SEO Glossary: 320+ Key Terms Explained One by One
New to SEO? This glossary breaks down the most important terms and acronyms—like SEO, CRO, PPC, and CMS—so you can understand and navigate the world of search with confidence.
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410 Gone
410 Gone is an HTTP status code that tells browsers and search engines a page was deleted on purpose and will not come back.
404 Error
A 404 error is a Not Found message that shows when a page is missing, and fixing it helps visitors and search engines reach the right content.
304 Not Modified
304 Not Modified is a web status code that tells the browser a page has not changed, so it can safely use its saved copy to load faster.
302 Redirect
A 302 redirect is a way to send people and search engines from one web page to another for a short time without changing the original page address.
301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is a permanent way to send people and search engines from one web page address to a new one without losing traffic or SEO value.
10x Content
10x content is online content that is ten times more helpful, clear, and interesting than anything else that already exists on the same topic.
A
Auto-Generated Content
Auto generated content is text, images or videos made by software or AI tools, not typed by a person, and it can help or hurt your website if used wrongly.
Authority
Authority in SEO is how much people and search engines trust a website or page, which helps it rank higher and get more visitors.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is when computers and machines learn to think, decide and solve problems in smart ways that usually need human brains.
Article Syndication
Article syndication means sharing the same article on many websites so more people can read it and visit your site.
Article Spinning
Article spinning means taking one article and changing words to make many new versions, usually to trick search engines, but it often hurts quality and SEO.
Anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable words in a link that tell people and search engines what the linked page is about.
Analytics
Analytics means using data and numbers to understand what is happening so you can make smarter decisions and improve results.
Alt text
Alt text is a short written description of an image that helps people and search engines understand what the picture shows.
Algorithm
An algorithm is a clear list of steps that tells a computer or person exactly how to solve a problem or finish a task in the right order.
AhrefsBot
AhrefsBot is a computer program that visits web pages and collects data so Ahrefs can show SEO tools and reports about your website.
ADA Website Compliance
ADA website compliance means making your site easy to use for people with disabilities so everyone can read, watch, buy, or contact you online.
Ad Impressions
Ad impressions show how many times an online ad is loaded on a screen, helping you measure how many people might have seen your message.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
Accelerated Mobile Pages AMP is a way to build very fast loading web pages for phones so visitors enjoy quick and smooth reading.
Absolute URL
An absolute URL is a full web address that shows the exact location of a page or file on the internet so people and search engines can reach it.
Above the fold
Above the fold is the part of a web page you see first without scrolling, so it is key for grabbing attention fast.
A/B testing
A B testing is a way to compare two versions of something to see which one works better so you can make smarter choices.
B
Broken link
A broken link is a web link that does not work anymore, so visitors see an error page instead of the content they expected.
Bridge Page
A bridge page is a simple web page that warms up visitors then sends them to another page, often used in SEO, ads and sales funnels.
Breadcrumb navigation
Breadcrumb navigation is a row of links that shows where you are on a website and lets you click back to earlier pages fast.
Branded keyword
A branded keyword is a word or phrase that includes your brand name and helps people find your business when they already know or recognize you.
Branded Content
Branded content is useful or entertaining content created by a brand that feels like a story, not a pushy ad, so people actually want to watch or read it.
Brand
A brand is how people see and remember a business or person, and it helps them decide if they trust, like, and want to buy from them.
Bounce rate
Bounce rate shows how many visitors leave your website after viewing just one page, and it helps you understand if your content is interesting and useful.
Bot
A bot is a computer program that does tasks automatically, often on the internet, to help with jobs like searching, chatting or checking websites.
Blog
A blog is a type of website where people regularly post articles, stories, or updates to share ideas, teach others, and attract readers or customers online.
Black Hat SEO
Black hat SEO uses trick methods to get higher Google rankings fast but it breaks search rules and can cause big penalties.
Bingbot
Bingbot is the computer program that Bing uses to find, read, and save web pages so they can appear in Bing search results.
Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools is a free Microsoft tool that shows how your website appears in Bing search and helps you fix problems to get more visitors.
Bing
Bing is a web search engine from Microsoft that helps you quickly find websites, images, videos and news on the internet.
Backlink analysis
Backlink analysis is the study of all websites that link to your site so you can improve search rankings and trust.
Backlink
A backlink is a link from another website to your site, and it helps search engines see your pages as more trusted and important.
