SEO Glossary

Every important SEO term explained.

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A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

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10x Content

Content that goes far beyond what currently ranks, offering much more depth and value.

301 Redirect

A permanent redirect that sends visitors and search engines to a new page.

302 Redirect

A temporary redirect letting search engines know the move is not permanent.

304 Not Modified

A server response telling the browser the saved version is still valid.

404 Error

A message that the page cannot be found on the server.

410 Gone

A response saying a page was intentionally removed and will not return.

A

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)

A stripped down HTML format built for fast mobile browsing.

Ad Impressions

The number of times an ad is displayed, whether users click or not.

ADA Website Compliance

Ensuring a website is accessible to users with disabilities.

AhrefsBot

Ahrefs’ crawler that scans the web for links and pages.

Alt Text

A written description of an image for search engines and screen readers.

Anchor Text

The clickable text in a hyperlink that provides context.

Article Spinning

Rewriting content repeatedly to create many versions of the same article.

Article Syndication

Republishing an article on other websites with permission.

Auto Generated Content

Content created automatically by scripts or tools.

B

Backlinks

Links from one website to another that signal authority and trust.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Microsoft’s platform for monitoring how your site performs in Bing.

Bingbot

Bing’s crawler that gathers website data for its search index.

Black Hat SEO

Tactics that break search engine rules to gain rankings quickly.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave without interacting with the page.

Branded Content

Content created by a brand to reflect its message or identity.

Branded Keywords

Keywords that include your brand or product names.

Breadcrumb Navigation

A navigation trail showing users where they are within a site.

Bridge Page

A page created mainly to send users to another URL.

Broken Link

A link that points to a page that no longer exists.

C

Cached Page

A stored version of a page saved by search engines.

Canonical Tag

Code that tells search engines which version of a page is the main one.

Canonical URL

The preferred version of a page among similar or duplicate ones.

Cloaking

Showing search engines one version of a page and users another.

Co Citation

When two pages are mentioned together on another page.

Co Occurrence

Keywords that frequently appear together around a topic.

Computer Generated Content

Content created by software instead of a human.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A network of servers that deliver your site faster to users worldwide.

Content Gap Analysis

Identifying topics competitors cover that your site does not.

Content Relevance

How closely a page matches what the user wants.

Content Hub

A group of related pages connected around a main topic.

Core Web Vitals

Google’s measurements of loading, interactivity, and visual stability.

Cornerstone Content

Your most important, authoritative pages on key topics.

Crawl Budget

The number of pages a search engine will crawl on your site.

Crawlability

How easily search engines can access your pages.

Crawler

Software that scans the internet to collect and index pages.

Customer Journey

The full path someone takes from discovering your brand to becoming a customer.

D

Dofollow Link

A link that passes ranking value to the page it points to.

Domain Rating (DR)

A score estimating a site’s backlink strength.

Domain Structure

How a domain and its folders or subdomains are arranged.

Doorway Page

A page created just to rank and send traffic elsewhere.

Duplicate Content

Identical or very similar content found in multiple places.

Dwell Time

How long a visitor stays before returning to search results.

Dynamic URL

A URL that changes based on filters or parameters.

F

Faceted Navigation

Filters on large sites that help users narrow choices.

G

Gated Content

Content available only after submitting details.

Gateway Page

A page created to rank but offering little useful content.

Google Alerts

A tool that notifies you about new content matching chosen topics.

Google Algorithm

Google’s system for ranking pages.

Google Analytics

A tool that tracks visitor behavior on your website.

Google Autocomplete

Suggested search terms as you type.

Google Bombing

Manipulating search results for humorous or political purposes.

Google Business Profile

A listing showing business information on Google Search and Maps.

Google Caffeine

An update that let Google index the web faster.

Google Panda

An update targeting thin or low quality content.

Google Penalty

A ranking drop for violating guidelines.

Google Penguin

An update targeting spammy or manipulative links.

Google Pigeon

An update improving local search accuracy.

Google Sandbox

The idea that new sites may initially rank lower.

Google Search Console

A tool that helps monitor how your site performs in Google Search.

