SEO glossary

161 search and marketing terms, defined in plain English: what each one means, why it matters, and what to do about it.

A

• Above the FoldAbove the fold refers to the portion of a web page that is visible without scrolling.
• AhrefsAhrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolset used for backlink analysis, keyword research, competitive analysis, rank tracking, and site auditing.
• AlgorithmA search engine algorithm is the complex system of rules and calculations that search engines use to retrieve, rank, and present web pages in response to a user's query.
• Alt TextAlt text (alternative text) is an HTML attribute that provides a text description of an image for screen readers and search engines.
• AMPAMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source HTML framework originally created by Google to deliver fast-loading mobile web pages.
• Anchor Text (Link Text)Anchor text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink that helps search engines understand the linked page's topic.

B

• Backlink (Inbound Link)A backlink is a hyperlink from one website to another, serving as a vote of confidence that influences search rankings.
• BacklinksBacklinks are hyperlinks from external websites pointing to your site, serving as votes of confidence that boost search rankings and domain authority.
• Black Hat SEOBlack hat SEO refers to aggressive techniques that violate search engine guidelines to achieve quick rankings improvements.
• BlogA blog is a regularly updated section of a website that publishes articles, insights, and informational content.
• Bounce RateBounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page without taking any further action.
• Branded KeywordsBranded keywords are search queries that include a specific company name, product name, or brand term.
• BreadcrumbsBreadcrumbs are a secondary navigation element that shows users their current location within a website's hierarchy.
• Broken LinkA broken link is a hyperlink that points to a page or resource that no longer exists, returning a 404 error or other error status code.

C

• Call to Action (CTA)A call to action (CTA) is a prompt on a web page that encourages visitors to take a specific action, such as requesting a quote, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase.
• Canonical URLA canonical URL is the preferred version of a web page specified using the rel='canonical' HTML tag or HTTP header.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR)Click-through rate is the percentage of users who click on a link or ad after seeing it, measuring engagement effectiveness.
• CloakingCloaking is a black hat SEO technique where different content is shown to search engine crawlers than what is displayed to human visitors.
• Content AuditA content audit is a systematic review of all content on a website to evaluate its quality, relevance, and SEO performance.
• Content GapA content gap is a keyword or topic that your competitors rank for in organic search but your website does not.
• Content MarketingContent marketing is the strategic creation and distribution of valuable, relevant content to attract, engage, and convert a target audience.
• Conversion RateConversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or calling your business.
• Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are a set of three specific metrics that Google uses to measure real-world user experience: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) for loading speed, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) for interactivity, and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) for visual stability.
• Cornerstone ContentCornerstone content is the most important, comprehensive content on your website that covers core topics in depth.
• Crawl BudgetCrawl budget is the number of pages a search engine will crawl on your site within a given timeframe.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures the total amount of unexpected visual movement on a page during its entire lifespan.

D

• Deep LinkA deep link is a hyperlink that points to a specific page within a website rather than its homepage.
• Disavow ToolThe Google Disavow Tool allows website owners to ask Google to ignore specific backlinks when assessing their site.
• Domain AuthorityIn SEO, authority refers to the perceived trustworthiness and expertise of a website or web page, determined by factors like backlink quality, content depth, brand reputation, and user engagement.
• Domain Authority (DA)Domain Authority is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank in search results.
• Domain NameA domain name is the unique address that identifies a website on the internet (e.g., growthnuts.com).
• Duplicate ContentDuplicate content refers to substantial blocks of content that appear on more than one URL, either within the same website or across different domains.
• Dwell TimeDwell time is the length of time a user spends on a page after clicking a search result before returning to the search results page.

E

• E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)E-E-A-T is a framework Google uses to evaluate content quality, particularly for topics that impact health, finances, or safety.
• Evergreen ContentEvergreen content is search-optimized content that remains relevant and valuable to readers long after its initial publication date.
• External LinkAn external link is a hyperlink that points from one website to a page on a different domain.

F

• Featured Snippet (Position Zero)A featured snippet is a highlighted answer box that appears at the top of Google's search results, extracted from a ranking page.
• First Contentful Paint (FCP)First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures the time from navigation until any part of a page first renders on screen.
• First Input Delay (FID)First Input Delay (FID) was a Core Web Vitals metric that measured the time in milliseconds between a user's first interaction with a page—such as clicking a link or tapping a button—and the browser's ability to begin processing that interaction.

