AI & Tech Glossary

Your comprehensive guide to understanding AI, technology, and digital business terminology

80 essential terms to help UK small businesses navigate digital transformation

A/B Testing

Marketing

Comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or ad to determine which performs better. Essential for data-driven marketing optimization.

Agile Methodology

Technical

Project management approach emphasizing iterative development, team collaboration, and customer feedback. Common in software development.

AI Ethics

AI

Principles and guidelines ensuring AI development and deployment is fair, transparent, accountable, and beneficial to society. Addresses bias, privacy, and social impact.

AI Hallucination

AI

When AI generates plausible-sounding but factually incorrect or nonsensical information. Important consideration when implementing AI in business processes.

Algorithm

AI

A step-by-step set of instructions or rules that a computer follows to solve a problem or complete a task. The foundation of all computer programs and AI systems.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Technical

Set of protocols and tools allowing different software applications to communicate with each other. Enables integration between systems and services.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI

Computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.

Backend Development

Technical

Server-side development handling database interactions, server logic, and application architecture. Powers the functionality behind user interfaces.

Brand Awareness

Marketing

Extent to which consumers recognize and remember a brand. Foundation for building customer preference and loyalty.

Break-Even Point

Business

Point where total revenue equals total costs, resulting in neither profit nor loss. Critical milestone for new businesses.

Business Intelligence

Business

Technologies and strategies for analyzing business information. Transforms raw data into meaningful insights for informed decision-making.

Business Process Optimization

Business

Practice of improving business processes to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance output quality.

Call to Action (CTA)

Marketing

Prompt encouraging immediate response or action from the audience. Examples include 'Buy Now', 'Sign Up', or 'Learn More' buttons.

Cash Flow

Business

Total amount of money being transferred into and out of a business. Positive cash flow is essential for business survival.

Chatbot

AI

AI-powered software that conducts conversations via text or voice, simulating human interaction. Used for customer service, lead generation, and automated support.

Churn Rate

Business

Percentage of customers who stop using a product or service during a given period. Key indicator of customer satisfaction and business health.

Cloud Computing

Technical

Delivery of computing services over the internet, including storage, databases, servers, and software. Eliminates need for local infrastructure.

Competitive Advantage

Business

Attribute allowing an organization to outperform competitors. Can include unique products, lower costs, or superior service.

Computer Vision

AI

AI field enabling computers to interpret and understand visual information from the world, including images and videos. Used in facial recognition, object detection, and quality control.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Technical

Distributed server network delivering web content based on user location. Improves website speed and reduces server load.

Content Management System (CMS)

Technical

Software application enabling users to create, manage, and modify website content without specialized technical knowledge. Examples include WordPress and Shopify.

Content Marketing

Marketing

Strategic marketing approach creating valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience, ultimately driving profitable customer action.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Marketing

Systematic process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take desired actions, such as making purchases or filling out forms.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Business

Total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses. Critical metric for evaluating business sustainability.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Marketing

Total revenue a business can expect from a single customer throughout their relationship. Key metric for determining marketing spend and strategy.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Marketing

Systems and strategies for managing company interactions with current and potential customers. Centralizes customer data and automates sales processes.

Cybersecurity

Technical

Practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from digital attacks. Includes threat prevention, detection, and response strategies.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Business

Basing business decisions on data analysis and interpretation rather than intuition or observation alone.

Database

Technical

Organized collection of structured data stored electronically. Enables efficient data retrieval, management, and updating for applications.

Deep Learning

AI

Advanced machine learning using multi-layered neural networks to progressively extract higher-level features from raw input. Powers image recognition, speech processing, and complex predictions.

DevOps

Technical

Practices combining software development and IT operations to shorten development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery.

Digital Transformation

Business

Integration of digital technology into all business areas, fundamentally changing operations and customer value delivery. Essential for modern competitiveness.

Domain Name

Technical

Human-readable address of a website (like feralonline.com). Translates to IP addresses that computers use to locate websites.

Edge AI

AI

AI processing done locally on devices rather than in the cloud. Enables faster response times, reduced bandwidth usage, and enhanced privacy.

Email Marketing

Marketing

Digital marketing strategy sending commercial messages to groups via email. Includes newsletters, promotional campaigns, and automated sequences.

Encryption

Technical

Process of converting information into code to prevent unauthorized access. Essential for protecting sensitive data in transit and storage.

Engagement Rate

Marketing

Metric measuring audience interaction with content, calculated as total engagement (likes, comments, shares) divided by reach or impressions.

Frontend Development

Technical

Creating the visual and interactive elements of websites that users see and interact with. Involves HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and user experience design.

Generative AI

AI

AI systems that create new content including text, images, music, and code. Revolutionizing creative industries and content production.

Influencer Marketing

Marketing

Marketing strategy partnering with influential people to promote products or services to their followers. Leverages trust and authenticity.

