OptinMonster Glossary

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A

A/B Test

alias: ‘split test‘

An A/B Test compares two versions of a campaign to see which one performs better. You compare two campaigns by showing the two variants (let’s call them A and B) to similar visitors at the same time. The campaign that yields a better conversion rate, wins the test.

Account Wide Embed Code

The account wide embed code is a single piece of code you add to your site to allow any campaigns you create to appear.

Using the account wide embed code allows you to quickly manage which optins can appear on your site directly from the OptinMonster Dashboard, unlike the campaign specific embed code which requires you to add the unique embed code for each campaign before it can appear on your site.

All changes to a campaign (including the creation of new campaigns) are reflected without needing to change the embed code.

Actions

This is a section of the Display Rules tab. In the Actions section, you can configure what happens when the conditions pass, such as:

Show a specific view
Show a MonsterEffect
Play a sound effect

Analytics

Analytics is the combined data or statistics for campaigns which show the number of impressions, conversions, and the conversion rate.

All analytics data in OptinMonster requires you connect your campaigns to Google Analytics.

B

Block

Blocks are the items you can add to your campaign to configure its design. These include column blocks and elements.

Builder

alias: ‘optin builder’

The builder is the main interface for designing and configuring campaigns.

C

Campaign

alias: ‘optin form‘, ‘optin’

A campaign, also referred to as an optin form or optin, allows website visitors to subscribe to your email list and receive marketing material.

A campaign can also be used creatively for other purposes like redirecting a site visitor to a different page/URL, providing a coupon code, collecting data in a survey, displaying a message without collecting any data, and more.

Campaign ID

alias: ‘optin ID’

The campaign ID is a unique numeric identifier automatically assigned to campaigns when they are created. The campaign ID is used to identify campaigns.

Campaign Scheduling

Campaign Scheduling is a display rule that allows you to show or hide a campaign based on date and time.

Campaigns can be configured to display over a date or time range, specific days of the week, or during a particular month. When setting a time you can also choose whether to use the visitor’s local time, or a specific time zone.

Campaign Slug

alias: ‘optin slug’, ‘slug’

The campaign slug, like the campaign ID, is a unique identifier assigned to each individual campaign.

A common use of the campaign slug is when creating MonsterLinks to manually trigger a popup campaign to appear.

The campaign slug can be found in the Dashboard, and in the MonsterLink section of the Display Rules when editing the campaign.

For users of the OptinMonster plugin for WordPress, the campaign slug is also shown in the Optins view of the plugin.

Campaign Specific Embed Code

The Campaign Specific Embed Code is one type of OptinMonster embed code that allows you to incorporate a single campaign into a web page or website.

As with all embed codes, updates and changes you make to the campaign are automatically reflected on your site without needing to update this code.

Campaign Type

alias: ‘optin type,’

A campaign type is a style of campaign which shares common styles, features and functionality. Campaign types available in OptinMonster include:

Popup
Floating Bar
Slide-In
Inline
Fullscreen

It is not possible to change a campaign’s type after it has been created.

Canvas

alias: ‘Canvas Technology’

Canvas is OptinMonster’s “blank canvas” template, which allows for complete customization using the Builder.

Canvas still allows you to use typical configuration options like Page-Level Targeting, A/B Testing, Exit-Intent and more.

See also:

Cart Abandonment

alias: ‘form abandonment’

Cart abandonment is when a site visitor attempts to leave your website without completing a purchase, or without reading an entire post, etc.

OptinMonster’s Exit-Intent and Page-Level Targeting features can detect this behavior, and display a campaign at the moment when a site visitor intends to leave the site.

Child Campaign

A child campaign is any optin in a split test that is not the parent campaign.

When a split test is first created, the original campaign becomes the Parent Campaign, and the new, duplicated campaign is referred to as the child campaign.

Column

A column is a block that allows you to space elements in a certain pattern. For example, you can use column blocks to make one element span the entire width of the campaign, while other elements only take up half the width of the campaign.

Conditions

The conditions section is where you cofigure your rule conditions. If all conditions within a ruleset pass, the actions in the Actions section will trigger.

