Ever wondered what the SEO acronym actually stands for? Or what all those other marketing abbreviations like CPC, CPM, and KPI mean?
Here’s a simple guide for Australian businesses to quickly understand 15 must-know terms.
1. SEO – Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is about improving your website’s organic (unpaid) visibility on search engines like Google and Bing.
It includes:
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Writing relevant blog posts and articles
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Using strategic keywords
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Getting backlinks
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Speeding up your website
Bonus: Great SEO can land you a featured snippet (the answer box at the very top of a Google page) driving huge visibility.
2. SERP – Search Engine Results Page
A SERP is what you see when you search something on Google.
It includes:
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Paid ads
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Organic listings
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Google Business Profiles
Ranking higher on SERPs means more local customers finding you first.
3. PPC – Pay-Per-Click
PPC advertising (like Google Ads) charges you only when someone clicks your ad.
It’s perfect for:
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Immediate brand exposure
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Driving targeted traffic
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Getting more leads quickly
4. SEM – Search Engine Marketing
SEM used to mean both SEO and PPC. Today, it usually refers just to paid ads.
Running SEM campaigns helps you get to the top of search results almost instantly (especially useful in competitive industries).
5. CPC – Cost-Per-Click
CPC = How much you pay for each click on your PPC ad.
Lowering your CPC means:
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Better ad quality (higher Quality Score)
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Smarter bidding strategies
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Higher return for your ad spend
6. CPL – Cost-Per-Lead
CPL measures how much you spend to generate one lead, such as:
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A phone inquiry
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A form fill
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A newsletter signup
A lower CPL = more efficient marketing.
7. CPA – Cost-Per-Acquisition
CPA tracks the cost of getting an actual customer (not just a lead).
It’s crucial for:
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Measuring real business growth
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Adjusting ad budgets based on sales results
8. CPM – Cost-Per-Mille (Thousand Impressions)
CPM = How much it costs to show your ad 1,000 times.
Useful when your goal is:
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Brand awareness
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Product launches
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Building familiarity before a direct offer
9. CTR – Click-Through Rate
CTR = Clicks ÷ Impressions
A high CTR means:
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Your ads are compelling
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Your headlines and offers resonate
If your CTR is low, test new messaging or creatives.
10. KPI – Key Performance Indicator
KPIs are the scorecards of your marketing success.
Good KPIs are:
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Specific
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Measurable
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Relevant
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Time-bound
Examples: Number of leads per month, ROI percentage, cost per sale.
11. LTV – Lifetime Value
LTV estimates how much total revenue one customer generates over their relationship with you.
Knowing LTV helps you:
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Set smart marketing budgets
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Understand how much you can spend to win a new customer
12. ROI – Return on Investment
ROI = (Revenue – Costs) ÷ Costs
Tracking ROI helps you answer:
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“Is this campaign profitable?”
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“Should we scale or shift strategy?”
13. CTA – Call to Action
A CTA tells your website visitors exactly what to do next, like:
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“Book a Free Quote”
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“Download the Brochure”
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“Call Now”
Strong CTAs = more conversions.
14. CMS – Content Management System
A CMS helps you easily:
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Build your website
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Update blogs
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Manage landing pages
Examples: WordPress, Shopify, Wix.
15. CRM – Customer Relationship Management
A CRM system stores all your:
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Customer contacts
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Past conversations
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Lead data
It helps you manage sales pipelines and stay on top of client relationships.
Popular CRM platforms in Australia: HubSpot, Zoho, and Salesforce.
💬 Want Help Applying These Marketing Strategies?
The SEO acronym and others can be confusing at first, but if you’re ready to grow your business smarter, not harder, let’s talk.
We specialise in Google Ads and lead generation for Australian businesses.
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