SEO Glossary
The Digital Marketing Terms You Need to Know
123
301 Redirect
A permanent redirection method used to transfer both users and search engines to a different URL from the one they initially requested.
This technique preserves the SEO value of the original page and ensures a smooth transition for users, effectively maintaining a website’s search rankings and usability.
302 Redirect
A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect that sends users and search engines to a different URL while signaling that the original URL will return.
404 Error
A 404 error is a standard response code indicating that the website’s server cannot find the requested page or resource.
This typically occurs when a page has been deleted or moved without redirection, or when a user types an incorrect URL. It serves as a signal to both users and search engines that the content is currently unavailable, encouraging the user to navigate elsewhere on the site.
A
Agentic Search
Agentic search is a type of search in which an AI agent completes multistep tasks for a user, such as comparing options or filling out forms, instead of only returning results. The term and its practices are still emerging.
AI Citation
An AI citation is a link or source attribution that appears in an AI-generated answer. Citation share measures how often a brand is cited compared with its competitors across a set of queries.
AI Crawler
An AI crawler is a bot that collects web content for AI models, either to train them or to supply live answers. Examples include OpenAI’s GPTBot, Anthropic’s ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot.
Site owners can manage AI crawlers in robots.txt. Google-Extended is a separate robots.txt token that controls whether Google can use content for its Gemini models.
AI Mode
AI Mode is a conversational search experience in Google Search that answers complex questions with AI-generated responses and supporting links, and it supports follow-up questions.
AI Overviews
AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of some Google search results, with links to the sources Google used to build them.
Analytics
The systematic collection, measurement, interpretation, and/or communication of data.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
AEO is the practice of optimizing content so AI-powered search tools and assistants use it in their answers.
Google’s September 2026 guidance says optimizing for its own AI features is SEO and not a separate discipline. That guidance does not cover other AI platforms, such as ChatGPT or Perplexity.
Asset
A website component that has strategic value because it can positively impact search results.
From largest to smallest, assets can be affiliated sites (e.g. social media profiles), microsites, web pages, or items that appear on a web page in an auxiliary capacity to the main text (e.g. images, videos, widgets, downloads, etc.).
Authority
Authority and relevance are two of the most important concepts in organic search. Search engines evaluate authority by assessing how valuable, reliable, and original a page’s or website’s information is for a given topic.
Third-party tools estimate authority with their own scores, such as Moz’s Page Authority and Domain Authority, but Google does not use those scores.
B
Backlink
A backlink is a link from an external website to your website. It is also called an inbound link.
Baseline Report
A formal assessment that establishes the starting point for measuring progress.
Bot
A bot is a program that scans, or crawls, websites to gather data. Bots are also known as crawlers or spiders.
Search engine bots collect content for indexing, and AI crawlers collect content to train or ground AI models.
Bounce
A bounce is a session in which the user does not engage with the website. In Google Analytics 4, a bounce is any session that is not an engaged session. Bounce rate is the inverse of engagement rate.
Branded Keyword
A keyword that includes a brand name (e.g. “graduate programs at Temple University”) or product title (e.g. “XBox”). A keyword that is obviously misspelled (e.g. “Forefront SEO”) is also considered a branded keyword.
C
Canonical Tag
A canonical tag is an HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred one when duplicate or very similar pages exist.
Click
A user action that occurs whenever a link is selected.
Click-Through-Rate (CTR)
The number of times an impression is clicked divided by the total number of times it appears. This number, expressed as a percentage, helps to measure relevance.
Consumer Journey
The four stages of interaction that a consumer can experience: Discovery, Research, Intent, and Conversion.
Conversion
A user action that has measurable business value.
The most direct example is an online sale (i.e. the website not only attracted a potential customer but converted them into an actual customer). There are also indirect or subjectively-identified conversions, such as moving an item into a shopping cart, signing up for a newsletter, etc.
Conversion Keyword
A keyword likely to be associated with Stage Four of the Consumer Journey (Conversion).
Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google’s metrics for page experience. They are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures loading; Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which measures responsiveness; and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which measures visual stability.
CSS
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is the code that controls how HTML content looks, including layout, colors, and fonts.
D
Discovery Keyword
A non-branded keyword likely to be associated with Stage One of the consumer journey (Discovery). These keywords usually have a high search volume and low conversion rate.
Display Ads
Display Ads are image- or video-centric and appear inside a website (as opposed to appearing on the SERP).
