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SEO Glossary: Key Terms Every Marketer Should Know

SEO Glossary: Key Terms Every Marketer Should Know

SEO Glossary: Key Terms Every Marketer Should Know

SEO Glossary: Key Terms Every Marketer Should Know

Feb 1, 2024
  • Link Building

  • Web Design

  • Digital Marketing

  • Local SEO

  • Link Building

  • Web Design

  • Digital Marketing

  • Local SEO

  • Link Building

  • Web Design

  • Digital Marketing

  • Local SEO

Our glossary is regularly updated and written by experts in the field, so you can trust that the information you're getting is accurate and up-to-date.

If you're new to the world of search engine optimization (SEO), you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of jargon and technical terms you come across. 

But fear not, as we've got you covered with our comprehensive SEO glossary. With over 150 definitions, covering everything from A/B testing to page speed, you'll soon become an SEO expert.

Our glossary is regularly updated and written by experts in the field, so you can trust that the information you're getting is accurate and up-to-date. 

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, our glossary is a valuable resource that you can refer to whenever you need to brush up on your SEO knowledge. So, let's dive in and start exploring!

A

A/B Testing

A/B testing is a method used to determine which version of a webpage or campaign component produces better results. This testing involves creating two versions of the same element and randomly directing users to one of the two versions.

The version that generates the most conversions or clicks is considered the better option. A/B testing can be used for various elements, including website pages, advertisements, email subject lines, and more.

Above the Fold

Above the fold refers to the content on a webpage that is visible without the need to scroll down.

This content is considered the most important because it is the first thing users see when they land on a webpage. Above the fold content should be engaging and relevant to the user's search query to encourage them to stay on the page.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a complex program that search engines use to collect and store data and deliver results when someone enters a query.

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so it's essential to stay up to date with the latest changes to optimize your website. Proper optimization can increase your website's visibility and improve your search engine rankings.

Alt Text

Alt text is a text description that describes the meaning of an image on your website. The alt text is useful in instances where your images don't load or a user has trouble viewing your image. Alt text provides context to search engines and helps improve your website's accessibility for users with visual impairments.

Analytics

Analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to gather actionable insights that help you improve your strategy or campaign in the future.

By analyzing data, you can gain a better understanding of user behavior and preferences, which can help you make informed decisions about your website's content and design.

Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable word or words of a link. Anchor text lets users and search engines know what the page or website being linked to is about.

Proper use of anchor text can improve your website's visibility and search engine rankings.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. AI is essentially a system that can make and carry out decisions without human intervention, like analyzing data.

AI can be used to improve website functionality, user experience, and search engine optimization.

Authority

Authority refers to the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a website. Websites with higher authority earn higher rankings in the search results. Authority can be improved through various methods, including creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and improving user experience. Improving your website's authority can increase your visibility, attract more traffic, and generate more conversions.

B

B2B SEO

B2B SEO is the optimization of a website to target other businesses instead of individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to business needs and pain points, using industry-specific keywords, and building relationships with other businesses for backlinks.

B2C SEO

B2C SEO is the optimization of a website to target individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to consumer needs and interests, using consumer-focused keywords, and building a strong brand presence.

Backlink

A backlink is an incoming link from one page to another website. Backlinks are an important factor in search engine rankings, as they signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and has valuable content. Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites can improve your website's credibility and visibility in search results.

Backlink analysis

Backlink analysis is the process of analyzing your website's backlinks to understand what and how many websites link to your website. It involves identifying any bad or spammy links that could harm your website's ranking and disavowing them. Backlink analysis can also help you identify opportunities to build new backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bing

Bing is a search engine owned by Microsoft that was created in 2009. It powers Yahoo! Search and offers many of the same features as Google, including search ads, maps, and local business listings.

Black-hat SEO

Black-hat SEO refers to unethical or spammy SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines. These techniques can include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and link schemes. Using black-hat SEO can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engines.

Blog

A blog is a publication of content that is continually updated with the newest content appearing at the top. Blogs are usually run by an individual, a company, or a small group and are typically more informal than traditional news websites. Blogs can be a powerful tool for SEO, as they allow you to create fresh, relevant content that can attract backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of website visitors who leave a webpage without interacting with the page or visiting any other pages on your website. A high bounce rate can indicate that your website's content is not relevant or engaging to visitors, which can harm your search engine rankings.

Bot

A bot, also known as a crawler or spider, is a program that automatically scans websites and indexes their content for search engines. Googlebot is the most well-known bot, as it is used by Google to index websites for search results.

Brand

A brand is a business or organization that is associated with a particular product or service. Building a strong brand can help improve your website's visibility and credibility, as well as attract backlinks and social media mentions.

Branded keyword

A branded keyword is a keyword associated with a particular brand. Branded keywords are usually high-value and high-converting, as they indicate that a user is actively searching for a specific brand or product.

Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumb navigation is a navigation practice that helps users understand the relationship between pages on a website and navigate it more easily. Breadcrumb navigation typically appears near the top of a webpage and shows users the path they took to get to the current page.

Broken link

A broken link is a link that is not working as intended and leads to a 404 not found status code error. Broken links can harm your website's search engine rankings, as they can signal to search engines that your website is not well-maintained. Regularly checking for broken links and fixing them can help improve your website's visibility and credibility.

C

Cache

Cache is a technology that temporarily stores web content to improve website speed and performance. When a user visits a website, the browser requests the content from the server, and the server sends it back to the browser. If the website has a cache, the browser can retrieve the content from the cache instead of requesting it from the server, which can significantly reduce page load time.

Cached Page

A cached page is a saved version of a webpage by a search engine when it was last crawled. When a user searches for a query, the search engine can return the cached page instead of requesting the content from the server, which can improve website speed and performance.

Canonical URL

A canonical URL is a single page that can be accessed through various URLs and is specified with an HTML code element as the preferred page to search engines. Creating canonical URLs helps reduce duplicate content and fix messy link structures. When search engines crawl a website, they can identify the canonical URL and consolidate the link equity to the preferred page, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cart Abandon Rate

Cart abandon rate is the percentage of visitors who added a product to their shopping cart on a website but left the website before completing a purchase. A high cart abandon rate can indicate issues with website usability, pricing, or shipping costs. To reduce cart abandon rate, businesses can optimize the checkout process, offer free shipping, or provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Citation

Citation refers to any mention of a brand's name, address, or phone number. Citations can be found in directories, like Yellowpages, that list local businesses. Citations can improve local search engine rankings and help customers find a business's physical location.

Click Depth

Click depth is the amount of clicks it takes to get from the home page to the intended page on a website. Pages that are closest to the homepage are most easily crawled and indexed by search engines. To improve website visibility, businesses can optimize the website structure to reduce click depth and make it easier for search engines to crawl and index the website.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of users who click on a website in the search results compared to the total number of times the website was viewed in the search results. It's calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of impressions and then multiplying by 100. A high CTR can indicate that the website is relevant and attractive to users, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cloaking

Cloaking is the practice of showing different content to search engines than what is shown to users on a webpage. Cloaking goes directly against Google's webmaster guidelines and can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engine results. To avoid cloaking, businesses should ensure that the content shown to search engines is the same as the content shown to users.

Competition

Competition refers to direct competitors that sell similar products or services in the same area, or companies and websites that vie to rank for the same keywords and organic search visibility as you. To improve search engine rankings and stay ahead of the competition, businesses can conduct competitor analysis, optimize their website for relevant keywords, and create quality content.

Content

Content refers to words, videos, images, or sounds that share information meant to be consumed by the audience. A blog is an example of content. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is a back-end website software used to create, publish, modify, and manage digital content on a website without the need for coding. A CMS can make it easier for businesses to manage and optimize their website content.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves creating valuable custom content that shares information about a topic, your business, or your products or services with the goal of reaching, engaging, and converting your target audience. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Conversion

Conversion refers to any desired action taken on a website, such as a purchase, an email newsletter subscription, or the completion of a contact form. To improve website conversions, businesses can optimize the website design, create quality content, and provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action on a website. It's calculated by dividing the total number of conversions by the total amount of web traffic and then multiplying by 100. A high conversion rate can indicate that the website is effective in converting visitors into customers.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a digital marketing strategy that involves making optimizations to a website to improve the conversion rate. To improve website conversions, businesses can conduct A/B testing, optimize the website design, and create quality content.

Cookie

A cookie is

D

De-index

De-indexing is the process of removing a webpage or pages from a search engine's directory and the search results. This can happen when a website violates the webmaster guidelines of a search engine or fails to provide a positive user experience. De-indexing can have a severe impact on a website's search engine ranking.

Demographics

Demographics refer to the characteristics of a group of people, such as their age, location, and gender. In the context of digital marketing, demographics are used to create targeted advertising campaigns that are relevant to a specific audience. By understanding the demographics of their target audience, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to reach the right people.

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic refers to users who navigate to a website by typing the URL directly into their browser. Direct traffic is an important metric for businesses as it indicates the number of people who are already familiar with their brand and actively seeking out their website.

Directory

A directory is a collection of websites that are usually organized into different categories. Inclusion in a directory can be free or paid, depending on the directory. Directories can be a valuable source of traffic for websites, but they can also be a source of spammy links that can harm a website's search engine ranking.

Disavow

Disavow is a tool from Google that allows website owners to remove any spammy or low-quality inbound links. By disavowing bad links, website owners can signal to Google that they do not approve of the link's source and avoid any potential SEO penalties.

Do-follow

A do-follow link is a normal link that directs users to another webpage or website that does not use the "nofollow" tag. Do-follow links can pass on link juice to the linked website, which can help to improve its search engine ranking.

Domain

A domain is a website address that ends in an extension like .org, .com, or .net. A domain name is an essential part of a website's identity and can have a significant impact on its search engine ranking.

Domain Authority

Domain authority is a metric that measures the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a domain. Websites with a higher domain authority are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content refers to content that matches or is very similar to content on a different webpage on the same or a different website. Duplicate content can harm a website's search engine ranking as search engines may struggle to determine which version of the content to display in search results.

Dwell Time

Dwell time is the amount of time a website visitor spends on the website before returning to the search results. A short dwell time could indicate that the content on the website isn't helpful or valuable for users. Dwell time is an important metric for website owners as it can impact their search engine ranking.

Dynamic Content

Dynamic content refers to content that changes depending on the user who views it. With dynamic content, one user will view a completely different message than another user. Dynamic content is used to personalize content for multiple website visitors, which can improve user engagement and increase conversions.

E

Earned Media

Earned media refers to content that is created by third-party sources and published on channels that you don't own, such as social media or other websites. This type of media can be very beneficial for businesses as it can help to increase brand awareness, improve reputation and drive traffic to your website.

E-A-T

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are three factors that play a significant role in search engines determining the quality of a page. Pages should have authors who are experts in their field, be high-quality, and send trust signals to search engines and users through positive reviews, earning third-party links, and more.

E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These four factors are a guideline for determining the quality of a page. Pages should reflect a business's experience in their field or on the page's topic, be written by an expert in that field, be high-quality and valuable, and send trust signals to users and search engines.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce refers to a type of website or business that sells products online. This type of business has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people turn to online shopping.

Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO is a set of optimization techniques that involves optimizing an ecommerce online store to rank higher in relevant search results. This is important as it can help to increase traffic to your website and ultimately lead to more sales.

Engagement Metrics

Engagement metrics are a collection of data points used to measure how engaged users are on a website. Examples of engagement metrics include bounce rate, time on page, and more. By monitoring these metrics, businesses can gain insights into how users are interacting with their website and make improvements where necessary.

Exit Rate

Exit rate refers to the percentage of users who leave a webpage and then leave the website entirely. This metric can be useful for identifying pages that may need optimization to keep users on the site for longer.

External Link

An external link is a link that points to a different website or domain. These links can be valuable for businesses as they can help to improve search engine rankings and drive traffic to your website. However, it's important to ensure that the external links are relevant and of high quality.

F

Featured Snippet

A featured snippet is a unique block that appears above the organic search results when specific queries are entered. It usually contains a brief summary or answer to a question along with a link to the webpage where the answer originated. Featured snippets are highly visible and can significantly increase website traffic.

Findability

Findability refers to how easily content on a website can be discovered by both search engines and users. This includes factors such as website structure, metadata, and content optimization. Improving findability can enhance website visibility, increase user engagement and ultimately drive more traffic to the website.

Freshness

Freshness refers to the age of online content. Search engines tend to prioritize fresh content, particularly for queries related to breaking news or recurring events. Updating content regularly can improve website visibility and rankings. The position of the fold, or the point on a webpage where a user must scroll to see additional content, can also impact freshness and search engine rankings.

G

Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a digital marketing strategy that is used to reach users in specific geographic locations with ads or content. With geotargeting, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to specific regions, cities, or even neighbourhoods to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their campaigns.

Google

Google is the most widely used search engine globally, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998. Google's search algorithm is constantly evolving, with updates and changes being made regularly to improve the quality and relevance of search results.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics platform that allows you to track organic website traffic, traffic sources, user behaviour, and more. By using Google Analytics, businesses can gain insights into their website's performance and make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence.

Googlebot

Googlebot is the name of Google's web crawling system that is used to discover web pages and add them to Google's index. Googlebot uses complex algorithms to determine which pages to crawl and how often to crawl them, based on factors such as page authority, relevance, and freshness.

Google Partner

Google Partner is a program for digital marketing and advertising agencies that provides access to special events, training, industry research, and certification opportunities. By becoming a Google Partner, agencies can demonstrate their expertise in Google Ads and other Google products.

Google Penalties

Google Penalties are negative consequences for websites whose content conflicts with Google's search and marketing practices. Common penalties include drops in rankings or complete removal from search results. To avoid penalties, businesses must adhere to Google's Webmaster Guidelines and best practices.

Google RankBrain

Google RankBrain is a major algorithm update that added machine learning to Google's search algorithm. Introduced in 2015, RankBrain is involved in every search query and has a significant impact on search result rankings. By using machine learning, Google can better understand user intent and provide more relevant search results.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your website's presence in search results. By using Search Console, businesses can identify and fix issues that may be affecting their search rankings and visibility.

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines is a frequently updated document used by Google Quality Raters as a reference when evaluating website quality. By following these guidelines, businesses can create more high-quality, valuable content for their website, which can improve their search rankings and visibility.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that allows you to monitor the latest trending search queries, stories, and topics. By using Google Trends, businesses can gain insights into what their target audience is searching for and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.

Google Webmaster Guidelines

Google Webmaster Guidelines is a frequently updated document established by Google that contains guidelines and best practices for ranking well in Google's search results. By following these guidelines, businesses can improve their website's search rankings and visibility.

Gray Hat

Gray Hat SEO techniques fall into a gray area that adheres to Google's Webmaster Guidelines but may bend the rules slightly. While these techniques may provide short-term gains, they can also result in penalties or long-term damage to a website's search rankings and visibility.

Guest Blogging

Guest Blogging is the practice of writing a blog post or article for other websites or organizations in exchange for a backlink to your website. By guest blogging, businesses can increase their online visibility and reach new audiences while also building relationships with other websites and organizations.

H

Heading

A heading tag is an HTML element that separates content into different sections based on topic or importance. It briefly describes the content on a page or in that section of content. Headings range from H1 to H6, with H1 being the most important and H6 being the least important.

