P

Paid search

Paid search refers to the ability for companies to “ purchase” keywords at search sites such as Google and Overture, so that if a person types in a keyword you have purchased, your site comes up at the top of the results list with a title and description that you wrote.

Pop-ups

Secondary windows  that open either upon entry to a site or as a result of an action a visitor takes. Note that software by Google, Yahoo and possibly others that blocks pop-ups.

Prepopulation/Auto-population

The ability for a Web site or form to automatically identify a customer or prospect and fill in certain boxes of customer information based on what already exists about that person in the company’s database, for instance, their name, account number, address. The form must be integrated with accompany database to enable prepopulation.

R

Radio buttons

Radio buttons are common with multiple choice questions. Think about an online question such as. “Do you agree with President Bush’s reasons for going to war?” The selections might be yes, no, maybe, or not sure. That would be four radio buttons. Usually, with radio buttons, only one answer can be selected. This is unlike check boxes, where you can select as many as apply.

Rich media

Rich media is anything that involves sophistication of motion, sound or movement, or specialized delivery vehicles that require plug-ins. Flash, PDF, Quick time and Shockwave are all examples of rich media formats.

S

Search engine optimization or SEO

The art and science of getting search engines to notice and rank your site prominently for relevant terms in their organic listings (aka natural or free). Tactics can include site construction, copywriting, page and meta tagging, and link campaigns, among other things, This complex and frequently changing art is best performed for you by a full-time experienced practitioner.

T

Text Chat

A typed conversation on-screen between two parties, usually a customer service rep and a Web site visitors. Text chat is a form of live support, and comes in two flavors: individual text chat- meaning the rep talks with one customer at a time, or group chat- where the rep interacts with many customers at a time. Some group chat sessions are programmed so you can see all the interactions taking place. Others appear private so you will only see your own.

U

Usability

Usability  guru Steve Krung defines the term as “ simply making sure something works well for the average person. “ For our purposes here, what it means to you is, designing your landing page so that the process your customer or prospect walks through to get from click to close is as quick and easy as possible, and results in the maximum number of possible completions.