SEO Glossary
Know the lingo. From anchor text to zero-click search, here’s what it all means.
How to Use This Glossary
A Glossary That Links, Not Just Lists
This isn’t just a dictionary. Each term:
- Has a quick, plain-English definition
- Links to deeper resources when available
- Uses consistent language so beginners feel at home
A–Z Glossary Terms
- Algorithm - A set of rules search engines use to rank pages.
- Alt Text - Describes images for screen readers and search engines.
- Anchor Text - The clickable text in a hyperlink.
- Analytics - Tools to track user behavior and traffic on a site.
- API - Application Programming Interface - used to connect platforms.
- Authority - The trustworthiness of a website in search engines' eyes.
- Auto-Generated Content - Content produced by bots or scripts without manual input.
- Backlink - A link from another website that points to your site.
- Bounce Rate - Percentage of users who leave without interacting.
- Breadcrumbs - Navigation elements that show page hierarchy.
- Bot - An automated script used to crawl the web.
- Black Hat SEO - SEO tactics that violate search engine guidelines.
- Broken Link - A hyperlink that no longer points to an active page.
- Blog - A regularly updated section of content, typically used for SEO and engagement.
- Canonical Tag - Specifies the preferred version of a page.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) - Percentage of users who clicked after seeing your result.
- Content Marketing - Creating valuable content to attract visitors.
- Conversion Rate - Percentage of users who complete a desired action.
- Crawl Budget - The number of pages a search engine crawls on your site.
- Crawler - A bot that systematically browses the web to index content.
- CTR Manipulation - Attempts to artificially inflate click-through rates.
- Domain Authority - A metric predicting how well a site will rank.
- Duplicate Content - Substantially similar content on multiple pages.
- Disavow - Telling Google to ignore certain backlinks.
- Dwell Time - Time a user spends on a page before returning to search.
- Deep Link - A hyperlink that points to a specific inner page of a website.
- E-A-T - Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in content.
- Engagement Metrics - Data like time on page and pages per session.
- External Link - A link that goes to a different domain.
- Featured Snippet - A highlighted search result shown at the top.
- Freshness - How recent and updated the content is.
- Footer Links - Links placed at the bottom of the website.
- Googlebot - The crawler used by Google.
- Google Search Console - A free tool to monitor site performance in search.
- Guest Blogging - Publishing content on third-party sites to build links.
- Header Tags - HTML tags used to organize content (H1, H2, etc.).
- HTML Sitemap - A human-readable map of a website.
- Hreflang - Attribute for targeting content to specific languages or regions.
- Inbound Link - A link from an external source to your website.
- Indexing - The process of adding web pages to a search engine.
- Internal Link - A hyperlink that points to another page on the same website.
- Image SEO - Optimizing images for search visibility and speed.
- Impressions - How often your page appears in search results.
- JavaScript SEO - Optimizing JavaScript content to be crawled and indexed.
- JSON-LD - A structured data format recommended by Google.
- Jump Link - A link that scrolls to a specific section on the same page.
- Keyword - A word or phrase used in search queries.
- Keyword Cannibalization - Multiple pages competing for the same keyword.
- Keyword Difficulty - How hard it is to rank for a keyword.
- Link Equity - The value passed from one site to another via links.
- Local SEO - Optimizing for geographically-related searches.
- Landing Page - A standalone web page created for a specific goal.
- Long-Tail Keyword - More specific and less competitive search phrases.
- Meta Description - A short summary of a page's content in SERPs.
- Meta Tags - HTML tags that provide metadata about a page.
- Mobile-First Indexing - Google indexing the mobile version first.
- Manual Penalty - A ranking penalty applied manually by a search engine.
- Nofollow Link - A link that tells search engines not to follow it.
- Negative SEO - The practice of using black-hat techniques to harm a competitor’s rankings.
- Natural Link - An unpaid, editorially-given backlink.
- On-Page SEO - SEO done directly on the content of a page.
- Off-Page SEO - SEO done externally, such as link building.
- Organic Traffic - Traffic from unpaid search results.
- Page Speed - How quickly a page loads.
- Pagination - Dividing content into multiple pages.
- Penalty - A ranking drop due to a violation of guidelines.
- Position Zero - The featured snippet above all organic search results.
- Query - A word or phrase typed into a search engine.
- Quality Rater Guidelines - Guidelines used by Google's quality evaluators.
- Robots.txt - A file that tells search bots which pages to crawl.
- Redirect - A way to send users and bots to a different URL.
- Ranking - The position of a web page in search results.
- Referral Traffic - Visits that come from sources outside of search engines.
- Schema Markup - Code that helps search engines understand your content.
- SERP - Search Engine Results Page.
- Sitemap - A file that lists all pages on your website.
- Structured Data - Data formatted in a specific way to help search engines.
- SEO Audit - A thorough analysis of your website’s search performance.
- Title Tag - HTML element that specifies the title of a web page.
- Traffic - Users visiting a website.
- Trust Signals - Indicators that establish website credibility.
- URL Structure - The format and hierarchy of URLs.
- User Intent - The goal a user has when performing a search.
- UX (User Experience) - The overall experience users have on a site.
- Voice Search - Searching via spoken queries.
- Visibility - How often your site appears in search.
- Webmaster Tools - Google’s legacy SEO toolkit (now Search Console).
- White Hat SEO - Ethical optimization practices.
- Word Count - Total number of words on a page, relevant to SEO.
- XML Sitemap - A sitemap formatted for search engines.
- X-Robots-Tag - An HTTP header directive for controlling indexing.
- YouTube SEO - Optimizing video content to rank on YouTube.
- YMYL - Your Money or Your Life - sensitive topics requiring high trust.
- Zero-Click Search - When users get the answer from SERP without clicking.
- Zombie Pages - Low-quality, unvisited pages that can harm site performance.
When to Use Which Type?
When to Prioritize Each Type
Factor | On-Page SEO | Off-Page SEO |
---|---|---|
Control | Full (you control everything) | Indirect (others link or mention) |
Examples | Titles, headers, keywords, content | Backlinks, PR, social signals |
Direct Impact | Search understanding & user experience | Trust, authority, relevance |
Measurement Tools | GSC, Screaming Frog, RankMath | Ahrefs, Moz, Semrush, mentions |
Related Concepts to Revisit
Learn the Terms in Action
What is SEO?
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Key SEO Metrics
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Types of SEO
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SEO Audit Lab
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Stay Fluent in SEO
The glossary grows as the field does.
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