Content Blocking

alias: ‘content locking’

Content Blocking is an option that can be enabled for Inline campaigns to block or obscure content on the page until the visitor has subscribed.

Content Upgrade

A content upgrade is a lead magnet created specifically for a particular blog post or page.

Conversion

A conversion is an event that occurs when a web visitor performs a desired action, such as submitting their email address through a campaign, or clicking on a button to be redirected to a specific URL, etc.

All conversions in OptinMonster are tracked using Google Analytics.

Conversion Rate

The conversion rate is the ratio of conversions (number of people who opted-in, etc.) compared to the number impressions (number of people who were presented with a campaign).

The conversion rate for a campaign is calculated by dividing conversions and impressions, then multiplying by 100.

(conversions/impressions) * 100

Conversion rate is the single most important metric for measuring your campaign’s performance.

All analytic data in OptinMonster, including the conversion rate, are tracked using Google Analytics.

A cookie is a piece of information stored in the browser that can be read and used for various functions and actions. For example, any website you log into will use cookies to determine if you’re logged in or need to log in.

OptinMonster creates and reads cookies to determine whether the visitor has interacted with a campaign, successfully submitted a campaign, if they are a new visitor, and if they are a returning visitor.

See also:

CSS

CSS is short for Cascading Style Sheet, and is a computer language typically to control text style, colors, alignment, and overall appearance of HTML content, including OptinMonster campaigns.

Custom HTML

alias: ‘custom HTML integration’

Custom HTML is an integration option you can use for individual campaigns to add your own HTML form or content.

The Custom HTML integration option can be used if you need to collect additional form fields than are available with our native integrations, add hidden fields, or if you would like to display other content in place of a form altogether.

D

Dashboard

Dashboard is the overview screen that appears immediately after you login to your OptinMonster account. All of your optins are listed in this screen, sorted by site or date.

Display Rules

alias: ‘page-level targeting,’ ‘rules engine’

The term ‘Display Rules’ refers to a collection of rules you can configure to control when, where, and to whom campaigns are shown.

Display Rules available in OptinMonster include:

Double Opt-in

alias: ‘confirmed subscription’

Double opt-in describes the action of a new lead confirming their subscription before being added to your email list.

After first submitting their email address to subscribe, your Email Service Provider will automatically send the visitor an email requesting that they confirm their subscription. The email contains a link that, when selected, confirms their subscription and results in them being added to your list.

If the link in the confirmation email is not responded to, the unconfirmed subscriber is not added to your list.

Some Email Service Providers require double opt-in while others may provide you with options to enable or disable it.

E

Element

An element is a block that allows you add a specific element type to your campaign, like an image, text, button, or custom HTML block. The element can then be configured and styled individually.

Element Action

alias: ‘button action’, ‘form action’, ‘success action’

The element action allows you to configure what happens when an element is triggered (e.g. button is clicked or form is submitted).

Element actions are tied to specific elements. Therefore if you have multiple actionable elements, like multiple buttons, they will each have their own action.

Actions include:

Show a view
Close campaign
Close campaign and refresh the page
Redirect to a URL

Email Service Provider

alias: ‘esp’

An Email Service Provider (ESP) is a third-party service that offers email marketing services, subscriber lists, and other features related to email communication.

OptinMonster integrates natively with many popular ESP’s like MailChimp and AWeber, making it easy to collect subscribers and leads.

Exit-Intent

alias: ‘on-site retargeting‘

Exit-Intent is a Display Rule which can be enabled for campaigns to appear when the visitor intends to exit the page.

Embed Code

alias: ‘optin embed,’ ‘campaign embed’

The OptinMonster Embed Code is a piece of code you add to your site to display OptinMonster campaign(s).

Any changes to the campaign(s) are immediately reflected on your site without needing to change the embed code.

There are two types of embed code:

Account Wide Embed Code
Campaign Specific Embed Code

F

Floating Bar

alias: ‘footer bar’, ‘header bar’

Floating Bar is a campaign type that displays a narrow ‘bar’ across the top or bottom of a page, layered above all other content.

Fullscreen

alias: ‘fullscreen takeover,’ ‘fullpage takeover,’ ‘welcome mat,’ ‘fullscreen welcome gate’

Fullscreen is a campaign type that displays over the entire browser window, layered in front of all the other content.

