Term Definition
301 Redirect A 301 redirect is a permanent address change notice for a webpage, ensuring that search engine standings and a smooth user journey are maintained despite URL updates.
404 Error A 404 error signals a missing webpage, often due to deletion or URL changes, and it can detrimentally affect both the user experience and a site's search engine positioning.
Compliance and Accessibility Ensuring web content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, which can also impact SEO rankings. This is crucial for financial and legal service providers who must adhere to specific regulations.
Algorithm Search engines operate on algorithms: intricate formulas that decide how webpages rank and appear in search results based on their relevance.
Alt (alternative) text Alt text serves as a visual content descriptor, aiding search engines in content comprehension and offering an accessible narrative for those who rely on screen readers.
Analytics Analytics tools distill web traffic and user behavior into actionable data to refine SEO strategies and track website performance metrics.
Backlink Backlinks are endorsements from other sites that can bolster a webpage’s standing in search engine algorithms through referred authority.
Black Hat Black Hat SEO refers to tactics that defy ethical guidelines and can lead to severe penalties if uncovered by regulatory entities.
Bounce Rate The percentage of visitors who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page.
Brand Awareness he extent to which consumers are familiar with the distinctive qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services, highlighting the importance of SEO in creating visibility for a brand.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) This metric calculates the cost incurred by a company to gain a new customer, crucial for understanding the investment’s efficiency. It encompasses all sales and marketing expenses over a given period, divided by the number of new customers acquired.
Canonical tag A canonical tag in HTML clarifies the master copy of duplicate content, funneling link equity and averting search penalties.
Canonical URL The canonical URL is the designated master address for content that exists in multiple locations, preventing issues with duplicate content.
Citation Citations list a business's NAP (name, address, phone) on other sites, vital for boosting local SEO presence.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) A metric that estimates the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a single customer account throughout the business relationship, emphasizing the long-term value of customer relationships. Same as Lifetime Value (LTV)
Content Management System (CMS) A software used to create and manage digital content.
Code Code forms the unseen foundation of a website, dictating its functionality and user interactions.
Content Strategy Planning, development, and management of content—written or in other media. Vital for service-based businesses to communicate their value proposition and engage their audience effectively.
Conversion Conversion tracks the transition from audience impressions to active engagements or clicks on a site.
Crawling Crawling is performed by search engine bots to read and index website content for search listings.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) The process of increasing the percentage of users who perform a desired action on a website.
Click-through rate (CTR) CTR measures the frequency of users clicking on a web link against total impressions, indicating engagement success.
Domain Authority Domain Authority gauges a website's credibility and influence, predicting its search ranking potential.
De-Indexing De-indexing refers to the removal of web pages from search engine listings, affecting visibility.
Done-For-You SEO Done-For-You SEO provides comprehensive, professional SEO management, from research to strategy implementation.
DIY SEO DIY SEO involves handling your website's search optimization personally, from keywords to link-building.
Duplicate Content Content that appears on the Internet in more than one place.
Engagement Metrics Data that reflects how actively users interact with your website.
Featured Snippets Snippets that highlight key information at the top of search results, giving quick answers to queries.
Conversion Funnel The journey a consumer takes from discovering your service to making a decision, crucial for service-based and SaaS businesses to understand and optimize.
Google Analytics A tool that provides detailed insights into website traffic patterns, user behavior, and more.
Google My Business A platform allowing businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including search and maps. Now called Google Business Pages (GBP).
Google Search Console A system that monitors and evaluates the health and performance of websites in search listings.
Indexing The process by which search engines add web pages to their search results for visibility.
Intent The underlying purpose or goal behind a user’s specific search queries.
Keyword Search terms entered by users, targeted within content to improve SEO relevance.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Metrics used to evaluate the success of a website or SEO strategy's performance.
