Loading page…
Advertising glossary
Advertising operations glossary: accounts, credit and measurement
Plain-language definitions of MCC, ad credit, allocation, SOA, CPC, CPA, ROAS and attribution, with links to practical advertising guides.
The short answer
What to know before you begin
Account access, funding and campaign measurement describe different things. Use these definitions when comparing services or reading reports, and check the exact meaning used by the relevant platform or your agreement.
Who this is for
Advertisers, media buyers and finance contacts who need a shared vocabulary for everyday ad operations.
Accounts and permissions
First identify the account or asset a term refers to. Permission to operate a campaign is not automatically ownership of its business assets, access to every account or authority to change payment arrangements.
- Advertiser account
The platform account in which advertising campaigns and their settings and reporting are organized. It is distinct from a manager tool that connects several accounts.
Google Ads agency account vs. MCC: what you actually need- Manager account (MCC)
Google Ads’ tool for managing linked advertiser accounts. An MCC is not a campaign service package, an approval exemption or a promise of advertising performance.
Google Ads agency account vs. MCC: what you actually need- Asset access
Permission to use or manage a specified resource, such as an ad account, Page, profile or measurement asset. The required permissions depend on the task and the asset.
Facebook Ads agency account: prepare your Meta assets- Business Center
TikTok’s environment for organizing business accounts, assets and permissions. Confirm the permissions needed for each campaign instead of sharing a personal login.
TikTok Ads agency account: your launch preparation guide
Funding and statements
A payment, available credit, an account allocation and campaign spend are different stages. Read the account, currency, reporting period and status alongside the amount before comparing records.
- Requested credit
The amount of advertising credit requested in a funding instruction. It is not a statement that payment has been verified or that the credit is already available.
Funding & fees- Service fee
The charge for the agreed service. AdsGorilla calculates the applicable fee on requested credit and adds it to the payment total. Confirm the rate and any separate charges before funding.
Funding & fees- Available credit
Credit recorded as available for the relevant workspace or account process. A submitted request or payment screenshot alone is not confirmation of this state.
How to read your advertising statement of account- Account allocation
A recorded movement of credit through the agreed account-funding process. Allocation is not campaign spend, and it does not create additional credit.
Funding & fees- Statement of account (SOA)
An operational statement used to review recorded balances and movements over a period. Keep it separate from a campaign-performance report or a tax invoice.
How to read your advertising statement of account
Advertising metrics
Always ask which events, costs, dates and attribution settings a metric includes. The formulas below explain the ratios; they are not targets or a forecast for any campaign.
- Click-through rate (CTR)
Clicks divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage. It describes how often an impression becomes a click, not how often the click becomes a sale.
Before launch: check that leads and conversions reach the right place- Average cost per click (CPC)
The advertising cost included in the report divided by the corresponding clicks. Confirm the cost basis before comparing it with a figure that includes service charges.
How to read your advertising statement of account- Cost per action or acquisition (CPA)
The included advertising cost divided by the counted actions. Specify the action: a submitted inquiry, a qualified lead and a sale can produce different CPA figures.
Lead generation: connect the first click to the follow-up- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Attributed conversion value divided by advertising spend. A reported ROAS is not net profit; product costs, refunds and other costs may need separate treatment in the business analysis.
Ecommerce advertising: connect the store, the ads and the records
Conversions and attribution
A received event, a business record and an attributed ad conversion answer different questions. Trace each one to its receiving system when investigating a reporting discrepancy.
- Conversion
A defined action counted by a measurement setup, such as a completed purchase or inquiry. Be explicit about the action and do not equate every button click with a completed result.
Before launch: check that leads and conversions reach the right place- Attribution window
The period within which an eligible action may be credited to an advertising interaction under a platform’s rules. Different windows can produce different counts for the same business period.
Before launch: check that leads and conversions reach the right place- Qualified lead
An inquiry that meets the criteria agreed by the business, such as service need and supported location. Qualification is a business decision, not an automatic consequence of form submission.
Lead generation: connect the first click to the follow-up
Official platform references
Platform features and service agreements are different. Confirm the actual account requirements and service scope during onboarding.