All the terms, clearly explained

API

Programming interface that lets two pieces of software exchange data automatically. Pulsar uses the official APIs of Google, Meta, LinkedIn, etc. to fetch your statistics without manual copy-paste.

OAuth

Authorization standard used to connect Pulsar to your external accounts (Google, Meta, LinkedIn) without ever giving it your password. You approve access once on the third-party page, and an encrypted token then enables data reading. Revocable at any time.

Token

Access key generated after an OAuth connection, stored encrypted in the Pulsar database (hosted in Switzerland). The token replaces your password for automated API calls and expires according to the third-party platform rules (Google: 1 hour renewable, Meta: 60 days, etc.).

GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

Google's official web and mobile audience measurement tool, replacing Universal Analytics since July 2023. Pulsar retrieves sessions, conversions, traffic sources and custom events via the GA4 Data API.

GSC (Google Search Console)

Free Google console that reports clicks, impressions, CTR and average positions of your site in Google search results. Pulsar pulls this data to identify your best queries and detect visibility drops.

GBP (Google Business Profile)

Google business listing (formerly Google My Business) that appears in Maps and local search. Pulsar tracks your views, searches, calls, direction requests and reviews to measure your local visibility.

Synchronization (sync)

Automatic retrieval of your data from connected platforms. Pulsar syncs daily (Google, Meta, LinkedIn) or weekly (AI prompts). On error, you are alerted by email with the exact cause.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

Key indicator measuring goal attainment. On Pulsar, your main KPIs are: SEO score, organic sessions, conversions, ROAS, social engagement rate, and AI mention rate.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

Search engine results page for a given query. Modern SERPs include organic results, paid ads, featured snippets, the local pack and now AI Overviews.

Position (rank)

Place occupied by a URL in the SERP for a given keyword (1 = first result). Pulsar Ranking tracks your position daily by engine, language and geographic area (Desktop, Mobile, Local).

Keyword

Query typed by a user in a search engine. On Pulsar, you configure your target keywords per project (up to 5,000 depending on the pack), and the Pulsar Ranking engine retrieves your positions daily.

Search intent

Goal behind a query: informational ("what is..."), navigational ("facebook login"), commercial ("CRM comparison"), transactional ("buy..."). Aligning your content with the dominant intent is essential to rank.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Click rate = clicks / impressions. A high CTR in SEO indicates that your title and meta description are attractive. Pulsar displays CTR per query from GSC to identify pages to optimize.

Technical audit

Automated analysis of a site's technical health (speed, mobile-friendly, tags, schema, indexing, broken links). Pulsar crawls up to 5,000 pages depending on the pack and scores each dimension 0-100 with actionable recommendations.

Pulsar Ranking

Pulsar's proprietary engine that simultaneously tracks your Google rankings (Desktop, Mobile, Local) AND your mentions in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity responses. A single tool for classic SEO and AI visibility. See dedicated page /help/pulsar-ranking.

LLM (Large Language Model)

Large language model capable of generating coherent text. Mainstream LLMs are ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), Claude (Anthropic), Perplexity, Mistral. Pulsar monitors your presence in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.

Prompt

Question or instruction given to an LLM. On Pulsar, you configure 25 to 5,000 prompts per project depending on the pack ("best SEO agencies Luxembourg", "B2B CRM software comparison", etc.) and the Pulsar Ranking engine verifies each week whether your brand is cited in the answer.

AI Overview

AI-generated summary at the top of Google SERPs (rolled out 2024-2025 in most countries). The AI Overview cites its sources: being cited = massive free traffic. Pulsar Ranking detects your appearances in AI Overviews for tracked queries.

Google AI Mode

The "AI Mode" tab in Google search (launched 2025) offering a full conversational experience beyond AI Overview. Pulsar also tracks your mentions in this space.

AI citation (brand mention)

Mention of your brand, URL or content by an LLM in its answer to a prompt. Three levels: textual citation (your name appears), citation with link (your URL appears), source listed. Pulsar measures all three.

AI Search

New search category where users query an LLM (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) instead of a classic engine. Per Gartner, AI Search will represent 25% of searches in 2026. Optimizing to be cited by LLMs becomes as critical as ranking on Google.

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Return on ad spend = revenue generated / budget spent. A ROAS of 4 means €1 of ads brought €4 of revenue. Pulsar aggregates ROAS from Google Ads + Meta Ads + Bing Ads + LinkedIn Ads in a unified view.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

Cost per click = budget spent / number of clicks. Main metric for Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns. Pulsar automatically compares CPC of one period to the previous to flag abnormal increases.

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

Cost per acquisition = budget spent / number of conversions. The conversion can be a purchase, a form submission, a call. Pulsar tracks CPA by campaign and source to identify your most profitable channels.

Conversion

Valuable action taken by a visitor: purchase, form submission, quote request, subscription, download. The conversion is configured in GA4 or the ad platform and reported by Pulsar with its monetary value if defined.

Tenant

Isolated client account on Pulsar. A tenant typically corresponds to an agency or a brand. Each tenant has its own projects, users, invoices and configurations. Isolation is total: no tenant sees another's data.

White-label

White-label mode: the client portal displays your logo, colors and domain name instead of Pulsar's. The end client doesn't know you use Pulsar in the backend. Included in white-label addon.

Subdomain

Custom URL of the client portal as a subdomain of pulsar.lu (e.g.: dashboard.your-agency.pulsar.lu). Configurable instantly. Included in all paid packs.

Custom domain

Custom URL of the client portal on your own domain (e.g.: dashboard.your-agency.com). Requires a CNAME to configure in your DNS. Pulsar validates automatically via Cloudflare API. Included in white-label addon.

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation, in force in the EU since May 2018. Frames the collection, storage and processing of personal data. Pulsar is natively compliant: EU/CH hosting, right to be forgotten, data export, processing register.

MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)

Two-factor authentication that requires a one-time code in addition to the password at login. Available on Pulsar via TOTP app (Google Authenticator, 1Password) or email. Recommended for all admin accounts.

Audit log

Complete log of all sensitive actions performed on the platform: login, configuration change, project add/remove, plan change. Viewable by tenant admins. Retained 12 months.

Encryption

Data protection by cryptographic algorithm. On Pulsar: all OAuth tokens are encrypted in DB via AES-256, communications transit in HTTPS/TLS 1.3, passwords are hashed in bcrypt. Sensitive data isolated in encrypted columns.

Pulsar Free

14-day free trial, no credit card. 1 project, 50 keywords tracked daily, 25 AI prompts weekly, all sources connectable. Designed to evaluate Pulsar on your real data.

Pulsar Solo

Pack €69/month for freelancers and self-employed tracking a single site. 1 project, 50 keywords, 25 AI prompts, 1 user. All sources and the Pulsar Ranking engine included.

Pulsar Studio

Pack €129/month for creative studios and multi-client freelancers. 5 projects, 250 keywords in shared pool, 125 AI prompts weekly, 3 users, monthly PDF reports with AI narration.

Pulsar Pro

Pack €249/month for growing agencies with active client portfolio. 15 projects, 750 keywords, 375 AI prompts weekly, 5 users, MFA and granular roles, full audit log.

Pulsar Scale

Pack €449/month for established agencies with large client portfolios. 40 projects, 2,000 keywords, 1,000 AI prompts weekly, 10 users, priority support (reply < 4 business hours).