Plain English · No waffle
AI Glossary
These AI terms are the ones you’re most likely to come across. They are explained in plain English, along with why each one matters. No baffling tech-speak.
A
A/B Testing
A systematic method of comparing two versions of a webpage, email, advertisement, or AI prompt against each other to determine which one performs…
Acquisition
The process by which one company purchases most or all of another company's shares to gain control of that company. In the context of AI businesses…
Ad Creative
The visual and textual elements that make up an advertisement, including images, videos, headlines, body copy, and calls-to-action. In the AI era,…
Agentic AI
Advanced AI systems capable of autonomously performing multi-step tasks, making decisions, and taking actions to achieve specified goals without…
Anchor Pricing
A psychological pricing strategy where you present a higher-priced option first to make your actual offering seem more affordable by comparison. The…
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of protocols, tools, and definitions that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data with each other. APIs act as…
Attribution
The process of identifying and assigning credit to the marketing channels, touchpoints, or campaigns that contributed to a customer's decision to…
Automation
The use of technology to perform tasks and processes with minimal hands-on involvement. In business, automation involves using software, AI, and…
B
B2B (Business to Business)
A business model where companies sell products or services directly to other businesses rather than to individual consumers. B2B transactions…
B2C (Business to Consumer)
A business model where companies sell products or services directly to individual consumers for personal use. B2C transactions are typically smaller…
Blog
A website or section of a website featuring regularly updated content in reverse chronological order, typically written in an informal or…
Bootstrapping
The practice of starting and growing a business using personal savings, revenue generated by the business itself, and minimal external capital…
Bounce Rate
A website analytics metric representing the percentage of visitors who land on a page and then leave without interacting further or visiting…
Bubble
A powerful no-code platform that enables users to build complex, full-featured web applications without traditional programming. Unlike simpler…
Burn Rate
The rate at which a company spends its cash reserves, typically expressed as a monthly figure. If a startup has $100,000 in the bank and spends…
Business Plan
A formal written document outlining a business's goals, the strategies and methods to achieve those goals, the market opportunity, competitive…
Buyer Persona
A detailed, semi-fictional profile representing your ideal customer, based on market research, actual customer data, and informed assumptions. A…
C
Call to Action (CTA)
A prompt or instruction designed to motivate your audience to take a specific, immediate action that moves them closer to becoming a customer. CTAs…
Canva
A user-friendly, web-based graphic design platform that democratises design through templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and an extensive library…
Chargeback
A transaction reversal initiated by a customer's bank or credit card company that returns funds to the customer and deducts them from the merchant's…
ChatGPT
A large language model developed by OpenAI that can engage in natural-sounding conversations, answer questions, write content, analyse information,…
Claude
An advanced large language model developed by Anthropic, designed with a strong emphasis on safety, helpfulness, and harmlessness. Claude competes…
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who click on a link, advertisement, or call-to-action after seeing it, calculated as (clicks ÷ impressions) × 100. For…
ClickFunnels
A comprehensive sales funnel builder and marketing platform designed to automate and optimise the entire customer journey from initial awareness to…
Cold Outreach
The practice of initiating contact with potential customers, clients, or partners who have no prior relationship with you or your business,…
Compliance
The practice of adhering to laws, regulations, standards, and ethical practices relevant to your business operations and industry. For online…
Content Creator
An individual who produces entertaining, educational, or informative material across various formats and platforms, including videos, podcasts, blog…
Content Marketing
A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined…
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors or users who complete a desired action out of the total number who had the opportunity, calculated as (conversions ÷…
Copywriting
The art and science of crafting persuasive written content designed to motivate readers to take a specific action, whether making a purchase,…
Cost Per Click (CPC)
An online advertising pricing model where advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks on their ad, regardless of whether that click results in a…
Cost Per Mille (CPM)
An advertising pricing model where advertisers pay for every 1,000 impressions (views) of their ad, regardless of whether anyone clicks. 'Mille' is…
Course Platform