Headline

The headline is the H1 heading tag that serves as the title of the page. It should be clear and concise, summarizing the content of the page in a few words.

Homepage

The homepage is the main page of a website that serves as a gateway for users to access other pages on the site. It should be easily navigable and provide links to other relevant pages.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird is a Google algorithm update introduced in 2013 that allowed Google to better understand search queries to provide better results to users. It uses natural language processing to understand the meaning behind search queries, rather than just matching keywords.

HTML

HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is a markup language used to create web pages. It consists of a series of elements, or tags, that define how a web browser will format and display the content on a page.

HTTP

HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is the protocol used to transfer data from a website's server to a user's browser. It is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

HTTPS

HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect sensitive data and ensure that all data and information entered into a website is safe and secure from potential hackers. It is essential for websites that handle sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

I

Image Compression

Images are an essential part of websites, but they can also slow down page load speed. Image compression is the process of reducing the size of image files without compromising their quality. By compressing images, you can improve the page load speed of your website, which can positively impact your search engine rankings and user experience.

Inbound Link

Inbound links are links from external websites that point to your website. These links are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content valuable or relevant. Inbound links can also drive traffic to your website from other sources.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on attracting potential customers to your website through valuable and relevant content. This approach is different from traditional marketing methods, which involve reaching out to customers directly. Inbound marketing techniques include content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.

Index

An index is a search engine's collection of webpages and websites. Search engines use indexes to generate search results. The index is also the root of a website, which means that it is the starting point for search engine crawlers when they visit a website.

Indexability

Indexability refers to how easily search engines can discover and add a webpage to their index. If a webpage is not indexable, it will not appear in search results. Factors that can affect indexability include website structure, content quality, and technical issues.

Indexed Page

An indexed page is a webpage that has been added to a search engine's index and is eligible to appear in search results for relevant queries. Indexed pages are important for SEO because they increase the visibility of your website in search results.

Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of data or information presented in a graphic that contains images and text. Infographics are useful for presenting complex information in a way that is easy to understand and digest. They can also be used to attract backlinks and social media shares.

Information Architecture (IA)

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of structuring and presenting the content and pages on a website in a logical and usable way. IA refers to how the content on a website is organized, which can impact user experience and search engine rankings.

Intent

Intent refers to what a user wants to know or find out when they type a query into a search engine. Understanding user intent is important for SEO because it can help you create content that meets the needs of your target audience.

Internal Link

An internal link is a link from one page on your website to another page on the same website. Internal links are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationships between different pages. Internal links can also help users navigate your website and find relevant content.

K

Keyword

Keywords are words or phrases that are targeted by SEO experts in website content to improve search engine rankings. They are strategically placed throughout a website to increase visibility when a user searches for that specific word or phrase.

Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on the same website target the same keyword or keywords. This can confuse search engines, leading to a drop in rankings for all pages because the search engine cannot determine which page is most relevant to the user's query.

Keyword Density

Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword appears on a page. It is important to maintain a natural keyword density to avoid being penalized by search engines for keyword stuffing.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty is the level of competition for a specific keyword in search results. It measures how challenging it will be to rank for a particular keyword.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words or phrases that your target audience searches for online to target for your SEO strategy. It helps to determine the most relevant and valuable keywords to target.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the excessive use of a specific keyword on one page. This can lead to lower rankings in search results, as search engines penalize websites for this practice.

KPI

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a metric used to measure the success of a digital marketing strategy or campaign. It helps to determine the effectiveness of a campaign and identify areas for improvement.

L

Landing Page

A landing page is a web page that a user is directed to when they click on a specific link or advertisement. The goal of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads or customers by providing them with relevant information and a clear call-to-action.

Lead

A lead is a person who has shown an interest in your products or services. This can be through filling out a form on your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or contacting you directly. Leads are important for businesses as they can be nurtured into customers through targeted marketing efforts.

Link

A link is a clickable path from one webpage to another. Links are important for website navigation and for search engine optimization as they help search engines understand the structure and content of a website.

Link Building

Link building is the practice of obtaining links to your page from another website or from pages on your website with the goal of increasing that page’s rankings in the search results. This can be done through outreach, guest blogging, or creating shareable content.

Link Equity

Link equity refers to the level of authority that is passed from a linking page to the page it links to. Pages with a high link equity have a better chance of ranking well in the search results and help other websites rank well by linking to them.

Link Farm

A link farm is a spam tactic that involves a group of websites linking to each other in hopes of increasing search rankings. This is a black hat SEO technique that can result in penalties from search engines.

Link Profile

A link profile refers to the collection of external links pointing to your website (backlinks) and the characteristics of those links, like their quality, anchor text, and how they were acquired. A strong link profile can improve your website's search engine rankings.

Link Velocity

Link velocity refers to how fast a website accumulates links. A sudden, large increase in link velocity could indicate spamming to acquire links for higher rankings. It is important to build links at a natural and steady pace.

Local Pack

The local pack is a group of typically three local business listings that appear in searches for local services or businesses. Local businesses can improve their chances of appearing in the local pack by optimizing their Google My Business listing and building local citations.

Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website to increase its rankings for local searches, like “Italian restaurant in Dallas, TX.” This can be done through optimizing your website's content and metadata, building local citations, and managing your Google My Business listing.

Long-tail Keyword

A long-tail keyword is a specific, multiple-word phrase or keyword that is usually higher value and has lower competition in the search results. Long-tail keywords are important for targeting niche audiences and improving the relevance of your website's content.

M

Machine Learning

If you want to give computers the ability to learn without human intervention or programming, you need to use Machine Learning. This subfield of AI allows computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time.

Meta Description

When you search for something on the internet, you'll see a short summary of a page's content displayed in the search results. This is called a meta description. It helps users decide whether or not to click on the link.

Metric

Metrics are specific pieces of data used to measure the performance of a strategy or campaign. They can also be used to monitor user activity and behavior. Metrics can help you understand how well your website or campaign is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Mobile-Friendly

In today's world, many people use their mobile devices to browse the internet. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it may not function or display correctly for these users. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is essential for providing a positive user experience and improving your website's visibility in search results.

N

Negative SEO

Negative SEO is the unethical practice of intentionally lowering the search engine rankings of a competitor's website. This can be done through various means, such as creating spammy backlinks or duplicating content. Negative SEO is considered a black hat tactic and can lead to penalties from search engines.

Niche

A niche is a specific area of interest or a subset of a broader category. In the context of SEO, targeting a niche can be beneficial as it allows for more targeted keywords and content. This can lead to higher rankings and more relevant traffic.

Nofollow

A nofollow attribute is an HTML tag that tells search engines not to pass link authority to a linked website. This is often used for paid or sponsored links to avoid manipulating search engine rankings. Nofollow links do not pass PageRank and do not contribute to a website's authority.

Noindex tag

A noindex tag is an HTML tag that instructs search engines not to index a specific webpage. This can be useful for pages that are not intended to be visible in search results, such as thank you pages or duplicate content. It is important to use the noindex tag correctly to avoid accidentally blocking important pages from search engines.

O

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to the techniques used outside of your website to improve your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). These techniques include link building, social media marketing, and other external marketing efforts. By building high-quality backlinks to your website and creating engaging social media content, you can improve your website's authority and trustworthiness, which in turn can boost your rankings in SERPs.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the techniques used on your website to improve your rankings in SERPs. These techniques include optimizing titles, meta descriptions, implementing keywords, and more. By optimizing your website's content and structure, you can improve its relevance and usefulness to users, which can lead to higher rankings in SERPs.

Organic search

Organic search refers to the unpaid, natural listings that appear in SERPs. By improving your website's on-page and off-page SEO, you can increase your website's visibility in organic search results. This can lead to more organic traffic to your website, which can ultimately result in more leads and sales.

Outbound link

An outbound link is a hyperlink that directs users from one website to another. Outbound links can be used to provide additional information to users, build relationships with other websites, and improve your website's authority and trustworthiness. By linking to high-quality, relevant websites, you can improve your website's reputation and potentially improve your rankings in SERPs.

P

Page Speed

Page speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to load. It is an essential factor that affects user experience and search engine ranking. Slow loading pages can result in high bounce rates and low conversion rates. To improve page speed, you can optimize images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce server response time.

Paid Search

Paid search refers to the placement of paid advertisements above and below the organic search results on search engines. Advertisers bid on keywords and pay when users click on their ads. Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, can generate immediate traffic and leads for businesses. Using tools like AdWords, you can target specific audiences and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.

PPC

PPC or pay-per-click is a type of digital advertising where businesses can pay to place their website at the top or bottom of the search results. With PPC, businesses only pay when a user clicks on their ad. Advertisers can use AdWords to create and manage their PPC campaigns. By targeting specific keywords and audiences, businesses can increase their visibility and drive more traffic to their websites.

Q

Qualified Lead

When a potential customer has been assessed by the sales or marketing team and is deemed to be an ideal customer who has a high probability of making a purchase, they are known as a qualified lead. These leads have shown a level of interest in your product or service and are more likely to convert into paying customers.

Qualified Traffic

Qualified traffic refers to website visitors who are more likely to become customers and make a purchase. This includes visitors who are interested in your product or service and are actively seeking information. By targeting qualified traffic, you can increase your chances of converting visitors into customers.

Quality Content

Quality content is relevant, engaging, and useful for your audience. It helps you achieve your SEO, business, and marketing goals by providing value to your target audience. Quality content can take many forms, including blog posts, videos, infographics, and more. By creating quality content, you can attract and retain your audience, establish your brand as a thought leader, and improve your search engine rankings.

Quality Link

A quality link is a backlink that originates from an authoritative or trusted website. These links are important for improving your website's search engine rankings and increasing your visibility online. By building quality links, you can increase your website's authority and credibility, which can lead to more traffic and more conversions.

Query

A query is the word or phrase that a user types into a search engine in order to find the answer or information they want. By understanding the queries that your target audience is searching for, you can create content that answers their questions and provides value. This can help you attract more qualified traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings.

R

Rank

Rank refers to the position of a webpage in the organic search results for a particular query. The higher the rank, the more likely it is that the webpage will be clicked on by users. To improve your website's rank, it is important to understand the various ranking factors that affect it.

Ranking factor

Ranking factors are specific criteria or components that influence a website's position in the search results. Examples of ranking factors include page load speed, user experience, and content quality. Optimising your website for these factors can help improve its rank.

Redirect

Redirects are used when a page or piece of content has changed location. They direct users from the old URL to the new one. There are two types of redirects: 301 redirects, which are permanent, and 302 redirects, which are temporary.

Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a webpage's content relates to a user's search query. Search engines use various algorithms to determine relevance and deliver results that answer the user's question or provide the information they are looking for.

Reputation management

Reputation management is the practice of influencing how people perceive your business or brand. This can include managing online reviews, social media presence, and other aspects of your online reputation.

Responsive design

Responsive design is a type of web design that allows websites to adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile phones and desktop computers. This is important because an increasing number of users access the internet on mobile devices.

Rich snippet

Rich snippets, also known as rich results, are search results that display additional data beyond the page title and description. This can include phone numbers, addresses, and other information.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a plain text file located in the root directory of a website. It is used to manage traffic from bots and prevent your website from being overwhelmed with requests. It can also be used to prevent certain pages from being indexed by search engines.

ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) is a measure of how much profit your investment in SEO or digital marketing has earned. It is calculated by dividing the revenue earned by the total cost of the investment and multiplying by 100. A positive ROI indicates that your investment has been successful.

S

Schema Markup

Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a code that provides additional information to search engines about the content of a page. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using schema markup, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

Search Engine

A search engine is a tool that people use to find information on the internet. Search engines use algorithms to crawl and index websites, and then provide users with a list of relevant pages based on their search query.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy that involves using paid advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase online visibility in search engines. SEM typically involves using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive traffic to a website, as well as optimizing the website's content and structure to improve its organic search rankings.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website's content and structure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves a variety of techniques, including keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

A search engine results page (SERP) is the page that a search engine displays after a user enters a query. The SERP typically includes a list of relevant pages, as well as additional features such as ads, local results, and featured snippets.

Search History

Search history refers to the collection of previous search queries that a user has made on a search engine. Search history can be used to provide personalized search results and recommendations.

Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a particular keyword or phrase is searched for on a search engine. This information can be used to identify popular topics and trends, as well as to inform keyword research and SEO strategies.

Semantic Search

Semantic search is the process that search engines use to understand the intent and meaning behind a user's search query. This involves analyzing the context of the query, as well as the relationships between different words and concepts, in order to provide more relevant and accurate results.

Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of pages on a website that is used to help search engines crawl and index the site. Sitemaps can also be used to provide additional information about the content of a website, such as the date that each page was last updated.

SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and enables an encrypted connection between the website and its users. SSL certificates are used to provide secure communication and protect sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Status Codes

Status codes are three-digit codes that are returned by a web server in response to a request from a client, such as a web browser. These codes indicate the status of the request, such as whether it was successful or encountered an error.

Structured Data

Structured data, also known as schema markup, is a code that provides additional information about the content of a page to search engines. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using structured data, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

T

Technical SEO

Improving the technical aspects of your website can significantly impact your search engine rankings. Technical SEO involves optimizing elements such as website speed, mobile responsiveness, and site structure to improve user experience and search engine crawling.

Thin content

Thin content provides little value to users and can negatively impact your website's search engine rankings. Ensure that your website's content is informative and engaging to keep users on your site and encourage them to return.

Time on page

The time users spend on your website is an important factor in search engine rankings. Longer dwell times indicate that users find your content valuable and engaging. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to increase time on page.

Title tag

The title tag is an HTML element that appears in search engine results as the title of your page. It is important to create descriptive and concise title tags that accurately reflect the content of your page and entice users to click through to your website.

Traffic

The volume of users visiting your website is a crucial metric for evaluating the success of your website. Increasing traffic can be achieved through various methods such as search engine optimization, social media marketing, and content marketing. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to encourage users to return and share your website with others.

U

URL parameter

URL parameters are characters added to the end of a URL, which can track where traffic comes from. They can help you to understand which marketing campaigns are bringing in the most traffic, and which ones need more work.

Usability

Usability refers to how easy it is for people to use and navigate your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, layout, and functionality. A website with good usability is more likely to keep users engaged and coming back for more.

User experience (UX)

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience of a person using your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, content, and functionality. A website with good UX is more likely to keep users engaged and satisfied with their experience.

V

Voice Search

Voice search is a technology that enables users to conduct online searches by speaking directly into a device's microphone.

Some key features of voice search include:

  • Convenience: Voice search allows for hands-free searching, making it ideal for multitasking.

  • Speed: Voice search can be faster than typing, especially for longer queries.

  • Accuracy: Advances in natural language processing have improved the accuracy of voice search results.

  • Compatibility: Voice search is available on a range of devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, and even some cars.

As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it's important for businesses to optimize their online content for voice search queries.

W

White-hat

White-hat SEO practices are ethical and follow the guidelines set by search engines. These practices include creating quality content, using relevant keywords, and building natural backlinks.

