Chapter 7
The SEO Glossary
Understand Key SEO Terms
301 Redirect – A way to redirect traffic from one web page to another. Whenever you change the URL of a page, make sure to apply a 301 redirect to make to old URL point to the new one. This makes sure people who have linked, shared, or bookmarked the old URL can still get to the new one automatically. Search engines also automatically update their indexes this way.
ALT Text/Tag – The description of an image on your website’s HTML. This is how search engines read images on your website, so it’s important to make sure all images have relevant ALT text.
Anchor Text – The actual text of a link to a web page. On most websites, this text is usually blue and turns purple if you’ve clicked the link in the past. The purpose of anchor text is to tell search engines what the linked page is about.
Backlinks – Links (usually hyperlinks) from one website to another. Backlinks help build authority, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. High-quality backlinks from reputable sources can boost your website’s authority and improve its search rankings.
Black Hat – Search engine optimization practices that violate Google’s quality guidelines.
Blog – A part of your website where you publish content regularly, usually about what your website is about. Each blog post on your website is a new web page that a search engine sees.
Bookmark – A link to a webpage that you save for later reference on your web browser, computer, or smartphone. Creating content that gets bookmarked often is a good sign to search engines.
Bot – A program designed to automatically perform online tasks, such as crawling web pages to collect information for search engines or running customer support chats. Search engine bots, often called “spiders” or “crawlers,” help index websites for search results.
Click-Through Rate – The ratio of impressions to clicks on your URLs.
Key Event Form – A form on your website that a visitor fills out to give you information about them. These forms are one way to convert website visitors into leads.
Crawling (Crawlers) – The process search engines use to discover your web pages. Crawlers are bots that index the contents of websites.
Directory – An area to submit your site, much like the Yellow Pages. Directories give you an inbound link and also can help people find your business.
Domain – The main URL or web address of your site (ie: www.socialsurgemarketing.com). Search engines favor websites with longer registrations because they show commitment.
The Fold – The “fold” is the point on your web page where the page gets cut off by the bottom of a visitor’s browser, monitor, or phone screen. You can always scroll past the fold but isn’t the first thing seen. This is generally the most important part of your homepage.
Google Tag Manager – A single hub for managing multiple website tracking codes.
Headings – The most important text on your page. You are able to express the importance of headings by using tags like h1 or h2. The lower the number the more important the text, and it is usually the biggest and most bold text on the page.
HTML – The backend, code part of your website that search engines read. The cleaner your HTML is, the better.
HTTPS – A secure version of HTTP, which is how information is transferred between your browser and a website. Search engines favor HTTPS websites because they provide a safer user experience.
Inbound Link – Or “Backlinks” are links from one website to another. A link from another reputable website will improve your SEO, but a link from a Black Hat website can actually hurt your SEO.
Internal Link – A link from one page to another on the same website. An example would be a link from your homepage to your services page.
Indexed Pages – The pages of your website that search engines store for their records.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) – A measurable value used to track progress toward a specific goal. Setting clear KPIs helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your digital strategies.
Keyword – A word that users enter on a search engine. The goal is SEO is the optimize your web pages with the goal of drawing in visitors who search for specific keywords.
Keyword Difficulty – A metric that indicates how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword in search results. Choosing keywords with manageable difficulty can improve your chances of ranking.
Link Building – The strategy of getting more inbound links to your website to improve your search engine rankings.
Local Engagement – The level of interaction and connection your business has with the local community. This can include hosting events and participating in local groups.
Long-Tail Keyword – An uncommon or less searched keyword, typically with more than two words in the phrase. Local businesses should be targeting long-tail keywords because they are easier to rank for and have a higher conversion rate than shorter keywords.
Meta Description – A brief description of the contents of a web page, usually fewer than 160 characters. This is usually seen in search results below the page title and when linking pages to social media posts.
Meta Title – The title of a web page that appears in search engine results and browser tabs. It should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords to attract clicks and provide an overview of the page’s content.
Nofollow – When a link from one page does not pass SEO credit to another. Use this when linking to external pages that you don’t want to endorse.
Off-Page SEO – Strategies performed outside your website to improve its authority and visibility in search engines.
On-Page SEO – The practice of optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search results and attract more relevant traffic.
Organic Search – The process of users finding your website through unpaid search engine results.
Organic Traffic – The visitors who come to your website from unpaid (organic) search engine results. This type of traffic is highly valuable because it reflects users who are actively searching for content, products, or services related to your website.
Page Speed – The overall time it takes for your web page to load.
Page Title – The name you give your web page, which is seen at the top of browser windows, social media posts, and search results. Page titles should contain keywords that you wish to rank for.
Page Rank – A component of Google’s search engine ranking algorithm ranking how good your SEO is.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) – Advertising method to bid on keywords to obtain website traffic, by showing your keywords on the top of searches and paying each time someone clicks on them.
Readability – A measure of how easy it is for users to read and understand your website’s content. Ensuring high readability improves user experience and can boost search rankings.
Ranking Factors – The elements that search engines evaluate to determine where your web pages appear in search results.
Search Intent – The purpose behind a user’s search query. There are four main categories that search intent falls into: informational (seeking knowledge), navigational (finding a specific website), transactional (wanting to make a purchase), or local (looking for nearby services).
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) – The page you see after conducting a search.
Sitemap – A document created that provides a map to search engines of all the pages on a website.
Spider – A program that browses the internet and collects information about websites. Also known as “bots” or “crawlers”.
SSL Certificate – “Secure Sockets Layer” is used to encrypt data passed between the web server and browser. This is part of making your web pages “secure” and give a boost in SEO.
Target Audience/Market – The specific group of people most likely to be interested in your products or services. Defining your target audience involves understanding their demographics, interests, pain points, and behaviors to tailor your marketing efforts.
Traffic – The visitors to your website.
URL – The web address of a page on your website (ie: www.socialsurgemarketing.com/seo).
User Engagement – The level of interaction and involvement users have with your website or content.
White Hat – Search engine optimization practices that comply with Google’s quality guidelines.