G

• Geo-TargetingGeo-targeting in SEO is the practice of optimizing content, technical configurations, and search signals to reach users in specific geographic locations.
• Google Algorithm UpdateA Google algorithm update is a change to the ranking systems and signals that Google uses to order search results.
• Google AnalyticsGoogle Analytics is Google's free web analytics platform that tracks and reports website traffic, user behavior, and conversion data.
• Google Business ProfileGoogle Business Profile (GBP), formerly Google My Business, is a free listing tool that allows businesses to manage their appearance in Google Search and Google Maps.
• Google DiscoverGoogle Discover is a personalized content feed on mobile devices and the Google app that surfaces articles, videos, and other content to users based on their interests, search history, and browsing behavior—without requiring a search query.
• Google PenaltyA Google penalty is a punitive action taken against a website that violates Google's spam policies, resulting in reduced search visibility or complete removal from search results.
• Google Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console (GSC) is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot their site's presence in Google Search results.
• Guest PostingGuest posting is the practice of writing and publishing content on another website or blog, typically in exchange for an author byline with a backlink to the contributor's own site.

H

• H1 TagThe H1 tag is the HTML heading element that defines the primary heading of a webpage.
• Header TagsHeader tags (H1 through H6) are HTML elements that define a hierarchical heading structure within a webpage's content.
• Helpful ContentContent that is created primarily for people rather than search engines, demonstrating first-hand expertise and providing genuine value to readers.
• HreflangHreflang is an HTML attribute used to specify the language and optional geographic targeting of a webpage, helping Google serve the correct language or regional version of a page to users in different locations.
• HTTP Status CodesHTTP status codes are three-digit server response codes that indicate the outcome of a browser's request to a web server.
• HTTPSHTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is the encrypted version of HTTP that uses TLS (Transport Layer Security) to secure data transmitted between a user's browser and the web server.

I

• Image OptimizationImage optimization is the process of reducing image file sizes and configuring image delivery for maximum performance while maintaining acceptable visual quality.
• ImpressionsIn SEO, an impression is counted each time a URL from your site appears in a search result that a user sees.
• IndexingIndexing is the process by which search engines discover, process, and store webpage content in their database (index) so it can be retrieved and displayed in search results.
• Information ArchitectureInformation architecture (IA) in SEO refers to the structural organization of a website's content into a logical hierarchy of categories, subcategories, and pages that facilitates both user navigation and search engine crawling.
• Internal LinkAn internal link is a hyperlink that connects one page on a website to another page on the same domain.

J

• JavaScript SEOJavaScript SEO is the practice of ensuring that content generated or manipulated by JavaScript is fully accessible to search engine crawlers.
• JSON-LDJSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is Google's preferred format for implementing structured data markup on web pages.

K

• Keyword (Search Term)A keyword is a word or phrase that users enter into search engines, which websites target to attract relevant traffic.
• Keyword CannibalizationKeyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on the same website target the same or very similar keywords, causing them to compete against each other in search results.
• Keyword DensityKeyword density is the percentage of times a target keyword appears in a piece of content relative to the total word count.
• Keyword DifficultyKeyword difficulty (KD) is a metric provided by SEO tools that estimates how hard it will be to rank on the first page of Google for a specific keyword.
• Keyword RankingsThe positions where a website appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific search queries or keywords.
• Keyword ResearchKeyword research is the systematic process of discovering, analyzing, and prioritizing the search terms that users enter into search engines when looking for information, products, or services related to your business.
• Knowledge GraphGoogle's Knowledge Graph is a massive knowledge base that Google uses to understand entities, their attributes, and the relationships between them.
• Knowledge PanelA Knowledge Panel is the information box that appears on the right side of Google's desktop search results (or at the top on mobile) when Google confidently identifies the entity behind a query.