WordPress

WordPress is a widely used CMS and blogging platform that allows users to easily create and manage websites. It offers a variety of customizable themes and plugins, making it a popular choice for businesses and bloggers alike.

Brush up on your SEO knowledge with SEO Edinburgh

Looking to improve your SEO knowledge? Check out the blog of Milwaukee Seo Agency for definitions, techniques, and terms.

If you're new to the world of search engine optimization (SEO), you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of jargon and technical terms you come across. 

But fear not, as we've got you covered with our comprehensive SEO glossary. With over 150 definitions, covering everything from A/B testing to page speed, you'll soon become an SEO expert.

Our glossary is regularly updated and written by experts in the field, so you can trust that the information you're getting is accurate and up-to-date. 

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, our glossary is a valuable resource that you can refer to whenever you need to brush up on your SEO knowledge. So, let's dive in and start exploring!

A

A/B Testing

A/B testing is a method used to determine which version of a webpage or campaign component produces better results. This testing involves creating two versions of the same element and randomly directing users to one of the two versions.

The version that generates the most conversions or clicks is considered the better option. A/B testing can be used for various elements, including website pages, advertisements, email subject lines, and more.

Above the Fold

Above the fold refers to the content on a webpage that is visible without the need to scroll down.

This content is considered the most important because it is the first thing users see when they land on a webpage. Above the fold content should be engaging and relevant to the user's search query to encourage them to stay on the page.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a complex program that search engines use to collect and store data and deliver results when someone enters a query.

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so it's essential to stay up to date with the latest changes to optimize your website. Proper optimization can increase your website's visibility and improve your search engine rankings.

Alt Text

Alt text is a text description that describes the meaning of an image on your website. The alt text is useful in instances where your images don't load or a user has trouble viewing your image. Alt text provides context to search engines and helps improve your website's accessibility for users with visual impairments.

Analytics

Analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to gather actionable insights that help you improve your strategy or campaign in the future.

By analyzing data, you can gain a better understanding of user behavior and preferences, which can help you make informed decisions about your website's content and design.

Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable word or words of a link. Anchor text lets users and search engines know what the page or website being linked to is about.

Proper use of anchor text can improve your website's visibility and search engine rankings.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. AI is essentially a system that can make and carry out decisions without human intervention, like analyzing data.

AI can be used to improve website functionality, user experience, and search engine optimization.

Authority

Authority refers to the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a website. Websites with higher authority earn higher rankings in the search results. Authority can be improved through various methods, including creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and improving user experience. Improving your website's authority can increase your visibility, attract more traffic, and generate more conversions.

B

B2B SEO

B2B SEO is the optimization of a website to target other businesses instead of individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to business needs and pain points, using industry-specific keywords, and building relationships with other businesses for backlinks.

B2C SEO

B2C SEO is the optimization of a website to target individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to consumer needs and interests, using consumer-focused keywords, and building a strong brand presence.

Backlink

A backlink is an incoming link from one page to another website. Backlinks are an important factor in search engine rankings, as they signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and has valuable content. Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites can improve your website's credibility and visibility in search results.

Backlink analysis

Backlink analysis is the process of analyzing your website's backlinks to understand what and how many websites link to your website. It involves identifying any bad or spammy links that could harm your website's ranking and disavowing them. Backlink analysis can also help you identify opportunities to build new backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bing

Bing is a search engine owned by Microsoft that was created in 2009. It powers Yahoo! Search and offers many of the same features as Google, including search ads, maps, and local business listings.

Black-hat SEO

Black-hat SEO refers to unethical or spammy SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines. These techniques can include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and link schemes. Using black-hat SEO can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engines.

Blog

A blog is a publication of content that is continually updated with the newest content appearing at the top. Blogs are usually run by an individual, a company, or a small group and are typically more informal than traditional news websites. Blogs can be a powerful tool for SEO, as they allow you to create fresh, relevant content that can attract backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of website visitors who leave a webpage without interacting with the page or visiting any other pages on your website. A high bounce rate can indicate that your website's content is not relevant or engaging to visitors, which can harm your search engine rankings.

Bot

A bot, also known as a crawler or spider, is a program that automatically scans websites and indexes their content for search engines. Googlebot is the most well-known bot, as it is used by Google to index websites for search results.

Brand

A brand is a business or organization that is associated with a particular product or service. Building a strong brand can help improve your website's visibility and credibility, as well as attract backlinks and social media mentions.

Branded keyword

A branded keyword is a keyword associated with a particular brand. Branded keywords are usually high-value and high-converting, as they indicate that a user is actively searching for a specific brand or product.

Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumb navigation is a navigation practice that helps users understand the relationship between pages on a website and navigate it more easily. Breadcrumb navigation typically appears near the top of a webpage and shows users the path they took to get to the current page.

Broken link

A broken link is a link that is not working as intended and leads to a 404 not found status code error. Broken links can harm your website's search engine rankings, as they can signal to search engines that your website is not well-maintained. Regularly checking for broken links and fixing them can help improve your website's visibility and credibility.

C

Cache

Cache is a technology that temporarily stores web content to improve website speed and performance. When a user visits a website, the browser requests the content from the server, and the server sends it back to the browser. If the website has a cache, the browser can retrieve the content from the cache instead of requesting it from the server, which can significantly reduce page load time.

Cached Page

A cached page is a saved version of a webpage by a search engine when it was last crawled. When a user searches for a query, the search engine can return the cached page instead of requesting the content from the server, which can improve website speed and performance.

Canonical URL

A canonical URL is a single page that can be accessed through various URLs and is specified with an HTML code element as the preferred page to search engines. Creating canonical URLs helps reduce duplicate content and fix messy link structures. When search engines crawl a website, they can identify the canonical URL and consolidate the link equity to the preferred page, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cart Abandon Rate

Cart abandon rate is the percentage of visitors who added a product to their shopping cart on a website but left the website before completing a purchase. A high cart abandon rate can indicate issues with website usability, pricing, or shipping costs. To reduce cart abandon rate, businesses can optimize the checkout process, offer free shipping, or provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Citation

Citation refers to any mention of a brand's name, address, or phone number. Citations can be found in directories, like Yellowpages, that list local businesses. Citations can improve local search engine rankings and help customers find a business's physical location.

Click Depth

Click depth is the amount of clicks it takes to get from the home page to the intended page on a website. Pages that are closest to the homepage are most easily crawled and indexed by search engines. To improve website visibility, businesses can optimize the website structure to reduce click depth and make it easier for search engines to crawl and index the website.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of users who click on a website in the search results compared to the total number of times the website was viewed in the search results. It's calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of impressions and then multiplying by 100. A high CTR can indicate that the website is relevant and attractive to users, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cloaking

Cloaking is the practice of showing different content to search engines than what is shown to users on a webpage. Cloaking goes directly against Google's webmaster guidelines and can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engine results. To avoid cloaking, businesses should ensure that the content shown to search engines is the same as the content shown to users.

Competition

Competition refers to direct competitors that sell similar products or services in the same area, or companies and websites that vie to rank for the same keywords and organic search visibility as you. To improve search engine rankings and stay ahead of the competition, businesses can conduct competitor analysis, optimize their website for relevant keywords, and create quality content.

Content

Content refers to words, videos, images, or sounds that share information meant to be consumed by the audience. A blog is an example of content. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is a back-end website software used to create, publish, modify, and manage digital content on a website without the need for coding. A CMS can make it easier for businesses to manage and optimize their website content.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves creating valuable custom content that shares information about a topic, your business, or your products or services with the goal of reaching, engaging, and converting your target audience. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Conversion

Conversion refers to any desired action taken on a website, such as a purchase, an email newsletter subscription, or the completion of a contact form. To improve website conversions, businesses can optimize the website design, create quality content, and provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action on a website. It's calculated by dividing the total number of conversions by the total amount of web traffic and then multiplying by 100. A high conversion rate can indicate that the website is effective in converting visitors into customers.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a digital marketing strategy that involves making optimizations to a website to improve the conversion rate. To improve website conversions, businesses can conduct A/B testing, optimize the website design, and create quality content.

Cookie

A cookie is

D

De-index

De-indexing is the process of removing a webpage or pages from a search engine's directory and the search results. This can happen when a website violates the webmaster guidelines of a search engine or fails to provide a positive user experience. De-indexing can have a severe impact on a website's search engine ranking.

Demographics

Demographics refer to the characteristics of a group of people, such as their age, location, and gender. In the context of digital marketing, demographics are used to create targeted advertising campaigns that are relevant to a specific audience. By understanding the demographics of their target audience, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to reach the right people.

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic refers to users who navigate to a website by typing the URL directly into their browser. Direct traffic is an important metric for businesses as it indicates the number of people who are already familiar with their brand and actively seeking out their website.

Directory

A directory is a collection of websites that are usually organized into different categories. Inclusion in a directory can be free or paid, depending on the directory. Directories can be a valuable source of traffic for websites, but they can also be a source of spammy links that can harm a website's search engine ranking.

Disavow

Disavow is a tool from Google that allows website owners to remove any spammy or low-quality inbound links. By disavowing bad links, website owners can signal to Google that they do not approve of the link's source and avoid any potential SEO penalties.

Do-follow

A do-follow link is a normal link that directs users to another webpage or website that does not use the "nofollow" tag. Do-follow links can pass on link juice to the linked website, which can help to improve its search engine ranking.

Domain

A domain is a website address that ends in an extension like .org, .com, or .net. A domain name is an essential part of a website's identity and can have a significant impact on its search engine ranking.

Domain Authority

Domain authority is a metric that measures the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a domain. Websites with a higher domain authority are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content refers to content that matches or is very similar to content on a different webpage on the same or a different website. Duplicate content can harm a website's search engine ranking as search engines may struggle to determine which version of the content to display in search results.

Dwell Time

Dwell time is the amount of time a website visitor spends on the website before returning to the search results. A short dwell time could indicate that the content on the website isn't helpful or valuable for users. Dwell time is an important metric for website owners as it can impact their search engine ranking.

Dynamic Content

Dynamic content refers to content that changes depending on the user who views it. With dynamic content, one user will view a completely different message than another user. Dynamic content is used to personalize content for multiple website visitors, which can improve user engagement and increase conversions.

E

Earned Media

Earned media refers to content that is created by third-party sources and published on channels that you don't own, such as social media or other websites. This type of media can be very beneficial for businesses as it can help to increase brand awareness, improve reputation and drive traffic to your website.

E-A-T

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are three factors that play a significant role in search engines determining the quality of a page. Pages should have authors who are experts in their field, be high-quality, and send trust signals to search engines and users through positive reviews, earning third-party links, and more.

E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These four factors are a guideline for determining the quality of a page. Pages should reflect a business's experience in their field or on the page's topic, be written by an expert in that field, be high-quality and valuable, and send trust signals to users and search engines.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce refers to a type of website or business that sells products online. This type of business has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people turn to online shopping.

Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO is a set of optimization techniques that involves optimizing an ecommerce online store to rank higher in relevant search results. This is important as it can help to increase traffic to your website and ultimately lead to more sales.

Engagement Metrics

Engagement metrics are a collection of data points used to measure how engaged users are on a website. Examples of engagement metrics include bounce rate, time on page, and more. By monitoring these metrics, businesses can gain insights into how users are interacting with their website and make improvements where necessary.

Exit Rate

Exit rate refers to the percentage of users who leave a webpage and then leave the website entirely. This metric can be useful for identifying pages that may need optimization to keep users on the site for longer.

External Link

An external link is a link that points to a different website or domain. These links can be valuable for businesses as they can help to improve search engine rankings and drive traffic to your website. However, it's important to ensure that the external links are relevant and of high quality.

F

Featured Snippet

A featured snippet is a unique block that appears above the organic search results when specific queries are entered. It usually contains a brief summary or answer to a question along with a link to the webpage where the answer originated. Featured snippets are highly visible and can significantly increase website traffic.

Findability

Findability refers to how easily content on a website can be discovered by both search engines and users. This includes factors such as website structure, metadata, and content optimization. Improving findability can enhance website visibility, increase user engagement and ultimately drive more traffic to the website.

Freshness

Freshness refers to the age of online content. Search engines tend to prioritize fresh content, particularly for queries related to breaking news or recurring events. Updating content regularly can improve website visibility and rankings. The position of the fold, or the point on a webpage where a user must scroll to see additional content, can also impact freshness and search engine rankings.

G

Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a digital marketing strategy that is used to reach users in specific geographic locations with ads or content. With geotargeting, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to specific regions, cities, or even neighbourhoods to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their campaigns.

Google

Google is the most widely used search engine globally, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998. Google's search algorithm is constantly evolving, with updates and changes being made regularly to improve the quality and relevance of search results.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics platform that allows you to track organic website traffic, traffic sources, user behaviour, and more. By using Google Analytics, businesses can gain insights into their website's performance and make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence.

Googlebot

Googlebot is the name of Google's web crawling system that is used to discover web pages and add them to Google's index. Googlebot uses complex algorithms to determine which pages to crawl and how often to crawl them, based on factors such as page authority, relevance, and freshness.

Google Partner

Google Partner is a program for digital marketing and advertising agencies that provides access to special events, training, industry research, and certification opportunities. By becoming a Google Partner, agencies can demonstrate their expertise in Google Ads and other Google products.

Google Penalties

Google Penalties are negative consequences for websites whose content conflicts with Google's search and marketing practices. Common penalties include drops in rankings or complete removal from search results. To avoid penalties, businesses must adhere to Google's Webmaster Guidelines and best practices.

Google RankBrain

Google RankBrain is a major algorithm update that added machine learning to Google's search algorithm. Introduced in 2015, RankBrain is involved in every search query and has a significant impact on search result rankings. By using machine learning, Google can better understand user intent and provide more relevant search results.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your website's presence in search results. By using Search Console, businesses can identify and fix issues that may be affecting their search rankings and visibility.

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines is a frequently updated document used by Google Quality Raters as a reference when evaluating website quality. By following these guidelines, businesses can create more high-quality, valuable content for their website, which can improve their search rankings and visibility.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that allows you to monitor the latest trending search queries, stories, and topics. By using Google Trends, businesses can gain insights into what their target audience is searching for and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.

Google Webmaster Guidelines

Google Webmaster Guidelines is a frequently updated document established by Google that contains guidelines and best practices for ranking well in Google's search results. By following these guidelines, businesses can improve their website's search rankings and visibility.

Gray Hat

Gray Hat SEO techniques fall into a gray area that adheres to Google's Webmaster Guidelines but may bend the rules slightly. While these techniques may provide short-term gains, they can also result in penalties or long-term damage to a website's search rankings and visibility.

Guest Blogging

Guest Blogging is the practice of writing a blog post or article for other websites or organizations in exchange for a backlink to your website. By guest blogging, businesses can increase their online visibility and reach new audiences while also building relationships with other websites and organizations.

H

Heading

A heading tag is an HTML element that separates content into different sections based on topic or importance. It briefly describes the content on a page or in that section of content. Headings range from H1 to H6, with H1 being the most important and H6 being the least important.

Headline

The headline is the H1 heading tag that serves as the title of the page. It should be clear and concise, summarizing the content of the page in a few words.