Lead Generation he initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into the services of a business. For service-based businesses, this often involves content marketing, SEO, and paid advertising strategies.
Local Pack A set of top search results tailored to local businesses, typically showing three local listings.
Local SEO Elevating local visibility online, Local SEO hones in on geo-specific search relevance, leveraging tools like citations and Google My Business.
Semantic Markup Coding practice ensuring elements are used as intended for clearer content structure and meaning.
Meta Description Crafting webpage synopses for search listings, meta descriptions entice clicks and provide a preview, affecting user engagement.
Mobile Optimization The process of adjusting your website content to ensure that visitors using mobile devices have an experience customized to their device.
On-page SEO On-page SEO fine-tunes webpage elements—content to code—for keyword-targeted search prominence.
Organic Search Results Natural search rankings showcase web pages by keyword relevance, independent of paid promotion.
Page Authority A score that predicts how well a specific page will rank on search engine result pages (SERP).
Paid Search Paid search positions websites at the top of searches, operating on a cost-per-click model for visibility.
Rankings Rankings display the order of webpages on a search engine, pivotal for visibility and traffic.
Robots.txt A file used to instruct web crawling bots about which pages on your site to crawl and which not to.
Return on Investment (ROI) A measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment, with SEO efforts often being scrutinized for clear ROI in marketing budgets.
Schema Markup Schema markup structures data for search engines, enhancing result details and user comprehension.
Search Engine Digital platforms that retrieve and display relevant online information for user queries.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Enhancing and refining a website to naturally boost its visibility in search engine results.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) The display page after a search query, featuring a mix of organic and paid listings along with other features like snippets and knowledge panels.
SERP Features Non-standard search result elements like featured snippets that enhance information presentation and user interaction.
Site Speed A critical website performance metric that significantly impacts user experience and SEO rankings.
Social Signals Refers to the collective shares, likes, and overall social media visibility as perceived by search engines.
Structured Data Standardized code formats to clearly define and contextualize webpage content for search engines, enhancing rich snippet displays.
Technical SEO A focus on website and server optimizations that help search engine spiders crawl and index your site more effectively, which is integral for complex platforms.
Title Tag A concise headline for a webpage shown in search results, crucial for SEO and user orientation.
User Intent The underlying purpose or goal driving a user's specific search queries, guiding content optimization.
User Experience (UX) The overall experience users have with a website, which can directly affect SEO and is particularly important for companies where user interface is key.
Voice Search Search queries conducted through voice recognition technology, influencing SEO with more conversational keyword phrases.
White Hat SEO The practice of optimizing your website using techniques that follow search engines' terms of service.
Webmaster Tools A suite of tools for website owners to monitor and manage their site's presence in search engine results.
XML Sitemap A navigational guide for search engines, listing all website pages to facilitate thorough indexing.

301 Redirect

Server-side redirect that permamently moves a webpage from one URL to another. These are helpful because they preserve search engine rankings, content, and user experience after a page's URL is changed.

404 Error

Occurs when a web page cannot be found, because the page was deleted, its URL changed, or due to other server or page issues. 404 errors can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings.

Algorithm

A programmed set of rules and criteria that search engines use to determine the relevance and ranking of web pages in search results.

Alt (alternative) text

Image metadata that describes the image in a text format. This helps search engines by providing the context required to interpret the purpose of the image.

Additionally, alt text improves accessibility by providing a description that screen readers can relay to users who may be unable to see the image.

Analytics

The collection, analysis, and interpretation of data related to website traffic and user behavior. Analytics tools are used in SEO to measure and track performance.

Black Hat

Unofficial term that describes practices that are ethically and legally questionable as dictated by policies and regulations set out by internet service providers (ISPs), search engines, governments, or otherwise.

Canonical tag

A tag added to a web page's HTML code that indicates the preferred URL for a page with duplicate content. Canonical tags consolidate link equity and avoid duplicate content penalties from search engines.

Canonical URL

A preferred URL for a web page that may have multiple versions with different URLs. The canonical URL is used to avoid duplicate content issues.