Online Advertising Key Terms

Learn the online advertising lingo before you spend a dime

By Shannon Tani

Whether you have a brick and mortar company or an ecommerce store, you simply can't avoid online advertising. Internet advertising is a good way to get your message to many people at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising methods. However, there are many different types of online advertising. Before you throw your hat into the ring, it's a good idea to learn about the various types. For some companies, email marketing is the way to go, but others may want to attract new customers through banner ads or search engine optimization.

Banner ads

Banner ads are one of the oldest forms of advertising on the Internet. They are the graphic, rectangular ads that you often see on websites.
Try: View some samples of banner ads at Hey Banner Banner.

Interactive advertising and rich media

More and more companies are using interactive advertising techniques in their online campaigns. These are techniques that encourage the customer to be more interactive, by taking a poll for example. Some companies use rich media, such as videos, as part of an interactive advertising strategy.
Try: Search Toppers describes interactive advertising while the University of Washington talks about rich media.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

When people want to find something on the Internet, they enter certain phrases, or keywords, into a search engine. A site that has been search engine optimized will use these exact phrases and is more likely to come up in the top results of the search engine.
Try: SEOmoz has a beginner's guide to search engine optimization.

Pay per click (PPC)

Pay per click (PPC) ads are small text or graphic ads placed on a website. You only pay for them when someone clicks. Depending on the topic, each click will cost a few pennies to several dollars.
Try: Digital River explains PPC marketing.

Email marketing

Email marketing is another method of advertising online. Rather than advertise through a website, you contact your customers directly through email. This way, you can let them know about sales, new products or anything else. When email marketing, you have to be careful that you get permission to send emails. Otherwise, they will be considered spam and you can face legal repercussions.
Try: FindMoreBuyers.com offers some tips for effective email marketing.

Affiliate program

An affiliate program can be an effective way to earn more sales. If you offer an affiliate program, you offer to pay outsiders a percentage of the sale if they send traffic to your website.
Try: Nowsell.com discusses affiliate programs in more detail.