Homepage

The homepage is the main page of a website that serves as a gateway for users to access other pages on the site. It should be easily navigable and provide links to other relevant pages.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird is a Google algorithm update introduced in 2013 that allowed Google to better understand search queries to provide better results to users. It uses natural language processing to understand the meaning behind search queries, rather than just matching keywords.

HTML

HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is a markup language used to create web pages. It consists of a series of elements, or tags, that define how a web browser will format and display the content on a page.

HTTP

HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is the protocol used to transfer data from a website's server to a user's browser. It is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

HTTPS

HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect sensitive data and ensure that all data and information entered into a website is safe and secure from potential hackers. It is essential for websites that handle sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

I

Image Compression

Images are an essential part of websites, but they can also slow down page load speed. Image compression is the process of reducing the size of image files without compromising their quality. By compressing images, you can improve the page load speed of your website, which can positively impact your search engine rankings and user experience.

Inbound Link

Inbound links are links from external websites that point to your website. These links are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content valuable or relevant. Inbound links can also drive traffic to your website from other sources.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on attracting potential customers to your website through valuable and relevant content. This approach is different from traditional marketing methods, which involve reaching out to customers directly. Inbound marketing techniques include content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.

Index

An index is a search engine's collection of webpages and websites. Search engines use indexes to generate search results. The index is also the root of a website, which means that it is the starting point for search engine crawlers when they visit a website.

Indexability

Indexability refers to how easily search engines can discover and add a webpage to their index. If a webpage is not indexable, it will not appear in search results. Factors that can affect indexability include website structure, content quality, and technical issues.

Indexed Page

An indexed page is a webpage that has been added to a search engine's index and is eligible to appear in search results for relevant queries. Indexed pages are important for SEO because they increase the visibility of your website in search results.

Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of data or information presented in a graphic that contains images and text. Infographics are useful for presenting complex information in a way that is easy to understand and digest. They can also be used to attract backlinks and social media shares.

Information Architecture (IA)

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of structuring and presenting the content and pages on a website in a logical and usable way. IA refers to how the content on a website is organized, which can impact user experience and search engine rankings.

Intent

Intent refers to what a user wants to know or find out when they type a query into a search engine. Understanding user intent is important for SEO because it can help you create content that meets the needs of your target audience.

Internal Link

An internal link is a link from one page on your website to another page on the same website. Internal links are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationships between different pages. Internal links can also help users navigate your website and find relevant content.

K

Keyword

Keywords are words or phrases that are targeted by SEO experts in website content to improve search engine rankings. They are strategically placed throughout a website to increase visibility when a user searches for that specific word or phrase.

Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on the same website target the same keyword or keywords. This can confuse search engines, leading to a drop in rankings for all pages because the search engine cannot determine which page is most relevant to the user's query.

Keyword Density

Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword appears on a page. It is important to maintain a natural keyword density to avoid being penalized by search engines for keyword stuffing.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty is the level of competition for a specific keyword in search results. It measures how challenging it will be to rank for a particular keyword.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words or phrases that your target audience searches for online to target for your SEO strategy. It helps to determine the most relevant and valuable keywords to target.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the excessive use of a specific keyword on one page. This can lead to lower rankings in search results, as search engines penalize websites for this practice.

KPI

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a metric used to measure the success of a digital marketing strategy or campaign. It helps to determine the effectiveness of a campaign and identify areas for improvement.

L

Landing Page

A landing page is a web page that a user is directed to when they click on a specific link or advertisement. The goal of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads or customers by providing them with relevant information and a clear call-to-action.

Lead

A lead is a person who has shown an interest in your products or services. This can be through filling out a form on your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or contacting you directly. Leads are important for businesses as they can be nurtured into customers through targeted marketing efforts.

Link

A link is a clickable path from one webpage to another. Links are important for website navigation and for search engine optimization as they help search engines understand the structure and content of a website.

Link Building

Link building is the practice of obtaining links to your page from another website or from pages on your website with the goal of increasing that page’s rankings in the search results. This can be done through outreach, guest blogging, or creating shareable content.

Link Equity

Link equity refers to the level of authority that is passed from a linking page to the page it links to. Pages with a high link equity have a better chance of ranking well in the search results and help other websites rank well by linking to them.

Link Farm

A link farm is a spam tactic that involves a group of websites linking to each other in hopes of increasing search rankings. This is a black hat SEO technique that can result in penalties from search engines.

Link Profile

A link profile refers to the collection of external links pointing to your website (backlinks) and the characteristics of those links, like their quality, anchor text, and how they were acquired. A strong link profile can improve your website's search engine rankings.

Link Velocity

Link velocity refers to how fast a website accumulates links. A sudden, large increase in link velocity could indicate spamming to acquire links for higher rankings. It is important to build links at a natural and steady pace.

Local Pack

The local pack is a group of typically three local business listings that appear in searches for local services or businesses. Local businesses can improve their chances of appearing in the local pack by optimizing their Google My Business listing and building local citations.

Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website to increase its rankings for local searches, like “Italian restaurant in Dallas, TX.” This can be done through optimizing your website's content and metadata, building local citations, and managing your Google My Business listing.

Long-tail Keyword

A long-tail keyword is a specific, multiple-word phrase or keyword that is usually higher value and has lower competition in the search results. Long-tail keywords are important for targeting niche audiences and improving the relevance of your website's content.

M

Machine Learning

If you want to give computers the ability to learn without human intervention or programming, you need to use Machine Learning. This subfield of AI allows computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time.

Meta Description

When you search for something on the internet, you'll see a short summary of a page's content displayed in the search results. This is called a meta description. It helps users decide whether or not to click on the link.

Metric

Metrics are specific pieces of data used to measure the performance of a strategy or campaign. They can also be used to monitor user activity and behavior. Metrics can help you understand how well your website or campaign is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Mobile-Friendly

In today's world, many people use their mobile devices to browse the internet. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it may not function or display correctly for these users. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is essential for providing a positive user experience and improving your website's visibility in search results.

N

Negative SEO

Negative SEO is the unethical practice of intentionally lowering the search engine rankings of a competitor's website. This can be done through various means, such as creating spammy backlinks or duplicating content. Negative SEO is considered a black hat tactic and can lead to penalties from search engines.

Niche

A niche is a specific area of interest or a subset of a broader category. In the context of SEO, targeting a niche can be beneficial as it allows for more targeted keywords and content. This can lead to higher rankings and more relevant traffic.

Nofollow

A nofollow attribute is an HTML tag that tells search engines not to pass link authority to a linked website. This is often used for paid or sponsored links to avoid manipulating search engine rankings. Nofollow links do not pass PageRank and do not contribute to a website's authority.

Noindex tag

A noindex tag is an HTML tag that instructs search engines not to index a specific webpage. This can be useful for pages that are not intended to be visible in search results, such as thank you pages or duplicate content. It is important to use the noindex tag correctly to avoid accidentally blocking important pages from search engines.

O

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to the techniques used outside of your website to improve your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). These techniques include link building, social media marketing, and other external marketing efforts. By building high-quality backlinks to your website and creating engaging social media content, you can improve your website's authority and trustworthiness, which in turn can boost your rankings in SERPs.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the techniques used on your website to improve your rankings in SERPs. These techniques include optimizing titles, meta descriptions, implementing keywords, and more. By optimizing your website's content and structure, you can improve its relevance and usefulness to users, which can lead to higher rankings in SERPs.

Organic search

Organic search refers to the unpaid, natural listings that appear in SERPs. By improving your website's on-page and off-page SEO, you can increase your website's visibility in organic search results. This can lead to more organic traffic to your website, which can ultimately result in more leads and sales.

Outbound link

An outbound link is a hyperlink that directs users from one website to another. Outbound links can be used to provide additional information to users, build relationships with other websites, and improve your website's authority and trustworthiness. By linking to high-quality, relevant websites, you can improve your website's reputation and potentially improve your rankings in SERPs.

P

Page Speed

Page speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to load. It is an essential factor that affects user experience and search engine ranking. Slow loading pages can result in high bounce rates and low conversion rates. To improve page speed, you can optimize images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce server response time.

Paid Search

Paid search refers to the placement of paid advertisements above and below the organic search results on search engines. Advertisers bid on keywords and pay when users click on their ads. Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, can generate immediate traffic and leads for businesses. Using tools like AdWords, you can target specific audiences and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.

PPC

PPC or pay-per-click is a type of digital advertising where businesses can pay to place their website at the top or bottom of the search results. With PPC, businesses only pay when a user clicks on their ad. Advertisers can use AdWords to create and manage their PPC campaigns. By targeting specific keywords and audiences, businesses can increase their visibility and drive more traffic to their websites.

Q

Qualified Lead

When a potential customer has been assessed by the sales or marketing team and is deemed to be an ideal customer who has a high probability of making a purchase, they are known as a qualified lead. These leads have shown a level of interest in your product or service and are more likely to convert into paying customers.

Qualified Traffic

Qualified traffic refers to website visitors who are more likely to become customers and make a purchase. This includes visitors who are interested in your product or service and are actively seeking information. By targeting qualified traffic, you can increase your chances of converting visitors into customers.

Quality Content

Quality content is relevant, engaging, and useful for your audience. It helps you achieve your SEO, business, and marketing goals by providing value to your target audience. Quality content can take many forms, including blog posts, videos, infographics, and more. By creating quality content, you can attract and retain your audience, establish your brand as a thought leader, and improve your search engine rankings.

Quality Link

A quality link is a backlink that originates from an authoritative or trusted website. These links are important for improving your website's search engine rankings and increasing your visibility online. By building quality links, you can increase your website's authority and credibility, which can lead to more traffic and more conversions.

Query

A query is the word or phrase that a user types into a search engine in order to find the answer or information they want. By understanding the queries that your target audience is searching for, you can create content that answers their questions and provides value. This can help you attract more qualified traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings.

R

Rank

Rank refers to the position of a webpage in the organic search results for a particular query. The higher the rank, the more likely it is that the webpage will be clicked on by users. To improve your website's rank, it is important to understand the various ranking factors that affect it.

Ranking factor

Ranking factors are specific criteria or components that influence a website's position in the search results. Examples of ranking factors include page load speed, user experience, and content quality. Optimising your website for these factors can help improve its rank.

Redirect

Redirects are used when a page or piece of content has changed location. They direct users from the old URL to the new one. There are two types of redirects: 301 redirects, which are permanent, and 302 redirects, which are temporary.

Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a webpage's content relates to a user's search query. Search engines use various algorithms to determine relevance and deliver results that answer the user's question or provide the information they are looking for.

Reputation management

Reputation management is the practice of influencing how people perceive your business or brand. This can include managing online reviews, social media presence, and other aspects of your online reputation.

Responsive design

Responsive design is a type of web design that allows websites to adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile phones and desktop computers. This is important because an increasing number of users access the internet on mobile devices.

Rich snippet

Rich snippets, also known as rich results, are search results that display additional data beyond the page title and description. This can include phone numbers, addresses, and other information.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a plain text file located in the root directory of a website. It is used to manage traffic from bots and prevent your website from being overwhelmed with requests. It can also be used to prevent certain pages from being indexed by search engines.

ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) is a measure of how much profit your investment in SEO or digital marketing has earned. It is calculated by dividing the revenue earned by the total cost of the investment and multiplying by 100. A positive ROI indicates that your investment has been successful.

S

Schema Markup

Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a code that provides additional information to search engines about the content of a page. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using schema markup, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

Search Engine

A search engine is a tool that people use to find information on the internet. Search engines use algorithms to crawl and index websites, and then provide users with a list of relevant pages based on their search query.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy that involves using paid advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase online visibility in search engines. SEM typically involves using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive traffic to a website, as well as optimizing the website's content and structure to improve its organic search rankings.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website's content and structure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves a variety of techniques, including keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

A search engine results page (SERP) is the page that a search engine displays after a user enters a query. The SERP typically includes a list of relevant pages, as well as additional features such as ads, local results, and featured snippets.

Search History

Search history refers to the collection of previous search queries that a user has made on a search engine. Search history can be used to provide personalized search results and recommendations.

Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a particular keyword or phrase is searched for on a search engine. This information can be used to identify popular topics and trends, as well as to inform keyword research and SEO strategies.

Semantic Search

Semantic search is the process that search engines use to understand the intent and meaning behind a user's search query. This involves analyzing the context of the query, as well as the relationships between different words and concepts, in order to provide more relevant and accurate results.

Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of pages on a website that is used to help search engines crawl and index the site. Sitemaps can also be used to provide additional information about the content of a website, such as the date that each page was last updated.

SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and enables an encrypted connection between the website and its users. SSL certificates are used to provide secure communication and protect sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Status Codes

Status codes are three-digit codes that are returned by a web server in response to a request from a client, such as a web browser. These codes indicate the status of the request, such as whether it was successful or encountered an error.

Structured Data

Structured data, also known as schema markup, is a code that provides additional information about the content of a page to search engines. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using structured data, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

T

Technical SEO

Improving the technical aspects of your website can significantly impact your search engine rankings. Technical SEO involves optimizing elements such as website speed, mobile responsiveness, and site structure to improve user experience and search engine crawling.

Thin content

Thin content provides little value to users and can negatively impact your website's search engine rankings. Ensure that your website's content is informative and engaging to keep users on your site and encourage them to return.

Time on page

The time users spend on your website is an important factor in search engine rankings. Longer dwell times indicate that users find your content valuable and engaging. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to increase time on page.

Title tag

The title tag is an HTML element that appears in search engine results as the title of your page. It is important to create descriptive and concise title tags that accurately reflect the content of your page and entice users to click through to your website.

Traffic

The volume of users visiting your website is a crucial metric for evaluating the success of your website. Increasing traffic can be achieved through various methods such as search engine optimization, social media marketing, and content marketing. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to encourage users to return and share your website with others.

U

URL parameter

URL parameters are characters added to the end of a URL, which can track where traffic comes from. They can help you to understand which marketing campaigns are bringing in the most traffic, and which ones need more work.

Usability

Usability refers to how easy it is for people to use and navigate your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, layout, and functionality. A website with good usability is more likely to keep users engaged and coming back for more.

User experience (UX)

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience of a person using your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, content, and functionality. A website with good UX is more likely to keep users engaged and satisfied with their experience.

V

Voice Search

Voice search is a technology that enables users to conduct online searches by speaking directly into a device's microphone.

Some key features of voice search include:

  • Convenience: Voice search allows for hands-free searching, making it ideal for multitasking.

  • Speed: Voice search can be faster than typing, especially for longer queries.

  • Accuracy: Advances in natural language processing have improved the accuracy of voice search results.

  • Compatibility: Voice search is available on a range of devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, and even some cars.

As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it's important for businesses to optimize their online content for voice search queries.

W

White-hat

White-hat SEO practices are ethical and follow the guidelines set by search engines. These practices include creating quality content, using relevant keywords, and building natural backlinks.

WordPress

WordPress is a widely used CMS and blogging platform that allows users to easily create and manage websites. It offers a variety of customizable themes and plugins, making it a popular choice for businesses and bloggers alike.

Brush up on your SEO knowledge with SEO Edinburgh

Looking to improve your SEO knowledge? Check out the blog of Milwaukee Seo Agency for definitions, techniques, and terms.

If you're new to the world of search engine optimization (SEO), you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of jargon and technical terms you come across. 

