The Complete Geofencing Terminology Guide

A precision targeting method that draws a virtual boundary around a specific physical address — such as a single home, business, or building — rather than a broad radius. Advertisers can serve ads to devices detected at that exact address, making it ideal for account-based marketing and hyper-local campaigns.

The process of estimating a relationship between an ad exposure and a real-world outcome, such as a store visit, phone call, or online conversion. In geofencing, attribution can estimate foot-traffic lift by comparing location signals after ad exposure with an agreed methodology. Healthcare campaigns are not recommended to use health-service visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data as attribution or conversion inputs; they require campaign-specific review of data flows, vendor roles, permissions, state law, platform rules, and report-level aggregation and access safeguards. This glossary does not certify legal compliance.

A controlled experiment in which two versions of an ad creative, landing page, or geofence boundary are served simultaneously to comparable audience segments to determine which performs better. In geofencing campaigns, A/B tests are commonly used to compare different fence sizes, creative formats, or call-to-action copy. Statistical significance — typically requiring at least 95% confidence — must be reached before declaring a winner and scaling the higher-performing variant.

A defined group of users who share common characteristics — such as interest in a particular category of content or a non-health demographic profile — that can be reached with a coordinated ad campaign. In non-health geofencing, an audience segment can be constructed from eligible device IDs associated with a defined geographic area and activated subject to applicable permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data to build or activate audience segments, including cross-device or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A method of reaching audiences based on their past actions and movement patterns rather than just their current location. Geofencing platforms build behavioral profiles from historical visit data, allowing advertisers to target people who have previously visited a competitor, attended an event, or frequented a specific type of location.

The minimum CPM price a publisher or ad exchange will accept for a given ad impression. In programmatic geofencing, bid floors vary by audience quality, location precision, and inventory type. Premium inventory — such as high-traffic urban locations or brand-safe news environments — typically carries higher bid floors. Understanding bid floors helps advertisers set competitive bids that win the most relevant impressions without overpaying.

A defined geographic area — typically an advertiser's own business location — used to measure whether a device that was served an ad later generated a location signal inside that area. The signal may be included in foot-traffic attribution reporting under the campaign's documented methodology; it is not a verified person-level visit. Healthcare campaigns are not recommended to use health-service visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data as conversion inputs; they require campaign-specific review of data flows, vendor roles, permissions, state law, platform rules, and report-level aggregation and access safeguards. This glossary does not certify legal compliance.

The cost an advertiser pays per 1,000 ad impressions served. CPM is the standard pricing model for display and geofencing campaigns. Geofencing CPMs typically range from $5–$15 depending on targeting precision, audience size, and campaign geography.

The ability to deliver a campaign across multiple devices — such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and connected TVs — using available device associations. In non-health campaigns, it can extend delivery beyond the moment of physical proximity, subject to applicable permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for cross-device targeting or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A targeting method that serves ads based on the content of the webpage or app a user is currently viewing, rather than their behavioral profile or location history. When combined with geofencing, contextual targeting adds a content-relevance layer — for example, serving a car dealership ad to a user inside a competitor's lot who is also reading an auto review article. This combination improves ad relevance and reduces wasted impressions.

Connected TV (CTV) and Over-The-Top (OTT) advertising delivers video ads to audiences watching streaming content on smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and similar devices. In non-health campaigns, CTV/OTT can be part of a cross-device delivery approach when supported by applicable permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for CTV/OTT audience activation or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

The percentage of ad impressions that result in a user clicking through to the advertiser's destination URL, calculated as (clicks ÷ impressions) × 100. Mediavision2020's advertising planning guidance uses an average CTR benchmark of 0.15% and a good CTR of 2.0%+. These are not independently verified industry averages, measured client results, or guarantees, and they do not apply to organic Search Console CTR or non-clickable CTV/video completion rate. CTR should always be evaluated alongside conversion rate and foot traffic attribution, as a high CTR with low conversions may indicate a landing page problem rather than an audience problem.

The process of identifying and linking multiple devices associated with the same person or household, enabling coordinated delivery across screens. Cross-device matching may rely on device-graph technology and can use deterministic matching (exact identity signals such as email logins) or probabilistic matching (inferred connections from shared IP, location, and behavioral patterns). These associations can be linkable and are not automatically anonymous. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for cross-device matching or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

The practice of scheduling ad delivery to specific hours of the day or days of the week to align with audience behavior patterns. In geofencing, dayparting is used to serve ads when a target location is most active — for example, running restaurant ads during the lunch hour, or serving competitor conquest ads on weekday mornings when commuters pass rival dealerships. Dayparting reduces wasted impressions and improves overall campaign efficiency.

A software platform that allows advertisers and agencies to purchase digital ad inventory across multiple ad exchanges and supply sources through a single interface. DSPs use real-time bidding (RTB) to evaluate and bid on individual impressions in milliseconds. Geofencing campaigns are executed through DSPs, which apply location data, audience segments, and targeting parameters to determine which impressions to bid on and at what price.

