Ad Clicks
Number of times users click on an ad banner.
Ad Click Rate
Sometimes referred to as "click-through," this is the percentage
of ad views that resulted in an ad click.
Ad Views (Impressions)
Number of times an ad banner is downloaded and presumably
seen by visitors. If the same ad appears on multiple pages
simultaneously, this statistic may understate the number of
ad impressions, due to browser caching. Corresponds to net
impressions in traditional media. There is currently no way
of knowing if an ad was actually loaded. Most servers record
an ad as served even if it was not.
Banner
Banners are the 468-by-60 pixel space atop commercial
Web sites that are usually "hot-linked" to the advertiser's
site.
Click
The opportunity for a visitor to be transferred to a location
by clicking on an ad, as recorded by the server.
Click-Through Rate
Percentage of times a user responded to an advertisement by
clicking on the ad button/banner. At one time the granddaddy
of Web-marketing measurements, click-through is based on the
idea that online promotions that do what they're intended
to do will elicit a click.
CPM
CPM is the cost per thousand for a particular site. A Web
site that charges $15,000 per banner and guarantees 600,000
impressions has a CPM of $25 ($15,000 divided by 600).
GIF (Graphic Interchange Format)
GIF (pronounced "gift") is a graphics format that can be displayed
on almost all web browsers. It is a common compression format
used for transferring graphics files between different computers.
Most of the "pictures" you see online are GIF files. They
display in 256 colors and have built-in compression. GIF images
are the most common form of banner creative.
Hit
The sending of a single file, whether text, graphic, audio
or other type of file. When a page request is made, all elements
or files that comprise the page are recorded as hits on a
servers log file. While there is no accurate formula for determining
the number of visitors to a page or site based on the number
of hits -- one visitor could go back and forth twenty times
or twenty people could visit a single time each a hit at least
indicates somebody was there. Thus, hits can be far more valuable
than the tracking devices in any other media.
Hyperlink
This is the clickable link in text or graphics on a web page
that takes you to another place on the same page, another
page or a whole other site. It is the single most powerful
and important function of online communications. Hyperlinks
are revolutionizing the way the world gets its information.
Impression (Ad Impression or Page Impression)
The ad impression is the metric a site uses for measuring
inventory. Different definitions exist for this term: 1. The
viewing of a page or ad(s) by the user. The assumption is
that the page or ad images were successfully downloaded and
the user viewed the page or ads on the page are recorded whether
or not a user clicks on an ad. 2.The request for a page or
ad. Agencies usually collect a fee for every thousand impressions
(hence the term CPM = cost per thousand).
Inventory
The number of ads available for sale on a Web site. Ad inventory
is determined by the number of ads on a page, the number of
pages containing ad space and the number of page requests.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
JPEG (pronounced "jay peg") is a graphics format newer than
GIF which displays photographs and graphic images with millions
of colors, it also compresses well and is easy to download.
Unfortunately, not many browsers currently support it, so
don't use it for your logo.
Page Views
Number of times a user requests a page that may contain a
particular ad. Indicative of the number of times an ad was
potentially seen, or "gross impressions." Page views may overstate
ad impressions if users choose to turn off graphics (often
done to speed browsing).
Run-of-Site
Provides the advertiser with the opportunity to reach a broad audience by running ads throughout a website. There is, however, no specific targeting in this model.
Unique Users
The total number of different users, or different computer
terminals which have visited a Web site. This is measured
using advanced tracking technology or user registration.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator, an HTTP address used by the World
Wide Web to specify a certain site. This is the unique identifier,
or address, of a web page on the internet. URL can be pronounced
"you-are-ell" or "earl." It is how web pages, ftp's, gophers,
newsgroups and even some email boxes are located.