But fear not, as we've got you covered with our comprehensive SEO glossary. With over 150 definitions, covering everything from A/B testing to page speed, you'll soon become an SEO expert.

Our glossary is regularly updated and written by experts in the field, so you can trust that the information you're getting is accurate and up-to-date. 

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, our glossary is a valuable resource that you can refer to whenever you need to brush up on your SEO knowledge. So, let's dive in and start exploring!

A

A/B Testing

A/B testing is a method used to determine which version of a webpage or campaign component produces better results. This testing involves creating two versions of the same element and randomly directing users to one of the two versions.

The version that generates the most conversions or clicks is considered the better option. A/B testing can be used for various elements, including website pages, advertisements, email subject lines, and more.

Above the Fold

Above the fold refers to the content on a webpage that is visible without the need to scroll down.

This content is considered the most important because it is the first thing users see when they land on a webpage. Above the fold content should be engaging and relevant to the user's search query to encourage them to stay on the page.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a complex program that search engines use to collect and store data and deliver results when someone enters a query.

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so it's essential to stay up to date with the latest changes to optimize your website. Proper optimization can increase your website's visibility and improve your search engine rankings.

Alt Text

Alt text is a text description that describes the meaning of an image on your website. The alt text is useful in instances where your images don't load or a user has trouble viewing your image. Alt text provides context to search engines and helps improve your website's accessibility for users with visual impairments.

Analytics

Analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to gather actionable insights that help you improve your strategy or campaign in the future.

By analyzing data, you can gain a better understanding of user behavior and preferences, which can help you make informed decisions about your website's content and design.

Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable word or words of a link. Anchor text lets users and search engines know what the page or website being linked to is about.

Proper use of anchor text can improve your website's visibility and search engine rankings.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. AI is essentially a system that can make and carry out decisions without human intervention, like analyzing data.

AI can be used to improve website functionality, user experience, and search engine optimization.

Authority

Authority refers to the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a website. Websites with higher authority earn higher rankings in the search results. Authority can be improved through various methods, including creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and improving user experience. Improving your website's authority can increase your visibility, attract more traffic, and generate more conversions.

B

B2B SEO

B2B SEO is the optimization of a website to target other businesses instead of individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to business needs and pain points, using industry-specific keywords, and building relationships with other businesses for backlinks.

B2C SEO

B2C SEO is the optimization of a website to target individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to consumer needs and interests, using consumer-focused keywords, and building a strong brand presence.

Backlink

A backlink is an incoming link from one page to another website. Backlinks are an important factor in search engine rankings, as they signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and has valuable content. Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites can improve your website's credibility and visibility in search results.

Backlink analysis

Backlink analysis is the process of analyzing your website's backlinks to understand what and how many websites link to your website. It involves identifying any bad or spammy links that could harm your website's ranking and disavowing them. Backlink analysis can also help you identify opportunities to build new backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bing

Bing is a search engine owned by Microsoft that was created in 2009. It powers Yahoo! Search and offers many of the same features as Google, including search ads, maps, and local business listings.

Black-hat SEO

Black-hat SEO refers to unethical or spammy SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines. These techniques can include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and link schemes. Using black-hat SEO can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engines.

Blog

A blog is a publication of content that is continually updated with the newest content appearing at the top. Blogs are usually run by an individual, a company, or a small group and are typically more informal than traditional news websites. Blogs can be a powerful tool for SEO, as they allow you to create fresh, relevant content that can attract backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of website visitors who leave a webpage without interacting with the page or visiting any other pages on your website. A high bounce rate can indicate that your website's content is not relevant or engaging to visitors, which can harm your search engine rankings.

Bot

A bot, also known as a crawler or spider, is a program that automatically scans websites and indexes their content for search engines. Googlebot is the most well-known bot, as it is used by Google to index websites for search results.

Brand

A brand is a business or organization that is associated with a particular product or service. Building a strong brand can help improve your website's visibility and credibility, as well as attract backlinks and social media mentions.

Branded keyword

A branded keyword is a keyword associated with a particular brand. Branded keywords are usually high-value and high-converting, as they indicate that a user is actively searching for a specific brand or product.

Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumb navigation is a navigation practice that helps users understand the relationship between pages on a website and navigate it more easily. Breadcrumb navigation typically appears near the top of a webpage and shows users the path they took to get to the current page.

Broken link

A broken link is a link that is not working as intended and leads to a 404 not found status code error. Broken links can harm your website's search engine rankings, as they can signal to search engines that your website is not well-maintained. Regularly checking for broken links and fixing them can help improve your website's visibility and credibility.

C

Cache

Cache is a technology that temporarily stores web content to improve website speed and performance. When a user visits a website, the browser requests the content from the server, and the server sends it back to the browser. If the website has a cache, the browser can retrieve the content from the cache instead of requesting it from the server, which can significantly reduce page load time.

Cached Page

A cached page is a saved version of a webpage by a search engine when it was last crawled. When a user searches for a query, the search engine can return the cached page instead of requesting the content from the server, which can improve website speed and performance.

Canonical URL

A canonical URL is a single page that can be accessed through various URLs and is specified with an HTML code element as the preferred page to search engines. Creating canonical URLs helps reduce duplicate content and fix messy link structures. When search engines crawl a website, they can identify the canonical URL and consolidate the link equity to the preferred page, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cart Abandon Rate

Cart abandon rate is the percentage of visitors who added a product to their shopping cart on a website but left the website before completing a purchase. A high cart abandon rate can indicate issues with website usability, pricing, or shipping costs. To reduce cart abandon rate, businesses can optimize the checkout process, offer free shipping, or provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Citation

Citation refers to any mention of a brand's name, address, or phone number. Citations can be found in directories, like Yellowpages, that list local businesses. Citations can improve local search engine rankings and help customers find a business's physical location.

Click Depth

Click depth is the amount of clicks it takes to get from the home page to the intended page on a website. Pages that are closest to the homepage are most easily crawled and indexed by search engines. To improve website visibility, businesses can optimize the website structure to reduce click depth and make it easier for search engines to crawl and index the website.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of users who click on a website in the search results compared to the total number of times the website was viewed in the search results. It's calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of impressions and then multiplying by 100. A high CTR can indicate that the website is relevant and attractive to users, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cloaking

Cloaking is the practice of showing different content to search engines than what is shown to users on a webpage. Cloaking goes directly against Google's webmaster guidelines and can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engine results. To avoid cloaking, businesses should ensure that the content shown to search engines is the same as the content shown to users.

Competition

Competition refers to direct competitors that sell similar products or services in the same area, or companies and websites that vie to rank for the same keywords and organic search visibility as you. To improve search engine rankings and stay ahead of the competition, businesses can conduct competitor analysis, optimize their website for relevant keywords, and create quality content.

Content

Content refers to words, videos, images, or sounds that share information meant to be consumed by the audience. A blog is an example of content. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is a back-end website software used to create, publish, modify, and manage digital content on a website without the need for coding. A CMS can make it easier for businesses to manage and optimize their website content.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves creating valuable custom content that shares information about a topic, your business, or your products or services with the goal of reaching, engaging, and converting your target audience. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Conversion

Conversion refers to any desired action taken on a website, such as a purchase, an email newsletter subscription, or the completion of a contact form. To improve website conversions, businesses can optimize the website design, create quality content, and provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action on a website. It's calculated by dividing the total number of conversions by the total amount of web traffic and then multiplying by 100. A high conversion rate can indicate that the website is effective in converting visitors into customers.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a digital marketing strategy that involves making optimizations to a website to improve the conversion rate. To improve website conversions, businesses can conduct A/B testing, optimize the website design, and create quality content.

Cookie

A cookie is

D

De-index

De-indexing is the process of removing a webpage or pages from a search engine's directory and the search results. This can happen when a website violates the webmaster guidelines of a search engine or fails to provide a positive user experience. De-indexing can have a severe impact on a website's search engine ranking.

Demographics

Demographics refer to the characteristics of a group of people, such as their age, location, and gender. In the context of digital marketing, demographics are used to create targeted advertising campaigns that are relevant to a specific audience. By understanding the demographics of their target audience, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to reach the right people.

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic refers to users who navigate to a website by typing the URL directly into their browser. Direct traffic is an important metric for businesses as it indicates the number of people who are already familiar with their brand and actively seeking out their website.

Directory

A directory is a collection of websites that are usually organized into different categories. Inclusion in a directory can be free or paid, depending on the directory. Directories can be a valuable source of traffic for websites, but they can also be a source of spammy links that can harm a website's search engine ranking.

Disavow

Disavow is a tool from Google that allows website owners to remove any spammy or low-quality inbound links. By disavowing bad links, website owners can signal to Google that they do not approve of the link's source and avoid any potential SEO penalties.

Do-follow

A do-follow link is a normal link that directs users to another webpage or website that does not use the "nofollow" tag. Do-follow links can pass on link juice to the linked website, which can help to improve its search engine ranking.

Domain

A domain is a website address that ends in an extension like .org, .com, or .net. A domain name is an essential part of a website's identity and can have a significant impact on its search engine ranking.

Domain Authority

Domain authority is a metric that measures the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a domain. Websites with a higher domain authority are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content refers to content that matches or is very similar to content on a different webpage on the same or a different website. Duplicate content can harm a website's search engine ranking as search engines may struggle to determine which version of the content to display in search results.

Dwell Time

Dwell time is the amount of time a website visitor spends on the website before returning to the search results. A short dwell time could indicate that the content on the website isn't helpful or valuable for users. Dwell time is an important metric for website owners as it can impact their search engine ranking.

Dynamic Content

Dynamic content refers to content that changes depending on the user who views it. With dynamic content, one user will view a completely different message than another user. Dynamic content is used to personalize content for multiple website visitors, which can improve user engagement and increase conversions.

E

Earned Media

Earned media refers to content that is created by third-party sources and published on channels that you don't own, such as social media or other websites. This type of media can be very beneficial for businesses as it can help to increase brand awareness, improve reputation and drive traffic to your website.

E-A-T

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are three factors that play a significant role in search engines determining the quality of a page. Pages should have authors who are experts in their field, be high-quality, and send trust signals to search engines and users through positive reviews, earning third-party links, and more.

E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These four factors are a guideline for determining the quality of a page. Pages should reflect a business's experience in their field or on the page's topic, be written by an expert in that field, be high-quality and valuable, and send trust signals to users and search engines.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce refers to a type of website or business that sells products online. This type of business has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people turn to online shopping.

Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO is a set of optimization techniques that involves optimizing an ecommerce online store to rank higher in relevant search results. This is important as it can help to increase traffic to your website and ultimately lead to more sales.

Engagement Metrics

Engagement metrics are a collection of data points used to measure how engaged users are on a website. Examples of engagement metrics include bounce rate, time on page, and more. By monitoring these metrics, businesses can gain insights into how users are interacting with their website and make improvements where necessary.

Exit Rate

Exit rate refers to the percentage of users who leave a webpage and then leave the website entirely. This metric can be useful for identifying pages that may need optimization to keep users on the site for longer.

External Link

An external link is a link that points to a different website or domain. These links can be valuable for businesses as they can help to improve search engine rankings and drive traffic to your website. However, it's important to ensure that the external links are relevant and of high quality.

F

Featured Snippet

A featured snippet is a unique block that appears above the organic search results when specific queries are entered. It usually contains a brief summary or answer to a question along with a link to the webpage where the answer originated. Featured snippets are highly visible and can significantly increase website traffic.

Findability

Findability refers to how easily content on a website can be discovered by both search engines and users. This includes factors such as website structure, metadata, and content optimization. Improving findability can enhance website visibility, increase user engagement and ultimately drive more traffic to the website.

Freshness

Freshness refers to the age of online content. Search engines tend to prioritize fresh content, particularly for queries related to breaking news or recurring events. Updating content regularly can improve website visibility and rankings. The position of the fold, or the point on a webpage where a user must scroll to see additional content, can also impact freshness and search engine rankings.

G

Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a digital marketing strategy that is used to reach users in specific geographic locations with ads or content. With geotargeting, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to specific regions, cities, or even neighbourhoods to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their campaigns.

Google

Google is the most widely used search engine globally, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998. Google's search algorithm is constantly evolving, with updates and changes being made regularly to improve the quality and relevance of search results.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics platform that allows you to track organic website traffic, traffic sources, user behaviour, and more. By using Google Analytics, businesses can gain insights into their website's performance and make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence.

Googlebot

Googlebot is the name of Google's web crawling system that is used to discover web pages and add them to Google's index. Googlebot uses complex algorithms to determine which pages to crawl and how often to crawl them, based on factors such as page authority, relevance, and freshness.

Google Partner

Google Partner is a program for digital marketing and advertising agencies that provides access to special events, training, industry research, and certification opportunities. By becoming a Google Partner, agencies can demonstrate their expertise in Google Ads and other Google products.

Google Penalties

Google Penalties are negative consequences for websites whose content conflicts with Google's search and marketing practices. Common penalties include drops in rankings or complete removal from search results. To avoid penalties, businesses must adhere to Google's Webmaster Guidelines and best practices.

Google RankBrain

Google RankBrain is a major algorithm update that added machine learning to Google's search algorithm. Introduced in 2015, RankBrain is involved in every search query and has a significant impact on search result rankings. By using machine learning, Google can better understand user intent and provide more relevant search results.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your website's presence in search results. By using Search Console, businesses can identify and fix issues that may be affecting their search rankings and visibility.

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines is a frequently updated document used by Google Quality Raters as a reference when evaluating website quality. By following these guidelines, businesses can create more high-quality, valuable content for their website, which can improve their search rankings and visibility.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that allows you to monitor the latest trending search queries, stories, and topics. By using Google Trends, businesses can gain insights into what their target audience is searching for and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.

Google Webmaster Guidelines

Google Webmaster Guidelines is a frequently updated document established by Google that contains guidelines and best practices for ranking well in Google's search results. By following these guidelines, businesses can improve their website's search rankings and visibility.

Gray Hat

Gray Hat SEO techniques fall into a gray area that adheres to Google's Webmaster Guidelines but may bend the rules slightly. While these techniques may provide short-term gains, they can also result in penalties or long-term damage to a website's search rankings and visibility.

Guest Blogging

Guest Blogging is the practice of writing a blog post or article for other websites or organizations in exchange for a backlink to your website. By guest blogging, businesses can increase their online visibility and reach new audiences while also building relationships with other websites and organizations.

H

Heading

A heading tag is an HTML element that separates content into different sections based on topic or importance. It briefly describes the content on a page or in that section of content. Headings range from H1 to H6, with H1 being the most important and H6 being the least important.

Headline

The headline is the H1 heading tag that serves as the title of the page. It should be clear and concise, summarizing the content of the page in a few words.

Homepage

The homepage is the main page of a website that serves as a gateway for users to access other pages on the site. It should be easily navigable and provide links to other relevant pages.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird is a Google algorithm update introduced in 2013 that allowed Google to better understand search queries to provide better results to users. It uses natural language processing to understand the meaning behind search queries, rather than just matching keywords.

HTML

HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is a markup language used to create web pages. It consists of a series of elements, or tags, that define how a web browser will format and display the content on a page.