Intellectual Property

Business

Creations of the mind such as inventions, designs, and artistic works. Protected by patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

Business

Measurable value demonstrating how effectively a company achieves key business objectives. Used to evaluate success at reaching targets.

Landing Page

Marketing

Standalone web page created specifically for marketing campaigns. Designed to convert visitors into leads or customers with focused messaging.

Large Language Model (LLM)

AI

AI models trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text. Examples include GPT-4 and Claude, powering content creation and conversation.

Lead Generation

Marketing

Process of attracting and converting prospects into potential customers interested in your products or services. Foundation of B2B marketing strategies.

Machine Learning

AI

A subset of AI where computers learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. Systems identify patterns in data to make decisions with minimal human intervention.

Market Segmentation

Business

Dividing target markets into smaller, more defined categories based on demographics, needs, priorities, or behaviors.

Marketing Automation

Marketing

Technology that manages marketing processes and campaigns across multiple channels automatically. Includes email marketing, social media posting, and lead nurturing.

Marketing Funnel

Marketing

Visual representation of the customer journey from awareness to purchase. Typically includes awareness, interest, consideration, intent, and purchase stages.

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Business

Product version with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future development.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

AI

AI technology that enables computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language in a valuable way. Powers chatbots, voice assistants, and translation services.

Neural Network

AI

Computing systems inspired by the human brain's network of neurons. These interconnected nodes process information in layers, enabling complex pattern recognition and decision-making.

Outsourcing

Business

Business practice of hiring external parties to perform services traditionally handled internally. Can reduce costs and access specialized expertise.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Marketing

Online advertising model where advertisers pay each time users click their ads. Common on search engines and social media platforms.

Predictive Analytics

AI

Using historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to identify the likelihood of future outcomes. Helps businesses anticipate trends and make data-driven decisions.

Profit Margin

Business

Percentage of revenue remaining after all expenses are deducted. Key indicator of business profitability and efficiency.

Prompt Engineering

AI

The practice of crafting effective instructions or queries to get optimal responses from AI models. Critical skill for maximizing AI tool effectiveness.

Reinforcement Learning

AI

AI training method where agents learn by trial and error, receiving rewards or penalties for actions. Used in game playing, robotics, and optimization problems.

Responsive Design

Technical

Web design approach ensuring websites adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices. Essential for mobile-friendly user experiences.

Retargeting

Marketing

Online advertising targeting users who previously visited your website or engaged with your brand. Keeps brands top-of-mind for potential customers.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Marketing

Performance measure evaluating the efficiency of an investment. Calculated as (Gain from Investment - Cost) / Cost, expressed as a percentage.

Scalability

Business

Ability of a system, network, or process to handle growing amounts of work or expand to accommodate growth.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Marketing

The practice of improving website visibility in search engine results through content optimization, technical improvements, and link building.

Social Media Marketing

Marketing

Using social platforms to connect with audiences, build brands, increase sales, and drive website traffic. Includes organic and paid strategies.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Technical

Software distribution model where applications are hosted by vendors and provided to customers over the internet via subscription.

SSL Certificate

Technical

Digital certificate authenticating website identity and enabling encrypted connections. Shows as padlock icon in browsers, building user trust.

Stakeholder

Business

Individual or group with interest in or affected by business operations. Includes employees, customers, investors, and communities.

Supervised Learning

AI

Machine learning approach where models learn from labeled training data, with each example paired with the correct answer. Used for classification and regression tasks.

Supply Chain Management

Business

Handling entire production flow from raw materials to delivering final products to consumers. Critical for operational efficiency.

Training Data

AI

The dataset used to teach machine learning models to recognize patterns and make predictions. Quality and quantity of training data directly impact AI performance.

Transfer Learning

AI

Technique where a model trained for one task is adapted for a related task. Reduces training time and data requirements for new AI applications.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Technical

Security process requiring two different authentication factors to verify user identity. Significantly enhances account security.

Unsupervised Learning

AI

Machine learning where models find patterns in unlabeled data without predefined answers. Used for clustering, anomaly detection, and discovering hidden patterns.

User Experience (UX)

Technical

Overall experience users have when interacting with products or services. Focuses on usability, accessibility, and satisfaction.

User Interface (UI)

Technical

Visual elements through which users interact with products or services. Includes buttons, menus, forms, and layout design.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

Marketing

Content created by customers or fans rather than brands. Includes reviews, social media posts, and testimonials that build trust and authenticity.

Value Proposition

Business

Clear statement explaining how products or services solve problems, deliver benefits, and why customers should choose you over competitors.

Version Control

Technical

System tracking and managing changes to code over time. Git is the most common example, enabling collaboration and code history.

Web Hosting

Technical

Service providing storage space and access for websites on internet servers. Determines website speed, uptime, and reliability.

Workflow Automation

Business

Using technology to perform recurring tasks or processes where manual effort can be replaced. Reduces costs and increases efficiency.

We use cookies to analyze our website traffic and optimize your experience. By accepting, you consent to our use of analytics cookies.