G

Geo-Location

alias: ‘geo-target,’ ‘geo-targeting’

Geo-Location is a rule that can be configured to show a campaign based on the location of the visitor.

Global Cookies

Global Cookies are cookies OptinMonster uses to determine how often any campaign can appear on your site after the visitor has interacted with or subscribed through another campaign.

There are two Global Cookies that can be configured:

Global Interaction Cookie
Global Success Cookie

Global Interaction Cookie controls how often any other campaigns can appear on the site after one campaign has been interacted with.

Global Success Cookie controls how often any other campaigns can appear on the site after one campaign has been successfully subscribed through.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a third-party service that provides detailed and powerful analytics data for your website. OptinMonster connects with your Google Analytics account to provide data such as impressions, conversions, and converstion rate for your campaigns.

See also:

H

HTML

HTML is an acronym for HyperText Markup Language, the standard programming language for building web pages and web applications.

I

Impression

alias: ‘pageview’

An impression occurs when a campaign becomes visible to the visitor.

All impressions in OptinMonster are tracked using our native analytics. Optionally, campaigns can be integrated with Google Analytics to view impressions as events.

Inline

alias: ‘after post’, ‘sidebar’

Inline is a campaign type that shows in line with the page content. This campaign type is meant to be placed within large content blocks.

You can use the Content Locking feature exclusively with this campaign type.

Integration

An integration connects OptinMonster to a third-party service. For example, OptinMonster’s Email Service Provider integrations make it easy to connect to services like MailChimp, AWeber, etc. to send lead data.

Google Analytics is also an integration, making it easy for you to connect OptinMonster with your Google Analytics account to track optin impressions, conversions, and converstion rate.

You can connect multiple native Email Service Providers to a single campaign to send leads to multiple accounts or lists.

You can connect multiple Google Analytics accounts to one OptinMonster account, however only a single Google Analytics account can be linked to any one individual campaign at a time.

See also:

Interaction

An interaction occurs when a visitor closes a campaign, by clicking the “close” button, or clicking outside the boundaries of certain campaigns (Popup and Fullscreen).

Interaction Cookie

The Interaction Cookie controls how often a campaign can appear again after it has been interacted with.

IP Address

IP Address stands for Internet Protocol Address. An IP Address is four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

Each computer is assigned an IP Address that represents the physical location of that computer on the internet.

J

JavaScript

alias: ‘JS’

JavaScript is a programming language often used to make web pages interactive.

OptinMonster uses JavaScript to control where, when, and how a campaign appears based on the campaign type and Display Rules configured.

JavaScript Events API

OptinMonster’s JavaScript Events API is a list of JavaScript events that relate to the display and use of a campaign on a page.

The JavaScript Events API can be used to add, modify, or remove functionality based on specific events that occur relative to a campaign by users who are comfortable writing JavaScript.

L

Lead

alias: ‘subscriber‘

A lead, or subscriber, is a visitor who has submitted their contact information via a campaign.

Lead Magnet

A lead magnet is an incentive that marketers offer to potential buyers in exchange for their email address, or other contact information.

Lead magnets usually offer a piece of digital, downloadable content, such as a free PDF checklist, report, eBook, whitepaper, video, etc.

Line Height

Line height specifies how tall each line of text will be. For example, if some text has a font size of 16px and a line height of 20px, then the text will have 2px of space on the top and bottom.

List

List refers to a collective group of subscribers or leads within your Email Service Provider account.

Often a list is used to organize subscribers by a common interest or source.

M

Margin

The margin property dictates the amount of space around elements. Margins create space between elements and is rendered outside the border property.

Mobile

Mobile refers to any mobile device used to access your website, like phones and tablets.

MonsterChain

MonsterChain is a term used to describe the configuration of one or more campaigns‘ Display Rules to appear based on their previous interaction with another campaign.

You can configure MonsterChains to show a campaign if the visitor has completed any of these actions with another specific campaign:

opted in to
not opted in to
closed
not closed

MonsterEffects

MonsterEffects is a feature that allows you to choose a specific loading animation or effect for Popup campaigns.

