The words, in plain language.
22 AI, automation and marketing terms a small business owner runs into, explained without the jargon.
A
- AI voice agentAI receptionist, AI phone agentSoftware that answers phone calls and holds a spoken conversation, using a language model plus the business's own rules, calendar and information.
- Answer engine optimizationAEO, generative engine optimization (GEO)Making a business easy for AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews to find, understand and cite in their answers.
- APIApplication programming interfaceA defined way for one piece of software to request data or actions from another.
C
- Conversions APICAPI, server-side trackingA way of sending conversion events, such as a lead or purchase, from a server directly to an ad platform, alongside or instead of the browser pixel.
- Core Web VitalsGoogle's measures of how fast and stable a page feels: loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS).
- CRMCustomer relationship managementA system that keeps a record of every customer and lead, with their contact details, conversations and stage in the sales process.
G
L
- Large language modelLLMAn AI model trained on large amounts of text to predict and generate language, used to understand messages and write replies.
- Lead qualificationSorting new enquiries by how likely and how ready they are to buy, usually by asking a few standard questions.
- llms.txtA plain-text file at a website's root that summarizes the site and links its key pages, written for AI tools to read.
S
- Schema markupStructured dataCode added to a web page that describes its content in a standard format, such as a local business, a product or an FAQ, so search engines understand it.
- Speed to leadHow quickly a business responds to a new enquiry, measured from when the enquiry arrives to the first useful reply.