Plain language for marketing decisions
Digital marketing glossary for service owners.
Plain definitions of the search, advertising and reporting terms you will see in a marketing proposal, so you know what you are paying for.
- SEO, AEO and GEO explained
- Clicks versus conversions
- Questions to ask before you sign
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Businesses we’ve worked with
- Willard Power Vac
- Sarkinen Plumbing
- Robinson Restoration
- Town & Country Glass
- Dixie Glass
- Byers Septic Service
- F&W Fence Co.
- Drake’s 7 Dees
- Rickabaugh Construction
- Hillsview Building
- Dozer Dave
- Mt. Hood Pro Painting
- On-Target Landscape
- Atiyeh Bros Carpet
- Lovett
- Westmore Construction
- Northwest New Homes
- Porter Sealcoating & Paving
- RescueHero Restoration
- Panda Plumbing
- Biermann Plumbing & Heating
- Ballistic Junk Removal
- Smart Doors LLC
- Peak Performance Roofing
- Deluxe Heating & Cooling
- Lifetime Exteriors
- Bruce Johnson Construction
- Madrone Painting
- Smart Tree Service
- Premier Gutter Cover
- NW Pacific Electric
- Universal HVAC
- Lenny Martin Painting
- Next Level Decks & Exteriors
- Prodan Construction
- Smooth Rollin’ Sealcoating and Paving
- Lovett Restoration
- Greenlight Titles
- G.W. Hartley IV
- Advanced Coatings
- Thomson Equipment
- MyADU
Search language
SEO, AEO and GEO: three kinds of search work.
Each term covers a different place your business can show up. Lithium includes AI search optimization in every SEO retainer, and no one can promise an AI mention.
SEO: search engine optimization
SEO is the work that helps search engines understand your website and show its pages in unpaid search results.
AEO: answer engine optimization
AEO prepares your information for direct answers in search, including Google’s AI Overviews, featured snippets and People Also Ask.
GEO: generative engine optimization
GEO prepares your information for generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude, which write their own answers.
Advertising and measurement
Paying for clicks versus counting results.
PPC: pay per click
PPC is a way of paying for ads: you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
CPC: cost per click
CPC is the price you pay for one ad click. A click brings a visitor; the sale still has to happen.
Conversion
A conversion is an action you choose to count, like a phone call, a form or a booked appointment. What you count decides what the number means.
Conversion rate
Google Ads conversion rate is conversions divided by eligible ad interactions in the same period, shown as a percentage.
Technical sources: Google Ads CPC, conversion actions and conversion rate.
Page information and business records
The code and systems behind your reports.
Schema: structured data
Schema is structured code that describes a page’s information in a form search engines and AI tools can read. It should match what visitors see on the page.
Call tracking
Call tracking shows which ad, search or page made your phone ring. Lithium pairs it with GA4 and monthly reports to tie marketing to leads.
CRM: customer relationship management
A CRM stores your customer and lead records. Connected to your marketing, it can show which leads became paying customers.
FAQ
Questions to ask about marketing terms.
Still curious?
Call (503) 766-5964 or email [email protected].
What should we do when a marketing proposal uses terms we do not know?
Ask the agency to tie each term to a specific task or number in the proposal. If a term does not point to work you can see, it is filler. This glossary covers the terms you will see most often.
Does a term like SEO or PPC tell us what a fee includes?
No. A label like SEO can mean a few page tweaks or a full monthly program. The written proposal should list the pages, account work and reports included, and who handles each one.
How should our office explain its lead records to an agency?
Walk the agency through the stages your office uses, from a new call to a booked job to a finished one. Share a few examples with customer names removed. Then agree on how reports will show those stages.
What if a marketing report changes its labels?
Ask whether the number underneath changed too. A new label can mean a new way of counting. Keep a note of the change so next month’s comparison lines up.
Who should approve the service descriptions in our marketing?
Someone who knows the work, like the owner or a lead tech. That person flags the jobs you turn down and any details customers need to know. An agency should never guess your services from search terms.
What should we ask before connecting our business systems?
Ask which systems and records the connection includes, what access it needs and who checks that it works. Get those answers in writing before you count the integration as part of the deal.
Keep exploring
Put the terms to work.
Free action plan
Bring the terms you want explained.
Let’s have a real conversation about your business. No fluff, no high-pressure sales pitch. In a 1:1 strategy call, we’ll review your goals, your website, and your current marketing efforts. You’ll leave with a prioritized plan outlining quick wins and a clear path toward long-term, sustainable growth.
What we’ll cover
- What’s working (and what isn’t) in your current marketing
- Site and funnel gaps that are costing you leads
- Local SEO and paid traffic opportunities
- Simple tracking and KPIs to measure success
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