B2C SEO
B2C SEO is how a business gets more shoppers from Google search by making its website easy to find, easy to read and trusted by everyday people.
B2B SEO
B2B SEO is search engine optimization that helps companies sell to other businesses by making their website easy to find on Google and other search engines.
C
Customer Journey
Customer journey is the full path a person takes from first hearing about a brand to buying and using a product, so businesses can improve every step.
Crawling
Crawling is how search engine bots travel across web pages, read their content, and discover new links so pages can later appear in search results.
Crawler
A crawler is a computer program that visits web pages and collects information so search engines can find, understand, and list websites in search results.
Crawlability
Crawlability is how easily search engines can visit and read your website pages so they can show your content in search results.
Crawl error
A crawl error happens when a search engine bot tries to visit a page on your site but cannot reach it or read it correctly.
Crawl budget
Crawl budget is the amount of attention search engine bots give your site which affects how many pages they visit and keep updated in search results.
Cornerstone Content
Cornerstone content is the most important and helpful pages on your site that cover a topic in depth and help visitors and search engines understand what you are about.
Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are three Google speed and stability scores that show how fast and smooth a page feels to visitors and help your site rank better in search.
Cookie
A cookie is a small text file that websites save in your browser to remember things about you, like your login or what is in your shopping cart.
Conversion rate optimization
Conversion rate optimization is the way you improve a website so more visitors do what you want, like buy, sign up or contact you.
Conversion rate
Conversion rate shows what percent of visitors do an important action, like buying or signing up, so you can measure how well your website or marketing turns visits into results.
Conversion
Conversion is when a visitor does what you want, like buying, signing up or clicking, and it shows how well your website or marketing turns visitors into results.
Content Relevance
Content relevance means how well a page matches what a person is searching for so search engines can show the most useful and correct information.
Content Quality
Content quality means how good, useful, and trustworthy your text, images, or videos are for real people and for search engines.
Content marketing
Content marketing is when a business shares helpful stories, articles, or videos to attract people, build trust, and gently guide them to become customers.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A content delivery network CDN is a group of servers that work together to load websites, videos, and files faster and safer for people around the world.
Click depth
Click depth shows how many clicks it takes to move from your homepage to any other page, and it helps you check if your site is easy to explore.
Citation
A citation is a mention of a source or business that gives credit, proves facts, and helps people and search engines trust what they read.
Cart abandon rate
Cart abandon rate shows how many shoppers put items in their online cart but leave without buying, so stores can see and fix problems in the checkout process.
Canonical URL
A canonical URL is the main web page address you choose so search engines know which page to show and rank when you have similar or duplicate pages.
Canonical Tag
A canonical tag is a small piece of code that tells search engines which page is the main version, so your site avoids duplicate content problems and ranks better.
Cached page
A cached page is a saved copy of a web page that loads faster and lets you see older versions even when the live site is slow or has changed.
Cache
Cache is a small, fast storage that keeps copies of data so your apps and websites load quicker and use less internet.
D
Dwell time
Dwell time is how long someone stays on a page after clicking a search result, which helps show how useful and interesting that page is.
Duplicate content
Duplicate content is when the same or very similar text appears on more than one web page, and fixing it helps your site rank better in search results.
Doorway Page
A doorway page is a web page made only to catch search traffic and push people to another page, which can hurt your rankings and upset visitors.
Domain Structure
Domain structure is the way your website name and its parts are arranged to keep pages clear, easy to find, and trusted by users and search engines.
Domain Rating (DR)
Domain Rating or DR is a number from 0 to 100 that shows how strong and trusted a website looks based on its backlinks.
Domain authority
Domain authority is a score that shows how strong and trusted a website is, and helps predict how well its pages can rank in search results.
Domain
A domain is the main part of a website address that people type in a browser to visit your site and find you online.
Dofollow Link
A dofollow link is a normal clickable link that tells search engines to trust and count it, which can help a page rank higher in search results.
Do-follow
Do-follow is a type of link that tells search engines to follow it and pass SEO power to the page it points to.
Disavow
Disavow means asking Google to ignore certain backlinks so bad links do not hurt your website ranking.
Directory
A directory is a structured list of websites, businesses, or files that helps people and search engines find organized information quickly.
Direct traffic
Direct traffic means people visit your website by going straight to it instead of clicking from another site, which helps you see who comes on purpose.