Domain
An area of the Internet under specific administrative control. In the context of SEO, the term domain is generally synonymous with the term website. For further clarification, see: Domain Name, Root Domain, Subdomain, and Top Level Domain.
Domain Authority
A search engine ranking score (developed by the SEO company Moz) that predicts a website’s ability to rank on SERPs. The score ranges from 1-100, with higher scores corresponding to greater ability.
Domain Name
A domain name is the unique address used to identify and access a website on the internet.
It allows users to find websites easily without needing to remember the numeric IP address that computers use to communicate with each other. Structured hierarchically, a domain name consists of a second-level domain (the unique part that often reflects the name of a business or project) and a top-level domain (TLD) like “.com” or “.org”. This structure helps navigate the web and categorize sites by type or geographical area.
E
E-E-A-T (Formerly E-A-T)
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google’s quality raters use E-E-A-T to judge whether search results are helpful and reliable, and Google says it is not a specific ranking factor.
Google weighs these qualities most heavily on YMYL topics, and AI search features tend to cite sources that show them.
Engaged Session / Engagement Rate
An engaged session is a GA4 session that lasts longer than 10 seconds, includes a key event, or includes at least two page views. Engagement rate is the percentage of sessions that are engaged.
Entity
An entity is a distinct, well-defined thing, such as a person, organization, place, or concept, that search engines and AI systems can identify and connect to other information. Clear entity signals help AI systems understand and cite a brand accurately.
Entrance
A website metric that is defined by the first page visited in any online session.
Equity Content
Website content that is indirectly related to the primary product or service offered by a business or organization. Equity content is designed for general interest as opposed to targeted conversion.
Event
An action that can be performed and tracked by a user while visiting a website and is deemed important by that website’s owner (e.g. logging in, changing settings).
F
Featured Snippet
A featured snippet is a search result that appears in a separate box above the organic results and represents the search engine’s best answer to a query.
AI Overviews now appear above featured snippets for many queries, so featured snippets get less visibility than they used to.
Focal Point
A segment of a business or organization that has strategic value for SEO. A focal point has a unique audience and clear, measurable objectives.
G
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
GEO is the practice of optimizing content so generative AI systems cite or mention it in their responses.
The term overlaps heavily with AEO, and Google’s September 2026 guidance treats optimizing for its AI features as part of SEO.
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free Google listing that shows a business’s name, address, hours, reviews, and other details in Google Search and Maps. It is a major factor in local pack rankings.
Google Search Console
An application, formerly known as Webmaster Tools, that enables users to check a website’s performance or index status and also complete a variety of SEO-related tasks.
Google Trends
A website that enables users to view the relative search interest of keywords over time.
H
Heading Tag
A heading tag is an HTML element used to define headings and subheadings on a webpage, ranging from <h1> to <h6>, with <h1> representing the most important or main heading and <h6> the least.
These tags help structure content, making it easier for users to read and for search engines to understand the hierarchy and relevance of information on a page. Proper use of heading tags can enhance a website’s SEO by emphasizing key topics and keywords.
HTML
HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language, is the foundational code used to create and structure web pages and their content.
It consists of a series of elements or tags that tell web browsers how to display text, images, and other forms of media. HTML elements define the structure of a webpage, from basic headings and paragraphs to complex forms and interactive features, enabling the rich, diverse web experiences we have today.
HTTP
HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, which is the fundamental protocol used for transmitting web pages from servers to web browsers.
It defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and how web servers and browsers should respond to various commands. Essentially, when you visit a website, your browser sends an HTTP request to the server hosting the site, and the server responds with an HTTP response, allowing the page to be displayed. HTTP is the backbone of any data exchange on the Web and is a stateless protocol, meaning it doesn’t retain any information about previous requests.
HTTPS
HTTPS, short for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure, is an extension of HTTP that includes a layer of security to protect the data exchanged between web browsers and servers.
This security layer, typically implemented through SSL/TLS encryption, ensures that any information transmitted (like personal details, login credentials, and payment information) cannot be easily intercepted or tampered with by third parties. Websites using HTTPS display a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar, indicating a secure connection that helps maintain user privacy and data integrity.
I
Impression
In the context of SEO, an “impression” refers to the occurrence when a webpage appears in a search engine’s results for a specific query, regardless of whether the link is clicked or not.
It’s a measure of visibility, indicating how often the page is presented to users as part of their search results. Impressions are crucial for understanding a website’s reach in search engines, helping to gauge the effectiveness of SEO strategies and keyword relevance. Higher impressions can lead to increased traffic if the webpage ranks well for relevant queries.