Online software platforms specifically designed to host, deliver, and sell educational courses, handling everything from content hosting and student…
Creator Economy
The rapidly growing economic ecosystem built around independent content creators who build audiences, create content, and monetise their influence…
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Software systems and strategies for managing all interactions with current and potential customers throughout the entire customer lifecycle. CRM…
D
Data Analysis
The process of systematically examining, cleaning, transforming, and modelling data to discover useful information, draw conclusions, and support…
Delegation
The practice of assigning tasks, responsibilities, or decision-making authority to others (whether people, freelancers, employees, or AI systems)…
Design
The intentional creation of visual, structural, and experiential elements to solve problems and communicate effectively. In business, design…
Differentiator
A unique characteristic, feature, or approach that distinguishes your product, service, or business from competitors and gives customers a…
Digital Product
Intangible goods delivered electronically that can be sold repeatedly without inventory, manufacturing, or shipping costs. Digital products include…
Discord
A communication platform originally designed for gaming communities but now widely used for building and managing online communities around any…
Domain Name
The unique web address people type into their browser to visit your website, like example.com or yourbusiness.io. Domain names must be purchased…
Drip Content
A content delivery method where material is released gradually over time rather than all at once, typically used in online courses, membership…
Dropshipping
An e-commerce business model where you sell products without holding inventory, when customers order, you purchase items from third-party suppliers…
E
E-book
A digital book distributed in electronic format, typically as PDF, EPUB, or MOBI files, that can be read on computers, tablets, e-readers, or…
E-commerce
The buying and selling of goods or services over the internet, encompassing the entire online commercial transaction process including product…
Elevator Pitch
A concise, compelling description of your business, product, or idea that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator (typically 30-60…
Email Automation
The use of software to automatically send pre-written email sequences to subscribers triggered by specific actions, conditions, or time intervals…
Email List
A collection of email addresses from people who have given explicit permission to receive communications from you, typically built through opt-in…
Email Marketing
The practice of sending commercial messages, newsletters, promotions, or valuable content to a group of people via email with the goal of building…
Engagement
The level of interaction, involvement, and attention that audiences give to your content, brand, or communications. Engagement includes actions like…
Engagement Rate
A metric quantifying the level of audience interaction with content relative to reach or follower count, typically calculated as (total engagements…
Evergreen Content
Content that remains relevant, valuable, and useful to audiences over an extended period rather than quickly becoming outdated. Evergreen content…
Exit Strategy
A planned approach for how a business owner will eventually leave their business, realise value from their investment, and transition to the next…
F
Facebook Ads
The advertising platform provided by Meta (formerly Facebook) that allows businesses to create and display targeted advertisements across Facebook,…
Few-Shot Learning
An AI capability where models learn to perform new tasks from just a small number of examples rather than requiring thousands of training instances.…
Figma
A collaborative, web-based interface design and prototyping tool used by designers and product teams to create user interfaces, websites, mobile…
Financial Independence
The state of having sufficient personal wealth and income-generating assets to cover living expenses indefinitely without needing employment income.…
Fine-Tuning
The process of taking a pre-trained AI model and further training it on a specific dataset to specialise its capabilities for particular tasks,…
Font Creation
The process of designing complete typeface families (fonts) with consistent character sets, weights, and styles. Creating professional fonts…
Forecasting
The practice of using historical data, statistical analysis, and predictive models to estimate future trends, outcomes, or values. Business…
Foundation Model
Large-scale AI models trained on massive, diverse datasets that serve as the foundation for multiple downstream applications rather than being…
Freelancer
A self-employed professional who offers services to multiple clients on a project-by-project or contract basis rather than working as a permanent…
Frontend
The client-facing part of a website or application that users directly interact with, everything visible in the browser including layout, design,…
Fulfilment
The complete process of receiving, processing, packing, and shipping customer orders, plus handling returns and exchanges. For physical product…
Funnel
A marketing model visualising the customer journey from initial awareness through to purchase and beyond, typically narrowing at each stage as some…