Using MonsterEffects can help draw attention to your campaign’s offer.

MonsterLink

alias: ‘manual trigger’

A MonsterLink is a link you add to your website that, when selected, will trigger the appearance of a popup campaign.

Multivariate Test

alias: ‘a/b test‘, ‘split test‘

A multivariate test allows a user to experiment with changes to a campaign to see if an improvement in conversion rate is observed.

Although often referred to as an a/b test or split test, unlike either of those a multivariate test compares more than two variations.

N

Native Integration

Native integrations allow you to connect OptinMonster to your Email Service Provider account and send new leads directly to a specific List, Group, or Segment, without requiring custom code.

O

On-Site Retargeting

On-Site Retargeting is a method to customize which campaigns are shown to a visitor by reacting in real-time to visitor behavior that can be tracked by a cookie, a URL parameter, etc.

The use of Exit-Intent is one method of on-site retargeting.

Opt-in

The act of someone granting permission to be added to an email list.

See also: Double Opt-in and Single Opt-in

Optin Form

alias: ‘campaign,’ ‘optin’

An optin form allows visitors to subscribe to your email list and receive marketing material.

OptinMonster API

The OptinMonster API handles the embedding of your campaign-specific embed codes.

The OptinMonster API also provides advanced page targeting unique to WordPress (such as targeting categories, tags, etc.)

P

Padding

The padding property dictates the amount of space inside an element. Padding will create space between the element’s content and its border.

Page-Level Targeting

Page-Level Targeting is a term that refers to segmenting your campaigns to effectively communicate to and convert visitors.

This can be done by using page-specific wording, matching your campaign’s design to the page design, customizing optins by blog category, and more.

Page Slide

alias: ‘welcome mat’

Page Slide is an option when creating Fullscreen campaigns which transforms the campaign from a popup into an inline display.

Once enabled, Page Slide causes the Fullscreen campaign to load at the top of the page, filling the height and width of the browser. To exit the campaign the visitor scrolls down the page past the bottom of the campaign.

Parent Campaign

alias: ‘primary campaign’

The parent campaign is the primary campaign in a split test.

See also: A/B Test, Split Test, Child Campaign

alias: ‘lightbox’

Popup is a campaign type that shows on a page overlayed in front of all the other content, typically styled with a semi-opaque background surrounding the main content area.

Privacy Statement

alias: ‘privacy policy’

Privacy Statement is a declaration shared with a visitor or subscriber to an email list, outlining how the privacy of the site visitor’s personal data will be shared and/or protected.

A Privacy Statement can easily be added within the Optin Builder as brief text or as a link to a page containing a detailed Privacy Statement.

R

Referrer

A referrer is any external URL a visitor selects a link on to reach your site.

No referrer is indicated when a visitor reaches your site by selecting a link in an email.

Referrer is also a rule you can configure in the optin builder to page-target your campaigns.

For example, you can configure a campaign to appear only if the visitor reaches your site from facebook.com, etc.

Row

A row holds a column block. It is automatically added when you add a column block and can be styled individually.

Rule

A condition which controls how, when, or where a campaign will load.

Ruleset

A collection of rules or conditions that determine how, when, and where a campaign can appear. All rules within a single ruleset must be true before the campaign will load on the page.

Rule Condition

A rule condition is the primary component of a Display Rule: an “If… Then” statement that is evaluated to determine which conditions need to be met before a campaign is displayed to the site visitor.

For example, in creating a Time Delay rule configured to display the campaign after a visitor has been on the page for more than 5 seconds, the Rule Condition would be “time on page is at least 5 seconds.”

Rule Operator

A rule operator is an option selected when configuring a rule, such as “equal to” or “more than” or “less than.”

For example, in a rule configured to display a campaign when a visitor has viewed MORE THAN 2 pages, “More Than” is the Rule Operator.

Rule Unit

A rule unit is a measurement component of certain rules.

For example, when configuring the scroll trigger rule, you can choose pixels or percent as the rule unit.

Rule Value

A rule value is a numerical value specified for a rule operator.

For example, when configuring a rule to show a campaign after a visitor has viewed at least 3 Pages, “3” is the Rule Value.