A pseudonymous, resettable alphanumeric identifier assigned to a mobile device — such as an Apple IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) or a Google GAID (Google Advertising ID) — that may be linkable to other data and can be used in advertising workflows. Geofencing platforms can build audience segments from device IDs associated with a defined geographic boundary; these identifiers are not automatically anonymous or outside privacy obligations. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data with device IDs, cross-device activation, or household graphs; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

The length of time a device spends inside a geofenced area before being added to a targetable audience segment. Advertisers use minimum dwell time thresholds — typically 5 to 15 minutes — to filter out devices that merely passed through a location versus those that genuinely visited. Setting an appropriate dwell time is critical for audience quality: too short a threshold inflates audience size with low-intent passers-by, while too long a threshold may exclude legitimate visitors.

A database that links multiple devices — smartphones, desktop computers, tablets, and connected TVs — to the same person or household. Device graphs may use deterministic matching (such as shared login credentials or email addresses) and probabilistic matching (such as shared IP addresses, behavioral patterns, or location co-occurrence) to build device clusters. These associations can be linkable and are not automatically anonymous. In non-health campaigns, a device graph may support cross-device delivery subject to applicable permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for device-graph activation or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A cross-device identity resolution method that links devices using exact identity signals — such as a shared email address, phone number, or logged-in account. Deterministic matching can produce high-confidence device connections because the link is based on identity data rather than inference, but those connections can be linkable and are not automatically anonymous. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for deterministic matching, customer-list matching, or cross-device activation; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A measurement methodology that estimates how many ad-exposed devices later generated location signals at a physical location. For brick-and-mortar campaigns, it can be one input to evaluating outcomes, subject to the campaign's documented methodology and reporting limits. Healthcare campaigns are not recommended to use health-service visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data as attribution inputs; they require campaign-specific review of data flows, vendor roles, permissions, state law, platform rules, and report-level aggregation and access safeguards. This glossary does not certify legal compliance.

A setting that limits the number of times a single user sees the same ad within a defined time period (e.g., no more than 3 impressions per day, or 10 per week). Frequency capping prevents ad fatigue — the phenomenon where overexposure to the same creative causes users to tune out or develop negative brand associations. In geofencing campaigns, frequency caps are typically set at 3–5 impressions per day to maintain awareness without becoming intrusive.

The practice of drawing a virtual geographic boundary — a 'fence' — around a real-world location using GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular data, or RFID signals. When a mobile device enters or exits this boundary, it can be added to an audience segment and served targeted advertisements across digital channels. Geofences can be as small as a single building or as large as an entire city.

A broader form of location-based advertising that delivers ads to users based on their general geographic location — such as city, ZIP code, DMA, or country — rather than a precise physical boundary. Unlike geofencing, geo-targeting does not require a device to physically enter a defined zone; it uses IP address or declared location data to determine eligibility.

The distance from a central point used to define a circular geofence boundary. Radii can range from as small as 25 feet (for a single storefront or trade show booth) to several miles (for a city-wide awareness campaign). Smaller radii produce higher-intent, more precise audiences but smaller segment sizes; larger radii capture more devices but may include lower-intent users. Most geofencing platforms also support polygon fencing, which allows irregular shapes that more accurately trace the footprint of a building, parking lot, or campus.

A digital advertising method that delivers ads to devices associated with a specific IP address. Because IP-address associations may be linked to physical locations, IP targeting can be used for non-health household, business, or office outreach and can extend location-based campaigns to desktop and laptop devices that do not carry GPS signals. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for IP-based audience activation; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A single instance of an ad being rendered on a user's screen, counted each time the ad is loaded regardless of whether the user interacts with it. Impressions are the base unit of programmatic advertising inventory and are typically bought and sold on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) basis. In geofencing campaigns, impression volume is a function of audience segment size, frequency cap settings, and campaign flight duration. Impression counts alone are a weak performance indicator — they must be paired with viewability, CTR, and conversion data to assess true campaign effectiveness.

The Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) on iOS and the Google Advertising ID (GAID) on Android are resettable advertising identifiers assigned to mobile devices. They are pseudonymous and may be linkable to other data; they are not automatically anonymous or outside privacy obligations. In non-health advertising, they can support measurement or audience workflows subject to applicable permissions, laws, and platform rules. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data with IDFA or GAID; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

An advertising targeting method that identifies household or business IP addresses from a physical mailing list or address database and serves ads to devices associated with those IP addresses. Unlike geofencing, which can construct audiences from location signals, IP targeting can use pre-defined non-health business or household addresses from a list, subject to applicable permissions, laws, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for IP targeting or household activation; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A targeting segment built by identifying users who share behavioral, demographic, and location characteristics with a known high-value audience (the 'seed' audience). In geofencing, a lookalike audience might be built from users who have previously visited a client's store, then expanded to reach new users with similar profiles who have not yet converted. Lookalike targeting extends campaign reach beyond the physical geofence boundary while maintaining audience quality.

