SEO Glossary: 60+ Terms You Need to Know

The SEO world is full of technical jargon that can be overwhelming. This glossary collects more than 60 terms that come up most often, explained in plain language that any business owner can follow.

A

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) Optimizing content to be selected as the direct answer by answer engines such as featured snippets, Google AI Overviews, and voice assistants. The focus is answering questions concisely and in a structured way.

AI Overviews AI-generated answer summaries that appear at the top of Google’s results, synthesizing information from multiple sources. They change how traffic flows because some users read the summary without clicking through.

Algorithm The system Google uses to determine the order of search results. Google updates its algorithm hundreds of times per year. A small fraction of these are major “core updates” that can shift rankings significantly.

Alt Text A text description for images on a web page. It helps Google understand what an image contains and improves accessibility for users with visual impairments.

Anchor Text The clickable text of a hyperlink. “Click here” is weak anchor text; “how to optimize your Google Business Profile” is more descriptive and carries more SEO value.

Authority A measure of how trustworthy a site or page appears to Google. Influenced primarily by the quality and quantity of backlinks it has earned.

B

Backlink A link from another website pointing to yours. One backlink from a high-authority, relevant site can outweigh hundreds of links from unrelated low-quality sites.

Black Hat SEO Tactics that violate Google’s guidelines for quick wins (buying links, cloaking, keyword stuffing, PBNs). High risk of penalties that can remove a site from search results.

Bounce Rate The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. High or low bounce rate does not always correlate directly with rankings.

Broken Link A link pointing to a page that no longer exists (404 error). Hurts user experience and wastes crawl budget.

C

Canonical Tag An HTML element (<link rel="canonical">) that tells Google which page is the “original” version when multiple URLs contain similar or identical content. Prevents duplicate content issues.

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) A Core Web Vital measuring visual stability as a page loads. A good score is below 0.1.

Core Web Vitals Google’s set of three page-experience metrics: LCP (load speed), CLS (visual stability), and INP (responsiveness). They serve as a ranking signal.

Crawl Budget The number of pages Google is willing to crawl on your site within a given period. Most critical for large sites with thousands of pages.

Crawler (Googlebot) Google’s automated program that explores the web from link to link to discover and read pages. Also called a spider or bot.

CTR (Click-Through Rate) The percentage of people who click your result after seeing it in search. Calculated as (clicks / impressions) x 100%. A strong CTR signals that your title tag and meta description are compelling.

D

DA (Domain Authority) A 1–100 score from Moz predicting a domain’s ranking potential. It is not a Google metric, but useful as a competitive benchmark.

DR (Domain Rating) A 0–100 score from Ahrefs measuring the strength of a domain’s backlink profile. Similar to Moz’s DA; both are third-party metrics, not official Google scores.

Disavow An instruction to Google to ignore certain backlinks considered harmful (spam, irrelevant). Done through Google Search Console. Use with caution.

Dofollow The default attribute of a link, which passes “link equity” or authority to the destination page. The opposite is nofollow.

Duplicate Content Content that is identical or very similar appearing at multiple URLs. Can confuse Google about which page to rank.

E

E-E-A-T Stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google’s framework for evaluating content quality and creator credibility. Especially critical for health, finance, and legal topics (YMYL).

F

Featured Snippet A direct-answer box displayed above organic results in the SERP, often called “position zero.” Usually contains a short paragraph, numbered list, or table extracted from a ranking page.

G

GBP (Google Business Profile) Google’s free platform for local businesses to manage their presence on Google Maps and the Local Pack. Formerly known as Google My Business.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) The practice of optimizing content to be cited and recommended by generative AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. A complement to SEO in the AI-search era.

GSC (Google Search Console) Google’s free tool for monitoring your site’s search performance: keywords, CTR, average position, indexing issues, and Core Web Vitals.

H

Hreflang An HTML attribute that tells Google which language or regional version of a page to show specific users. Essential for multilingual websites.

I

Index Google’s database of web pages that have been crawled and deemed suitable for display in search results.

INP (Interaction to Next Paint) The newest Core Web Vital measuring a page’s responsiveness to user interactions. It replaced FID in March 2024. A good score is under 200ms.

Internal Link A link from one page to another within the same site. Helps Google understand your site structure and spreads authority between pages.

