Industry Glossary

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage, email, ad, or other marketing asset to determine which one performs better. One version (A) serves as the control, while the other (B) includes a single variation. By splitting traffic between the two versions and measuring conversion rates, marketers can make data-driven decisions.

The practice of optimizing content and digital presence to appear in AI-generated search results and recommendations. This includes structuring content for AI readability, implementing schema markup, building entity associations, and creating authoritative content that AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude can cite when answering user queries.

A set of rules and calculations used by search engines and AI platforms to determine the relevance, quality, and ranking of content. Search algorithms consider hundreds of factors including content quality, user intent, site authority, page speed, and user engagement signals. AI algorithms additionally evaluate content structure, entity relationships, and citation worthiness.

A document that provides detailed context, history, and supporting information about an organization, product, event, or issue. Backgrounders are included in media kits and given to journalists to supplement news releases. They help reporters understand the full story and write more accurate, comprehensive coverage.

A standardized paragraph that appears at the end of a press release describing the organization. The boilerplate typically includes the company name, what it does, when it was founded, key differentiators, and contact information. A well-written boilerplate ensures consistent brand messaging across all media communications.

The commercial value derived from consumer perception of a brand name rather than the product or service itself. Strong brand equity means customers are willing to pay a premium, show greater loyalty, and are more forgiving during crises. Brand equity is built through consistent messaging, quality experiences, and emotional connections.

A prompt on a website, advertisement, or content that tells the user to take a specific action, such as "Get a Free Quote," "Download Now," or "Schedule a Consultation." Effective CTAs are clear, compelling, and create urgency. They are critical for converting website visitors into leads or customers.

The process of structuring website content and digital presence so that OpenAI's ChatGPT cites or recommends a business when users ask relevant questions. This involves implementing comprehensive schema markup, building authoritative content with clear entity associations, and ensuring consistent business information across the web.

The percentage of people who click on a link, ad, or call to action out of the total number who see it. CTR is calculated by dividing clicks by impressions and multiplying by 100. A higher CTR indicates more effective ad copy, targeting, or content relevance. Industry benchmarks vary by channel and sector.

A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and drive profitable customer action. Content marketing includes blog posts, videos, podcasts, whitepapers, case studies, and social media posts that educate rather than directly sell.

The percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as filling out a contact form, making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or calling a phone number. It is calculated by dividing conversions by total visitors and multiplying by 100. Improving conversion rate is often more cost-effective than increasing traffic.

The total cost of acquiring one customer through a specific marketing channel or campaign. CPA is calculated by dividing total campaign spend by the number of acquisitions. It is a critical metric for evaluating marketing efficiency and determining whether advertising investments generate profitable returns.

A strategic document that outlines how an organization will communicate with stakeholders, media, and the public during a crisis. It includes pre-approved messaging templates, spokesperson designations, communication channels, escalation procedures, and post-crisis evaluation protocols.

The complete sum of experiences a customer goes through when interacting with a brand, from initial awareness through consideration, decision, purchase, and post-purchase advocacy. Mapping the customer journey helps organizations identify pain points, optimize touchpoints, and deliver personalized messaging at each stage.

A pre-built website or webpage that remains unpublished during normal operations and is activated only during a crisis. Dark sites provide a centralized location for official updates, FAQs, and resources, preventing misinformation and ensuring the public has access to accurate information.

Publicity gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertising, such as news coverage, social media shares, product reviews, and word-of-mouth referrals. Earned media is considered more credible than paid media because it comes from independent sources. It is earned through compelling stories, expert commentary, and relationship building with journalists.

An agreement between a public relations professional and a journalist that restricts the publication of information until a specified date and time. Embargoes allow reporters time to research and write thorough stories before an announcement goes public. Breaking an embargo is considered a serious breach of trust in media relations.

A national public warning system in the United States that enables authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warnings to the public via radio, television, cable, satellite, and wireless communications. EAS is jointly coordinated by FEMA, the FCC, and the National Weather Service.

A centralized facility where emergency management personnel coordinate response and recovery efforts during a disaster or crisis. The EOC serves as the hub for information gathering, resource allocation, and decision-making across multiple agencies and departments.

