Glossary of 50+ email terms you should know

Never fear – the email experts at mail.com have put together a comprehensive glossary that explains not only common email terms but also key email marketing terminology every marketer should know!

Keep reading and discover:

1. Common email terms
2. Email marketing glossary

Common email terms for the everyday user

1. Allowlist, also known as a whitelist: A list created that consists of trusted email senders. A method to ensure emails, replies, and attachments from trusted senders always make it to your inbox. Our blog has more information on how to use your allowlist.
2. Artificial Intelligence, often referred to as AI: Computer systems that are used to simulate human intelligence, thinking, and behavior to perform tasks or solve problems. E.g. An AI software that can detect spam accounts. Our blog has more information on artificial intelligence.
3. Attachment: An email attachment refers to any file or document sent with an email. For example, a computer file, photo, or PDF can each be an email attachment. Attachments can be limited by size, so if you ever need help check out our blog post on sending large attachments.
4. Autoresponder: An email autoresponder is a tool used to automate email replies triggered by incoming messages. For instance, you may send an email to a colleague and immediately receive a response stating that they are out of the office. This is made possible through the autoresponder feature. If you’d like to learn how it works, see our explainer on setting up autoresponders in your email
5. BCC, also known as blind carbon copy: A way to include additional recipients on an email message invisibly or without revealing their email address. Unlike with CC, the email addresses in BCC are hidden from all other recipients. Our blog has more information on BCC.
6. Blocklist, also known as a blacklist: A list that contains IP addresses and email domains that have been flagged by spam filters. Also, a process in identifying spammers. Our blog has more information on blocklisting.
7. Body message: The body contains the main message of an email. It’s located between the email header and the footer.
8. Cache: A memory bank for information that was previously retrieved by a computer, storing it in a place where it can be accessed quickly without long download times. Our blog has more information on caches and why you sometimes have to clear them.
9. CC or carbon copy: A way to include additional recipients on an email message indirectly. Our blog has more information on CC.
10. Cloud: The cloud is a way to store data on remote servers, where it can be accessed via an internet connection. The mail.com Cloud is a standard online file storage feature that comes free with your mail.com account. Our blog has more information on using the Cloud.
11. Cookies: Small text files sent to your browser from a website you visit. Cookies monitor and track the sites you visit and the items you click on within a webpage. Our blog has more information on website cookies .
12. DMARC: An email security protocol that helps domain and email users protect their domain from unauthorized misuse by third parties.  Our blog has more information on Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance.
13. Email Alias: An alternative email that acts as a forwarding email address. This allows switching between email recipient and sender addresses within a single email account. Our blog has more information on understanding alias addresses.
14. Email Client: A software or application used to access, send and store email. An email client can be either desktop-based like Apple mail or web-based like mail.com!
15. Email Domain: The part of your email address behind the @ symbol. It is associated with a specific mail server or servers. E.g. @mail.com, @allergist.com, @email.com. Our blog has more information on email domains.
16. Email Layout: When you design an HTML email template, the layout is about how your email template will look overall, unlike the structure which only refers to the order of the email content. Put otherwise, email layouts are several approaches to formatting the content of your email message. For instance, it could be just plain text organized into one or two columns.
17. Email Server: A specialized computer system dedicated to sending, receiving and storing email messages. Think of it like a digital post office that manages the flow of emails between the sender and recipient. If you’d like to learn more, read our explainer on how email is sent through email servers.
18. Email Signature: Text that is automatically inserted into the end an email to sign off the correspondence. An email signature will generally contain professional credentials, name, business contact information, website URL, and a memorable anecdote or quote. Our blog has more information on how to create an email signature .
19. Email Template: a preformatted HTML layout made of reusable codes. An email template can be edited to create a custom email by replacing the sample content with your own. Using email templates is an efficient and quick way of sending emails. So, why not create your own in our Online Office?
20. Greylisting: A method of email delay to defend email users against spam. Used by mail servers to combat a certain type of spam known as unsolicited bulk email. Our blog has more information on greylisting.
21. IMAP, or Internet Message Access Protocol: A protocol that keeps emails synced across multiple devices. Our blog has more information on  IMAP.
22. IP Address: The IP or internet protocol address is the standard for the exchange of information on the internet. Our blog has more information on IP addresses .
23. Mailer Daemon, also known as the mail delivery subsystem: A “daemon” is computer jargon for an unattended software program that runs in the background. In this case, it’s a program that delivers an email across multiple mail subsystems, and occasionally notifies you if your message can’t be delivered. Our blog has more information on Mailer Daemon.
24. Pharming: A cyberattack which uses malicious code executed on the victim’s device to redirect to an attacker-controlled website. E.g. A fake site can then install malicious programs on to a computer or device once the website is interacted with. Our blog has more information on pharming.
25. Phishing: When cybercriminals pretend to be from a reputable company to try to trick you into revealing personal information. Our blog has more information on avoiding phishing attacks.
26. POP3: Also known as POP or Post Office Protocol, POP3 is a protocol for retrieving mails from an email server to a device (i.e. your laptop, tablet or smartphone). The messages are fetched from the server and saved on a device. Our blog has more information on POP3.
27. Ransomware: A fraudulent email which threatens to publish a victim’s personal data or sensitive information unless a ransom is paid. The number one cause of ransomware is phishing emails.Our blog has more information on ransomware.
28. SMTP: The most common protocol for sending email messages between email servers. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Our blog has more information on SMTP Authentication.
29. Spam: Unsolicited commercial email. Spam is also commonly used to refer to solicited emails recipients no longer wish to receive, e.g. from a mailing list they joined voluntarily. Some people also refer to phishing emails or messages containing viruses as spam. Our blog has more information on identifying Spam.
30. SSL Certificate: A type of digital certificate which provides authentication for a website. A SSL certificate keeps sensitive data secure and protected from third parties. Our blog has more information on understanding a SSL Certificate.
31. Subject Line: A brief title that shows up in the recipient’s inbox prior to them opening the email. It’s meant to give the recipient an idea about the content or purpose of an email and for that reason, is one of the most crucial components of any email. Check out our explainer on how to write effective email subject lines!
32. Subscribe: The process of joining a mailing list, either through an email offer, by completing a Web form, or offline by filling out a form or requesting to be added verbally.
33. Two-factor Authentication, or 2FA: A multifactor user verification to prove you are the owner of the account. 2FA provides an additional layer of security without the sole reliance on a password. Our blog has more information on 2FA.
34. URL, or Uniform Resource Locator: The address of a web page, consisting of several elements. Our blog has more information on understanding a URL.
35. Virus: A program made of codes that can copy itself and causing a detrimental effect like corrupting a device or computer system and destroying data.
36. VPN or Virtual Private Network: Provides online security, privacy, and anonymity. It can be used for protecting daily digital activities, both business and personal. Our blog has more information on VPNs.
37. Zip Files: A file format that acts as an archive to support data compression. Our blog has more information on compressed files.