G
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
A comprehensive data protection law enacted by the European Union in 2018 that governs how personal data must be collected, processed, stored, and…
Gig Economy
A labour market characterised by short-term contracts, temporary positions, and freelance work rather than traditional permanent employment…
Glide
A no-code platform that enables users to create mobile and web applications directly from spreadsheets, particularly Google Sheets and Excel. Glide…
Google Ads
Google's comprehensive online advertising platform allowing businesses to display ads across Google Search results, YouTube, Gmail, Google Display…
Google Analytics
A free web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, user behaviour, and conversion data. Google Analytics…
Google Gemini
Google's family of large language models, built to compete with OpenAI's GPT series and Anthropic's Claude. Gemini was designed from the ground up…
Google Trends
A free research tool from Google showing how search interest for specific terms or topics has changed over time and varies by geographic location.…
Grammarly
An AI-powered writing assistant that analyses text to detect and correct grammar mistakes, spelling errors, punctuation issues, and style…
Growth Hacking
A marketing approach focused on rapid experimentation across channels and product development to identify the most efficient ways to grow a…
Gumroad
An e-commerce platform specifically designed for creators to sell digital products, physical goods, memberships, and courses directly to audiences…
H
Hashtag
A word or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#) used on social media platforms to categorise content, make it discoverable, and join broader…
Hook
The opening element of any piece of content, whether video, article, email, or advertisement, designed to immediately capture attention and compel…
HubSpot
A comprehensive customer relationship management and marketing automation platform that provides integrated tools for marketing, sales, customer…
Hugging Face
An open-source platform and community for machine learning, serving as a hub for AI models, datasets, and tools. Hugging Face hosts thousands of…
Hyper-Localised Advertising
Targeted advertising campaigns focused on extremely specific geographic areas, often down to neighborhoods, individual streets, or radius around a…
I
Imposter Syndrome
A psychological pattern where individuals doubt their skills, accomplishments, or expertise and maintain a persistent fear of being exposed as a…
Integration
The connection and synchronisation between different software applications, tools, or systems enabling them to share data and work together…
Intellectual Property (IP)
Legal rights protecting creations of the mind including inventions, artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce. IP…
Invoice
A commercial document itemising and recording a transaction between a buyer and seller, requesting payment for goods or services provided. Invoices…
Iteration
The process of repeating and refining actions, products, or strategies through successive cycles of testing, learning, and improvement. Iteration…
J
K
L
Landing Page
A standalone web page specifically designed for marketing or advertising campaigns, created with a single focused objective, usually capturing leads…
Large Language Model (LLM)
Artificial intelligence systems trained on vast amounts of text data to understand, generate, and manipulate natural language. LLMs like GPT,…
Lead Generation
The marketing process of identifying, attracting, and capturing potential customers (leads) who have expressed interest in your products or…
Lead Magnet
A free, valuable resource offered to potential customers in exchange for their contact information, typically email addresses. Effective lead…
Lean Startup
A methodology for developing businesses and products that emphasises rapid experimentation, validated learning, and iterative product releases to…
Leverage
The strategic use of resources, tools, systems, or advantages to achieve multiplied results beyond direct effort. In business, leverage includes…
Licensing
A business arrangement where rights holders grant permission to others to use intellectual property, trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets,…
A professional networking platform focused on career development, business relationships, industry knowledge, and B2B marketing. With over 1 billion…
LMS (Learning Management System)
Software platforms designed specifically for creating, delivering, managing, and tracking educational courses and training programs. LMS platforms…
Low-Code
Development platforms that enable building applications primarily through visual interfaces, drag-and-drop components, and pre-built functionality…
M
Machine Learning
A subset of artificial intelligence where computer systems learn from data and improve performance on specific tasks over time without being…
Mailchimp
A popular email marketing and automation platform enabling businesses to create, send, and analyse email campaigns while managing subscriber lists.…
Margin
The difference between what you sell a product or service for and what it costs to provide, typically expressed as a percentage. Gross margin…
Market Research
