Technical SEO Glossary
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Above the fold
Content immediately visible on a webpage without scrolling.
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)
Open-source framework for fast-loading mobile pages.
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Canonical URL
Preferred version of a webpage for search engines to index.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
Geographically distributed network of servers delivering content faster.
CMS (Content Management System)
Software for creating and managing website content.
Chromium (open-source web browser project)
Basis for Google Chrome and other browsers.
Crawl Budget
Limited number of pages search engines crawl on your website before stopping.
Crawl Rate
Number of pages search engines crawl on your website per unit time.
Crawling
Process of search engines discovering and accessing webpages.
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DNS (Domain Name System)
Translates domain names into IP addresses for accessing websites.
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Expired Headers
Cache instructions telling browsers to reuse outdated website resources.
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Headings
HTML tags (H1, H2, etc.) structuring webpage content and indicating importance.
Hreflang Attribute
Signals different language versions of a page to search engines.
HTML Sitemap
File listing website pages for search engines to crawl more efficiently.
HTTP Status Code
Indicates server response to a request (e.g., 200 OK, 404 Not Found).
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Indexing
Storing webpages in search engine databases for retrieval in search results.
Inbound Links
Links from other websites to your website (backlinks).
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JavaScript redirect (JS redirect)
Redirects users using JavaScript code on the page.
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Lazy Load
Technique to delay loading non-critical page elements until needed.
Link
Connection between two webpages, influencing ranking and navigation.
Loading speed
Time it takes for a webpage to fully load and display for users.
Location, Geo- (Geo Targeting)
Optimising content for specific geographic regions.
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Manual Penalty
Manual action taken by search engines against websites violating guidelines.
Meta Description
Short summary of a webpage displayed in search results.
Meta Refresh
Redirecting users automatically after a set time.
Meta Title
Title of a webpage displayed in search results.
Migration
Transferring a website from one server or platform to another.
Minification
Removing unnecessary characters from code to reduce file size.
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Nofollow attribute
Tells search engines not to follow a link and pass ranking value.
Noindex attribute
Tells search engines not to index a specific page.
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Orphan Pages
Pages with no internal links leading to them, hindering discovery.
Outbound Links
Links from your website to other websites.
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Paginated Pages
Content divided across multiple pages requiring navigation.
Preload
Instructing browsers to prioritise resources for faster loading.
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Ranking
Position of a webpage in search results for specific keywords.
Redirects (301, 302, etc.)
Forwarding users from one URL to another.
Robots.txt
File instructing search engines which pages to crawl and not crawl.
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Sandboxed website
Website with limited visibility in search results due to potential issues.
Schema markup
Structured data providing search engines with richer information about websites.
Search Engine
Translates domain names into IP addresses for accessing websites.
Search operators
Special characters enhancing search queries and filtering results.
Server
Computer hosting a website and delivering content to users.
Server response time
Time it takes for a server to respond to a website request.
Server-side rendering (SSR)
Generating web content on the server before sending it to users.
Sitemap (XML or HTML)
File listing website pages for search engines to crawl more efficiently.
SPA (Single Page Application)
Application loaded once and updated dynamically without full page reloads.
Staging website
Replica of a website for testing and development before publishing changes.
SSL/TLS certificate
Provides secure encryption for communication between website and user.
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URL structure
Organization of website page addresses including paths and parameters.
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Website recovery
Process of restoring a website after technical issues or security breaches.
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X Robots header
Header used in robots.txt file for advanced instructions to search
On-Page SEO Glossary
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Content quality
Value, relevance, and usefulness of webpage content for users.
Content structure
Organization and presentation of content (headings, formatting).
Competition score
Metric indicating competition for a keyword in search results.
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Entities
Real-world objects or concepts search engines can identify in content.
E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Quality evaluation framework by Google.
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Image optimization
Improving visibility and ranking of images in search results.
Internal link optimization
Strategically linking between pages within a website.
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Keyword density
Frequency of a keyword or phrase within a webpage's content.
Keyword gap
Difference between keywords a website ranks for and could rank for.
Keyword mapping
Aligning keywords with specific webpages.
Keyword research
Identifying and analysing keywords potential customers use.
Keyword scraping
Extracting keywords from various sources.
LSI keywords
Latent Semantic Indexing keywords (related terms and synonyms).
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Link anchor text
Visible text of a hyperlink.
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NLP (Natural Language Processing)
Field of computer science enabling computers to understand human language.
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Semantic SEO
Approach to SEO focusing on understanding meaning and intent behind searches.
Search volume
Number of times a keyword is searched for in a given period.
Soloing
Targeting a single keyword on a webpage (often leading to unnatural content).
Supporting content
Additional content supplementing the main content on a webpage.
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Video optimization
Improving visibility and ranking of videos in search results.
Off-Page SEO Glossary
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Anchor text
Visible text of a hyperlink.
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Backlink
Hyperlink from another website to your website.
Backlink profile
Complete set of backlinks pointing to your website.
Backlink audit
Analysing your backlink profile to identify high-quality and spammy links.
Broken link building
Finding and replacing broken links on other websites with links to your content.
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Disavow
Manually informing Google to ignore specific backlinks.
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Editorial link
Natural, non-paid link earned through content quality and relevance.
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Guest blogging
Writing and publishing content on other websites to gain exposure and backlinks.