L

• Landing PageA landing page is a standalone web page specifically designed to receive traffic from a particular source — such as a paid ad, email campaign, or organic search query — and guide visitors toward a single conversion action.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures how long it takes for the largest visible content element — typically a hero image, heading, or video poster — to render within the viewport.
• Link BaitLink bait is content specifically engineered to attract backlinks naturally by offering exceptional value, novelty, or emotional appeal that compels other website owners to reference and link to it.
• Link BuildingLink building is the deliberate practice of acquiring hyperlinks from external websites to your own, with the goal of improving search engine rankings, referral traffic, and domain authority.
• Link EquityLink equity (formerly known as 'link juice') is the ranking value that a hyperlink passes from the linking page to the destination page.
• Link OutreachIn SEO, outreach is the practice of proactively contacting website owners, journalists, bloggers, and influencers to promote content, earn backlinks, secure guest posting opportunities, or build relationships that support link building and digital PR goals.
• Link ProfileA link profile is the complete collection of backlinks pointing to a website, analyzed as a whole to assess its quality, diversity, and naturalness.
• Link ReclamationLink reclamation is the process of identifying and recovering lost, broken, or unlinked brand mentions to restore or capture link equity that your site should be receiving.
• Local CitationA citation is any online mention of a local business's name, address, and phone number (NAP).
• Local PackThe Local Pack (also called the Map Pack or 3-Pack) is the block of three local business listings that appears prominently in Google search results for queries with local intent, accompanied by a map.
• Local Pack RankingLocal Pack ranking refers to the specific position a business holds within Google's Local Pack results and the factors that determine that position.
• Local SearchLocal search refers to search queries with local intent, where users are looking for businesses, products, or services near a specific geographic location.
• Local SEO (Local Search Engine Optimization)Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business's online presence to attract customers from relevant local searches.
• Long-Tail KeywordA long-tail keyword is a specific, multi-word search phrase that individually has low search volume but collectively represents the majority of all search queries.

M

• Manual ActionA manual action is a penalty imposed by a human reviewer at Google when a website is found to violate Google's spam policies.
• Meta DescriptionA meta description is an HTML attribute that provides a concise summary of a web page's content, typically displayed as the snippet text beneath the title in search engine results pages.
• Meta Tags (Meta Elements)Meta tags are HTML elements that provide metadata about a webpage to search engines and browsers.
• MinificationMinification is the process of removing unnecessary characters from source code — including whitespace, comments, line breaks, and shortening variable names — without changing its functionality.
• Mobile SEO (Mobile Search Optimization)Mobile SEO is the practice of optimizing websites for search visibility and user experience on mobile devices.
• Mobile-First IndexingMobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of a website's content for indexing and ranking.
• Mobile-FriendlyA mobile-friendly website is one that delivers a functional, usable experience on mobile devices without requiring zooming, horizontal scrolling, or desktop-specific interactions.

N

• NAPNAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number — the three critical pieces of business information that must be consistent across every online listing, directory, and web page for local SEO.
• NAP ConsistencyNAP consistency refers to ensuring your business Name, Address, and Phone number are identical across all online listings, directories, and citations.
• Natural LinkA natural link (also called an editorial link or organic link) is a backlink that another website places voluntarily because they found your content genuinely useful, informative, or reference-worthy.
• Negative SEONegative SEO refers to malicious practices aimed at sabotaging a competitor's search engine rankings through tactics like building toxic backlinks to their site, scraping and duplicating their content, generating fake reviews, or hacking their website.
• NofollowNofollow is a link attribute (rel='nofollow') that signals to search engines that the linking page does not want to pass ranking credit (link equity) to the destination URL.
• NoindexNoindex is a directive that tells search engines not to include a specific page in their search index, effectively preventing it from appearing in search results.

O

• Off-Page SEOOff-page SEO encompasses all optimization activities conducted outside of your own website to improve its search engine rankings, authority, and trustworthiness.
• On-Page SEOOn-page SEO is the practice of optimizing individual web pages — their content, HTML source code, and internal architecture — to rank higher in search engines and earn more relevant traffic.
• Organic SearchOrganic search refers to the unpaid, algorithm-driven results that appear in search engine results pages based on their relevance to the user's query and the page's authority.
• Organic TrafficTraffic refers to the total volume of visitors that arrive at a website, segmented by source channels including organic search, paid advertising, direct visits, referrals, social media, and email.
• Orphan PageAn orphan page is a page on your website that exists and is accessible via its URL but has no internal links pointing to it from any other page on the site.