Google Top Heavy Update

A change affecting pages overloaded with ads near the top.

Google Webmaster Guidelines

Best practices recommended by Google.

Google Webmaster Tools

The old name for Google Search Console.

Googlebot

Google’s primary web crawler.

Grey Hat SEO

SEO methods that fall between ethical and unethical.

Guest Blogging

SEO methods that fall between ethical and unethical.

Guestographic

An infographic pitched to other sites for publishing.

H

H1 Tag

The main heading of a webpage.

Header Tags

The H1 to H6 tags used for structuring content.

Hilltop Algorithm

A method used to identify expert pages.

Holistic SEO

Improving your site from all angles, not just keywords.

Hreflang

Code showing which language or region a page targets.

HTTP 200 Response Code

A server message confirming the request was successful.

HTTPS

A secure version of HTTP that encrypts data.

I

Inbound Link

Another term for a backlink pointing to your site.

Index Bloat

Too many unimportant pages getting indexed.

Indexability

How well search engines can store and understand your pages.

Informational Query

A search intended to learn something.

Internal Link

A link pointing to another page on the same website.

Interstitial Ad

A full screen ad that appears between content.

J

JavaScript SEO

Making JavaScript heavy sites easier for search bots to read.

K

Keyword Cannibalization

When multiple pages compete for the same keyword.

Keyword Clustering

Grouping related keywords for stronger content.

Keyword Density

How often a keyword appears in the content.

Keyword Difficulty

How hard it is to rank for a keyword.

Keyword Ranking

Your position in the search results for a keyword.

Keyword Stemming

Google identifying different forms of a root word.

Keyword Stuffing

Overloading content with keywords to manipulate rankings.

Keywords

Words or phrases people search for.

L

Landing Page

The page a visitor arrives on after clicking a link or ad.

Latent Semantic Analysis

A technique for understanding relationships between words and content.

Link Bait

Content designed to attract backlinks.

Link Building

Earning links from other websites.

Link Equity

Value passed from one page to another through links.

Link Exchange

Two sites agreeing to link to each other.

Link Farm

A group of sites created just for link building.

Link Juice

The authority passed through links.

Link Velocity

How quickly a site gains backlinks.

Link Velocity

How quickly a site gains backlinks.

Local Business Schema

Structured data for local business details.

Local Citation

Mentions of your name, address, and phone number.

Local Pack

The group of local business results shown for local searches.

Local Search Marketing

Improving visibility for local customers.

Local SEO

Optimizing your online presence for local search results.

Log File Analysis

Reviewing server logs to study search bot behaviors.

Long Tail Keyword

A very specific phrase with lower search volume.

LSI Keywords

A misunderstood term often used to mean related keywords.

Link Profile

The complete set of backlinks pointing to a site.

Link Reclamation

Recovering lost or broken links.

Link Rot

Links breaking over time.

Link Scheme

Tactics used to manipulate PageRank.

Link Spam

Irrelevant links added to manipulate rankings.

Link Text

Another word for anchor text.

Link Velocity

How quickly a site gains backlinks.

M

Manual Action

A penalty given manually by Google.

Meta Description

A short summary of a page shown in search results.

Meta Keywords

Older tags used by some search engines.

Meta Redirect

A redirect triggered after a timed delay.

Meta Robots Tag

Instructions for search engines on how to treat a page.

Meta Tags

HTML elements providing information about a webpage.

Mirror Site

An identical copy of a site hosted elsewhere.

Mobile First Indexing

Google using the mobile version of your site for ranking.

N

NAP

Your business name, address, and phone number.

Natural Language Understanding

A computer’s ability to interpret human language.

Natural Link

A link given voluntarily without prompting.

Navigational Query

A search intending to reach a specific site.

Negative SEO

Attempts to harm a competitor’s rankings.

Nofollow

A link attribute telling search engines not to count it.

Noindex Tag

A directive preventing a page from being indexed.

Noopener

A link attribute that improves security in new tab openings.

Not Provided

Keyword data that Google hides for privacy reasons.

O

Off Page SEO

SEO work done away from your website.