K

Keyword A word or phrase typed by a user into a search box. A strong keyword strategy starts with understanding what your potential customers are searching for, not just what you sell.

Keyword Cannibalization A situation where multiple pages on your site compete for the same keyword, making it difficult for Google to determine which page to rank.

L

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) A Core Web Vital measuring how quickly the largest element on a page (usually the hero image or a large heading) loads. A good score is under 2.5 seconds.

Link Building The process of earning backlinks from other sites to grow authority. White-hat methods: link-worthy content, digital PR, and brand mentions, not buying links.

Local Pack The box displaying three local businesses above organic results for searches with local intent (“restaurant near me,” “motorcycle repair Jakarta”).

Long-Tail Keyword A keyword consisting of three or more words, typically more specific with lower search volume but higher conversion rates.

M

Meta Description A 150–160-character description of a page that appears below the title tag in SERPs. Does not directly affect rankings but significantly influences CTR.

Mobile-First Indexing Google’s policy of using the mobile version of a page as the basis for crawling, indexing, and ranking. Fully implemented since 2021.

N

NAP Stands for Name, Address, Phone Number. Consistency of NAP data across the web is a critical local SEO factor.

Nofollow A link attribute that tells Google not to pass authority to the destination page. Commonly used for sponsored links, comments, or unvetted user-generated content.

Noindex An instruction in HTML or the HTTP header telling Google not to include a page in its search index.

O

Off-Page SEO All optimization efforts outside your own site, primarily link building, brand mentions, and citations. Builds authority and trust in Google’s eyes.

On-Page SEO Optimization of elements within a page: title, meta, headings, content, internal links, and URL structure. The factors you control most directly.

Organic Search Search results that appear naturally based on relevance, not paid advertising. Organic traffic is free to receive but requires SEO investment to earn.

Orphan Page A page on your site that is not linked from any other internal page, making it difficult for Google’s crawler to discover it.

P

PageRank Google’s original algorithm, developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, measuring page authority based on backlinks. Still exists behind the scenes, though Google no longer publishes public PageRank scores.

Pillar Page A long, comprehensive page covering a broad topic, with links out to cluster articles that explore sub-topics in greater depth.

R

301 Redirect A permanent redirect from one URL to another. Passes most link equity. Use when changing URLs or consolidating pages.

Rich Results Enhanced search listings with additional information (review stars, FAQs, breadcrumbs, products, recipes). Enabled by implementing schema markup.

robots.txt A text file at your domain’s root providing instructions to web crawlers about which pages or directories may or may not be crawled.

S

Schema Markup Structured code (usually JSON-LD) that helps Google understand the context of your content: whether it is an article, product, recipe, FAQ, event, etc. Opens opportunities for rich results.

Search Intent The real goal behind a query: to find information, to compare, or ready to buy. Matching content to search intent is key to ranking.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) The practice of optimizing a site to appear higher in organic search results. Covers technical, content, and authority aspects.

SERP Stands for Search Engine Results Page, the page Google displays after a user types a query.

XML Sitemap An XML file listing all important URLs on your site, making it easier for Google to discover and index new content.

T

Technical SEO Optimizing a site’s technical foundation so it is easy to crawl, index, and fast: speed, mobile-friendliness, structure, sitemaps, schema, and error fixes.

Title Tag A page’s HTML title, displayed as the clickable headline in SERPs. The most impactful on-page factor, include your primary keyword, make it compelling, and keep it 50–60 characters.

Topical Authority Authority built through deep coverage of a single subject. A site with extensive, high-quality content on one topic ranks more easily for new keywords in that space.

U

URL Structure How a URL is organized. An SEO-friendly URL is short, uses keywords, uses hyphens (not underscores), and is readable by humans.

V

Voice Search Searches performed by voice through assistants like Google Assistant or Siri. They tend to be full-sentence questions and are often local in nature.

W

White Hat SEO SEO practices that follow Google’s official guidelines, focused on long-term quality. The opposite is Black Hat SEO, which pursues shortcuts that risk penalties.

Y

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) A category of content with the potential to significantly impact someone’s health, safety, or finances. Google applies stricter E-E-A-T standards to YMYL topics.

Z

Zero-Click Search A search where the user gets their answer directly from the SERP (featured snippet, knowledge panel, currency conversion) without clicking through to any website.

Need help putting these concepts into practice for your business? Contact the RankNimbus team for a free consultation.