P

• Page AuthorityPage Authority (PA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific page will rank in search engine results on a scale from 1 to 100.
• Page ExperiencePage Experience is a set of Google ranking signals that measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond its informational content.
• Page SpeedPage speed refers to the measurement of how quickly the content on a web page loads and becomes interactive for the user.
• Passage RankingPassage ranking is a Google Search system that can identify and rank individual passages within a web page independently from the page as a whole.
• People Also AskPeople Also Ask (PAA) is a Google SERP feature that displays a dynamic, expandable list of questions related to the user's original search query.
• Pillar ContentPillar content is a comprehensive, authoritative page that broadly covers a core topic and serves as the central hub in a topic cluster content strategy.
• Position ZeroPosition zero refers to a featured snippet that appears above the first traditional organic search result in Google, occupying a prominent box at the very top of the SERP.
• PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising)PPC is an advertising model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad, commonly used in search and display advertising.
• Product SchemaProduct schema is structured data markup using the Schema.org Product type that provides search engines with explicit, machine-readable information about a product including its name, price, availability, ratings, and reviews.

R

• Ranking FactorA ranking factor is any signal or criterion that a search engine's algorithm uses to evaluate and determine the position of a web page in its search results.
• RedirectA redirect is a server-side or client-side instruction that automatically sends users and search engine crawlers from one URL to a different URL.
• Referral TrafficReferral traffic is the segment of website visitors who arrive by clicking a link on another website rather than through search engines, direct navigation, or paid advertising.
• Rel CanonicalThe rel=canonical tag is an HTML element placed in a page's head section that tells search engines which URL is the preferred (canonical) version of a page when duplicate or near-duplicate content exists across multiple URLs.
• Render-Blocking ResourcesCSS files, JavaScript files, and other resources that prevent a web page from displaying content until they are fully downloaded and processed by the browser.
• Responsive DesignResponsive design is a web development approach that uses flexible layouts, fluid grids, and CSS media queries to ensure a website automatically adapts its appearance and functionality to the user's screen size and device type.
• Review SchemaReview schema is structured data markup using the Schema.org Review and AggregateRating types that provides search engines with machine-readable information about product or service reviews, including star ratings, reviewer details, and rating distributions.
• Rich SnippetA rich snippet is an enhanced search result that displays additional visual information beyond the standard title, URL, and meta description.
• Rich SnippetsRich snippets are enhanced search results that display additional information like ratings, prices, and images beyond the standard title and description.
• Robots.txt FileRobots.txt is a text file that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections of a website they can or cannot access.
• ROIROI (Return on Investment) in the context of SEO measures the financial return generated by search engine optimization efforts relative to the total investment in those efforts.

S

• Schema MarkupSchema markup is a standardized vocabulary of structured data tags, defined by Schema.org, that you add to your web pages' HTML to help search engines understand the meaning and context of your content.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)Search Engine Optimization is the practice of improving a website's visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results.
• Search IntentSearch intent (also called user intent or query intent) is the underlying purpose or goal behind a user's search query.
• Search QueryA query is the word, phrase, or string of text that a user types or speaks into a search engine to find information.
• Search VolumeSearch volume is the estimated number of times a specific keyword or query is searched in a search engine within a given time period, typically expressed as a monthly average.
• SEMSEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a digital marketing strategy that encompasses both paid search advertising (PPC) and, in some definitions, organic search engine optimization to increase a website's visibility in search engine results pages.
• Semantic SearchSemantic search is an information retrieval approach used by modern search engines that goes beyond matching exact keywords to understand the meaning, context, and intent behind a search query.
• SEMrushSemrush is a comprehensive digital marketing intelligence platform that provides tools for SEO research, competitive analysis, content marketing, paid advertising, and social media management.
• SERP (Search Engine Results Page)A SERP is the page displayed by search engines in response to a user's query, containing organic results, ads, and various features.
• Site ArchitectureSite architecture refers to the hierarchical structure and organization of a website's pages, including how they are grouped, interlinked, and nested within the URL structure and navigation system.
• Site AuditA site audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a website's technical health, on-page optimization, content quality, and link profile to identify issues that may be preventing the site from achieving its full search engine visibility potential.
• Site SpeedSite speed is the overall measurement of how quickly a website loads and responds across all its pages, encompassing server response time, resource delivery, rendering performance, and interactivity.
• SitelinksSitelinks are additional hyperlinks displayed beneath a website's main search result on Google, directing users to key internal pages.
• SnippetA snippet is the block of text Google displays for each organic search result, typically consisting of a title link, URL breadcrumb, and a descriptive excerpt pulled from the page content or meta description.
• Social SignalsSocial signals refer to the collective engagement metrics — likes, shares, comments, and mentions — that a piece of content receives across social media platforms.
• Spam ScoreSpam score is a metric developed by Moz that predicts the likelihood a website will be penalized or banned by search engines based on a set of spam-related flags.
• SSL CertificateAn SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website's identity and enables encrypted communication between the web server and the user's browser via HTTPS.
• Structured Data (Schema Markup)Structured data is code that helps search engines understand page content and can enable rich results in search listings.
• SubdomainA subdomain is a prefix added to a root domain that functions as a separate section of a website, formatted as prefix.domain.com.