Inbound Link
A hyperlink that exists on an external website and directly connects users to your website.
Index
An index is the database a search engine uses to store information about web pages. When Google indexes a page, it has crawled the page, analyzed it, and stored it so the page can appear in search results.
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode also draw from this index, so a page must be indexed to be cited in them.
Internal Link
A hyperlink that exists on a website and connects users to another page within that same website.
J
JavaScript
JavaScript (JS) is a dynamic programming language widely used to create interactive effects within web browsers. It enables developers to add dynamic elements and interactive features to websites, such as animated graphics, interactive forms, and complex web applications.
Unlike HTML, which structures content, and CSS, which styles it, JavaScript directly interacts with the webpage, allowing for real-time content updates without needing to reload the page. Its versatility and compatibility with all major web browsers have made it an essential tool for web development, significantly enhancing user experience and website functionality.
K
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A measurement that provides important evidence of progress toward a strategic goal.
Keyword
The distilled and edited version of a query. A keyword can be a single word, a series of words, a statement, phrase, or question. While keyword is the preferred term, synonyms include keyphrase and search term(s).
Keyword Group
Multiple keywords with a commonality that is strategically relevant.
Knowledge Graph
The Knowledge Graph is Google’s database of entities and the relationships between them. Google uses it to power knowledge panels and to understand queries.
Knowledge Panel
A knowledge panel is an information box on the SERP that summarizes facts about an entity, such as a business, person, or place. Google generates knowledge panels from its Knowledge Graph.
L
Landing Page
The first web page a user sees in any given session.
Large Language Model (LLM)
An LLM is an AI model trained on large amounts of text to understand and generate language. LLMs power AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, as well as Google’s AI search features.
Link
In the context of the internet and web development, a “link,” short for “hyperlink,” is an element in an electronic document that directs the user to another section of the same document or to a different document entirely.
Typically activated by clicking, a link is usually represented as text highlighted in a distinct color (often blue) and underlined, or as an image or button. Links are fundamental to the web, enabling the interconnected structure of online content by allowing easy navigation from one page or resource to another. They are crucial for website navigation, SEO strategies, and providing users with access to additional information or related resources.
Link Building
Link building is a strategy aimed at increasing the quantity and quality of inbound links to a webpage.
The purpose is to enhance the visibility and authority of the site in search engine results, as search engines like Google use the number and quality of links as a significant factor in determining a page’s rank. Effective link building can involve various techniques, such as creating valuable content that naturally attracts links, reaching out to other websites for backlinks, or participating in collaborations and guest blogging. The goal is to signal to search engines that the content is valuable, credible, and useful, thereby improving its search ranking.
llms.txt
llms.txt is a proposed file, placed at a website’s root, that gives AI models a curated summary of the site’s content. It is not an official standard, and Google’s guidance says it is not required for appearing in Google’s AI features.
Local Pack
A feature in Google’s search results that displays a selection of local business listings most relevant to a user’s query, particularly those with a geographical component, such as “coffee shops near me” or “plumbers in [city name].”
This pack typically shows a map along with three business listings, including important details like the business name, address, phone number, and customer reviews. It’s designed to provide quick, accessible information about local services or establishments directly within the search results page, helping users find what they’re looking for in their immediate area. The local pack is crucial for local SEO, as appearing in this selection can significantly increase visibility and traffic for local businesses.
Long-Tail Keyword
A keyword that uses several words to represent a detailed, specific search interest or multiple, separate concepts.
M
Main Navigation
Also known as “Main Nav”. The navigational links that represent the first tier of a website’s narrative flow, typically including a position statement, service definitions, and differentiation markers.
Meta Data
Information embedded into HTML code that helps describe, categorize, contextualize, or otherwise explain the contents of a web page to search engines. Meta data is displayed as part of an impression on the SERP.
Meta Description
A meta description is an HTML attribute that summarizes a page’s content and often appears under the title in search results. It does not directly affect rankings, but a compelling one can improve click-through rate.
Google truncates descriptions by pixel width, so the most important information should come first, and Google sometimes rewrites the description using text from the page.
Meta Title
A meta title, also known as a title tag, is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page.
Displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs) as the clickable headline for a given result and on browser tabs as the page’s title, it’s critical for both SEO and user experience. An effective meta title should be concise yet descriptive, incorporating relevant keywords to improve the page’s search visibility while accurately reflecting its content to attract clicks from potential visitors.
N
NAP
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number.