S

Scroll Trigger

A scroll trigger is a rule configured to display a campaign when a visitor scrolls a certain amount of page.

Session Cookie

Session Cookies are a type of cookie OptinMonster uses to determine if a visitor is new or returning.

Shortcode

A shortcode is a WordPress-specific piece of code that allows you to embed files, create objects, and more without having to know CSS, HTML, JavaScript or other coding languages.

WordPress plugins and themes often use shortcodes to allow you to easily add specific objects or features, like buttons, images, forms and more.

Shortcodes can also be used with OptinMonster when using the OptinMonster plugin on a WordPress site.

See also:

Single Opt-in

Single opt-in occurs when a subscriber is directly added to an email list after they’ve submitted their information through a campaign.

Unlike double opt-in, no confirmation email is sent when using single opt-in.

Site

alias: ‘website,’ ‘domain’

A site refers to the specific domain address added to your OptinMonster account that campaigns can be displayed on.

An individual site can be either a top-level domain, e.g. staging.optinmonster.com or www.staging.optinmonster.com, or it can be a sub-domain, e.g., app.staging.optinmonster.com, etc.

Sites can be assigned to one or multiple campaigns, and a single campaign can be assigned to load on multiple sites.

Slide-In

Slide-In campaign type that slides up from the bottom-right or bottom-left corner of the page, layered in front of all the other content.

Smart Subscriber Recognition

Smart Subscriber Recognition technology allows you to avoid showing multiple campaigns to existing subscribers, or to show certain campaigns to existing subscribers only.

Split Test

alias: ‘a/b test‘

A split test allows a user to experiment with changes to a campaign to see if an improvement in conversion rate is observed. Split Tests are selected at random from a parent campaign and all related split tests.

Subscriber

alias: ‘lead‘

A subscriber is someone who has opted in to your list in order to receive emails from you.

Success Cookie

A Success Cookie is set when a visitor subscribes to a campaign. OptinMonster uses the Success Cookie to control how often the campaign should appear again once the visitor has been successfully converted.

Success Cookies can be configured for individual campaigns, or globally for an entire site.

Success Message

The message that is displayed to a visitor after they successfully optin to a campaign.

The success message is configured via the optin builder’s Success panel, and is only available when using a native integration.

Success View

The success view describes the success message preview shown within the optin builder.

The success view is available when using any native integration.

Summary

The Summary section displays all the configured conditions and actions in an easy-to-read format. This screen allows you to review your display rule configuration and make sure it is configured correctly.

T

Template Namespace

alias: ‘namespace,’ ‘css namespace’

The Template Namespace is a word assigned to each campaign which can be customized, and is used to prefix all IDs and Classes in the campaign’s HTML output.

Template Namespaces are typically made use of when adding custom CSS to a campaign.

Time Delay

Time Delay is a rule which allows you to control when your campaign appears based on the time elapsed.

You can use a Time Delay rule by itself to display a campaign after a visitor has spent a certain number of seconds on a page or the entire site.

When used in conjunction with other rules, like Exit-Intent, you can also set the minimum or maximum amount of time that is allowed to elapse and still satisfy the rule, creating a specific window of time in which the campaign will appear.

Traffic

A term to describe the volume of people visiting a page or website.

U

URL Anchor Tag

alias: ‘anchor link’, ‘anchor tag’

The URL anchor tag refers to the portion of a url that starts with a hash mark (#). URL anchor tags are typically the result of an anchor link having been selected somewhere on the page, which adds the anchor tag to the end of the URL. Anchor links are used to create links within the same page, to different sections, also sometimes referred to as ‘jump links’.

For example, #more is the URL anchor tag if you were viewing the page https://staging.optinmonster.com/#more on our site.

In OptinMonster, you can page-level target your campaigns based on the URL anchor tag, to show or hide campaigns on site the visitor is viewing.

URL Parameter

alias: ‘query string’

URL Parameters are parameters whose values are set dynamically in a page’s URL, and can be accessed by its template and its data sources.

For example, ?s=how+to+improve+conversions is the full URL parameter if you were viewing the page https://staging.optinmonster.com/?s=how+to+improve+conversions on our site.

URL parameters will often include both a key and value.