The ability of search engines and AI systems to identify and categorize named entities within content, such as people, organizations, locations, products, and concepts. Strong entity recognition signals help AI platforms understand what a business does, where it operates, and how it relates to other entities, improving visibility in AI-generated answers.

A selected search result that appears at the top of Google's organic results in a special box, providing a direct answer to a user's query. Featured snippets pull content from web pages and display it prominently, often earning the "position zero" designation. Content optimized for featured snippets is also more likely to be cited by AI platforms.

A model that represents the stages a potential customer passes through on their way to making a purchase. The traditional marketing funnel includes awareness, interest, consideration, intent, evaluation, and purchase stages. Modern funnels also include post-purchase stages like retention and advocacy. Each stage narrows as prospects drop off.

A pre-prepared initial response used in the early stages of a crisis when full details are not yet available. It acknowledges the situation, expresses concern, outlines immediate actions being taken, and promises further updates. Holding statements buy time while the organization gathers more information.

A single instance of an advertisement, social media post, or piece of content being displayed to a user. Impressions measure visibility, not engagement. One user may generate multiple impressions if they see the same content more than once. Impressions are used to calculate metrics like CTR and CPM (cost per thousand impressions).

A standardized, on-scene management system designed to enable effective incident management by integrating facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications within a common organizational structure. ICS is a component of NIMS and is used by all levels of government and many private-sector organizations.

A facility established during emergencies where public information officers from multiple agencies coordinate messaging to ensure consistent, accurate information reaches the public and media. The JIC operates under the Joint Information System (JIS) framework and is a key element of NIMS.

A framework that integrates incident information and public affairs into a unified organization designed to provide consistent, coordinated, accurate, accessible, timely, and complete information during crisis or incident operations. JIS operates within NIMS and supports the establishment of JICs.

A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively an organization is achieving its key business objectives. In marketing, common KPIs include conversion rate, customer acquisition cost, return on ad spend, website traffic, lead quality, and brand awareness. KPIs should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

A database used by Google and other search engines to enhance search results with structured, factual information about entities and their relationships. The Knowledge Graph powers the information panels that appear beside search results for businesses, people, and places. Being represented in the Knowledge Graph significantly improves AI search visibility.

A standalone webpage designed specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign. Unlike regular web pages that encourage exploration, landing pages are focused on a single objective or call to action. Effective landing pages include a compelling headline, benefit-focused copy, trust signals, social proof, and a clear conversion mechanism.

An AI system trained on vast amounts of text data that can generate human-like text, answer questions, and perform language tasks. Examples include GPT-4 (powering ChatGPT), Claude (by Anthropic), and Gemini (by Google). LLMs power the AI search platforms that businesses must optimize for to maintain visibility in the evolving search landscape.

The process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into people who have indicated interest in a company's products or services. Lead generation strategies include content marketing, paid advertising, SEO, social media marketing, email campaigns, webinars, and gated resources that capture contact information in exchange for value.

A brief document sent to journalists to alert them about an upcoming event, press conference, or photo opportunity. Unlike a press release that tells the full story, a media advisory answers the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) to help journalists decide whether to cover the event. Advisories are typically one page.

A comprehensive package of information about an organization provided to journalists and media outlets. A media kit typically includes a company overview, executive biographies, high-resolution photos and logos, fact sheets, recent press releases, backgrounders, and contact information. Modern media kits are often hosted online for easy access.

A designated location near an incident scene where media representatives gather to receive official briefings, conduct interviews, and file reports. The media staging area helps manage media access while ensuring reporters can obtain the information they need without interfering with response operations.

A risk communication tool that organizes complex information into structured, easily understood messages. A message map typically includes a key message (no more than 27 words), three supporting points, and supporting facts for each point. Developed by Dr. Vincent Covello, message maps help spokespersons communicate clearly under pressure.

A branch of artificial intelligence that helps computers understand, interpret, and generate human language. NLP powers voice search, AI assistants, sentiment analysis, and content categorization. Understanding NLP principles helps marketers create content that both humans and AI systems can easily parse and understand.

A written statement distributed to media outlets announcing something newsworthy about an organization. Also called a press release, it follows a specific format including headline, dateline, lead paragraph, body quotes, boilerplate, and contact information. News releases are a fundamental tool for earning media coverage and building public awareness.

