} compares two variants under controlled conditions (e.g., same audience, different {{c2::creative}}).
  2. A clean A/B test changes {{c1::one variable}} and keeps everything else {{c2::constant}}.
  3. In Meta, the {{c1::Learning Phase}} is when delivery is stabilizing as the system gathers conversion data.
  4. Too many edits (budget, targeting, creative) can keep campaigns in {{c1::learning}} and reduce stability.
  5. “{{c1::Scaling}}” means increasing spend while maintaining efficiency like {{c2::CPA}} or {{c3::ROAS}}.
  6. {{c1::Vertical scaling}} = increase budget on winners; {{c2::horizontal scaling}} = add new audiences/creatives/placements.
  7. Optimization levers usually include {{c1::creative}}, {{c2::targeting}}, {{c3::bidding/budget}}, and {{c4::landing page}}.
  8. Diagnosing issues: if CTR is low, fix {{c1::creative/message}}; if CVR is low, fix {{c2::landing page/offer}}.
  9. Always evaluate changes with enough data: avoid optimizing on {{c1::tiny sample sizes}} that create false “winners.”

🔁 Google vs Meta (Quick Translations)

  1. Meta structure: {{c1::Campaign → Ad Set → Ad}}.
  2. Google Ads structure: {{c1::Campaign → Ad Group → Ad}}.
  3. Meta uses {{c1::Pixel}} and {{c2::CAPI}}; Google uses {{c3::Tags}} and {{c4::Enhanced Conversions}}.
  4. Google Search campaigns revolve around {{c1::keywords}} and {{c2::match types}} (in contrast to Meta’s interest/behavior targeting emphasis).
  5. Google networks can include {{c1::Search}}, {{c2::Display}}, {{c3::YouTube}}, and {{c4::Shopping/Performance Max}}.
  6. YouTube “in-stream” is a {{c1::placement/format}} where ads run {{c2::during videos}}.

➕ Practical Extras (Common Terms That Fit the Topic)

  1. {{c1::Quality / relevance}} affects auction outcomes: better expected performance can reduce effective {{c2::cost}}.
  2. {{c1::Creative angle}} = the “why buy” frame (e.g., convenience vs status); testing angles often beats micro-optimizing {{c2::design}}.
  3. {{c1::Hook}} = opening line/visual that stops the scroll; it strongly influences {{c2::thumb-stop rate}} (attention).
  4. {{c1::Social proof}} (reviews, UGC, testimonials) often improves BOF performance by reducing {{c2::risk}}.
  5. A {{c1::Lead magnet}} (guide, checklist) can increase lead volume but may reduce lead {{c2::quality}} if the offer is too broad.
  6. {{c1::Friction}} on the landing page (slow load, long forms) typically lowers {{c2::CVR}}.
  7. {{c1::Landing page speed}} impacts conversion rate; even a 1–2 second delay can reduce {{c2::results}}.
  8. A good KPI hierarchy: {{c1::North Star}} (profit/ROAS) supported by {{c2::leading indicators}} (CTR, CPC, CVR).
  9. “{{c1::Frequency cap}}” (where available) limits how often one person sees an ad to reduce {{c2::fatigue}}.
  10. “{{c1::Audience overlap}}” can cause your ad sets to compete against each other, pushing {{c2::CPM}} up.
  11. A “{{c1::Conversion}}” should be measurable and aligned; optimize for {{c2::Purchase}} if you want revenue, not just {{c3::AddToCart}}.
  12. “{{c1::Offline conversions}}” (e.g., in-store sales) can be imported so platforms optimize beyond {{c2::website-only}} outcomes.
  13. A good reporting habit: compare platform ROAS with {{c1::blended ROAS}} (total revenue ÷ total ad spend) to avoid tunnel vision.
  14. Sustainable scaling often requires expanding {{c1::creative volume}} and {{c2::offer variety}}, not only increasing budget.

If you tell me your platform (Meta / Google / TikTok), goal (sales/leads), and business type, I can generate a second batch focused on the exact terminology and scenarios you’ll encounter day-to-day (plus “gotchas”) ✅

Back to top