📖 SEO Dictionary

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fast-moving industry where new terms, tools, and concepts emerge almost every month. Whether you’re a beginner learning the basics, a marketer refining your strategy, or a business owner trying to make sense of reports, understanding SEO terminology is essential.

This SEO Dictionary is designed as a comprehensive reference guide, covering more than 200 of the most current SEO words and phrases — from foundational concepts like backlinks and meta tags to emerging ideas like AI Overviews and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

Each entry provides a clear, straightforward definition, ensuring you can quickly grasp technical jargon, stay updated on new trends, and confidently apply SEO knowledge to your website or campaigns.

Use this resource to:

Learn the fundamentals if you’re new to SEO.

Stay updated on the latest algorithm updates, AI-driven search features, and industry buzzwords.

Find clarity when reviewing SEO reports, proposals, or analytics dashboards.

SEO is constantly evolving — and so is this dictionary. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for fresh updates as new technologies and ranking factors emerge.

ABC Linking – is a three-way link exchange where Site A links to Site B, Site B links to Site C, and Site C links back to Site A, creating an indirect backlink loop.
A/B Testing – Comparing two versions of a web page or element (like a headline or CTA) to see which performs better based on user behavior.

Above the Fold – The portion of a webpage visible without scrolling. Considered prime real estate for SEO and UX.

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) – A Google-backed project designed to make mobile pages load faster using a simplified HTML framework.

Ad Rank – The value Google assigns to determine the position of a paid ad in search results, based on bid, ad quality, and extensions.

AI Overviews – Google’s generative AI-powered answers that appear at the top of search results, summarizing multiple sources.

AI SEO – The use of artificial intelligence to automate, optimize, or enhance SEO tasks such as content creation, keyword research, and link building.

Alt Text (Alternative Text) – HTML attribute that describes images for accessibility and helps search engines understand image content.

Anchor Text – The clickable text of a hyperlink, important for both SEO relevance and user context.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) – Optimizing content to appear in AI-driven “answer engines” like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google SGE.

Algorithm – A set of rules and calculations used by search engines to determine rankings in SERPs.

Algorithm Update – Modifications to search engine algorithms that impact rankings and visibility.

Backlink – A link from one website to another; considered a major ranking factor.

Baidu – The largest search engine in China, with its own SEO practices and ranking factors.

Bing – Microsoft’s search engine; gaining attention as it integrates AI via Bing Chat.

Black Hat SEO – Unethical SEO techniques (like cloaking, link farms, or keyword stuffing) that violate search engine guidelines.

Bounce Rate – The percentage of users who leave a website after viewing only one page.

Breadcrumb Navigation – A secondary navigation path showing a user’s location within a site’s hierarchy.

Branded Keyword – A search term that includes a company’s brand name.

Cache / Cached Page – Stored versions of web pages saved by browsers or search engines for quicker access.

Canonical Tag – An HTML tag that tells search engines the preferred version of duplicate or similar pages.

Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Percentage of users who click a link after seeing it in SERPs.

Cloaking – Showing different content to search engines and users, considered a black hat tactic.

Content Gap Analysis – Identifying topics competitors cover that you don’t, revealing opportunities for new content.

Content Marketing – Creating and distributing valuable content to attract and retain a defined audience.

Core Update – Broad, major changes to Google’s ranking algorithms.

Core Web Vitals – Google’s metrics measuring page experience: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Crawl Budget – The number of URLs Googlebot is willing/able to crawl on your site within a timeframe.

Crawler (Spider/Bot) – Automated programs search engines use to discover and index web content.

DA (Domain Authority) – A metric by Moz predicting how likely a website is to rank.

Deep Link – A link to a specific page within a site, not just the homepage.

Disavow Tool – A Google tool allowing site owners to signal that certain backlinks should be ignored.

DoFollow Link – A standard link that passes authority from one site to another.

Domain Rating (DR) – Ahrefs’ metric showing the strength of a website’s backlink profile.

Duplicate Content – Identical or near-identical content found on multiple URLs, which can dilute SEO value.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) – Google’s framework for evaluating content quality.

