SEO Glossary of Terms
Algorithm– a unique set of rules a search engine use to determine the relevant significance of a web page.
Analytics– the process of gathering and analyzing data about website usage—generally conducted through a dedicated program like Google Analytics.
Anchor Text-a visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. SEO best practices dictate anchor text be relevant to the page you’re linking to rather than generic text.
Backlink– a hyperlink that links from one website back to your own—also known as an Inbound Link (IBL).
Black Hat SEO– refers to the use of aggressive SEO techniques focusing only on search engines— usually violates search engine guidelines.
Bounce Rate– a percentage of website visitors who navigate away from the website after only viewing one page.
Code Swapping– a black hat tactic of changing website content after high rankings are achieved.
Cost-Per-Action (CPA)– the agreed price advertisers pay ad publishers for a particular action taken by a user, such as filling out a form—also known as pay-per-action (PPA).
Cost-per-Click (CPC)– the agreed price advertisers pay ad publishers each time a user clicks on one of their ads—also known as pay-per-click (PPC).
Click-Through– the process of users clicking on a website advertisement and going to the advertiser’s website.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)– the ratio of users who click on a specific link to the number of users who view the advertisement.
Crawling- the process in which a search engine deploys a software known as a spider (or crawler) to find and organize information on the web. The spider/crawler is able to identify keywords and categorize them into its indexes to rank them.
Duplicate Content– content that appears in exactly the same manner on more than one place on the Internet.
H1 tag– the title tag in HTML, usually the largest text on the page. To increase your SEO rank, remember to include your keywords in your H1 tag.
Indexing– the process when crawling has been completed and the results are now on Google’s index.
Internal Link – a link from one page to another on the same website.
Keyword– the word or phrase users enter as the query in a search engine. SEO campaigns target certain keywords or phrases to optimize search traffic.
Keyword Analysis– the process of researching the demographics of a distinct company or website in order to identify the keywords and keyphrases that customers are searching.
Keyword Density – the percentage of words on a web page that are keywords versus regular content. If the keyword density is unnaturally high, its rankings may suffer.
Keyword Stuffing– the practice of adding unnecessary keywords to a website in order to improve the website’s rank. And while not necessarily a violation of search engine terms of service, stuffing your content distracts from a page’s impact on visitors. Most search engines have adjusted their algorithms to ignore keyword stuffing.
Landing Page– also known as a lead capture page, is a webpage specifically built to convert a visitor to complete a desired transaction, such as providing an email.
Link Building– the practice of actively cultivating backlinks to your website (can be considered black hat or white hat, depending on the tactics used).
Local Search – the use of any of various search methods to find information about something within a specific geographic area.
Long Tail– SEO term that describes longer, more specific search queries. Usually consists of more than two or three words.
Meta Tags– an HTML tag that provides special information about the website. Unlike normal HTML tags, meta tags don’t affect how the page is displayed.
Meta Description– an HTML element that describes your website to search engines. For heightened SEO rank, include your main keyword in your meta description.
Natural Links – organic links that are gained as a result of quality content that other websites find useful. Search engines highly value natural links.
Off-page Optimization– the steps you take OUTSIDE the confines of your website to maximize your search engine performance. This includes link building, social media presence, advertising and more.
On-page Optimization– the steps you take WITHIN the confines of your website to maximize your search engine performance. This includes providing superior content with optimal keyword density, as well as proper use of title tags, alt tags, meta descriptions and more.
Reciprocal Link – a mutual agreement between two website owners to provide a hyperlink within their respective web pages to each other’s website.
Search Engine– a program that searches the Internet for and identifies items in a database corresponding to keywords or phrases dictated by the user.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)– a form of internet marketing encompassing the promotion of web pages through increased visibility in search engine results pages (SERP).
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)– the techniques and tactics used to increase website visibility by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results of a search engine.
Walled Garden- an environment on the Internet that controls users’ access to Web content and services—a method of directing users’ navigation to a particular area or service.
Title Tag– a part of the meta tag that appears at the top of the page and tells people and search engines what your website is about. To boost your SEO, include your main keyword in your title page.
White Hat SEO– the opposite of Black Hat SEO, White Hat SEO refers to any practice that improves your performance on a search engine results page (SERP), while still maintaining the integrity of your website by honoring the terms of service of the search engine.