Education Center

We are dedicated to empowering business owners with the vital information required to make educated decisions. Contact us today to get the answers you need to grow your busienss. 

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Education Center

Our education center is full of nuggets of truth crafted to shed some light on the facts within the marketing and merchant processing industry. Many consider merchant processing to be overly complicated with confusing verbiage that’s cloudy at best, and our team understands this fact This is why we custom tailor all of the services to cater to the individual business owner’s goals and the education center is here to help you learn more about our services, the industry, and how it works so you can make educated decisions.

Definitions & Industry Acronyms

Above the Fold

Refers to the portion of the web page visible without having to scroll. It is the first thing a visitor sees when clicking through to your website.

Ad Rank

Sponsored ad and PPC ad page position are determined by an ad’s rank. Ad Rank is determined by your bid and your Quality Score. Every time a search query is performed Ad Rank is reassessed.

Avg. Pos

Is the abbreviation for Average Position which denotes where your ad appears in the search results.

Broad Match Keywords

A broad match keyword is a keyword matching system where ads are matched with the searches and keywords that are similar to the matched keywords.

Card Issuing Bank

The bank that issued the card.

Card Network

The network behind your card (Visa MasterCard AMEX etc)

Cardholder

The person purchasing goods or services.

Clicks

The point at which a user selects a listing link image or ad on the web.

CMS

A Content Management System (CMS) provides tools and capabilities for multiple users with different permission levels to manage, edit and publish the content on your website, internet application or mobile application.

Conversion Rates

A measure of efficiency based on the number of clicks and conversions. It is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of conversions then multiplying by 100 to express it as a percentage.

Conversions

A predetermined point within the sale process when a specific action is carried out. Every business is different so we discuss what point qualifies as a conversion for you within the sales process.

CPA

Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) means that you only pay when a desired action occurs. These can include such actions as a finalized sale or a completed registration form.

CPA

Cost-Per-Action (CPA) means you only pay when a desired action is completed. An action can refer to different things such as watching a video, purchasing a product, completing a survey, filling out a contact form etc.

cPanel

cPanel is a graphical web hosting control panel used to more easily manage and host a website. This control panel is used on Linux hosting servers. Every level of hosting from the server administrators right down to the end user uses it.

CPC

Cost-Per-Click (CPC) is the amount paid per click on your ad.

CPM

Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions (CPM). The letter “M” is the Roman numeral for 1000. CPM means how much you pay is based on the number of impressions your ad receives.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language for describing the presentation semantics (the formatting and look) of a document written in a markup language. Its most common application is to style web pages written in HTML and xHTML but the language can also be applied to any kind of ML document including plainUL SVG and ML.

CTR

The Click-Through-Rate is the ratio showing how often potential customers who view your ad ultimately click it. The ratio is derived from the number of clicks that your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown. CTR is expressed as a percentage.

DNS

Domain Name System (DNS) servers translate domain names into IP addresses because the Internet is based on IP addresses and not domain names. Every Web server requires a Domain Name System (DNS) server.

Domain Name

Domain names are used in URLs to identify individual Web pages. For example in the URL http://www.HeroBusinessGroup.com the domain name is HeroBusinessGroup registered on the top-level domain registry .com managed by ICANN.

Email Client

An email client email reader or more formally mail user agent (MUA) is a computer program used to access and manage a user’s email.

Exact Match Keywords

An exact match keyword is a matching system where ads are matched with searches that only include the exact keyword phrase and nothing else.

Frequency

The average number of times a unique user sees your ad in the “”1″” spot over a given time period determines what your frequency is.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over the internet.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the primary markup language for displaying web pages and other visual information in a web browser.

Impressions

An Impression is the number of times an ad is shown. Each time your ad appears on Google or the Google Network the Google algorithms count it as one impression. Our experienced advertising specialists create multifaceted campaigns to ensure every impression is a potential customer within your target market.

Independent Sales Organization (ISO)

This company helps the business find the right merchant processing solution based on their average sale total volume and risk associated with the business’ product service or industry.

Infographic

An infographic is a graphic illustration of information. Infographics display a significant amount of information in a large graphic format that is typically used on social media graphics websites and in brochures and other print material.

Internet Protocol (IP) address

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) assign a unique IP address number to each computer connected to the internet.

JavaScript (.js)

JavaScript (JS) is a multi-paradigm language that supports object-oriented functional and imperative programming styles.

Keywords

A Keyword is a specific target word or phrase that triggers your website to appear in a search engine’s results for a specific search query. Keywords may be singular or contain phrases of several words.

KPI

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) use clear objectives and numerous metrics to reduce confusion. Identifying KPI within strategic plans and social media makes measurement easy, clear and measurable.

Landing Page

After clicking an ad this is the page the visitor arrives at. Creating and implementing a custom landing page can reduce ad spending, increase ad positioning, improve keyword quality scores and dramatically boost conversions.

Merchant Processor (Merchant Acquirer)

The merchant processor is the entity that processes the secure transaction for you to make the payment.

Merchant

Meaning the business you choose to purchase from.

Mid-Qualified Cards (Mid-Qual)

Mid-Qualified transactions are transactions that have moderate risk based on many factors such as having whether a PIN number was entered at time of transaction or the card present with EMV chip or signature at time of transaction These factors and more determine if a transaction is classified as Mid-Qualified. The merchant fees associated with mid-qualified transactions is slightly higher than qualified transactions because there is a higher risk of payment default or chargeback.