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Link exchange
Reciprocal linking between websites (can be seen as manipulative).
Linkless mentions
Positive mentions of your brand or website without a hyperlink.
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PageRank
Google's algorithm for measuring webpage importance, influenced by backlinks.
Public relations (PR)
Earning positive mentions and links in media and online communities.
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Social media outreach
Sharing content and engaging on social media to build links and awareness.
Strategic partnerships
Collaborating with other websites or organisations to generate mutually beneficial links.
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Toxic link
Low-quality or spammy link that could harm your website's ranking.
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Unnatural links
Links obtained through manipulative or spammy tactics, penalised by search engines.
SEO Analytics & Reporting
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Average Engagement Time
Average time users spend interacting with your website content (scrolling, clicking, etc.).
Average Session Duration
Average time users spend on your website during a single session.
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Bounce Rate
Percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page.
Behaviour Flow
Visual representation of user paths through your website, illustrating navigation patterns.
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Clicks
Manually informing Google to ignore specific backlinks.
Conversions
Completed actions desired by your website, such as purchases, signups, or downloads.
Conversion Funnel
Series of steps users take to convert on your website.
Conversion Rate
Percentage of visitors who complete a desired action.
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
Percentage of times users click on a link after seeing it in search results or elsewhere.
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Demographics
User data like age, gender, location, and interests.
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Events
Specific user actions on your website tracked by analytics tools, like watching a video or clicking a button.
Exit Pages
Pages where users leave your website.
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Goal Completions
Specific actions considered successful within the context of your website's goals.
Google Analytics 4
Google's latest web analytics platform with enhanced privacy features and user-centric data collection.
Google Search Console
Free tool from Google providing insights into your website's performance in search results, including clicks, impressions, and indexing errors.
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Heatmaps
Visual representations of user clicks and scroll behaviour on your website.
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Keyword Rankings
Positions of your website's pages for specific keywords in search results.
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Landing Pages
Pages where users first enter your website after clicking a link.
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Mobile Traffic
Website traffic originating from mobile devices.
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New vs. Returning Users
Breakdown of new and returning website visitors.
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Organic Traffic
Visitors who reach your website through unpaid search engine results.
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Pageviews
Number of times individual pages on your website are loaded.
Page Path
Sequence of pages users visit during a session.
Search Queries
Keywords users used to find your website in search results.
Session Depth
Average number of pages visited per session.
Sessions
Groups of user interactions with your website within a certain timeframe (usually 30 minutes of inactivity).
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Top Landing Pages
Pages where users most frequently enter your website.
Traffic Sources
Channels through which users access your website, like search engines, social media, or direct visits.
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User Engagement
Measure of user interaction with your website's content and elements.
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Visitor Flow
Similar to Behavior Flow, it shows the overall journey of users through your website.
General SEO Terms
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Affiliate SEO
Optimising websites to promote affiliate products for commissions.
AI SEO (Artificial Intelligence SEO)
Utilising AI technologies for automated tasks and data analysis in SEO strategies.
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B2B SEO (Business-to-Business SEO)
Optimising websites for business-related keywords.
B2C SEO (Business-to-Consumer SEO)
Optimising websites for keywords relevant to individual consumers.
Black hat SEO
Unethical practices violating search engine guidelines to manipulate rankings (often penalised).
Blue hat SEO
Testing boundaries of search engine guidelines without overtly breaking them.
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ChatGPT
A large language model chatbot for creative text generation.
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Direct traffic
Visitors arriving directly through URLs or bookmarks.
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Optimising online stores for product-related keywords and organic traffic.
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Holistic SEO
Comprehensive approach to SEO considering all aspects, including technical, on-page, and off-page factors.
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JavaScript SEO
Ensuring proper crawling and indexing of JavaScript-generated content.
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LLM (Large Language Model)
AI models like Bard and ChatGPT capable of generating human-quality text.
Optimising websites for geographic-specific keywords in local search results.
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Mobile SEO
Optimising websites for optimal user experience and search engine performance on mobile devices.
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NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
Consistency of these online business details for local SEO.
Negative SEO
Malicious attempts to lower competitors' rankings by manipulating their backlinks.
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Organic Traffic
Visitors reaching a website through unpaid search engine results.
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Programmatic SEO
Using automation and technology to scale and streamline SEO processes.
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Referral traffic
Visitors arriving through links from other websites.
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SaaS SEO (Software as a Service SEO)
Optimising websites offering subscription-based software services.
Schema markup
Structured data providing search engines with richer information about website content.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page displayed by a search engine after a user enters a query.
SPA SEO (Single Page Application SEO)
Optimising websites built as single-page applications for search engines.
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Technical SEO
Optimising website infrastructure and behind-the-scenes aspects for better crawling and indexing.
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Voice search SEO
Optimising content and keywords for voice-activated searches.
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White hat SEO
Ethical SEO practices aligned with search engine guidelines for sustainable results.
White label SEO
An SEO agency providing services to other agencies or businesses, often under their client's branding.
WordPress SEO
Optimising websites built on the WordPress platform, addressing its specific SEO challenges.
Wix SEO
Optimising websites built on the Wix platform, considering its unique features and limitations.
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YouTube SEO
Optimising videos and channels on YouTube for higher search rankings.
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