Glossary: Common SEO Terms

SEO Glossary

A-B-C Terms

Algorithm

A complex set of rules search engines use to rank web pages in their search results.

Alt Text (Alternative Text)

Descriptive text added to images to help search engines understand their content and improve accessibility.

Backlink

A hyperlink from one website to another; important for SEO as a signal of authority and trust.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of users who leave a site after viewing only one page.

Canonical URL

The preferred URL version of a web page, used to avoid duplicate content issues.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

The ratio of users who click on a search result to the total number who view it.

D-F Terms

Domain Authority (DA)

A score that predicts how well a website will rank on search engines, often provided by SEO tools.

Duplicate Content

Blocks of content within or across domains that are identical or very similar, which can hurt rankings.

Featured Snippet

A summary answer boxed at the top of Google’s search results page, pulled from a webpage.

G-I Terms

Google Search Console (GSC)

A free Google service that helps website owners monitor and troubleshoot their site's presence in Google Search results.

Headings (H1, H2, etc.)

HTML tags used to structure content into sections and signal importance to search engines.

HTTP/HTTPS

Protocols for delivering web pages. HTTPS is the secure version and favored by search engines.

K-N Terms

Keyword

Words or phrases users type into search engines; core to SEO targeting.

Keyword Density

The percentage of times a keyword appears on a page compared to the total word count.

Load Time

The time it takes for a web page to fully load; faster is better for SEO and user experience.

Meta Description

A short summary of a page’s content shown in search results snippets.

Meta Tags

HTML tags that provide metadata about a webpage, like title and description.

Noindex Tag

A directive telling search engines not to index a page in search results.

O-R Terms

Organic Traffic

Visitors who arrive at a website via unpaid search engine results.

Page Authority (PA)

A score predicting how well a specific page will rank in search engines.

Pogo-Sticking

When users quickly bounce back and forth between search results after clicking a result, signaling dissatisfaction.

Redirect

A way to send both users and search engines to a different URL than originally requested.

Robots.txt

A file that tells search engines which pages or files to crawl or not to crawl.

S-Z Terms

Schema Markup

Code added to a website to help search engines better understand its content and display rich results.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query.

Sitemap

A file listing all important pages of a website to help search engines crawl the site effectively.

Title Tag

The clickable headline shown in search results; important for SEO and user experience.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The web address of a page.

Web Crawler (Spider/Bot)

Software used by search engines to browse and index websites.