It’s a critical trio of information for businesses, especially in local SEO, where consistency in how a business’s NAP is listed across the web can significantly affect its visibility in local search results. Accurate and consistent NAP information across directories, websites, and social media platforms helps search engines verify the legitimacy and relevance of a business, improving its chances of appearing in the local pack and on map searches for local queries.
Navigation Page
Any web page where a user arrives by way of an internal link.
Noindex
The “noindex” tag is an HTML directive used by webmasters to instruct search engines not to include a specific webpage in their search index.
When this tag is added to the HTML code of a page, search engines like Google recognize it and typically will not show the page in search results. This is useful for pages that a website owner might not want publicly searchable, such as private user profiles, temporary content, or duplicate pages that could affect SEO negatively. The “noindex” tag helps manage and optimize a site’s visibility in search engine results, ensuring that only relevant and valuable content is indexed and displayed to users.
Non-Peer Search Competitors
Organizations that appear alongside one another on the SERP (for a given keyword or keyword group) but do not offer similar products or services.
O
Organic Search Results
Organic search results are listings that appear on search engine pages purely because of their relevance to the search queries, not because they are paid ads.
These results are ranked by search engine algorithms based on factors like keywords, content quality, and backlinks. Organic results are valued for their credibility and can drive significant, cost-free traffic to a website, distinguishing them from paid search advertisements.
Orphaned Page
A webpage that isn’t linked to from any other page within its website, essentially making it isolated or “orphaned.”
This means users and search engine crawlers might have difficulty finding these pages since there are no internal links pointing to them. Orphaned pages can impact a website’s SEO negatively because they’re harder to discover, reducing their potential to contribute to the site’s overall search engine ranking.
P
Page Authority
Page Authority is a score from 1 to 100 that Moz developed to predict how well a single page can rank. Like Domain Authority, it is a third-party metric and not a Google signal.
Pageview
A website metric that occurs when a user loads or reloads a web page.
Paid Search Results
Advertisements that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) because advertisers have paid for their placement.
Unlike organic search results, which are ranked according to relevance and SEO efforts, paid search results are typically displayed at the top or bottom of the SERPs and are clearly marked as ads.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
A digital advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.
It’s primarily used in search engine advertising and on various platforms to direct traffic to websites. In a PPC campaign, advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their target audience, and when a user searches for those keywords, the advertiser’s ad may appear in the search results. This pricing model is often used as a synonym for Google Ads, however, several other pricing models are available.
Peer Search Competitors
Organizations that appear alongside one another on the SERP (for a given keyword or keyword group) and also offer similar products or services.
Q
Quality Score
A metric used by Google Ads and other pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platforms to evaluate the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages.
This score influences how your ads are positioned and how much you pay per click. It ranges from 1 to 10, with a higher score indicating that your ad and landing page are more relevant to the keyword and potentially leading to lower costs and better ad positions.
Query
The actual (unedited and undistilled) text that is typed into a search field by a user.
A query can be a single word, a series of words, a statement, phrase, or question. Also known as search query.
Query Fan-Out
Query fan-out is a process in which an AI search system breaks one query into multiple related subqueries, runs them at the same time, and combines the results into a single answer. Google documents this process for AI Overviews and AI Mode.
R
Redirect
A method used on the web to send users and search engines from one URL to another.
It’s commonly used to guide visitors towards a new page if the original one they’re trying to reach has been moved or deleted, ensuring a smooth user experience and preserving SEO value. There are several types of redirects, with the most common being 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary), indicating the nature and duration of the redirect.
Referral Traffic
Referral traffic refers to visitors who arrive at your website from direct links on other websites rather than directly or from search engines.
It’s an important metric for understanding how users find your site and the effectiveness of your online presence on other platforms.
Relevance
Relevance measures how closely a page’s content matches the intent behind a query. Relevance and authority are the two concepts that most influence organic search results.
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
RAG is a technique in which an AI system retrieves relevant documents, such as indexed web pages, and uses them to generate and support its answer. Google uses RAG with its core ranking systems for AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Reviews
In the context of digital marketing and SEO, “reviews” refer to user-generated evaluations and feedback posted on websites, Google Business Profiles, social media platforms, or dedicated review sites.
Reviews can significantly influence a business’s reputation, search engine rankings, and consumer decision-making. Positive reviews can enhance a business’s credibility, improve its visibility in search engine results (especially in local SEO), and drive more traffic. Conversely, negative reviews might require reputation management efforts. Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews is a common strategy for businesses to leverage this powerful tool for building trust and attracting new customers.
