Glossary
Paid search monitoring glossary
Plain definitions of the terms used in brand search monitoring, affiliate compliance and paid search reporting, with official sources and what each one means in practice.
All terms
Each entry explains a term in plain words and shows how it works on Google and Microsoft Advertising. You also get a worked example, common mistakes, how to monitor it and links to the official documentation behind it. 44 terms, A to Z.
A
- Ad assetsAd assets, formerly called ad extensions, add extra content to a search ad such as sitelinks, callouts, calls or locations.
- Ad hijackingAd hijacking describes an ad that imitates a brand's own ad, often with the brand's name and a similar display URL, while sending clicks elsewhere.
- Ad RankAd Rank is the set of values Google uses to decide whether an ad can show and where it appears relative to other ads.
- Ad strengthAd strength is a Google Ads rating, from Incomplete to Excellent, of how well a responsive search ad's assets fit the keywords it targets.
- Ads Transparency CenterThe Ads Transparency Center is Google's public, searchable library of ads from verified advertisers.
- Affiliate brand biddingAffiliate brand bidding is an affiliate buying ads on a merchant's brand searches to earn commission on the resulting sales.
- Affiliate IDAn affiliate ID is the code in a tracking link that tells a merchant or network which partner referred a visit.
- AI Max for SearchAI Max for Search is a set of Google Ads features that extends a Search campaign's matching, ad text and landing pages beyond its keywords and written assets.
- Auction insightsAuction insights is a report in an advertiser's own account that compares its performance with other advertisers in the same auctions.
- Authorized resellerAn authorized reseller is a retailer or partner that a brand has allowed to sell its products, and sometimes to advertise on its brand name.
B
- Brand biddingBrand bidding is advertising on searches that include a brand name, whether by the brand itself or by another advertiser.
- Brand exclusionsBrand exclusions are a Google Ads setting that stops Performance Max and Search campaigns from serving on searches associated with the brands in a list.
- Brand mention in ad copyA brand mention in ad copy is an ad whose headline or description contains a brand's name.
- Brand SERPA brand SERP is the search engine results page shown for a query that contains a brand name.
C
- CheckIn Ads Lighthouse, a check is one search for one keyword, in one location, on one device, on one search source.
- Click identifierA click identifier is a parameter such as gclid that an ad platform adds to a landing page URL to connect a visit with the ad click.
- CloakingCloaking is showing different content to a platform's review systems than to people, to hide something that breaks advertising rules.
- ConquestingConquesting is a competitor advertising on searches for another company's brand or products to win some of that demand.
- Coupon siteA coupon site is a publisher that lists discount codes and deals, often earning affiliate commission on the resulting sales.
D
- Direct linkingDirect linking is an affiliate sending ad clicks straight to the merchant's site through a tracking link, without a page of its own in between.
- Display URL and final URLThe display URL is the web address shown in an ad; the final URL is the page the ad sends people to after any tracking.
- Dynamic Search AdsDynamic Search Ads are Google search ads whose headline and landing page are generated from the content of the advertiser's website instead of keywords.
K
L
- Landing page captureA landing page capture is a record of what an ad's destination page contained when it was fetched.
- Location targetingLocation targeting lets advertisers show ads to people in, or interested in, chosen countries, regions or cities.
- Lookalike domainA lookalike domain is a domain name that resembles a brand's own domain or name closely enough to be confused with it.
N
O
R
- Redirect chainA redirect chain is the sequence of addresses a click passes through, such as tracking or network links, before reaching the final page.
- Responsive search adsResponsive search ads combine several headlines and descriptions supplied by the advertiser, and the platform assembles a version for each search.
S
- Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console is a free Google service that reports how a site appears in Google Search, including the queries that show it.
- Search partnersSearch partners are websites outside the main search engine where the same search ads can appear, such as partner search results and YouTube search results.
- Search term vs keywordA search term is what a person typed; a keyword is what an advertiser chose to bid on, and the two are often different.
- Shopping adsShopping ads, also called product listing ads, show a product image, title, price and store name, built from a merchant's product data.
T
See these terms in your own brand searches
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