HTTP

HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is the protocol used to transfer data from a website's server to a user's browser. It is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

HTTPS

HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect sensitive data and ensure that all data and information entered into a website is safe and secure from potential hackers. It is essential for websites that handle sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

I

Image Compression

Images are an essential part of websites, but they can also slow down page load speed. Image compression is the process of reducing the size of image files without compromising their quality. By compressing images, you can improve the page load speed of your website, which can positively impact your search engine rankings and user experience.

Inbound Link

Inbound links are links from external websites that point to your website. These links are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content valuable or relevant. Inbound links can also drive traffic to your website from other sources.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on attracting potential customers to your website through valuable and relevant content. This approach is different from traditional marketing methods, which involve reaching out to customers directly. Inbound marketing techniques include content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.

Index

An index is a search engine's collection of webpages and websites. Search engines use indexes to generate search results. The index is also the root of a website, which means that it is the starting point for search engine crawlers when they visit a website.

Indexability

Indexability refers to how easily search engines can discover and add a webpage to their index. If a webpage is not indexable, it will not appear in search results. Factors that can affect indexability include website structure, content quality, and technical issues.

Indexed Page

An indexed page is a webpage that has been added to a search engine's index and is eligible to appear in search results for relevant queries. Indexed pages are important for SEO because they increase the visibility of your website in search results.

Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of data or information presented in a graphic that contains images and text. Infographics are useful for presenting complex information in a way that is easy to understand and digest. They can also be used to attract backlinks and social media shares.

Information Architecture (IA)

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of structuring and presenting the content and pages on a website in a logical and usable way. IA refers to how the content on a website is organized, which can impact user experience and search engine rankings.

Intent

Intent refers to what a user wants to know or find out when they type a query into a search engine. Understanding user intent is important for SEO because it can help you create content that meets the needs of your target audience.

Internal Link

An internal link is a link from one page on your website to another page on the same website. Internal links are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationships between different pages. Internal links can also help users navigate your website and find relevant content.

K

Keyword

Keywords are words or phrases that are targeted by SEO experts in website content to improve search engine rankings. They are strategically placed throughout a website to increase visibility when a user searches for that specific word or phrase.

Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on the same website target the same keyword or keywords. This can confuse search engines, leading to a drop in rankings for all pages because the search engine cannot determine which page is most relevant to the user's query.

Keyword Density

Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword appears on a page. It is important to maintain a natural keyword density to avoid being penalized by search engines for keyword stuffing.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty is the level of competition for a specific keyword in search results. It measures how challenging it will be to rank for a particular keyword.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words or phrases that your target audience searches for online to target for your SEO strategy. It helps to determine the most relevant and valuable keywords to target.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the excessive use of a specific keyword on one page. This can lead to lower rankings in search results, as search engines penalize websites for this practice.

KPI

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a metric used to measure the success of a digital marketing strategy or campaign. It helps to determine the effectiveness of a campaign and identify areas for improvement.

L

Landing Page

A landing page is a web page that a user is directed to when they click on a specific link or advertisement. The goal of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads or customers by providing them with relevant information and a clear call-to-action.

Lead

A lead is a person who has shown an interest in your products or services. This can be through filling out a form on your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or contacting you directly. Leads are important for businesses as they can be nurtured into customers through targeted marketing efforts.

Link

A link is a clickable path from one webpage to another. Links are important for website navigation and for search engine optimization as they help search engines understand the structure and content of a website.

Link Building

Link building is the practice of obtaining links to your page from another website or from pages on your website with the goal of increasing that page’s rankings in the search results. This can be done through outreach, guest blogging, or creating shareable content.

Link Equity

Link equity refers to the level of authority that is passed from a linking page to the page it links to. Pages with a high link equity have a better chance of ranking well in the search results and help other websites rank well by linking to them.

Link Farm

A link farm is a spam tactic that involves a group of websites linking to each other in hopes of increasing search rankings. This is a black hat SEO technique that can result in penalties from search engines.

Link Profile

A link profile refers to the collection of external links pointing to your website (backlinks) and the characteristics of those links, like their quality, anchor text, and how they were acquired. A strong link profile can improve your website's search engine rankings.

Link Velocity

Link velocity refers to how fast a website accumulates links. A sudden, large increase in link velocity could indicate spamming to acquire links for higher rankings. It is important to build links at a natural and steady pace.

Local Pack

The local pack is a group of typically three local business listings that appear in searches for local services or businesses. Local businesses can improve their chances of appearing in the local pack by optimizing their Google My Business listing and building local citations.

Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website to increase its rankings for local searches, like “Italian restaurant in Dallas, TX.” This can be done through optimizing your website's content and metadata, building local citations, and managing your Google My Business listing.

Long-tail Keyword

A long-tail keyword is a specific, multiple-word phrase or keyword that is usually higher value and has lower competition in the search results. Long-tail keywords are important for targeting niche audiences and improving the relevance of your website's content.

M

Machine Learning

If you want to give computers the ability to learn without human intervention or programming, you need to use Machine Learning. This subfield of AI allows computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time.

Meta Description

When you search for something on the internet, you'll see a short summary of a page's content displayed in the search results. This is called a meta description. It helps users decide whether or not to click on the link.

Metric

Metrics are specific pieces of data used to measure the performance of a strategy or campaign. They can also be used to monitor user activity and behavior. Metrics can help you understand how well your website or campaign is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Mobile-Friendly

In today's world, many people use their mobile devices to browse the internet. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it may not function or display correctly for these users. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is essential for providing a positive user experience and improving your website's visibility in search results.

N

Negative SEO

Negative SEO is the unethical practice of intentionally lowering the search engine rankings of a competitor's website. This can be done through various means, such as creating spammy backlinks or duplicating content. Negative SEO is considered a black hat tactic and can lead to penalties from search engines.

Niche

A niche is a specific area of interest or a subset of a broader category. In the context of SEO, targeting a niche can be beneficial as it allows for more targeted keywords and content. This can lead to higher rankings and more relevant traffic.

Nofollow

A nofollow attribute is an HTML tag that tells search engines not to pass link authority to a linked website. This is often used for paid or sponsored links to avoid manipulating search engine rankings. Nofollow links do not pass PageRank and do not contribute to a website's authority.

Noindex tag

A noindex tag is an HTML tag that instructs search engines not to index a specific webpage. This can be useful for pages that are not intended to be visible in search results, such as thank you pages or duplicate content. It is important to use the noindex tag correctly to avoid accidentally blocking important pages from search engines.

O

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to the techniques used outside of your website to improve your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). These techniques include link building, social media marketing, and other external marketing efforts. By building high-quality backlinks to your website and creating engaging social media content, you can improve your website's authority and trustworthiness, which in turn can boost your rankings in SERPs.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the techniques used on your website to improve your rankings in SERPs. These techniques include optimizing titles, meta descriptions, implementing keywords, and more. By optimizing your website's content and structure, you can improve its relevance and usefulness to users, which can lead to higher rankings in SERPs.

Organic search

Organic search refers to the unpaid, natural listings that appear in SERPs. By improving your website's on-page and off-page SEO, you can increase your website's visibility in organic search results. This can lead to more organic traffic to your website, which can ultimately result in more leads and sales.

Outbound link

An outbound link is a hyperlink that directs users from one website to another. Outbound links can be used to provide additional information to users, build relationships with other websites, and improve your website's authority and trustworthiness. By linking to high-quality, relevant websites, you can improve your website's reputation and potentially improve your rankings in SERPs.

P

Page Speed

Page speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to load. It is an essential factor that affects user experience and search engine ranking. Slow loading pages can result in high bounce rates and low conversion rates. To improve page speed, you can optimize images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce server response time.

Paid Search

Paid search refers to the placement of paid advertisements above and below the organic search results on search engines. Advertisers bid on keywords and pay when users click on their ads. Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, can generate immediate traffic and leads for businesses. Using tools like AdWords, you can target specific audiences and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.

PPC

PPC or pay-per-click is a type of digital advertising where businesses can pay to place their website at the top or bottom of the search results. With PPC, businesses only pay when a user clicks on their ad. Advertisers can use AdWords to create and manage their PPC campaigns. By targeting specific keywords and audiences, businesses can increase their visibility and drive more traffic to their websites.

Q

Qualified Lead

When a potential customer has been assessed by the sales or marketing team and is deemed to be an ideal customer who has a high probability of making a purchase, they are known as a qualified lead. These leads have shown a level of interest in your product or service and are more likely to convert into paying customers.

Qualified Traffic

Qualified traffic refers to website visitors who are more likely to become customers and make a purchase. This includes visitors who are interested in your product or service and are actively seeking information. By targeting qualified traffic, you can increase your chances of converting visitors into customers.

Quality Content

Quality content is relevant, engaging, and useful for your audience. It helps you achieve your SEO, business, and marketing goals by providing value to your target audience. Quality content can take many forms, including blog posts, videos, infographics, and more. By creating quality content, you can attract and retain your audience, establish your brand as a thought leader, and improve your search engine rankings.

Quality Link

A quality link is a backlink that originates from an authoritative or trusted website. These links are important for improving your website's search engine rankings and increasing your visibility online. By building quality links, you can increase your website's authority and credibility, which can lead to more traffic and more conversions.

Query

A query is the word or phrase that a user types into a search engine in order to find the answer or information they want. By understanding the queries that your target audience is searching for, you can create content that answers their questions and provides value. This can help you attract more qualified traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings.

R

Rank

Rank refers to the position of a webpage in the organic search results for a particular query. The higher the rank, the more likely it is that the webpage will be clicked on by users. To improve your website's rank, it is important to understand the various ranking factors that affect it.

Ranking factor

Ranking factors are specific criteria or components that influence a website's position in the search results. Examples of ranking factors include page load speed, user experience, and content quality. Optimising your website for these factors can help improve its rank.

Redirect

Redirects are used when a page or piece of content has changed location. They direct users from the old URL to the new one. There are two types of redirects: 301 redirects, which are permanent, and 302 redirects, which are temporary.

Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a webpage's content relates to a user's search query. Search engines use various algorithms to determine relevance and deliver results that answer the user's question or provide the information they are looking for.

Reputation management

Reputation management is the practice of influencing how people perceive your business or brand. This can include managing online reviews, social media presence, and other aspects of your online reputation.

Responsive design

Responsive design is a type of web design that allows websites to adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile phones and desktop computers. This is important because an increasing number of users access the internet on mobile devices.

Rich snippet

Rich snippets, also known as rich results, are search results that display additional data beyond the page title and description. This can include phone numbers, addresses, and other information.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a plain text file located in the root directory of a website. It is used to manage traffic from bots and prevent your website from being overwhelmed with requests. It can also be used to prevent certain pages from being indexed by search engines.

ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) is a measure of how much profit your investment in SEO or digital marketing has earned. It is calculated by dividing the revenue earned by the total cost of the investment and multiplying by 100. A positive ROI indicates that your investment has been successful.

S

Schema Markup

Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a code that provides additional information to search engines about the content of a page. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using schema markup, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

Search Engine

A search engine is a tool that people use to find information on the internet. Search engines use algorithms to crawl and index websites, and then provide users with a list of relevant pages based on their search query.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy that involves using paid advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase online visibility in search engines. SEM typically involves using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive traffic to a website, as well as optimizing the website's content and structure to improve its organic search rankings.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website's content and structure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves a variety of techniques, including keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

A search engine results page (SERP) is the page that a search engine displays after a user enters a query. The SERP typically includes a list of relevant pages, as well as additional features such as ads, local results, and featured snippets.

Search History

Search history refers to the collection of previous search queries that a user has made on a search engine. Search history can be used to provide personalized search results and recommendations.

Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a particular keyword or phrase is searched for on a search engine. This information can be used to identify popular topics and trends, as well as to inform keyword research and SEO strategies.

Semantic Search

Semantic search is the process that search engines use to understand the intent and meaning behind a user's search query. This involves analyzing the context of the query, as well as the relationships between different words and concepts, in order to provide more relevant and accurate results.

Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of pages on a website that is used to help search engines crawl and index the site. Sitemaps can also be used to provide additional information about the content of a website, such as the date that each page was last updated.

SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and enables an encrypted connection between the website and its users. SSL certificates are used to provide secure communication and protect sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Status Codes

Status codes are three-digit codes that are returned by a web server in response to a request from a client, such as a web browser. These codes indicate the status of the request, such as whether it was successful or encountered an error.

Structured Data

Structured data, also known as schema markup, is a code that provides additional information about the content of a page to search engines. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using structured data, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

T

Technical SEO

Improving the technical aspects of your website can significantly impact your search engine rankings. Technical SEO involves optimizing elements such as website speed, mobile responsiveness, and site structure to improve user experience and search engine crawling.

Thin content

Thin content provides little value to users and can negatively impact your website's search engine rankings. Ensure that your website's content is informative and engaging to keep users on your site and encourage them to return.

Time on page

The time users spend on your website is an important factor in search engine rankings. Longer dwell times indicate that users find your content valuable and engaging. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to increase time on page.

Title tag

The title tag is an HTML element that appears in search engine results as the title of your page. It is important to create descriptive and concise title tags that accurately reflect the content of your page and entice users to click through to your website.

Traffic

The volume of users visiting your website is a crucial metric for evaluating the success of your website. Increasing traffic can be achieved through various methods such as search engine optimization, social media marketing, and content marketing. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to encourage users to return and share your website with others.

U

URL parameter

URL parameters are characters added to the end of a URL, which can track where traffic comes from. They can help you to understand which marketing campaigns are bringing in the most traffic, and which ones need more work.

Usability

Usability refers to how easy it is for people to use and navigate your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, layout, and functionality. A website with good usability is more likely to keep users engaged and coming back for more.

User experience (UX)

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience of a person using your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, content, and functionality. A website with good UX is more likely to keep users engaged and satisfied with their experience.

V

Voice Search

Voice search is a technology that enables users to conduct online searches by speaking directly into a device's microphone.

Some key features of voice search include:

  • Convenience: Voice search allows for hands-free searching, making it ideal for multitasking.

  • Speed: Voice search can be faster than typing, especially for longer queries.

  • Accuracy: Advances in natural language processing have improved the accuracy of voice search results.

  • Compatibility: Voice search is available on a range of devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, and even some cars.

As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it's important for businesses to optimize their online content for voice search queries.

W

White-hat

White-hat SEO practices are ethical and follow the guidelines set by search engines. These practices include creating quality content, using relevant keywords, and building natural backlinks.

WordPress

WordPress is a widely used CMS and blogging platform that allows users to easily create and manage websites. It offers a variety of customizable themes and plugins, making it a popular choice for businesses and bloggers alike.

Brush up on your SEO knowledge with SEO Edinburgh

Looking to improve your SEO knowledge? Check out the blog of Milwaukee Seo Agency for definitions, techniques, and terms.

If you're new to the world of search engine optimization (SEO), you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of jargon and technical terms you come across. 

But fear not, as we've got you covered with our comprehensive SEO glossary. With over 150 definitions, covering everything from A/B testing to page speed, you'll soon become an SEO expert.

Our glossary is regularly updated and written by experts in the field, so you can trust that the information you're getting is accurate and up-to-date. 

