SEO Terminology Glossary: A Transparent Guide

At SEO Organic, we believe in transparency and making SEO easy to understand. Here’s a clear, jargon-free glossary of the most important SEO terms, so you can feel confident and informed about the strategies we use to grow your business.

A

• Algorithm

A set of rules search engines use to rank websites. Algorithms consider factors like relevance, quality, and user experience to determine rankings.

• Alt Text (Alternative Text)

A description added to an image’s HTML tag. It helps search engines understand the image content and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.

• Anchor Text

The clickable text in a hyperlink. It should be descriptive and relevant to the page being linked to.

B

• Backlink

A link from one website to another. High-quality backlinks are essential for improving your website’s authority and rankings.

• Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate can indicate poor user experience.

• Broken Link

A hyperlink that leads to a non-existent or removed page, causing a 404 error.

C

• Canonical Tag

A tag that tells search engines which version of a page to index when duplicate content exists.

• Crawling

The process where search engine bots (or spiders) scan a website’s content to understand and index it.

• CTR (Click-Through Rate)

The percentage of users who click on your link after seeing it in search results.

• Conversion Rate

The percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

D

• Domain Authority (DA)

A score (created by Moz) that predicts how well a website is likely to rank on search engines.

• Duplicate Content

Content that appears in more than one place on the internet. This can confuse search engines and negatively impact rankings.

E

• E-A-T

Stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—key factors Google uses to evaluate content quality.

• External Link

A link that points from your website to a different website.

F

• Featured Snippet

A summary of an answer to a query displayed at the top of Google search results, often called “Position Zero.”

• Focus Keyword

The primary keyword or phrase that your content is targeting for ranking.

G

• Google Analytics

A free tool that provides insights into your website’s traffic, audience behavior, and more.

• Google Search Console

A free tool to monitor your website’s search performance, fix indexing issues, and understand search traffic.

H

• Heading Tags (H1, H2, etc.)

HTML tags used to structure content hierarchically. The H1 tag is typically the page title and the most important for SEO.

• Hidden Text

Text that’s invisible to users but visible to search engines. This practice is against Google’s guidelines.

I

• Indexing

The process by which search engines store and organize content from websites so it can appear in search results.

• Internal Link

A hyperlink pointing to another page on the same website.

• Impressions

The number of times your content or page appears in search results.

K

• Keyword

Words or phrases people type into search engines to find information.

• Keyword Density

The percentage of times a keyword appears in content relative to the total word count.

• Keyword Research

The process of finding and analyzing search terms that people use, to create content or strategies targeting those keywords.

L

• Local SEO

Optimising your website to appear in local search results, often for queries like “near me” or specific locations.

• Long-Tail Keywords

Longer, more specific search phrases, often easier to rank for and more targeted.

M

• Meta Description

A short description of a webpage, displayed in search results under the title.

• Mobile-First Indexing

Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking.

N

• NAP (Name, Address, Phone)

Critical for local SEO, ensuring your business details are consistent across directories.

• NoFollow Link

A hyperlink with a tag telling search engines not to pass authority to the linked page.

O

• On-Page SEO

Optimisations made directly on your website, like improving content, tags, and structure.

• Organic Traffic

Visitors who find your website through unpaid search engine results.

• Outbound Link

A link pointing from your website to another website.

P

• Page Speed

How quickly a webpage loads. Faster websites provide better user experiences and rank higher.

• PPC (Pay-Per-Click)

Paid advertising where you’re charged for each click. Not part of organic SEO, which focuses on unpaid results.

R

• Ranking

The position of a webpage in search results for a specific query.

• Rich Snippet

Enhanced search results (e.g., with images or reviews) created using structured data.

S

• Schema Markup

Code added to your site to help search engines display rich snippets.

• Search Intent

The purpose behind a user’s query—whether they’re looking for information, making a purchase, or finding a specific website.

• SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

The page showing search results for a query.

• Sitemap

A file listing all your website’s pages, helping search engines crawl it more effectively.

T

• Title Tag

The main title of a webpage, displayed in search results and the browser tab.

• Traffic

The number of visitors to a website.

U

• URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The web address of a specific page or resource.

• User Experience (UX)

The overall experience a user has while navigating your website.

V

• Voice Search

Queries spoken to devices like Siri or Alexa, becoming increasingly relevant for SEO.

W

• Web Crawler

Bots used by search engines to scan websites and gather content for indexing.

• White-Hat SEO

Ethical SEO practices that align with search engine guidelines.

Y

• Yoast SEO

A popular WordPress plugin for on-page SEO optimisation.

• YMYL (Your Money, Your Life)

Content topics related to health, safety, or finances, held to higher quality standards by search engines.

This glossary, whilst about as interesting as reading a dictionary, is intended as a free resource and will empower you to understand SEO and how it can help your business without unnecessary jargon. If there are terms you’d like added or explained further, let us know!