E-commerce Glossary: ROAS, GEO, Product Feed

ROAS (return on ad spend)

The value attributed to ads divided by the ad cost. If attributed sales are $500 and ad spend is $100, ROAS is 5:1, or 500%. It is not profit: product, fulfillment and other costs still need to be deducted. See how to judge Etsy Ads.

Conversion rate

The share of a defined group that completes a chosen action. For a store you might divide purchasing sessions by all sessions. Etsy defines shop conversion rate as orders divided by visits, while Google Ads divides conversions by eligible ad interactions, so always name the denominator when comparing reports.

Product attribute

A structured characteristic such as color, material, size or availability. Attributes help marketplaces and feeds describe and filter products. Allowed values and requirements depend on the platform.

GEO (generative engine optimization)

A label for work meant to improve visibility in AI-generated search answers. Google recognizes the term but says its generative Search features still rely on SEO foundations. GEO is not a separate Google submission process or a guaranteed ranking method. See why AI assistants skip some websites.

Structured data (schema markup)

Machine-readable information on a page that identifies its content and properties. On a product page, Product and Offer markup can describe the item, price and availability.

Product feed

A regularly updated catalog sent to a supported platform, with fields such as identifiers, titles, images, prices and stock status. Formats and access rules vary by platform, so a feed made for one service may not work unchanged on another.

AI Mode

Google's conversational Search experience. For shopping questions, Google says it combines AI responses with Shopping Graph data such as prices, reviews and inventory.

Citation

A link or attribution shown beside an AI answer. It shows which source supports a claim. It is not proof that the source will get a sale or that the answer copied every detail correctly.

Ship-by date

On Etsy, the date by which you promise to hand an order to the carrier. It is different from the estimated delivery date, which includes transit time.

Contribution profit

What remains from one order after every cost tied to it, before monthly channel costs are allocated. See the profit calculator.

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Sources

Rules, numbers and dates change often. This page reflects the sources below as checked on Oct 9, 2026, so confirm the current version before you act.

Glossary