Non-Qualified

Non-qualified transactions are transactions that contain the highest risk of default and/or chargeback which can be triggered by the lack of card being present at time of transaction. In addition some reward card transactions are considered non-qualified transactions too. This means it’s important to have your customers enter a PIN number whenever possible. We recommend business owners encourage their staff to request PIN number entry whenever possible. This helps reduce the risk associated with the transaction and can help to avoid unnecessary non-qualified transactions.

Organic Search Results

In short an Organic Search Result is a non-paid search relevancy boost. When your website appears organically on a search query it means that your website has relevant information at that time relative to the entered search query.

Page Views

A web page that has been viewed by one visitor. A page view is registered whenever that visitor visits a new page on the website.

PageRank

A numerical value that a patented link analysis algorithm assigns to web properties. It works by examining which web pages link to your web pages – as well as the PageRank of the pages that link to yours. Sites with the highest PageRanks have a high number of links from other websites with high Page Ranks. Many believe that other factors such as placement and keyword density have assumed a larger role in website ranking. PageRank has certainly not become irrelevant. However there is significant evidence to suggest that PageRank is not as significant as it once was for a web property’s SEO.

PHP

PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language initially designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. It is one of the first developed server-side scripting languages to be embedded into an HTML source document instead of calling an external file to process the data. The code is interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module that generates the resulting web page.

Phrase Match Keywords

A phrase match keyword is a keyword matching system where ads are matched with searches that include the exact keywords and all search phrases with other words either before or after the matched keyword.

PPC

Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC) is an effective form of internet marketing that basically involves buying visits to your website as a means of generating traffic and sales.

Programming Language

A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, primarily a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that precisely express algorithms and/or control the behavior of a machine.

Qualified Cards

Qualified transactions are transactions that qualify for lower rates due to reduced risk based on various reasons such as having the card present at time of transaction or whether a PIN number was entered. These factors and more determine if a transaction is Qualified Mid-Qualified or Non-Qualified which ultimately will affect your rates. As you might expect the “qualified” transaction tier has the lowest fees because the transaction has lower risk of chargeback non-payment or default.

Quality Scores

The term Quality Score refers to the estimated relevance of your keyword ad and landing page for someone looking at them. If you have a high quality score the search engine believes you are providing relevant information the user will find useful.

Reach

The number of users within a selected location target exposed to an ad. Increased Reach means that more potential customers are exposed to your ad which leads to increased name and brand awareness.

ROI

Return On Investment (ROI) is a measurement of how much profit you make for a particular marketing strategy or advertising investment. ROI may be tracked and reported in many various ways because campaign goals vary greatly from business to business.

Search Query

A Search Query is an individual query or search that an internet user enters into a web search engine to find information.

SEM

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the process of generating traffic to your website through internet search engines like Google Yahoo and Bing.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing website relevance and visibility when your customers perform targeted search queries.

SEP

Search Engine Placement (SEP) is the process of placing a web page on a specific search engine within the sponsored listings section.

SERPs

Search Engine Results Page (SERP) are web pages that a search engine returns with. A list of results is displayed when a search query is performed.

Settlement Bank (Sponsor Bank)

This is the bank that funds the payment to the business.

SMM

Social Media Marketing (SMM) refers to the marketing performed through social media platforms, websites and mobile platforms. Social media marketing provides an alternative for you to reach large numbers of potential customers, gain brand recognition and create name awareness all for a low cost.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a way for internet users to organize (bookmark) online resources and websites. Some examples of social bookmarking sites include Reddit Delicious Digg and StumbleUpon.

Sponsored Ad

A paid advertisement that appears on search result pages. Sponsored Ads appear in the form of text ads with hypertext links that direct potential customers to a predetermined web page.

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) provides a secure connection between a server and a client over which you can securely send any amount of data. SSL is completely mandatory for ALL eCommerce websites and mobile applications.

URL

The abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator (URL). URL is the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. The term “”Web address”” is a synonym for URL that uses the HTTP / HTTPS protocol.

Web Hosting

A web hosting service is an internet hosting service that makes your website accessible on the World Wide Web. Web hosts house web pages and file hosting where files can be uploaded via a web interface or File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

Complementary

Statement Audit

If you’re still using the original merchant processing company since you opened your busienss, you’re paying too much! Get the most affordable POS system without compromising on the features and functionality you need to run your business.

  • FREE Online Ordering
  • FREE Marketing & Loyalty
  • FREE Contactless Solutions
  • FREE Reservations & Waitlist

JMI Limousine

“I have been working with them for both of my businesses, JMI Insurance and JMI Limousine – Portland Limos, for over 5 years. They have not only done all of my websites and SEO but have also handled all of my online marketing, and they have done a fantastic job. Since working with them my online business has not only tripled but it has continued to grow and improve each and every year.”

Girl Power

“Working with Hero Business Group has been great! They got my website going fast so I could start scheduling massage appointments immediately. I love my new site and having everything taken care of for me takes a huge load of my shoulders, and as a single mom anything I can do to save time and money to spend with my daughter is worth it. All I had to do is let them know what pics to use along with some basic info and my site was done. The best part is that I am already seeing more business! “

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(503) 890-8894

Florida, USA

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