A systematic, proactive approach that guides all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from incidents. NIMS provides stakeholders with a shared vocabulary, systems, and processes to successfully deliver the national preparedness capabilities.

An opinion piece written by someone not affiliated with the publication's editorial board, typically published opposite the editorial page. Op-eds allow organizational leaders and subject matter experts to share perspectives on relevant issues, positioning them as thought leaders. Effective op-eds are timely, well-argued, and offer unique insights.

Communication channels that an organization controls, including its website, blog, email newsletters, social media profiles, podcasts, and mobile apps. Owned media allows brands to publish content directly to their audience without third-party gatekeepers. A strong owned media strategy supports both earned media efforts and paid advertising campaigns.

Any form of media placement that requires payment, including digital advertising (Google Ads, social media ads), traditional advertising (TV, radio, print), sponsored content, influencer partnerships, and promoted posts. Paid media offers precise targeting and immediate visibility but lacks the credibility of earned media.

An AI-powered answer engine that provides direct, sourced answers to user queries by searching the internet in real time. Unlike traditional search engines that return links, Perplexity synthesizes information from multiple sources and provides citations. Businesses optimized for Perplexity benefit from increased visibility as the platform grows rapidly.

A formally organized event where an organization's spokesperson addresses members of the media to make announcements, provide updates, or respond to questions about significant developments. Press conferences are used for major news, crisis situations, product launches, and policy announcements. Preparation includes message development, anticipated Q&A, and venue logistics.

A government or organizational spokesperson responsible for communicating with the public, media, and other agencies during emergencies and day-to-day operations. PIOs are trained in FEMA's National Incident Management System (NIMS) and serve as the official source of information during crises, managing press conferences, news releases, and social media updates.

A marketing metric that measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. ROAS is calculated by dividing total revenue attributed to ads by total ad spend. For example, a ROAS of 5:1 means $5 in revenue for every $1 spent. ROAS helps marketers evaluate campaign profitability and allocate budgets effectively.

The systematic process of identifying, tracking, and correcting misinformation during a crisis. Effective rumor control involves monitoring social media and news outlets, establishing official channels for verified information, and proactively addressing false or misleading claims before they spread and cause harm.

Structured data code (in JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa format) added to web pages that helps search engines and AI platforms understand content in context. Common schema types include Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, and Review. Schema markup is critical for AI search visibility because it provides machine-readable information about entities and relationships.

The practice of optimizing websites and content to rank higher in organic (unpaid) search engine results. SEO encompasses technical optimization (site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability), on-page optimization (keywords, meta tags, content quality), and off-page optimization (backlinks, brand mentions, domain authority). Modern SEO also includes AI search optimization.

The ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical elements of information about what is happening in the environment around you. In crisis communications, situational awareness involves understanding the current state of an incident, anticipating how it may evolve, and making informed decisions about messaging and resource allocation.

A series of pre-scheduled, one-on-one television interviews conducted via satellite from a single studio location. SMTs allow a spokesperson to reach multiple media markets across the country in a few hours without traveling. They are commonly used for product launches, public health campaigns, and expert commentary during major news events.

The process of identifying, categorizing, and prioritizing individuals and groups who have a vested interest in or are affected by an organization's actions, especially during a crisis. Stakeholder maps help communicators tailor messages, choose appropriate channels, and allocate resources to the most critical audiences.

Organized data formatted in a way that is easily understood by search engines and AI systems. Structured data uses standardized schemas (like schema.org) to label and categorize web content, enabling rich results in search engines, improved AI citations, and better entity recognition. It is the foundation of effective AI search optimization.

An ICS application used when more than one agency has incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political boundaries. Unified Command allows all agencies with responsibility to manage the incident together by establishing a common set of objectives and strategies without losing or abdicating agency authority, responsibility, or accountability.

The practice of optimizing content to appear in voice-activated search results from devices like smartphones, smart speakers, and AI assistants. Voice search queries tend to be longer, more conversational, and question-based. Optimization strategies include targeting long-tail keywords, structuring content in Q&A format, and implementing speakable schema markup.