Demographics
Demographics are facts about groups of people, like age or income, that help businesses and governments understand and serve them better.
De-index
De index means a web page is removed from a search engine list so it no longer shows in search results.
E
E-E-A-T
E E A T is how Google checks if online content is helpful, safe and written by people who know and understand the topic.
F
G
Google Pigeon
Google Pigeon is a Google update that changed local search results so people see more accurate nearby businesses when they search.
Google Penguin
Google Penguin is a Google search update that looks for fake or spammy links, then lowers or ignores them so more honest and helpful websites can rank higher.
Google Penalty
A Google penalty is when Google lowers or removes your site from search results because it breaks Google rules, which can quickly cut your traffic and visitors.
Google penalties
Google penalties are actions that hurt your website visibility in Google when you break search rules, and fixing them helps restore traffic.
Google partner
A Google Partner is a trusted company that passed Google Ads tests and meets performance rules so it can help businesses run better online ad campaigns.
Google Panda
Google Panda is a Google search update that lowers low quality pages and rewards helpful content so better pages show higher in search results.
Google Knowledge Panel
A Google Knowledge Panel is a special information box that shows key facts about a person, place, brand or thing on the right side of Google search results.
Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is a free online listing that helps people find and contact your local business on Google Search and Google Maps.
H
Web Hosting
Web hosting is a service that stores your website files on a special computer so people can visit your site anytime from anywhere.
HTTPS
HTTPS is a way for websites to send and receive data safely so no one can easily see or change what you do online.
Heading
A heading is a short title at the top of a page or section that tells people and search engines what that part of the content is about.
I
Internal link
An internal link is a clickable word or image on a website that sends you to another page on the same website, helping people and search engines move around easily.
J
K
Keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing means using the same keyword too many times on a page, which can hurt your SEO and make your content hard to read.
Keyword
A keyword is a word or short phrase people type into search engines to find information that helps websites match the right visitors.
L
LSI Keywords
LSI keywords are words and phrases that are closely related to your main keyword and help search engines understand the topic and meaning of your content better.
Local SEO
Local SEO helps your business show up in search results when nearby people look for products or services like yours.
Local Citation
A local citation is any online mention of your business name, address and phone that helps people and search engines find and trust your local business.
Link building
Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to yours so you can get more visitors and better positions in search results.
M
Mobile-friendly
Mobile friendly means a website is easy to read, click and use on a phone, which keeps visitors happy and helps the site rank better in Google.
Meta description
A meta description is a short text that tells people and search engines what a page is about and helps more people choose your page in search results.
N
NAP
NAP means Name, Address, Phone Number and it helps search engines and people find and trust your local business.
O
On-page SEO
On-page SEO means improving parts of a single web page so search engines understand it clearly and more people can find, read, and enjoy your content.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO means actions done outside your website, like getting links and mentions, to make your site more trusted and higher in search results.
P
Page speed
Page speed is how fast a web page shows on your screen, and it matters because faster pages keep visitors happy and help websites rank better in search results.
Q
Quality content
Quality content is helpful and clear information that answers real questions and makes life easier for the reader.
R
Robots.txt
Robots.txt is a simple text file that tells search engines which pages of a website they can visit and which pages they should avoid.
S
Structured data
Structured data is a special way of writing information on a webpage so search engines can understand it clearly and show richer results.
Sitemap
A sitemap is a simple file that lists all important pages on a website so search engines and people can find them quickly.
Semantic search
Semantic search is how search engines try to understand real meaning and intent in your words so they can show better and more helpful results.
Search Intent
Search intent is the real reason behind a search, and knowing it helps you create content that people and search engines both like.
Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
Search Engine Results Pages are the lists of links and answers you see after you search, they matter because they decide what information you notice and click first.
Search engine
A search engine is a website or app that helps you quickly find information, images, videos or products on the internet by matching your words to web pages.
T
Title tag
A title tag is the clickable page name shown in browser tabs and search results, helping people and search engines understand what a web page is about.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO means fixing the behind the scenes parts of a website so search engines can easily find, understand, and show your pages to more people.
Table Of Content
A Table Of Content is a clear list of sections and pages that helps readers quickly find the part they want in a book or on a website.
U
V
W
Web Hosting
Web hosting is a service that stores your website files on a special computer so people can visit your site anytime from anywhere.