The freelancer glossary

Java developers are proficient in the Java language, which is one of the most popular programming languages. Aside from coding, duties may include QA testing and debugging.

JavaScript developers are proficient in JavaScript, a programming language that’s used on almost every website today. They help to create responsive and interactive websites.

Kanban is a system for managing the workflow of an individual or team. Kanban is a Japanese term that roughly translates to “visual board” and describes a system whereby tasks are visualized as cards (think: Trello).

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a metric used to track a company’s or an individual’s progress towards a specific goal. KPIs can be financial, business-oriented, process-oriented, or other.

Keyword research is the process of analyzing and identifying search terms to target with your online content. It is a key step to building out your SEO strategy.

Keyword stuffing is a “black hat” SEO tactic in which a person tries to raise his or her search engine ranking by overloading a webpage with the same term over and over again.

A kill fee is a negotiated rate that a client pays a freelancer if a project is canceled or cut short. This term is also used in publishing when an editor decides not to run your story.

A landing page is the page that users are directed to when they click on an online ad or promotional email. It is a standalone page that’s designed for lead generation or form submission.

Lead generation is the process of identifying, attracting, and qualifying people who could potentially lead to a sale.

A lead magnet is a resource that’s given away for free in exchange for a user’s contact information. It can come in the form of content (like an ebook) or a service (like a demo).

Lead nurturing is the process of regularly engaging a prospect and developing a stronger relationship with him or her over time. Lead nurturing can involve a mix of emails, ads, and other touchpoints.

A lede is the first line or paragraph of a news story. Its main purpose is to hook the reader and/or share the most important pieces of information up front.

A letter of introduction is meant to start a conversation, either between you and a prospective employer, client, or connection—or between two people that you know.

An LLC is a business structure in the U.S. that protects an owner’s personal assets from lawsuits. An LLC offers tax advantages and is relatively easy to manage.

LinkedIn is a social network built specifically for businesses and professionals to connect. It is a popular channel for recruiting, marketing, and prospecting.

As the name suggests, a listicle is an article that’s written like a list. It’s a flexible format that’s generally described as having enough information to pass as an article.

In SEO, a long-tail keyword is a lower-volume, yet more specific search term or phrase. Long-tail keywords are generally less competitive, offering a higher chance of ranking.

Low-hanging fruit refers to tasks or goals that can be achieved with little (or relatively less) effort. Companies, for instance, many choose to tackle low-hanging fruit before investing in high-effort projects.

Machine learning (ML) refers to a software’s ability to make decisions based on data trends, relationships, and other observations over time. ML is a subset of AI.

The main role of market researchers is to find the right customer for a business. They often conduct consumer surveys and product tests, while also consulting data from outside sources.

Market segmentation is when you split up your target audience into groups based on their interests, demographics, or other factors—with the end goal of personalizing your interactions and driving better results.

A marketing asset refers to any item that a business uses to pitch their product or services, such as sales decks, articles, blogs, videos, and graphics.

Marketing automation is when you use software to centralize, automate, and track your marketing activities across various channels. It is intended to increase efficiency and output.

The marketing funnel is a visual representation of the various stages that your prospects go through, from the moment they first hear about your business to when they purchase from you.

A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a prospect that has been evaluated by the marketing team and is deemed ready to be engaged by the sales team.

A merger is when two or more companies are combined to form a single company. Oftentimes, mergers happen because there are financial and/or operational synergies between the two companies.

A meta description is an HTML tag that is shown in search engine results below the title tag. A good meta description is both compelling and SEO-friendly, plus accurately describes what the webpage is about.

Middle of the funnel (MOFU) refers to the stage of the buyer’s journey in which the prospect is researching various products and services.

A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product that only possesses the core functionalities to be considered usable. Companies offer MVPs to start generating revenue and collect feedback from early users.

A mission statement is a short, clear description of a company’s reason for existence. It provides direction for employees and stakeholders, plus supports the company’s vision.

In web design, a mockup is a near-finished visual representation of your webpage. It includes all the colors, illustrations, and other design elements that you’re looking to build out in the finished page.

Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a set of guidelines used most commonly by the liberal arts and humanities fields. It provides a standard for writing and citing sources.

Month-over-Month (MoM) refers to a comparison of any data points between two consecutive months. MoM comparisons are used to identify the changes that took place during that time.

A monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is a metric that sums up a company’s subscription-based revenue in a given month. MRR is typically calculated by multiplying the total number of users by the average monthly revenue per user (ARPU).

A motion designer creates digital animations for TV, movies, web, and other mediums. Text (or the animation of text) is a major component of motion design, as is technology.

Multichannel marketing is when you promote your brand across various channels, like email, social media, direct mail, and others. Each channel may have its own strategy and purpose.

Net 10 (or other) payment terms means that a client must pay the full amount owed within 10 days of receiving the invoice. The payment period can be adjusted as desired by the vendor.

Net earnings (aka net income, net profit, or bottom line) refers to the total amount of money you made after subtracting any business costs, income taxes, interest, and other deductions.

Net promoter score (NPS) is a measurement of customer satisfaction and loyalty. NPS is defined by asking your customers how likely they are to recommend your product to someone else from a scale of zero to 10.

Newsjacking is a marketing strategy in which a brand may “piggyback” off a trending news story in order to gain more exposure.

A niche market is a segment of a larger audience that has a particular need, preferences, or other unique qualities. A business may choose to serve a niche with a specialized product or service.

A non-compete agreement (aka non-compete clause) is a contract in which an employee agrees not to work for—or to start—a competing business for a specified period of time after leaving his or her job.

An NDA (aka confidentiality agreement) is a legally enforceable contract barring you from sharing any information that’s covered by the agreement.

Omnichannel marketing is when you promote your brand across multiple channels, but specifically focus on providing a unified customer experience across each.

In SaaS, onboarding refers to the process of helping a new customer get set up and navigate your product. The onboarding process begins after the sales team has officially closed the sale.

Organic search refers to search results (such as Google results) that aren’t paid placements. In other words, these are results selected by the search engine’s algorithm based on a user’s query and intent.

In freelancing, overtime refers to the time that a freelancer works beyond the amount that was quoted or specified on the retainer agreement. Paid overtime is not guaranteed and should be negotiated upfront.

PHP developers are experts in PHP, an open-source scripting language that serves as the backbone of many web applications, including WordPress.

Paid search refers to advertisements (aka paid placements) that appear at the top of search engine results. For example, businesses can pay for text-based ads that appear at the top of Google results pages.

Partial payment is when a client is required to pay a portion of the total amount owed for a product or service. Freelancers may offer installments plans as an incentive for new clients.