Rich Results (Formerly Rich Snippets)
Rich results are enhanced search listings that show extra information, such as ratings, prices, images, or event dates, beyond the standard title, URL, and description.
Structured data markup on a page makes it eligible for rich results, but Google does not guarantee they will appear.
Robots.txt
Robots.txt is a file in a website’s root directory that tells crawlers which pages or sections they may or may not crawl. It controls crawling, not indexing.
Root Domain
A root domain is the core of a website address, made up of the second-level domain and the TLD (for example, fourfront.us). Subdomains sit to the left of the root domain.
Root Keyword
A keyword that represents one of the core concepts associated with a website and its strategic goals.
S
Search Ads
Search ads are text-based paid listings that appear on the SERP in response to a query. They are one of several paid search formats, alongside Shopping ads and campaigns that run across multiple surfaces, such as Google’s Performance Max.
Display ads are a separate format that appears on other websites rather than on the SERP.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Any combination of processes applied to a web page or website with the intention of improving organic search results.
You can read more about SEO and what it entails on our blog.
Search Index
See “Index”.
Search Intent
Search intent is the goal behind a query, such as informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional. Matching content to search intent is central to both rankings and AI citations.
Search Volume
The number of searches for a keyword in a set time period (usually one month).
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
A SERP is the page a search engine displays in response to a query. It typically includes organic listings and paid ads, and it may also include AI Overviews, rich results, local packs, images, knowledge panels, and People Also Ask boxes.
Session
A session is the group of interactions a user has on a website within a given time frame. In Google Analytics 4, a session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity by default, and this timeout can be adjusted.
Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 does not start a new session when a user returns from a different traffic source.
Sitemap (XML)
A file uploaded to the root directory of a website that provides crawlers with a structured inventory of web pages.
Snippet
The basic information provided by an impression, including title, URL, and description.
Source
A website dimension that is used to track the location from where a visitor arrived (e.g. google, example.com).
Structured Data
Structured data is code, usually in JSON-LD format using the Schema.org vocabulary, that labels page content so search engines can understand it. It is also called schema markup, and it makes pages eligible for rich results.
Subdomain
A division of a root domain that makes it possible to have independently functional content that is still linked to the main website.
Subdomains appear immediately to the left of the root domain, separated by a dot. Subdomains have a variety of applications, such as staging versions of a website (test.sample.com) or online commerce that requires separate servers or software (shop.sample.com).
Read more about subdomains on our blog.
Subfolder
A subfolder, in the context of website structure, is a directory located within another directory on a server. It’s used to organize content on a website into separate sections or categories, making it easier to manage and navigate. For example, a website might have a subfolder for blog posts (e.g., www.example.com/blog/) and another for product pages (e.g., www.example.com/products/).
T
Title Tag
See “Meta Title”.
Top Level Domain (TLD)
The part of a domain name located immediately to the right of the Dot (for example, com, org, gov, edu). Also known as domain extension and domain suffix.
U
URL
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address used to access information on the internet, directing users to a specific webpage.
It’s composed of various parts, including the protocol (http or https), domain name, and path to the specific page or resource. URLs are essential for navigating the web, allowing browsers to locate and retrieve data from servers worldwide.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
UGC, or User-Generated Content, encompasses text, images, videos, reviews, and social media posts created by users rather than official brands.
It boosts engagement, authenticity, and community building, serving as valuable social proof for brands online. Encouraged by businesses, UGC helps enhance credibility, trust, and can positively impact SEO by providing fresh, dynamic content on websites.
V
Visibility
Visibility measures how prominently a website appears in search results, usually based on impressions and rankings.
As AI search grows, visibility also covers how often a brand is mentioned or cited in AI-generated answers.
Volatility
The frequency and magnitude of changes in a website’s search engine rankings over time.
High volatility means that a site’s position in search results fluctuates widely, which can be influenced by search algorithm updates, competitor actions, and changes in SEO strategies.
W
Website Productivity
A sum of measurements used to assess a website’s performance against established goals. Most often used with regards to lead generation.
Y
YMYL
An acronym for Your Money Your Life. Google uses YMYL to identify a web page or website with content that can affect a user’s health, happiness, safety, or financial state. These pages and sites receive the highest level of scrutiny from Google’s search algorithm.
Z
Zero-Click Search
A zero-click search is a search in which the user gets an answer directly on the SERP, from a featured snippet, an AI Overview, or a knowledge panel, without clicking through to a website.
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