T

• Target KeywordA target keyword is the primary search term a specific page is intentionally optimized to rank for in search engine results.
• Technical SEOTechnical SEO encompasses all optimization work focused on helping search engines efficiently crawl, render, index, and understand a website's content.
• Thin ContentThin content refers to pages with little substantive value, either due to minimal content, low quality, or excessive duplication.
• Time on PageTime on page is a web analytics metric that measures the duration a user spends viewing a specific page before navigating to another page on the same site.
• Title TagThe title tag is an HTML element specified in the head section of a web page that defines the page's title for search engines and browsers.
• Top of FunnelTop of funnel (TOFU) refers to the awareness stage of the marketing funnel where potential customers first discover a brand or solution through broad, informational search queries.
• Topical AuthorityTopical authority is a site's demonstrated expertise and comprehensive coverage of a specific subject area, which search engines use to determine ranking eligibility for queries within that topic.
• Trust FlowTrust Flow is a proprietary metric developed by Majestic SEO that measures the quality and trustworthiness of a website's backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100.
• TTFB (Time to First Byte)The time elapsed between a browser requesting a page and receiving the first byte of data from the server, measuring server responsiveness.

U

• Unlinked Brand MentionAn unlinked mention occurs when a website references your brand, product, or content by name without including a hyperlink back to your site.
• URL StructureURL structure refers to the format, hierarchy, and naming conventions used in a website's web addresses.
• User Experience (UX)User experience (UX) in SEO encompasses the overall quality of interaction a visitor has with a website, including page speed, mobile usability, navigation clarity, content readability, and visual stability.
• User-Generated ContentUser-generated content (UGC) is any content created by users rather than the site owner, including reviews, comments, forum posts, Q&A contributions, and community discussions.

V

• Voice SearchVoice search is the use of spoken language to query search engines through virtual assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, and Cortana.

W

• Web CrawlerA web crawler (also called a spider or bot) is an automated program that systematically browses the internet to discover, download, and index web pages.
• Web VitalsWeb Vitals are a set of real-world performance metrics defined by Google that measure user experience quality on the web.
• Webmaster GuidelinesWebmaster Guidelines — now officially called Google Search Essentials — are Google's published rules and recommendations that define acceptable SEO practices and the technical requirements for inclusion in search results.
• White Hat SEOWhite hat SEO refers to optimization practices that fully comply with Google Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines) and prioritize long-term, sustainable rankings through quality content, legitimate link earning, and sound technical implementation.
• Word CountWord count refers to the total number of words on a web page, often discussed in SEO as a content length benchmark.

X

• XML SitemapAn XML sitemap is a structured file that lists the URLs on a website along with optional metadata about each page, including last modification date, change frequency, and priority.

Y

• YMYLYMYL (Your Money or Your Life) is Google's classification for web content that can significantly impact a person's health, financial stability, safety, or well-being.

Z

• Zero-Click SearchA zero-click search occurs when a user's query is answered directly on the search engine results page without requiring a click-through to any website.