The systematic gathering, analysis, and interpretation of information about target markets, customers, competitors, and industry trends to make…
Marketing
The comprehensive set of activities, strategies, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that provide value…
Membership
A business model where customers pay recurring fees (typically monthly or annually) for ongoing access to content, community, services, or benefits…
Metrics
Quantifiable measurements used to track, assess, and guide business performance toward objectives. Key metrics (KPIs - Key Performance Indicators)…
Midjourney
A leading AI image generation platform that creates highly detailed, artistic images from text descriptions (prompts). You use Midjourney through…
Minimum Viable Offer (MVO)
The simplest, most streamlined version of a product or service offering that can be presented to the target market to validate demand and generate…
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
The simplest version of a product with just enough features to satisfy early adopters and provide feedback for future development. MVP strategy,…
Monetisation
The process and strategies for generating revenue from products, services, content, audiences, or assets. Monetisation models vary widely: direct…
Motion
An AI-powered calendar and project management application that automatically schedules tasks, manages projects, and optimises time allocation using…
N
n8n
An open-source workflow automation platform similar to Zapier but offering more flexibility, control, and cost-effectiveness through self-hosting…
Newsletter
A regularly distributed publication delivered primarily via email, containing news, updates, insights, or curated content focused on specific topics…
Niche
A specialised, focused segment of a larger market defined by specific characteristics, needs, preferences, or demographics. Niches represent subsets…
No-Code
Platforms and tools enabling users to build applications, websites, workflows, and automations using visual interfaces, pre-built components, and…
O
Onboarding
The process of welcoming and integrating new customers, users, or employees into your business, product, or organisation. Effective onboarding…
Online Course
Educational programs delivered digitally through pre-recorded videos, written content, assessments, and interactive elements, enabling students to…
OpenAI
An artificial intelligence research and deployment company that created ChatGPT, DALL-E, and several other influential AI models. Founded in 2015 as…
Optimisation
The systematic process of making improvements to increase efficiency, effectiveness, or results, typically through testing, analysis, and…
Owned Media
Marketing channels and assets that your business directly controls, including your website, blog, email list, mobile apps, and any content platforms…
P
Passive Income
Revenue generated with minimal ongoing effort or time investment after initial setup, continuing to flow with little active maintenance. True…
Payhip
An e-commerce platform enabling creators to sell digital products, physical goods, memberships, and courses directly to audiences without technical…
Persona (Customer Persona)
A detailed, research-based fictional representation of an ideal customer, synthesising demographic, psychographic, behavioural, and motivational…
Personalisation
The practice of tailoring content, products, services, recommendations, or experiences to individual users based on their characteristics,…
Phishing
A fraudulent practice where attackers impersonate trustworthy entities through emails, messages, or websites to trick people into revealing…
Pickaxe Seller Strategy
A business approach inspired by the California Gold Rush observation that merchants selling picks, shovels, and supplies to gold seekers often…
Plugin
A software component adding specific features or functionality to existing programs, platforms, or systems without modifying core code. Plugins…
PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
An online advertising model where advertisers pay fees each time users click their ads rather than paying for impressions or reach. PPC is the…
Pre-sale
The practice of selling products or services before they're fully built or delivered, using customer purchases to validate demand and fund…
Print-on-Demand
A business model where products are manufactured only when orders are received rather than maintaining inventory. Particularly popular for custom…
Productivity
The measure of efficiency in converting inputs (time, effort, resources) into valuable outputs (results, revenue, completed work). Productivity…
Prompt
The input text, question, or instruction provided to AI systems, particularly large language models, to generate desired responses or outputs.…
Prompt Chaining
A technique for handling complex tasks by breaking them into sequential prompts where each step's output becomes input for the next, guiding AI…
Prompt Crafting/Engineering
The skill and practice of designing effective prompts to elicit desired, high-quality outputs from AI systems, particularly large language models.…
Prototype
An early, simplified version of a product used to test concepts, visualise ideas, gather feedback, and identify problems before full development.…
R
Referral Program
A marketing strategy incentivising existing customers to recommend your business to others, typically offering rewards for successful referrals.…