On Page SEO

Optimization done directly on your site’s pages.

Open Graph Tags

Code controlling how your content looks when shared socially.

Organic Search Results

Listings earned naturally instead of through ads.

Organic Traffic

Visitors arriving through unpaid search results.

Orphan Page

A page with no internal links to it.

Outbound Link

A link pointing from your site to another site.

P

Page Speed

How long your page takes to load.

PageRank

Google’s original formula for evaluating link value.

Paid Link

A link purchased for placement.

People Also Ask

A box showing related questions in search results.

Pillar Page

A broad page covering a central topic.

Pogo Sticking

Users bouncing between results when they cannot find what they want.

Primary Keyword

The main keyword a page targets.

Private Blog Network

A network of sites built solely for link building.

Q

Query Deserves Freshness

Google showing fresher content when relevant.

R

RankBrain

A machine learning system that helps Google interpret queries.

Reciprocal Link

Two sites linking to each other.

Reconsideration Request

A request asking Google to lift a penalty.

Related Searches

Suggested related queries shown in search results.

Relative URL

A shorter URL path that omits the full domain.

Resource Pages

Pages listing useful external links.

Rich Snippet

A search result with extra details pulled from structured data.

Robots.txt

A file telling search engines where they can crawl.

S

Schema Markup

Code that helps search engines understand your content.

Search Algorithm

The rules search engines use to decide rankings.

Search Visibility

How much of the potential clicks you capture in rankings.

Search Term

The words a user types into a search engine.

Search Results

The list of pages returned for a query.

Search Intent

What a user hopes to achieve with their search.

Search Engine Results Pages

The pages displayed after a search.

Search Engine Poisoning

Creating fake sites that look legitimate in search.

SEO Silo

Structuring content into related groups.

SEO Audit

Evaluating your site’s SEO performance.

SEO

Improving your site to gain organic traffic.

Seed Keywords

Basic starting keywords for research.

Secure Sockets Layer

A protocol for secure connections.

Secondary Keywords

Additional supportive keywords for a topic.

Search Volume

The average number of monthly searches for a keyword.

Share of Voice

How often your brand appears in search compared to others.

Short Tail Keywords

Broad keywords with high search volumes.

Sitelinks

Extra links that show up under some search results.

Sitemaps

Files listing all pages you want indexed.

Sitewide Link

A link appearing across all pages.

Spamdexing

Manipulating search results with spammy tactics.

Sponsored Link Attribute

A tag marking paid or sponsored links.

Srcset

Image code for choosing the right version based on screen size.

Structured Data

Standardized code describing content to search engines.

Subdomain

A separate section of a site before the main domain.

T

Taxonomy SEO

Organizing content structures for better visibility.

Technical SEO

Improving your site’s technical foundation.

TF IDF

A measure showing how important a word is in a document.

Thin Content

Content with little helpful value.

Tiered Link Building

Building links to pages that already link to your site.

Title Tag

The title shown in search results.

Top Level Domain

The last part of a domain such as .com or .org.

Transactional Query

A search with purchase intent.

Transport Layer Security

A security protocol replacing SSL.

TrustRank

A system that distinguishes trustworthy sites from spam.

Topical Relevance

How closely related two pieces of content are.

U

UGC Link Attribute

Tag used on user generated content links.

Universal Search

Search results including videos, news, images, and more.

Unnatural Links

Links that seem forced or manipulative.

URL Rating

A score showing the strength of a page’s link profile.

URL Slug

The part of a URL that comes after the slash.

User Intent

The real purpose behind the search.

V

Vertical Search

A search engine focused on one niche.

Voice Search

Searching by speaking out loud.

W

Website Authority

A metric estimating how strong a domain is.

Website Hit

Any request made to the server, including loading files.

Website Structure

How pages are arranged and linked.

Webspam

Content created to cheat search engines.

White Hat SEO

Ethical SEO practices that follow guidelines.

X

X Robots Tag

A server directive that tells search engines how to treat a file.

Y

YMYL Pages

Pages that affect a person’s money, life, health, or safety.

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