Editorial Link – A natural backlink earned because content is genuinely valuable.

Engagement Metrics – Data points such as time on site, CTR, and bounce rate, indicating user interaction.

Entity SEO – Optimizing around named entities (people, brands, places) instead of just keywords.

Evergreen Content – Content that remains relevant and valuable long after it’s published.

Exit Rate – The percentage of users leaving a site from a specific page.

Faceted Navigation – Filter options (e.g., price, size, color) on e-commerce sites that can create duplicate URL issues if unmanaged.
Fame engineering – Is the strategy of making a brand so visible, credible, and memorable that it becomes the go-to choice — both for people and for AI systems.

Featured Snippet – A highlighted SERP box showing a direct answer to a query.

Findability – How easily users can discover your content in search results.

Footer Link – A link placed in a website’s footer, often sitewide.

Gated Content – Content accessible only after a user provides information (e.g., email).

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – Optimizing content for AI-powered search engines and generative models.

Google Analytics (GA4) – Google’s latest analytics platform for tracking website performance.

Googlebot – Google’s web crawler.

Google Business Profile (GBP) – Formerly Google My Business; used for local SEO visibility.

Google Sandbox – An unofficial theory that new websites may be temporarily suppressed in rankings.

Header Tags (H1–H6) – HTML elements used to structure content hierarchy.

Hidden Text – Text not visible to users but shown to crawlers; considered manipulative if abused.

Hreflang Attribute – HTML attribute indicating language and regional targeting.

HTML Sitemap – A sitemap visible to users for navigation.

HTTP Status Codes – Responses from servers (200, 301, 404, etc.) that indicate the result of a request.

HTTPS – Secure protocol that encrypts communication; ranking factor.

Impressions – The number of times a page appears in SERPs.

Inbound Link – Another term for backlink.

Index – Database where search engines store web content for retrieval.

Indexability – A page’s ability to be indexed by search engines.

Internal Link – A link from one page on a site to another page within the same site.

Intent (Search Intent) – The reason behind a user’s query (informational, transactional, navigational, commercial).

JavaScript SEO – Optimizing JavaScript-heavy websites for crawling and indexing.

JSON-LD – A format for structured data markup preferred by Google.

Keyword – A word/phrase users type into search engines.

Keyword Cannibalization – When multiple pages target the same keyword, competing with each other.

Keyword Clustering – Grouping related keywords into topic clusters for content planning.

Keyword Difficulty (KD) – A score estimating how hard it is to rank for a term.

Keyword Stuffing – Overloading content with keywords in an unnatural way.

Landing Page – The page a visitor lands on after clicking a link.

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) – Technique of analyzing related keywords to determine content relevance.

Link Building – The process of acquiring backlinks to improve authority.

Link Equity (Link Juice) – SEO value passed from one page to another via links.

Local Pack – Google SERP feature showing map results and local businesses.

Long-Tail Keyword – A longer, more specific keyword phrase with lower volume but higher conversion intent.

Manual Action – A penalty applied by Google when a site violates guidelines.

Meta Description – Short page summary shown under the title in SERPs.

Meta Keywords – An outdated meta tag no longer used by Google.

Meta Tags – Snippets of HTML providing metadata about a webpage.

Mobile-First Indexing – Google primarily uses the mobile version of a site for ranking.

Multimodal Search – Search using multiple input types (text, image, voice).

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) – Key business information for local SEO consistency.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) – Technology that helps search engines interpret human language.

Negative SEO – Malicious tactics aimed at lowering a competitor’s rankings (e.g., spammy backlinks).

Noarchive Tag – Prevents search engines from showing a cached version of a page.

Nofollow Link – An HTML attribute telling search engines not to pass authority through a link.

Noindex Tag – Tells search engines not to index a page.

Off-Page SEO – Optimization strategies outside your website, mainly link building and brand mentions.

On-Page SEO – Optimization performed within your website (content, titles, meta tags, etc.).

Organic Search Results – Listings in SERPs earned, not paid.