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, our glossary is a valuable resource that you can refer to whenever you need to brush up on your SEO knowledge. So, let's dive in and start exploring!

A

A/B Testing

A/B testing is a method used to determine which version of a webpage or campaign component produces better results. This testing involves creating two versions of the same element and randomly directing users to one of the two versions.

The version that generates the most conversions or clicks is considered the better option. A/B testing can be used for various elements, including website pages, advertisements, email subject lines, and more.

Above the Fold

Above the fold refers to the content on a webpage that is visible without the need to scroll down.

This content is considered the most important because it is the first thing users see when they land on a webpage. Above the fold content should be engaging and relevant to the user's search query to encourage them to stay on the page.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a complex program that search engines use to collect and store data and deliver results when someone enters a query.

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so it's essential to stay up to date with the latest changes to optimize your website. Proper optimization can increase your website's visibility and improve your search engine rankings.

Alt Text

Alt text is a text description that describes the meaning of an image on your website. The alt text is useful in instances where your images don't load or a user has trouble viewing your image. Alt text provides context to search engines and helps improve your website's accessibility for users with visual impairments.

Analytics

Analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to gather actionable insights that help you improve your strategy or campaign in the future.

By analyzing data, you can gain a better understanding of user behavior and preferences, which can help you make informed decisions about your website's content and design.

Anchor Text

Anchor text is the clickable word or words of a link. Anchor text lets users and search engines know what the page or website being linked to is about.

Proper use of anchor text can improve your website's visibility and search engine rankings.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. AI is essentially a system that can make and carry out decisions without human intervention, like analyzing data.

AI can be used to improve website functionality, user experience, and search engine optimization.

Authority

Authority refers to the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a website. Websites with higher authority earn higher rankings in the search results. Authority can be improved through various methods, including creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and improving user experience. Improving your website's authority can increase your visibility, attract more traffic, and generate more conversions.

B

B2B SEO

B2B SEO is the optimization of a website to target other businesses instead of individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to business needs and pain points, using industry-specific keywords, and building relationships with other businesses for backlinks.

B2C SEO

B2C SEO is the optimization of a website to target individual consumers. It involves creating content that speaks to consumer needs and interests, using consumer-focused keywords, and building a strong brand presence.

Backlink

A backlink is an incoming link from one page to another website. Backlinks are an important factor in search engine rankings, as they signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and has valuable content. Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites can improve your website's credibility and visibility in search results.

Backlink analysis

Backlink analysis is the process of analyzing your website's backlinks to understand what and how many websites link to your website. It involves identifying any bad or spammy links that could harm your website's ranking and disavowing them. Backlink analysis can also help you identify opportunities to build new backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bing

Bing is a search engine owned by Microsoft that was created in 2009. It powers Yahoo! Search and offers many of the same features as Google, including search ads, maps, and local business listings.

Black-hat SEO

Black-hat SEO refers to unethical or spammy SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines. These techniques can include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and link schemes. Using black-hat SEO can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engines.

Blog

A blog is a publication of content that is continually updated with the newest content appearing at the top. Blogs are usually run by an individual, a company, or a small group and are typically more informal than traditional news websites. Blogs can be a powerful tool for SEO, as they allow you to create fresh, relevant content that can attract backlinks and improve your website's visibility.

Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of website visitors who leave a webpage without interacting with the page or visiting any other pages on your website. A high bounce rate can indicate that your website's content is not relevant or engaging to visitors, which can harm your search engine rankings.

Bot

A bot, also known as a crawler or spider, is a program that automatically scans websites and indexes their content for search engines. Googlebot is the most well-known bot, as it is used by Google to index websites for search results.

Brand

A brand is a business or organization that is associated with a particular product or service. Building a strong brand can help improve your website's visibility and credibility, as well as attract backlinks and social media mentions.

Branded keyword

A branded keyword is a keyword associated with a particular brand. Branded keywords are usually high-value and high-converting, as they indicate that a user is actively searching for a specific brand or product.

Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumb navigation is a navigation practice that helps users understand the relationship between pages on a website and navigate it more easily. Breadcrumb navigation typically appears near the top of a webpage and shows users the path they took to get to the current page.

Broken link

A broken link is a link that is not working as intended and leads to a 404 not found status code error. Broken links can harm your website's search engine rankings, as they can signal to search engines that your website is not well-maintained. Regularly checking for broken links and fixing them can help improve your website's visibility and credibility.

C

Cache

Cache is a technology that temporarily stores web content to improve website speed and performance. When a user visits a website, the browser requests the content from the server, and the server sends it back to the browser. If the website has a cache, the browser can retrieve the content from the cache instead of requesting it from the server, which can significantly reduce page load time.

Cached Page

A cached page is a saved version of a webpage by a search engine when it was last crawled. When a user searches for a query, the search engine can return the cached page instead of requesting the content from the server, which can improve website speed and performance.

Canonical URL

A canonical URL is a single page that can be accessed through various URLs and is specified with an HTML code element as the preferred page to search engines. Creating canonical URLs helps reduce duplicate content and fix messy link structures. When search engines crawl a website, they can identify the canonical URL and consolidate the link equity to the preferred page, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cart Abandon Rate

Cart abandon rate is the percentage of visitors who added a product to their shopping cart on a website but left the website before completing a purchase. A high cart abandon rate can indicate issues with website usability, pricing, or shipping costs. To reduce cart abandon rate, businesses can optimize the checkout process, offer free shipping, or provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Citation

Citation refers to any mention of a brand's name, address, or phone number. Citations can be found in directories, like Yellowpages, that list local businesses. Citations can improve local search engine rankings and help customers find a business's physical location.

Click Depth

Click depth is the amount of clicks it takes to get from the home page to the intended page on a website. Pages that are closest to the homepage are most easily crawled and indexed by search engines. To improve website visibility, businesses can optimize the website structure to reduce click depth and make it easier for search engines to crawl and index the website.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of users who click on a website in the search results compared to the total number of times the website was viewed in the search results. It's calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of impressions and then multiplying by 100. A high CTR can indicate that the website is relevant and attractive to users, which can improve search engine rankings.

Cloaking

Cloaking is the practice of showing different content to search engines than what is shown to users on a webpage. Cloaking goes directly against Google's webmaster guidelines and can result in penalties or even a complete ban from search engine results. To avoid cloaking, businesses should ensure that the content shown to search engines is the same as the content shown to users.

Competition

Competition refers to direct competitors that sell similar products or services in the same area, or companies and websites that vie to rank for the same keywords and organic search visibility as you. To improve search engine rankings and stay ahead of the competition, businesses can conduct competitor analysis, optimize their website for relevant keywords, and create quality content.

Content

Content refers to words, videos, images, or sounds that share information meant to be consumed by the audience. A blog is an example of content. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system (CMS) is a back-end website software used to create, publish, modify, and manage digital content on a website without the need for coding. A CMS can make it easier for businesses to manage and optimize their website content.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves creating valuable custom content that shares information about a topic, your business, or your products or services with the goal of reaching, engaging, and converting your target audience. Quality content can improve search engine rankings and attract and engage users.

Conversion

Conversion refers to any desired action taken on a website, such as a purchase, an email newsletter subscription, or the completion of a contact form. To improve website conversions, businesses can optimize the website design, create quality content, and provide incentives such as discounts or free gifts.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action on a website. It's calculated by dividing the total number of conversions by the total amount of web traffic and then multiplying by 100. A high conversion rate can indicate that the website is effective in converting visitors into customers.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a digital marketing strategy that involves making optimizations to a website to improve the conversion rate. To improve website conversions, businesses can conduct A/B testing, optimize the website design, and create quality content.

Cookie

A cookie is

D

De-index

De-indexing is the process of removing a webpage or pages from a search engine's directory and the search results. This can happen when a website violates the webmaster guidelines of a search engine or fails to provide a positive user experience. De-indexing can have a severe impact on a website's search engine ranking.

Demographics

Demographics refer to the characteristics of a group of people, such as their age, location, and gender. In the context of digital marketing, demographics are used to create targeted advertising campaigns that are relevant to a specific audience. By understanding the demographics of their target audience, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to reach the right people.

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic refers to users who navigate to a website by typing the URL directly into their browser. Direct traffic is an important metric for businesses as it indicates the number of people who are already familiar with their brand and actively seeking out their website.

Directory

A directory is a collection of websites that are usually organized into different categories. Inclusion in a directory can be free or paid, depending on the directory. Directories can be a valuable source of traffic for websites, but they can also be a source of spammy links that can harm a website's search engine ranking.

Disavow

Disavow is a tool from Google that allows website owners to remove any spammy or low-quality inbound links. By disavowing bad links, website owners can signal to Google that they do not approve of the link's source and avoid any potential SEO penalties.

Do-follow

A do-follow link is a normal link that directs users to another webpage or website that does not use the "nofollow" tag. Do-follow links can pass on link juice to the linked website, which can help to improve its search engine ranking.

Domain

A domain is a website address that ends in an extension like .org, .com, or .net. A domain name is an essential part of a website's identity and can have a significant impact on its search engine ranking.

Domain Authority

Domain authority is a metric that measures the perceived quality, usefulness, and relevance of a domain. Websites with a higher domain authority are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content refers to content that matches or is very similar to content on a different webpage on the same or a different website. Duplicate content can harm a website's search engine ranking as search engines may struggle to determine which version of the content to display in search results.

Dwell Time

Dwell time is the amount of time a website visitor spends on the website before returning to the search results. A short dwell time could indicate that the content on the website isn't helpful or valuable for users. Dwell time is an important metric for website owners as it can impact their search engine ranking.

Dynamic Content

Dynamic content refers to content that changes depending on the user who views it. With dynamic content, one user will view a completely different message than another user. Dynamic content is used to personalize content for multiple website visitors, which can improve user engagement and increase conversions.

E

Earned Media

Earned media refers to content that is created by third-party sources and published on channels that you don't own, such as social media or other websites. This type of media can be very beneficial for businesses as it can help to increase brand awareness, improve reputation and drive traffic to your website.

E-A-T

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are three factors that play a significant role in search engines determining the quality of a page. Pages should have authors who are experts in their field, be high-quality, and send trust signals to search engines and users through positive reviews, earning third-party links, and more.

E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These four factors are a guideline for determining the quality of a page. Pages should reflect a business's experience in their field or on the page's topic, be written by an expert in that field, be high-quality and valuable, and send trust signals to users and search engines.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce refers to a type of website or business that sells products online. This type of business has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people turn to online shopping.

Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO is a set of optimization techniques that involves optimizing an ecommerce online store to rank higher in relevant search results. This is important as it can help to increase traffic to your website and ultimately lead to more sales.

Engagement Metrics

Engagement metrics are a collection of data points used to measure how engaged users are on a website. Examples of engagement metrics include bounce rate, time on page, and more. By monitoring these metrics, businesses can gain insights into how users are interacting with their website and make improvements where necessary.

Exit Rate

Exit rate refers to the percentage of users who leave a webpage and then leave the website entirely. This metric can be useful for identifying pages that may need optimization to keep users on the site for longer.

External Link

An external link is a link that points to a different website or domain. These links can be valuable for businesses as they can help to improve search engine rankings and drive traffic to your website. However, it's important to ensure that the external links are relevant and of high quality.

F

Featured Snippet

A featured snippet is a unique block that appears above the organic search results when specific queries are entered. It usually contains a brief summary or answer to a question along with a link to the webpage where the answer originated. Featured snippets are highly visible and can significantly increase website traffic.

Findability

Findability refers to how easily content on a website can be discovered by both search engines and users. This includes factors such as website structure, metadata, and content optimization. Improving findability can enhance website visibility, increase user engagement and ultimately drive more traffic to the website.

Freshness

Freshness refers to the age of online content. Search engines tend to prioritize fresh content, particularly for queries related to breaking news or recurring events. Updating content regularly can improve website visibility and rankings. The position of the fold, or the point on a webpage where a user must scroll to see additional content, can also impact freshness and search engine rankings.

G

Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a digital marketing strategy that is used to reach users in specific geographic locations with ads or content. With geotargeting, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to specific regions, cities, or even neighbourhoods to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their campaigns.

Google

Google is the most widely used search engine globally, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in September 1998. Google's search algorithm is constantly evolving, with updates and changes being made regularly to improve the quality and relevance of search results.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics platform that allows you to track organic website traffic, traffic sources, user behaviour, and more. By using Google Analytics, businesses can gain insights into their website's performance and make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence.

Googlebot

Googlebot is the name of Google's web crawling system that is used to discover web pages and add them to Google's index. Googlebot uses complex algorithms to determine which pages to crawl and how often to crawl them, based on factors such as page authority, relevance, and freshness.

Google Partner

Google Partner is a program for digital marketing and advertising agencies that provides access to special events, training, industry research, and certification opportunities. By becoming a Google Partner, agencies can demonstrate their expertise in Google Ads and other Google products.

Google Penalties

Google Penalties are negative consequences for websites whose content conflicts with Google's search and marketing practices. Common penalties include drops in rankings or complete removal from search results. To avoid penalties, businesses must adhere to Google's Webmaster Guidelines and best practices.

Google RankBrain

Google RankBrain is a major algorithm update that added machine learning to Google's search algorithm. Introduced in 2015, RankBrain is involved in every search query and has a significant impact on search result rankings. By using machine learning, Google can better understand user intent and provide more relevant search results.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your website's presence in search results. By using Search Console, businesses can identify and fix issues that may be affecting their search rankings and visibility.

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines

Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines is a frequently updated document used by Google Quality Raters as a reference when evaluating website quality. By following these guidelines, businesses can create more high-quality, valuable content for their website, which can improve their search rankings and visibility.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a tool that allows you to monitor the latest trending search queries, stories, and topics. By using Google Trends, businesses can gain insights into what their target audience is searching for and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.

Google Webmaster Guidelines

Google Webmaster Guidelines is a frequently updated document established by Google that contains guidelines and best practices for ranking well in Google's search results. By following these guidelines, businesses can improve their website's search rankings and visibility.

Gray Hat

Gray Hat SEO techniques fall into a gray area that adheres to Google's Webmaster Guidelines but may bend the rules slightly. While these techniques may provide short-term gains, they can also result in penalties or long-term damage to a website's search rankings and visibility.

Guest Blogging

Guest Blogging is the practice of writing a blog post or article for other websites or organizations in exchange for a backlink to your website. By guest blogging, businesses can increase their online visibility and reach new audiences while also building relationships with other websites and organizations.

H

Heading

A heading tag is an HTML element that separates content into different sections based on topic or importance. It briefly describes the content on a page or in that section of content. Headings range from H1 to H6, with H1 being the most important and H6 being the least important.

Headline

The headline is the H1 heading tag that serves as the title of the page. It should be clear and concise, summarizing the content of the page in a few words.

Homepage

The homepage is the main page of a website that serves as a gateway for users to access other pages on the site. It should be easily navigable and provide links to other relevant pages.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird is a Google algorithm update introduced in 2013 that allowed Google to better understand search queries to provide better results to users. It uses natural language processing to understand the meaning behind search queries, rather than just matching keywords.

HTML

HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is a markup language used to create web pages. It consists of a series of elements, or tags, that define how a web browser will format and display the content on a page.

