Learning about SEO means discovering new strategies, technologies…and terminology. Here’s my SEO glossary with 21 simple definitions to help you feel like a pro and talk about your SEO strategy.
THE BASICS
SEO
Search Engine Optimization. Best practices to rank a website higher and more consistently for searches relating to your products or services.
Search Engine
A web-based program that provides relevant websites or resources for keywords entered in its queries.
Organic
Traffic that is acquired without paid advertising.
SERP
Search engine results page. The page you land on when you make a search engine inquiry, typically containing 10 or more results options.
KEYWORDS
Keyword
A word or phrase entered into a search engine query.
Longtail Keyword
A longer form keyword, typically containing three or more words, that is more specific or detailed than the shorter keywords within it.
Monthly search volume
A common metric used in keyword research, representing the average amount of times a particular keyword was searched in one month.
Keyword density
The percentage of copy containing target keywords. Best practice keyword densities are between one and two percent.
TYPES OF SEO
Back-end SEO
Technical SEO that occurs behind the scenes in your website, and typically isn’t visible just from looking at your website.
Front-end SEO
Content-related SEO that involves optimizing the content and website audience experience to attract search engines.
White hat SEO
By-the-book practices that follow search engine rules and prioritize audience experience.
Black hat SEO
Higher risk practices that involve “breaking the rules” to rank a website higher in search engine results.
TECH TALK
Snippet
A result on a search engine results page (SERP) that typically contains a title, website URL, and brief description.
Meta Title
A technical title for your web page contained in the code that appears on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Meta Description
A brief description about your web page contained in the code that appears on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Link Building
The process of strategically including links to trusted or partner websites in your copy to promote SEO.
Crawling
The process of Google robots, sometimes referred to as “spiders,” reviewing your website for new or changed content.
Indexing
The behind-the-scenes process in which Google robots determines if a web page has relevant content for particular searches and stores it for future queries.
Sitemap
A file that serves as your website’s “blueprint,” often consisting of a list of pages and a structural guide, to help search engines understand your site.
TOOLS
Google Analytics
A web analytics platform which allows you to track website visit data including demographics, source, behavior, and more. Learn more here.
Google Search Console
A web analytics platform which allows you to monitor and manage your website’s search engine performance and visibility. Learn more here.
Linda Walkowich 