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Digital marketing basics flashcards

Reach the right people online, measure what works and grow honestly.

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Beginner friendly, starts from zero
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Digital marketing basicsStart from zero · 1 of 10

What is digital marketing, in one plain sentence?

Digital marketing is reaching people online through search, social media, email, ads and content, and measuring what actually brings customers.

Reach, persuade, measure.
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What you will learn

  1. Start from zero

    • What digital marketing is3 cards
    • Key words5 cards
    • Getting ready2 cards

  2. Core basics

    • Planning4 cards
    • Channels5 cards
    • Tracking links3 cards
    • Key numbers4 cards

  3. Next steps

    • Google Analytics 44 cards
    • Search ads5 cards
    • Social ads3 cards
    • Email and messaging3 cards
    • Testing3 cards

  4. Go deeper

    • Privacy and law4 cards
    • Measuring what really works4 cards
    • Growth and strategy3 cards
    • Search and AI changes2 cards
    • Careers and reporting3 cards

Final test and certificate

10 questions drawn fresh from the whole topic, about 15 minutes. Sign in, score 80% or more and get a free certificate with your name and a public check link anyone can open, such as an employer or a teacher. Not signed in? Try a practice test from the cards.

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About these cards

  • Reviewed 26 October 2026
  • CoversGoogle Analytics 4Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender rules (2024)Google Consent Mode v2
How these cards are made

Digital marketing basics at a glance

Digital marketing is telling the right people about a product or service through search, social media, email, ads and content, and measuring what actually brings results.

It is like running a shop on the busiest street in the world: you choose which window to put signs in, who to hand flyers to, and you count who walks in because of each one.

Words you will meet

Channel
A place you reach people, like search, social media or email
Audience
The group of people you want to reach
Funnel
The journey from first hearing about you to buying and coming back
Campaign
A planned set of messages or ads with one goal and a budget
Conversion
When someone does the thing you want, like buying or signing up
Click-through rate
Out of everyone who saw a link or ad, the share who clicked it
Analytics
Tools that count visits and actions so you can see what works
Consent
A person's clear permission to track them or send them messages

The steps

  1. 1. Start from zero (10 cards): What digital marketing is, how the funnel works and the words you will use.
  2. 2. Core basics (16 cards): Goals, customers, channels, UTM tracking and the key numbers behind every campaign.
  3. 3. Next steps (18 cards): Google Analytics 4, search and social ads, email delivery and fair testing.
  4. 4. Go deeper (16 cards): Privacy law, true measurement, budgets and scaling, AI in search and marketing careers.
All 10 cards in Start from zero
What is digital marketing, in one plain sentence?
Digital marketing is reaching people online through search, social media, email, ads and content, and measuring what actually brings customers.
How is it different from a newspaper ad or a poster?
Online you can choose who sees a message, change it in minutes, and count exactly who clicked and bought. A poster cannot tell you who read it.
Explain digital marketing with an everyday picture.
Hassan's sweet shop: a Google listing helps people find it, Instagram reels show fresh sweets, a WhatsApp list shares festival offers, and he counts which one brings orders.
What are a channel and an audience?
A channel is where you reach people: search, social, email, video or ads. The audience is who you want to reach, like 'parents in Coimbatore looking for tuition'.
What is a marketing funnel?
The path from first hearing about you (awareness), to comparing (consideration), to buying (conversion), to coming back and recommending (loyalty). Fewer people reach each step.
What are a campaign and a conversion?
A campaign is a planned push with one goal, a time and a budget, like a Diwali sale. A conversion is when someone does what you wanted: buys, signs up or calls.
What does click-through rate mean?
Out of everyone who saw your link or ad, the share who clicked. 1,000 people see an ad and 20 click: the click-through rate (CTR) is 2 percent.
What are analytics and consent?
Analytics tools count visits and actions so you see what works. Consent is a person's clear permission to track them or message them, required by law in many countries.
What do you need before you start?
A product or cause to promote (even your own skills), a phone or laptop, and free accounts like Google Business Profile, Google Analytics and a social media page.
What will you be able to do after this topic?
Plan campaigns, set up tracking, run search and social ads, send email that lands in the inbox, read the numbers that matter and follow advertising rules.
Digital marketing basics cheatsheet

Formulas

  • CTR Clicks / impressions
  • CPC Spend / clicks
  • CPM Spend / impressions x 1,000
  • CPA Spend / conversions
  • Conversion rate Conversions / visits
  • ROAS Revenue / ad spend
  • Break-even ROAS 1 / profit margin
  • LTV : CAC Aim for about 3 : 1

UTM tags

  • utm_source Where: google, instagram, newsletter
  • utm_medium Type: cpc, social, email
  • utm_campaign Name: diwali_2026
  • utm_content Which ad or link
  • utm_term Paid keyword
  • lowercase_with_underscores One naming style always

Funnel and channels

  • Awareness Video, social, display, PR
  • Consideration Search, reviews, content, email
  • Conversion Search ads, retargeting, landing pages
  • Loyalty Email, WhatsApp opt-in lists, offers

Email deliverability

  • SPF Which servers may send for you
  • DKIM Signs each email
  • DMARC Policy if checks fail
  • One-click unsubscribe Required for bulk senders
  • Spam rate < 0.3% Gmail limit, aim below 0.1%

Google Ads

  • Exact match Same meaning searches
  • Phrase match Searches including your meaning
  • Broad match Related searches, widest
  • Negative keywords Block wasted searches
  • Search terms report What people really typed
  • Target CPA / ROAS Smart bidding goals
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