Orphan Page – A webpage with no internal links pointing to it, making it difficult for crawlers to find.

Outbound Link – A link from your site to another domain.

Page Authority (PA) – Moz’s metric predicting the likelihood of a single page ranking.

Page Experience – Google’s ranking signals including Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, and security.

PageRank – Google’s original algorithm evaluating backlinks as a ranking factor.

Paid Search (PPC) – Ads displayed in SERPs through auction-based systems like Google Ads.

Penalty – A ranking drop due to algorithmic or manual action.

Pillar Page – Comprehensive content that supports topic clusters.

Pogo-Sticking – When users quickly click back to SERPs after visiting a result, signaling dissatisfaction.

Position Zero – Featured snippet spot at the very top of SERPs.

Query – The word(s) entered by a user into a search engine.

Query Deserves Freshness (QDF) – Google boosts fresh content for time-sensitive searches.

Quality Rater Guidelines – Google’s manual used by human reviewers to evaluate search results.

Qualified Traffic – Visitors who are more likely to convert due to relevancy.

Ranking Factor – Variables search engines use to determine rankings (links, content, speed, etc.).

Reciprocal Links – When two sites agree to link to each other.

Redirect (301, 302) – Sending users and bots from one URL to another.

Referral Traffic – Visitors arriving via links on other websites.

Rendering – How a page’s code is processed for display and indexing.

Rich Snippet / Rich Result – Enhanced SERP results showing extra details like stars, images, or FAQs.

Robots.txt – A file that tells crawlers which URLs they can or cannot access.

Schema Markup – Structured data code that helps search engines understand content.

Scraping – Automated extraction of content/data from websites.

Search Console (GSC) – Google’s tool for monitoring site performance in search.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP) – The page users see after a search.

Search Intent – The purpose behind a search query (informational, navigational, transactional, commercial).

Search Visibility – A measure of how visible a site is across tracked keywords.

Semantic Search – Search engines interpreting meaning and intent, not just exact keywords.

Session Duration – Average length of time a visitor spends on your site.

Sitelinks – Additional links beneath a SERP listing, usually for branded queries.

Sitemap (XML) – A file listing URLs for search engines to crawl.

Slug – The customizable part of a URL after the domain.

Spam Score – A Moz metric estimating the likelihood of a site being penalized.

Split Testing – Another term for A/B testing.

Technical SEO – Optimizations ensuring site crawlability, indexability, speed, and structured data.

Thin Content – Pages with little or no added value.

Title Tag – HTML element that defines the page’s title, shown in SERPs.

Topical Authority – A site’s perceived expertise within a subject area.

Trust Flow (TF) – Majestic’s metric measuring link trustworthiness.

Toxic Backlinks – Links that may harm rankings due to spammy sources.

Unnatural Links – Links built in ways that violate Google’s guidelines.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – The web address of a resource.

URL Parameter – A variable added to a URL (e.g., ?id=123), often requiring SEO management.

User Experience (UX) – How easy and satisfying it is for users to interact with a site.

User-Generated Content (UGC) – Content created by users (e.g., reviews, comments).

Vertical Search – Specialized search engines or SERP features (e.g., Google Images, YouTube).

Video SEO – Optimizing videos to rank in search engines.

Visibility Index – A metric showing a domain’s overall visibility in search results.

Voice Search Optimization – SEO strategies for voice-based queries.

Web 2.0 Properties – User-generated platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and Medium.

Webmaster Guidelines – Official rules from Google on proper SEO practices.

White Hat SEO – Ethical SEO practices aligning with search engine guidelines.

Whois Data – Ownership records of domain names.

Word Count – Number of words in a page or post, sometimes linked to ranking discussions.

X–Y–Z

XML Sitemap – Machine-readable sitemap for crawlers.

Yandex – Russia’s leading search engine with unique SEO practices.

YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) – Pages that impact finances, health, safety; held to higher quality standards.

Zero-Click Search – Queries where the answer is displayed in SERPs, so the user doesn’t click.

Zombie Pages – Pages with little traffic or engagement, often hurting site performance.

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