The working vocabulary of marketing diagnostics.

A

Asset GroupGoogle Ads

A container inside a Performance Max campaign that groups creative assets (headlines, descriptions, images, videos) with an audience signal set. Asset groups themed by product category or customer segment outperform asset groups themed by creative type.

Attribution WindowAnalytics

The time window within which a conversion is credited to a prior ad interaction. Common settings: 7-day click and 1-day view for Meta, 30-day click for Google Ads.

B

Brand SearchPaid advertising

Queries that include the brand name or a close variant. Brand search converts at 10 to 20x the rate of non-brand search and should be separated from non-brand in account structure to prevent budget cannibalization.

C

Cart AbandonmentEcommerce

A visitor who adds a product to cart but does not complete checkout. Rates above 70% are typical across ecommerce; rates above 80% signal a structural checkout problem.

Click-Through RatePaid advertising

Ratio of clicks to impressions. A diagnostic signal, not a success metric. Elevated CTR with low conversion rate usually indicates message-match break between the ad and landing page.

Conversion Rate OptimizationConversion

The structural discipline of resolving the specific architectural problems causing visitors not to convert. Distinct from A/B testing, which is a tactical tool used inside CRO.

Conversion Second OpinionService

Stan Consulting's entry engagement. A written diagnostic of paid advertising and conversion architecture, delivered in 72 hours for $999. No retainer required. A fee is final on submission applies before diagnostic work commences.

Conversion TrackingAnalytics

The mechanism by which ad platforms learn which clicks lead to business outcomes. Incorrect conversion tracking corrupts bid signal and produces wasted spend at scale.

Cost per AcquisitionPaid advertising

The advertising spend required to produce one customer. Distinct from cost per lead; CPA is post-conversion.

D

DiagnosticMethodology

A structured assessment of a system that identifies the specific causes of underperformance. Always precedes prescription. The Conversion Second Opinion is our standard diagnostic engagement.

Dynamic RemarketingPaid advertising

Ads that serve specific product images to visitors who previously viewed those products. Effective on cart abandoners; ineffective on cold prospects.

F

FeedEcommerce

The product catalog file Shopify, Woo, or custom stores pass to Google Shopping and Performance Max. Feed hygiene problems suppress 20-40% of eligible inventory in typical accounts.

Fit CallService

A scoping conversation for broader engagements beyond the Conversion Second Opinion. Determines whether the engagement format fits the commercial situation. No fee.

G

Google ShoppingPaid advertising

Product-listing ads served in Google Search and across the Shopping tab. Product-listing ads rely on a clean feed; most Shopping underperformance is feed-driven.

I

Impression SharePaid advertising

The percentage of available auction opportunities an account is winning. Low impression share on branded queries signals underbidding; high impression share on broad non-brand signals possible wasted budget.

L

Landing PageConversion

The page a visitor arrives on after clicking an ad. The landing page is responsible for converting paid traffic. Poor landing page performance produces low platform-reported conversion rate even when ads are working.

M

Marketing System BuildService

Our engagement for rebuilding a marketing architecture from first principles. Channel mix, campaign structure, messaging, tracking, attribution. Scoped on a fit call. Pricing case-by-case.

Match TypeGoogle Ads

The setting that controls how closely a user query must match a keyword to trigger an ad. Broad match expands aggressively; phrase match is constrained; exact match is narrow. Match type decay is a common cause of wasted spend.

Meta PixelMeta Ads

The tracking script that records visitor actions on a website for use by Facebook and Instagram ad platforms. The Pixel must fire on the correct events to produce accurate optimization signal.

P

Performance MaxGoogle Ads

A campaign type that serves ads across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Discover, and Gmail using a single budget and optimization target. Effective when constrained by audience signals and asset group themes; ineffective when run without containment.

Principal ConsultantRole

The senior operator responsible for strategic and diagnostic judgment on a client engagement. At Stan Consulting, the principal is Stan Tscherenkow. The principal reviews every diagnosis before it is delivered.

R

ROASPaid advertising

Return on ad spend. Revenue attributable to ad spend, divided by ad spend. A directional metric; not commercially meaningful without margin and lifetime value context.

Revenue SprintService

Stan Consulting's back-end $4,000 engagement. Referral-only. Closed behind a fit call. Never cold-marketed.

S

Search CampaignGoogle Ads

A Google Ads campaign serving text ads in response to user search queries. Search campaigns are the most controllable campaign type in the Google Ads system.

Search Terms ReportGoogle Ads

The report listing actual user queries that triggered ads, versus the keywords the advertiser bid on. The search terms report reveals match type decay and identifies negative keyword candidates.

T

Target CPAGoogle Ads

A bid strategy that optimizes for a specified cost per acquisition. Requires sufficient conversion volume (typically 30+ conversions in 30 days) to train effectively.

Target ROASGoogle Ads

A bid strategy that optimizes for a specified return on ad spend. Requires sufficient conversion value signal; unstable at low volume.

Three-Layer ArchitectureFramework

Stan Consulting's canonical Google Ads structure: Search, Shopping, and Performance Max operating as one integrated signal system with brand containment, feed hygiene, and audience seeding.

U

UTM ParametersAnalytics

URL parameters that identify traffic source, medium, and campaign in analytics platforms. UTM discipline determines whether attribution questions are answerable.

W

Wasted SpendPaid advertising

Advertising budget consumed by queries, placements, or audiences that do not produce commercially meaningful conversion. Typical diagnostic engagements identify 20-40% wasted spend in active accounts.