A
A/B testingTesting two page versions to see which performs better. For SEO, avoid cloaking and keep both versions crawlable.
Alt textText that describes an image for accessibility and image search.
Anchor textThe clickable words in a link (e.g., “SEO tools”).
AuthorityHow trustworthy/credible a site appears based on links, mentions, and quality signals.
B
BacklinkA link from another website to yours; a major ranking factor.
Bounce rate / Engagement rateLegacy “bounces” vs GA4’s “engaged sessions”. Higher engagement is better.
BreadcrumbsNavigation showing a page’s position in your site (Home › Blog › Post).
C
Canonical URLTag that marks the preferred page version to prevent duplicate-content issues.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)Network that serves assets from servers close to users for speed.
CachingStoring copies of pages/files to load them faster.
Click depthNumber of clicks from the homepage to reach a page. Shallower is better.
Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS)Google’s UX metrics for loading, interactivity, and visual stability.
Conversion / Conversion rateDesired action (lead, sale, signup) and the % of visitors who complete it.
Crawl / Crawl budgetBots discovering pages; the amount they’ll crawl on your site over time.
Cornerstone contentYour most important, comprehensive pages on key topics.
D
Digital PREarning news coverage and links through stories, data, or campaigns.
Duplicate / Thin contentIdentical or low-value pages. Consolidate, improve, or remove.
E
E-E-A-TExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust — signals of credible content.
Evergreen contentContent that stays useful for a long time with minimal updates.
External linkA link from your site to another website.
F
Faceted navigationFilters/sorts that create many URL versions. Control with canonicals/noindex.
Featured snippetBoxed “quick answer” above results (position zero).
G
GA4 (Google Analytics 4)Free analytics for traffic, engagement, and conversions.
Google Business ProfileYour business listing in Google Search & Maps; vital for local SEO.
Google Search Console (GSC)Free tool for indexing status, queries, and site issues.
H
Headings (H1–H3)Structured titles that organise content and signal topic hierarchy.
HreflangMarkup telling Google language/region versions of a page.
HTML sitemapUser-facing page listing key sections of the site.
HTTP status codes200 OK; 301/302 redirects; 404 not found; 410 gone; 500 server error.
I
Index / IndexingAdding your pages to Google’s database so they can rank.
ImpressionsTimes your result was shown in search.
Internal linkLink from one page on your site to another page on your site.
URL Inspection (GSC)Tool to check indexing status and request indexing.
J
JavaScript SEOEnsuring JS-rendered content is crawlable, indexable, and fast.
K
KeywordWord/short phrase you want to rank for.
Keyphrase / Long-tailLonger, specific search terms with clearer intent.
KPIMeasurable goal (e.g., organic leads per month) you track.
Knowledge PanelInfo box Google shows for brands, people, or places.
L
LCP / INP / CLSCore Web Vitals sub-metrics: loading, interactivity, stability.
Link profileOverall mix/quality of backlinks pointing to your site.
Local SEOOptimising to appear in local search results and maps.
M
Meta descriptionShort summary on SERPs under the title; drives clicks.
Mobile-first indexingGoogle primarily uses your mobile site to index/rank.
N
NAP (Name, Address, Phone)Keep business details consistent across the web.
NoFollow / Sponsored / UGCLink attributes telling Google how to treat links.
O
Off-page SEOSignals outside your site (backlinks, mentions, reviews).
On-page SEOOptimising titles, headings, copy, images, internal links.
Open Graph / Twitter CardsMetadata controlling how pages look when shared.
Orphan pagePage with no internal links; hard for bots to find.
Organic trafficVisitors from unpaid search results.
P
Page speed / PerformanceHow quickly a page loads/responds; affects UX and rankings.
PaginationSplitting long lists into multiple pages; link/canonical correctly.
Paid traffic / PPCVisitors from paid ads like Google Ads.
People Also AskExpandable questions on SERPs related to the query.
Penalty / Manual actionGoogle action for violating guidelines; rare but serious.
Q
Query / Search termThe words typed into a search engine.
R
Rank / RankingYour position on a results page for a search term.
Redirect (301/302)Sending users/bots from one URL to another (permanent/temporary).
RelevanceHow well a page matches search intent and topic.
Responsive designLayouts that adapt to different screen sizes.
Robots.txt / Robots metaRules that guide what bots can crawl and index.
S
Schema / Structured dataCode that helps search engines understand content and show rich results.
Search engineGoogle, Bing, etc. that find and rank pages.
Search intentWhy a person searches: learn, find, buy, compare.
Search volumeAverage monthly searches for a keyword.
SERPThe search engine results page you see after a query.
SessionA visit to your site that may include multiple actions.
Slug / URL structureShort, descriptive page path (e.g., /seo-tools).
T
Technical SEOSite architecture, crawlability, speed, security, and more.
Title tagClickable headline on SERPs; include your keyphrase.
TTFBTime to First Byte — server responsiveness.
Topic clusters / Topical authorityCover a subject in depth with a pillar page and related articles.
TrustSignals of legitimacy (HTTPS, reviews, policies, brand consistency).
U
UTM parametersTags added to links so campaigns show correctly in analytics.
UX (User experience)Overall ease and satisfaction of using your site; affects SEO.
V
Voice searchSpoken queries; often longer and more conversational.
VisibilityHow often and prominently your pages appear in search.
W
WebP/AVIFModern image formats that load faster with smaller files.
Website architectureHow pages are organised and linked; impacts crawlability.
X
XML sitemapMachine-readable list of important URLs to aid discovery and indexing.
Y
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)Topics affecting health/finances; held to higher quality standards.
Z
Zero-click resultsAnswers shown directly on SERPs that may reduce clicks but still build visibility.