Geospatial signals derived from mobile devices — including GPS coordinates, Wi-Fi triangulation, cell tower pings, and Bluetooth beacons — that indicate where a device has been at a given point in time. Location data can be used to construct geofencing audiences. Its collection and use are subject to applicable permissions, laws, and platform rules; this glossary does not certify legal compliance. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for audience construction; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review.

An umbrella term for the resettable, user-facing advertising identifiers built into mobile operating systems: Apple's IDFA and Google's GAID. MAIDs are pseudonymous identifiers that may be linkable to other data and can be used in advertising workflows, subject to applicable permissions, laws, and platform rules. Users can reset or limit ad tracking through their device privacy settings. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data with MAIDs; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

The automated buying and selling of digital advertising inventory in real time through software platforms and algorithms, rather than through manual negotiations. Geofencing campaigns are typically executed programmatically, allowing advertisers to bid on individual ad impressions served to devices within a defined geographic boundary across thousands of apps and websites simultaneously.

A geofencing technique that draws a custom multi-sided boundary — rather than a simple circle — around a specific location. Polygon fencing allows advertisers to precisely trace the footprint of a building, parking lot, event venue, or neighborhood boundary, capturing only the devices physically within that exact space. This precision is critical for competitor conquesting (fencing a rival's parking lot) and event targeting (fencing a convention center floor).

A cross-device identity resolution method that infers device connections using statistical signals — such as shared IP addresses, location co-occurrence, browsing behavior, and device usage patterns. It does not require a shared login; instead, it uses models to assign a confidence score to a potential device link. These inferred connections can be linkable and are not automatically anonymous. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for probabilistic matching or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

In the context of geofencing, retargeting refers to continuing to serve ads to an eligible device after it has left the geofenced area. In non-health campaigns, a device may remain in an audience segment for a defined period so a campaign can reach it later on other apps or websites, subject to permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for retargeting; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A performance metric that measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. Calculated as: Total Revenue ÷ Total Ad Spend. In geofencing campaigns, ROAS is often measured through foot traffic attribution (store visits driven per dollar spent) or direct online conversions tracked via pixel. A ROAS of 4:1 means the campaign generated $4 in revenue for every $1 invested. Mediavision2020 campaigns typically target a minimum 3:1 ROAS for brick-and-mortar clients.

The defined period of time — often 7, 14, or 30 days — during which an eligible device can continue to receive follow-up ads after entering a geofence. After the retargeting window closes, the device ID is removed from the active audience segment and ads stop being served. Window length should be set based on the non-health campaign objective, permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for retargeting; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

A technology platform used by digital publishers to manage, sell, and optimize their available ad inventory in real time. SSPs connect publisher inventory to multiple DSPs and ad exchanges simultaneously, running real-time auctions to maximize yield for each impression. In the geofencing ecosystem, SSPs are the supply-side counterpart to DSPs: a geofencing campaign's DSP bids on impressions made available by SSPs, targeting only those impressions associated with device IDs in the advertiser's geofenced audience segment. Premium SSP relationships are a key differentiator for geofencing vendors, as they determine the quality and brand safety of inventory available to clients.

The geographic region from which a business draws the majority of its customers, typically defined by drive time, distance, or demographic density. In geofencing strategy, a client's trade area can inform broad geographic, contextual, community, professional-event, or employer-owned outreach. It can be useful for brick-and-mortar retailers and auto dealerships. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for trade-area audience activation; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

Mediavision2020's proprietary approach to geofencing that combines location-based audience capture with delivery across web, social, streaming, and programmatic channels. In non-health campaigns, it can extend delivery beyond a device's immediate proximity to a location, subject to permissions, platform rules, and vendor methodology. This glossary does not recommend using health-provider visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data for audience capture, cross-device delivery, or household expansion; healthcare campaigns require campaign-specific review and do not receive a legal-compliance certification from this page.

An industry-standard metric that measures whether an ad had the opportunity to be seen by a human user. The IAB and MRC define a display ad as viewable when at least 50% of its pixels are in view for a minimum of one continuous second. Viewability is a critical quality indicator in programmatic geofencing — a high viewability rate (above 70%) signals that impressions are being served in premium, above-the-fold placements rather than buried in low-quality inventory.

The percentage of ad-exposed devices that subsequently generated a location signal at the advertiser's physical location within a defined attribution window (typically 30 days). Walk-in rate can be a measurement input for brick-and-mortar campaigns when evaluated with the underlying methodology and reporting limits. Healthcare campaigns are not recommended to use health-service visits, patient, appointment, clinical, or care-derived data as walk-in or conversion inputs; they require campaign-specific review of data flows, vendor roles, permissions, state law, platform rules, and report-level aggregation and access safeguards. This glossary does not certify legal compliance.