Refinement (of AI content)
The hands-on process of editing, improving, and polishing AI-generated outputs to enhance quality, accuracy, alignment with goals, and brand voice.…
Reinvest
The practice of putting profits earned from a business back into that business to fuel growth, improve operations, or expand capabilities rather…
Repurposing
The practice of transforming existing content into different formats or adapting it for different platforms, channels, or purposes to maximise value…
Resilience
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, adapt to adversity, maintain focus despite setbacks, and persist through challenges that would…
Retainer (Fee)
A recurring payment arrangement where clients pay fixed monthly or quarterly fees to secure ongoing access to services, typically used by…
ROI (Return on Investment)
A performance measure calculating the profitability of an investment by comparing net profit to cost, typically expressed as a percentage: (Gain -…
Royalty-Free
A licensing arrangement allowing purchasers to use creative assets, music, images, video, fonts, graphics, multiple times without paying ongoing…
Run Rate
A financial metric projecting annual revenue or expenses by extrapolating current performance over a full year. Typically calculated by annualising…
S
SaaS (Software as a Service)
A software distribution and licensing model where applications are hosted centrally (typically in the cloud) and provided to customers via internet…
Scaling (a Business)
The process of growing a business's capacity to serve more customers, generate more revenue, and expand operations while maintaining or improving…
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
The practice of improving website visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results through optimising content, technical elements, and…
Side Hustle
A business or income-generating activity pursued alongside full-time employment or other primary commitments, typically started with limited time…
Social Media Management
The practice of creating, scheduling, publishing, monitoring, and engaging with content across social media platforms to build audience, strengthen…
Solopreneur
An entrepreneur who starts and operates a business independently without partners or employees, handling all aspects from strategy to execution,…
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
Documented step-by-step instructions explaining how to perform specific business tasks or processes consistently and correctly. SOPs detail each…
Spreadsheet
Electronic documents organising data in rows and columns, enabling calculations, analysis, and data management through formulas and functions.…
Stable Diffusion
An open-source AI image generation model creating images from text descriptions, notable for being freely available and runnable on personal…
Stripe
A payment processing platform enabling businesses to accept online payments through credit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, and alternative…
Sub-Niche
A specialised segment within an already focused niche market, representing an even more specific audience with particular characteristics, needs, or…
Subscription
A business model where customers pay recurring fees (weekly, monthly, annually) for ongoing access to products, services, or content rather than…
T
Target Audience
The specific group of people most likely to be interested in and benefit from your products, services, or content, defined by demographic,…
Template
A pre-designed, partially completed document, file, or structure serving as a starting point for creating something new, typically including…
Traffic
The volume of visitors coming to your website, platform, or digital property, typically measured in sessions, page views, or unique visitors.…
U
Upsell
A sales technique encouraging customers to purchase a more expensive, upgraded, or premium version of their intended purchase, or add complementary…
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience, feelings, and satisfaction people have when interacting with products, services, websites, or applications, encompassing…
V
Valuation
The process of determining the current worth of a business, asset, or investment, typically expressed as a monetary amount. Valuation methods vary…
Value-Based Pricing
A pricing strategy setting prices based on perceived value to customers rather than costs, competition, or arbitrary markups. Value-based pricing…
Virtual Assistant
Remote workers providing administrative, technical, creative, or specialised support to businesses or entrepreneurs without being full-time…
W
Website
A collection of interlinked web pages and content, accessible via the internet under a common domain name, serving various purposes from information…
Workflow
A defined sequence of steps, tasks, or processes required to complete specific business activities or achieve particular outcomes. Workflows can be…
Y
Z
Zapier
A workflow automation platform connecting thousands of applications and services (over 7,000 at last count), enabling automated workflows (called…
Zero-Shot Learning
An AI capability where models perform tasks they weren't explicitly trained for by leveraging general knowledge to understand and execute new…
Nothing matches that search. Try a shorter word.