Glossary

Search term

Performance Marketing Glossary

Advertiser

Company promoting an app/product via ads.

Key Players

Affiliate Network

Network connecting advertisers with traffic sources.

Key Players

Agency

Company managing ad campaigns for advertisers.

Key Players

API (Application Programming Interface)

Interface for connecting systems and data.

Operational and Technical Terms

App Store Optimization (ASO)

App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving an app’s visibility and ranking in app stores to increase downloads.

Operational and Technical Terms

Arbitrage

Buying traffic at one price and selling at another.

Operational and Technical Terms

Attribution Window

Time frame for attributing actions to a campaign.

Operational and Technical Terms

Burst Campaign

High-spend, short-term campaign to boost rankings quickly.

Main Concepts

Click-Through Attribution

Credit for conversion after clicking an ad.

Operational and Technical Terms

Cohort ROAS

Return on ad spend segmented by user cohort.

Key Metrics

Contextual Targeting

Delivering ads based on app/site content.

Operational and Technical Terms

Conversion Rate (CVR)

The percentage of users who complete a desired action after clicking an ad.

Key Metrics

CPA (Cost per Action)

Price paid for a specific user action.

Payment Models

CPC (Cost per Click)

Cost paid each time a user clicks an ad.

Payment Models

CPI (Cost per Install)

Price paid for each app installation generated.

Payment Models

CPL (Cost per Lead)

Price paid per qualified lead generated.

Payment Models

CPM (Cost per Mille)

Cost per thousand ad impressions.

Payment Models

CPR (Cost per Registration)

Price paid for each user registration.

Payment Models

CPS (Cost per Sale)

Price paid per completed sale.

Payment Models

Creative Optimization

Improving ad creatives to boost performance.

Main Concepts

Creative Rotation

Swapping ad creatives to avoid fatigue.

Operational and Technical Terms

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

The ratio of users who click on an ad to the total number of users who view it.

Key Metrics

DSP (Demand-Side Platform)

Platform for buying ad inventory programmatically.

Key Players

Event Tracking

Monitoring specific in-app actions.

Operational and Technical Terms

Exchange

Digital marketplace for real-time bidding on ad impressions.

Key Metrics

First Time Deposit (FTD)

First deposit made by a user in an app.

Key Metrics

First-Party Data

Data collected directly from users by the company.

Operational and Technical Terms

Fraud

Malicious activity to manipulate attribution.

Operational and Technical Terms

Fraud Rate

Percentage of detected fraudulent activity.

Key Metrics

Frequency Capping

Limiting how many times a user sees an ad.

Operational and Technical Terms

Impressions

The number of times an ad is displayed to users, regardless of whether it is clicked.

Key Metrics

Incent/Reward Traffic

Traffic from incentivizing user actions.

Operational and Technical Terms

Incrementality Test

Measures if a campaign caused a conversion.

Operational and Technical Terms

Integration

Linking advertiser to tracking/ad sources.

Operational and Technical Terms

Lookback Window

Period analyzed for attribution or prediction.

Operational and Technical Terms

Loyal Users

Users who frequently return to and engage with the app.

Key Metrics

Media Buying

The process of purchasing ad inventory across channels to acquire users.

Main Concepts

Mobile App Promotion (MAP)

Marketing campaigns to promote mobile applications and increase downloads.

Main Concepts

Monetization

The process of generating revenue from an app, often through ads, in-app purchases, or subscriptions.

Main Concepts

Offerwall

Ad format where users complete offers for rewards.

Operational and Technical Terms

Paid vs. Organic Cannibalization

The overlap between paid and organic installs.

Key Metrics

Performance DSP

DSP optimized for measurable outcomes like installs or ROAS.

Key Players

Performance Marketing

Marketing strategy focused on measurable results such as installs, clicks, or purchases.

Main Concepts

Post-Install Events

Actions after an app is installed.

Operational and Technical Terms

Programmatic Advertising

Automated buying and placement of ads via software platforms.

Main Concepts

Publisher

Entity showing ads in their app or site.

Payment Models

Purchase

Transaction made in the app.

Operational and Technical Terms

Re-Attribution

Crediting a campaign for reactivating a user.

Operational and Technical Terms

Re-Engagement

Bringing inactive users back.

Operational and Technical Terms

Real-Time Bidding (RTB)

Auction-based buying and selling of ad impressions in real time.

Operational and Technical Terms

Registration

User creates an account or provides info.

Operational and Technical Terms

Retargeting

Targeting past app users who didn’t convert.

Operational and Technical Terms

Retention Rate (RR)

Percentage of users who continue using the app after a given period.

Key Metrics

ROI (Return on Investment)

A performance metric used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment, calculated as net profit divided by cost.

Main Concepts

SDK (Software Development Kit)

Tools to integrate analytics or ads in apps.

Operational and Technical Terms

Sessions

Number of times an app is opened.

Key Metrics

SSP (Supply-Side Platform)

Platform for publishers to sell ad inventory programmatically.

Key Players

Subscription

User opts into recurring payments.

Operational and Technical Terms

Suppression List

Users/IDs excluded from targeting.

Operational and Technical Terms

Third-Party Data

Data collected by an entity without direct user relationship.

Operational and Technical Terms

Uninstall Rate

Percentage of users who uninstall the app.

Key Metrics

User Acquisition (UA)

Process of gaining new users for an app or platform.

Main Concepts

User Journey

The full experience a user has with an app or service, from first contact through engagement and conversion.

Main Concepts

User Quality

A measurement of how valuable or engaged an acquired user is over time.

Key Metrics

UTM Parameters

Tags in URLs for tracking campaigns.

Operational and Technical Terms

View-Through Attribution

Credit for conversion after viewing an ad.

Operational and Technical Terms