HTTP

HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is the protocol used to transfer data from a website's server to a user's browser. It is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

HTTPS

HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect sensitive data and ensure that all data and information entered into a website is safe and secure from potential hackers. It is essential for websites that handle sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

I

Image Compression

Images are an essential part of websites, but they can also slow down page load speed. Image compression is the process of reducing the size of image files without compromising their quality. By compressing images, you can improve the page load speed of your website, which can positively impact your search engine rankings and user experience.

Inbound Link

Inbound links are links from external websites that point to your website. These links are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content valuable or relevant. Inbound links can also drive traffic to your website from other sources.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on attracting potential customers to your website through valuable and relevant content. This approach is different from traditional marketing methods, which involve reaching out to customers directly. Inbound marketing techniques include content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.

Index

An index is a search engine's collection of webpages and websites. Search engines use indexes to generate search results. The index is also the root of a website, which means that it is the starting point for search engine crawlers when they visit a website.

Indexability

Indexability refers to how easily search engines can discover and add a webpage to their index. If a webpage is not indexable, it will not appear in search results. Factors that can affect indexability include website structure, content quality, and technical issues.

Indexed Page

An indexed page is a webpage that has been added to a search engine's index and is eligible to appear in search results for relevant queries. Indexed pages are important for SEO because they increase the visibility of your website in search results.

Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of data or information presented in a graphic that contains images and text. Infographics are useful for presenting complex information in a way that is easy to understand and digest. They can also be used to attract backlinks and social media shares.

Information Architecture (IA)

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of structuring and presenting the content and pages on a website in a logical and usable way. IA refers to how the content on a website is organized, which can impact user experience and search engine rankings.

Intent

Intent refers to what a user wants to know or find out when they type a query into a search engine. Understanding user intent is important for SEO because it can help you create content that meets the needs of your target audience.

Internal Link

An internal link is a link from one page on your website to another page on the same website. Internal links are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationships between different pages. Internal links can also help users navigate your website and find relevant content.

K

Keyword

Keywords are words or phrases that are targeted by SEO experts in website content to improve search engine rankings. They are strategically placed throughout a website to increase visibility when a user searches for that specific word or phrase.

Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on the same website target the same keyword or keywords. This can confuse search engines, leading to a drop in rankings for all pages because the search engine cannot determine which page is most relevant to the user's query.

Keyword Density

Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword appears on a page. It is important to maintain a natural keyword density to avoid being penalized by search engines for keyword stuffing.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty is the level of competition for a specific keyword in search results. It measures how challenging it will be to rank for a particular keyword.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words or phrases that your target audience searches for online to target for your SEO strategy. It helps to determine the most relevant and valuable keywords to target.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the excessive use of a specific keyword on one page. This can lead to lower rankings in search results, as search engines penalize websites for this practice.

KPI

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a metric used to measure the success of a digital marketing strategy or campaign. It helps to determine the effectiveness of a campaign and identify areas for improvement.

L

Landing Page

A landing page is a web page that a user is directed to when they click on a specific link or advertisement. The goal of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads or customers by providing them with relevant information and a clear call-to-action.

Lead

A lead is a person who has shown an interest in your products or services. This can be through filling out a form on your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or contacting you directly. Leads are important for businesses as they can be nurtured into customers through targeted marketing efforts.

Link

A link is a clickable path from one webpage to another. Links are important for website navigation and for search engine optimization as they help search engines understand the structure and content of a website.

Link Building

Link building is the practice of obtaining links to your page from another website or from pages on your website with the goal of increasing that page’s rankings in the search results. This can be done through outreach, guest blogging, or creating shareable content.

Link Equity

Link equity refers to the level of authority that is passed from a linking page to the page it links to. Pages with a high link equity have a better chance of ranking well in the search results and help other websites rank well by linking to them.

Link Farm

A link farm is a spam tactic that involves a group of websites linking to each other in hopes of increasing search rankings. This is a black hat SEO technique that can result in penalties from search engines.

Link Profile

A link profile refers to the collection of external links pointing to your website (backlinks) and the characteristics of those links, like their quality, anchor text, and how they were acquired. A strong link profile can improve your website's search engine rankings.

Link Velocity

Link velocity refers to how fast a website accumulates links. A sudden, large increase in link velocity could indicate spamming to acquire links for higher rankings. It is important to build links at a natural and steady pace.

Local Pack

The local pack is a group of typically three local business listings that appear in searches for local services or businesses. Local businesses can improve their chances of appearing in the local pack by optimizing their Google My Business listing and building local citations.

Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website to increase its rankings for local searches, like “Italian restaurant in Dallas, TX.” This can be done through optimizing your website's content and metadata, building local citations, and managing your Google My Business listing.

Long-tail Keyword

A long-tail keyword is a specific, multiple-word phrase or keyword that is usually higher value and has lower competition in the search results. Long-tail keywords are important for targeting niche audiences and improving the relevance of your website's content.

M

Machine Learning

If you want to give computers the ability to learn without human intervention or programming, you need to use Machine Learning. This subfield of AI allows computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time.

Meta Description

When you search for something on the internet, you'll see a short summary of a page's content displayed in the search results. This is called a meta description. It helps users decide whether or not to click on the link.

Metric

Metrics are specific pieces of data used to measure the performance of a strategy or campaign. They can also be used to monitor user activity and behavior. Metrics can help you understand how well your website or campaign is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Mobile-Friendly

In today's world, many people use their mobile devices to browse the internet. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it may not function or display correctly for these users. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is essential for providing a positive user experience and improving your website's visibility in search results.

N

Negative SEO

Negative SEO is the unethical practice of intentionally lowering the search engine rankings of a competitor's website. This can be done through various means, such as creating spammy backlinks or duplicating content. Negative SEO is considered a black hat tactic and can lead to penalties from search engines.

Niche

A niche is a specific area of interest or a subset of a broader category. In the context of SEO, targeting a niche can be beneficial as it allows for more targeted keywords and content. This can lead to higher rankings and more relevant traffic.

Nofollow

A nofollow attribute is an HTML tag that tells search engines not to pass link authority to a linked website. This is often used for paid or sponsored links to avoid manipulating search engine rankings. Nofollow links do not pass PageRank and do not contribute to a website's authority.

Noindex tag

A noindex tag is an HTML tag that instructs search engines not to index a specific webpage. This can be useful for pages that are not intended to be visible in search results, such as thank you pages or duplicate content. It is important to use the noindex tag correctly to avoid accidentally blocking important pages from search engines.

O

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to the techniques used outside of your website to improve your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). These techniques include link building, social media marketing, and other external marketing efforts. By building high-quality backlinks to your website and creating engaging social media content, you can improve your website's authority and trustworthiness, which in turn can boost your rankings in SERPs.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the techniques used on your website to improve your rankings in SERPs. These techniques include optimizing titles, meta descriptions, implementing keywords, and more. By optimizing your website's content and structure, you can improve its relevance and usefulness to users, which can lead to higher rankings in SERPs.

Organic search

Organic search refers to the unpaid, natural listings that appear in SERPs. By improving your website's on-page and off-page SEO, you can increase your website's visibility in organic search results. This can lead to more organic traffic to your website, which can ultimately result in more leads and sales.

Outbound link

An outbound link is a hyperlink that directs users from one website to another. Outbound links can be used to provide additional information to users, build relationships with other websites, and improve your website's authority and trustworthiness. By linking to high-quality, relevant websites, you can improve your website's reputation and potentially improve your rankings in SERPs.

P

Page Speed

Page speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to load. It is an essential factor that affects user experience and search engine ranking. Slow loading pages can result in high bounce rates and low conversion rates. To improve page speed, you can optimize images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce server response time.

Paid Search

Paid search refers to the placement of paid advertisements above and below the organic search results on search engines. Advertisers bid on keywords and pay when users click on their ads. Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, can generate immediate traffic and leads for businesses. Using tools like AdWords, you can target specific audiences and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.

PPC

PPC or pay-per-click is a type of digital advertising where businesses can pay to place their website at the top or bottom of the search results. With PPC, businesses only pay when a user clicks on their ad. Advertisers can use AdWords to create and manage their PPC campaigns. By targeting specific keywords and audiences, businesses can increase their visibility and drive more traffic to their websites.

Q

Qualified Lead

When a potential customer has been assessed by the sales or marketing team and is deemed to be an ideal customer who has a high probability of making a purchase, they are known as a qualified lead. These leads have shown a level of interest in your product or service and are more likely to convert into paying customers.

Qualified Traffic

Qualified traffic refers to website visitors who are more likely to become customers and make a purchase. This includes visitors who are interested in your product or service and are actively seeking information. By targeting qualified traffic, you can increase your chances of converting visitors into customers.

Quality Content

Quality content is relevant, engaging, and useful for your audience. It helps you achieve your SEO, business, and marketing goals by providing value to your target audience. Quality content can take many forms, including blog posts, videos, infographics, and more. By creating quality content, you can attract and retain your audience, establish your brand as a thought leader, and improve your search engine rankings.

Quality Link

A quality link is a backlink that originates from an authoritative or trusted website. These links are important for improving your website's search engine rankings and increasing your visibility online. By building quality links, you can increase your website's authority and credibility, which can lead to more traffic and more conversions.

Query

A query is the word or phrase that a user types into a search engine in order to find the answer or information they want. By understanding the queries that your target audience is searching for, you can create content that answers their questions and provides value. This can help you attract more qualified traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings.

R

Rank

Rank refers to the position of a webpage in the organic search results for a particular query. The higher the rank, the more likely it is that the webpage will be clicked on by users. To improve your website's rank, it is important to understand the various ranking factors that affect it.

Ranking factor

Ranking factors are specific criteria or components that influence a website's position in the search results. Examples of ranking factors include page load speed, user experience, and content quality. Optimising your website for these factors can help improve its rank.

Redirect

Redirects are used when a page or piece of content has changed location. They direct users from the old URL to the new one. There are two types of redirects: 301 redirects, which are permanent, and 302 redirects, which are temporary.

Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a webpage's content relates to a user's search query. Search engines use various algorithms to determine relevance and deliver results that answer the user's question or provide the information they are looking for.

Reputation management

Reputation management is the practice of influencing how people perceive your business or brand. This can include managing online reviews, social media presence, and other aspects of your online reputation.

Responsive design

Responsive design is a type of web design that allows websites to adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile phones and desktop computers. This is important because an increasing number of users access the internet on mobile devices.

Rich snippet

Rich snippets, also known as rich results, are search results that display additional data beyond the page title and description. This can include phone numbers, addresses, and other information.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a plain text file located in the root directory of a website. It is used to manage traffic from bots and prevent your website from being overwhelmed with requests. It can also be used to prevent certain pages from being indexed by search engines.

ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) is a measure of how much profit your investment in SEO or digital marketing has earned. It is calculated by dividing the revenue earned by the total cost of the investment and multiplying by 100. A positive ROI indicates that your investment has been successful.

S

Schema Markup

Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a code that provides additional information to search engines about the content of a page. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using schema markup, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

Search Engine

A search engine is a tool that people use to find information on the internet. Search engines use algorithms to crawl and index websites, and then provide users with a list of relevant pages based on their search query.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy that involves using paid advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase online visibility in search engines. SEM typically involves using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive traffic to a website, as well as optimizing the website's content and structure to improve its organic search rankings.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website's content and structure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves a variety of techniques, including keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

A search engine results page (SERP) is the page that a search engine displays after a user enters a query. The SERP typically includes a list of relevant pages, as well as additional features such as ads, local results, and featured snippets.

Search History

Search history refers to the collection of previous search queries that a user has made on a search engine. Search history can be used to provide personalized search results and recommendations.

Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a particular keyword or phrase is searched for on a search engine. This information can be used to identify popular topics and trends, as well as to inform keyword research and SEO strategies.

Semantic Search

Semantic search is the process that search engines use to understand the intent and meaning behind a user's search query. This involves analyzing the context of the query, as well as the relationships between different words and concepts, in order to provide more relevant and accurate results.

Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of pages on a website that is used to help search engines crawl and index the site. Sitemaps can also be used to provide additional information about the content of a website, such as the date that each page was last updated.

SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and enables an encrypted connection between the website and its users. SSL certificates are used to provide secure communication and protect sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Status Codes

Status codes are three-digit codes that are returned by a web server in response to a request from a client, such as a web browser. These codes indicate the status of the request, such as whether it was successful or encountered an error.

Structured Data

Structured data, also known as schema markup, is a code that provides additional information about the content of a page to search engines. This can include details such as the type of content, author information, and ratings. By using structured data, search engines can better understand the context of a page and provide more relevant results to users.

T

Technical SEO

Improving the technical aspects of your website can significantly impact your search engine rankings. Technical SEO involves optimizing elements such as website speed, mobile responsiveness, and site structure to improve user experience and search engine crawling.

Thin content

Thin content provides little value to users and can negatively impact your website's search engine rankings. Ensure that your website's content is informative and engaging to keep users on your site and encourage them to return.

Time on page

The time users spend on your website is an important factor in search engine rankings. Longer dwell times indicate that users find your content valuable and engaging. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to increase time on page.

Title tag

The title tag is an HTML element that appears in search engine results as the title of your page. It is important to create descriptive and concise title tags that accurately reflect the content of your page and entice users to click through to your website.

Traffic

The volume of users visiting your website is a crucial metric for evaluating the success of your website. Increasing traffic can be achieved through various methods such as search engine optimization, social media marketing, and content marketing. Ensure that your website offers high-quality content and a user-friendly experience to encourage users to return and share your website with others.

U

URL parameter

URL parameters are characters added to the end of a URL, which can track where traffic comes from. They can help you to understand which marketing campaigns are bringing in the most traffic, and which ones need more work.

Usability

Usability refers to how easy it is for people to use and navigate your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, layout, and functionality. A website with good usability is more likely to keep users engaged and coming back for more.

User experience (UX)

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience of a person using your website. It encompasses factors such as website design, content, and functionality. A website with good UX is more likely to keep users engaged and satisfied with their experience.

V

Voice Search

Voice search is a technology that enables users to conduct online searches by speaking directly into a device's microphone.

Some key features of voice search include:

  • Convenience: Voice search allows for hands-free searching, making it ideal for multitasking.

  • Speed: Voice search can be faster than typing, especially for longer queries.

  • Accuracy: Advances in natural language processing have improved the accuracy of voice search results.

  • Compatibility: Voice search is available on a range of devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, and even some cars.

As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it's important for businesses to optimize their online content for voice search queries.

W

White-hat

White-hat SEO practices are ethical and follow the guidelines set by search engines. These practices include creating quality content, using relevant keywords, and building natural backlinks.

WordPress

WordPress is a widely used CMS and blogging platform that allows users to easily create and manage websites. It offers a variety of customizable themes and plugins, making it a popular choice for businesses and bloggers alike.

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Take the first step to getting more leads from your website today with SEO Milwaukee.

Request your free SEO video audit for your business and find out exactly what is needed to get your website to the top of Google.

GBM Ranking
Marketing Notes

Let's drive SEO results together

Take the first step to getting more leads from your website today with SEO Milwaukee.

Request your free SEO video audit for your business and find out exactly what is needed to get your website to the top of Google.

GBM Ranking
Marketing Notes