In the example above, s is the key and how+to+improve+conversions is the value.

Multiple URL parameters can be combined in a single URL, separated by the ampersand (&) sign. For example, this URL contains two URL parameters separated by the ampersand sign: https://staging.optinmonster.com/?utm_campaign=seo&s=how+to+improve+conversions

In OptinMonster, you can page-level target your campaigns based on the URL parameter(s), to show or hide campaigns based on the key and/or value pairs that are present in the URL of the site the visitor is viewing.

URL Path

alias: ‘url slug’

The URL path is the unique end portion part of the URL for a specific function or piece of content. For instance, for a page or for a post.

For example, docs is the URL path if you were viewing the page https://staging.optinmonster.com/docs on our site.

In OptinMonster, you can page-level target your campaigns based on the URL path, to show or hide campaigns based on the page, post or section of the site the visitor is viewing.

URL Redirect

URL redirect is a success action option which allows you to automatically redirect a visitor to a specific URL after they subscribe.

The URL redirect option in OptinMonster can only be configured when using a native integration.

If you are using a Custom HTML integration or Canvas the custom form’s processing script will manage where the visitor is redirected when the form is submitted. Your Email Service Provider may provide an option to customize this in your ESP account.

User

At OptinMonster, the term ‘user’ generally refers to a set of login credentials and data related to an OptinMonster account.

User may also refer to a site visitor browsing a website in certain documentation.

V

View

A view is the screen on the campaign the user is seeing. There are three views:

Yes/No
Optin
Success

You can configure your campaign to show one, two, or all three of these views at various points in the user experience.

For example, you can have a campagin show the Yes/No view when it is triggered, then go to the Optin view when a button is clicked, and then go to the Success view when the user subscribes.

Alternatively, you can have the campaign go straight to one view and then close without the user seeing any other view.

Visitor

A visitor is a person viewing or interacting with a website or page. Typically this visitor is a person you are trying to convert into a subscriber or customer, with the help of OptinMonster.

W

WordPress Connector Plugin

OptinMonster’s WordPress Connector Plugin is used to automate the process of adding the campaign specific embed code for your campaigns into your site.

The plugin also includes a Widget for placing Inline type campaigns, and advanced page-targeting rules unique to WordPress, such as categories and tags.

Y

Yes/No Optin

alias: ‘two-step optin’

A Yes/No Optin displays two buttons, two links, or a combination of both asking the visitor to confirm their interest in the campaign offer.

Typically, selecting the Yes button will reveal an optin form for the visitor to submit, or redirect to a specific URL. The No button will typically close the campaign or redirect to a specific URL.

In OptinMonster you can enable Yes/No for campaigns in the optin builder.

Z

Zapier

Zapier is a third-party service which allows you to easily connect, share data between, and trigger actions based on specific events in popular applications.

For example, you could use Zapier to add new subscribers to a Google Sheets spreadsheet automatically.

You can connect OptinMonster to Zapier using our Webhook integration.

See also:

What Is a Lightbox Popup and How to Create It (In 5 Easy Steps)

How Aish.com Gets 10X More Subscribers Using Targeted Optins

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

A

A/B Test

Account Wide Embed Code

Actions

Analytics

B

Block

Builder

C

Campaign

Campaign ID

Campaign Scheduling

Campaign Slug

Campaign Specific Embed Code

Campaign Type

Canvas

Cart Abandonment

Child Campaign

Column

Conditions

Content Blocking

Content Upgrade

Conversion

Conversion Rate

Cookie

CSS

Custom HTML

D

Dashboard

Display Rules

Double Opt-in

E

Element

Element Action

Email Service Provider

Exit-Intent

Embed Code

F

Floating Bar

Fullscreen

G

Geo-Location

Global Cookies

Google Analytics

H

HTML

I

Impression

Inline

Integration

Interaction

Interaction Cookie

IP Address

J

JavaScript

JavaScript Events API

L

Lead

Lead Magnet

Line Height

List

M

Margin

Mobile

MonsterChain

MonsterEffects

MonsterLink

Multivariate Test

N

Native Integration

O

On-Site Retargeting

Opt-in

Optin Form

OptinMonster API

P

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