 Common email marketing terms

Now that you’re all caught up on the most common email terms, take a look at a few more email marketing terms that will surely come in handy for your next email marketing campaign.

1. A/B Testing, sometimes also referred to as Split Testing: This method sends out two different variations of an email to test which one performs better based on key metrics. It allows email marketers to figure out what works best and what resonates with their audience.
2. Acceptance Rate, also known as the delivery rate: The percentage of emails that were accepted by the recipients’ email servers and were not returned to the sender. It doesn’t take into consideration where the email landed. For example, even if an email ends up in the spam folder, it still counts.
3. Bounce Rate: Opposite to the acceptance rate, it refers to the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered and are subsequently returned to the sender.
4. Call to Action (CTA): As its name suggests, a CTA is a prompt encouraging the recipient of an email to take a specific action like “Download” or “Sign up”.
5. Click-Through Rate (CTR): A measure of how many people clicked on one or more links in an email. It’s a useful tool for email marketers to evaluate the success of an email marketing campaign.  
6. Conversion Rate: The percentage of recipients who performed the act specified in the CTA after reading an email.
7. Deliverability: An email’s ability to make it through spam filters and other barriers, successfully reaching a recipient’s inbox.
8. Email metrics: Various statistics that are used to assess the success of email campaigns. They include bounce rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, etc.
9. List Segmentation, sometimes known as Email Segmentation: The practice of dividing email subscribers into smaller groups based on a set of characteristics like age, gender, location, etc. Then, according to the characteristics of each group, they will receive different, personalized emails tailored to their preferences and interests.
10. Open Rate: The percentage of recipients who opened an email out of the total number of recipients.
11. Personalization: In email marketing, this refers to the process of customizing the content of an email so that it’s more tailored to individual recipients based on their preferences, behaviors, or demographics.
12. Responsive Design: With special coding, an email will adapt and reformat itself according to the size of the device it’s being displayed on. The use of responsive design can optimize a recipient’s experience when opening an email making it a beneficial tool for any dedicated email marketer.
13. Unsubscribe: Often when you receive a newsletter or any kind of marketing email, there will be a clickable line of text that says “unsubscribe”. Clicking this button will opt you out of receiving any future marketing emails from that source.
14. Unsubscribe Rate: If the purpose of the unsubscribe button is to no longer receive any future emails from a marketer, then the unsubscribe rate refers to the percentage of people who have requested to be removed from the mailing list after an email marketing campaign.

 
Did this glossary clear up your questions on email terminology? If there is still an email term you’d like explained, why not leave us a comment below (you must be logged into your mail.com account to comment)? And if you still don’t have a mail.com account, sign up for free today!

This article first appeared on August 22, 2022 and was updated on October 17, 2024.

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