| Term | Meaning |
| .edu Links | Links from educational sites (.edu); once valued, now less impactful. |
| .gov Links | Links from government websites, highly trusted but often targeted by spam. |
| .htaccess File | Hidden file configuring extra functionality on Apache Web Server sites. |
| 10 blue links | Standard format for displaying search results: ten organic results in the same format. |
| 10x Content | Content at least ten times better than the current top-ranking result for the target keyword. |
| 2xx Status Codes | Server response indicating a successful request. |
| 301 Redirect | A permanent redirect from one URL to another, signaling search engines to prioritize the new URL. |
| 302 Redirect | Temporary redirect indicating a page has moved temporarily without passing SEO trust. |
| 304 Not Modified | HTTP response code indicating a cached resource hasn’t changed and doesn’t need retransmission. |
| 307 Redirect | Temporary redirect (HTTP 1.1) specifying a resource has moved temporarily. |
| 403 Error | HTTP status code indicating a client is forbidden from accessing a valid URL. |
| 404 Error | Error indicating a page not found. These should be resolved with 301 redirects or other methods. |
| 410 Gone | HTTP status code indicating a resource is permanently unavailable. |
| 4xx Status Codes | Server response indicating an unsuccessful request due to a client-side error, like “Page Not Found.” |
| 500 Internal Server Error | Server error indicating failure while processing a request. |
| 502 Bad Gateway | Server error indicating an issue handling the request. |
| 5xx Status Codes | Server response indicating an issue on the server side. |
| A/B Testing | Comparing two versions of a campaign (e.g., websites, ads) to determine the better performer. |
| Above the Fold | Content visible before scrolling; too many ads here can lower rankings (Page Layout Algorithm). |
| Absolute Link | A complete URL specifying the full path of a webpage or file. |
| Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) | Accelerated Mobile Pages; speeds up mobile pages but no longer a requirement for Top Stories. |
| Access Log | Log of all requests made by users or bots on a website. |
| Ad Impressions | Number of times an advertisement is displayed, regardless of clicks. |
| Ad Keyword | Query triggering paid search results. |
| Ad Rank | Value determining ad position and visibility in search results. |
| ADA Compliance | Adherence of a website to standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. |
| Adobe Analytics | Analytics software for real-time web and marketing data. |
| AdSense | Google platform for contextual ads, where publishers earn revenue for ad clicks on their websites. |
| Advanced search operators | Special characters and commands for refining search queries. |
| AdWords | Google’s self-serve advertising platform, now called Google Ads, using quality scores to determine ad placement. |
| Affiliate | Marketing products or services for a commission. |
| Affiliate Marketing | Marketing model where affiliates earn commissions for driving traffic or sales to a business. |
| AhrefsBot | Web crawler used by Ahrefs to index pages and links. |
| AJAX | Web development technique allowing data requests without page reloads. |
| Alexa | Amazon-owned service ranking websites based on traffic estimates and user engagement. |
| Algorithm | Process used by search engines (e.g., Google) to rank organic search results based on various signals. |
| Algorithm Change | Changes to search engine algorithms in three forms: updates, refreshes, or new algorithms. |
| ALT Text | Text describing images for search engines and accessibility tools, improving SEO and usability. |
| Ambiguous intent | A search phrase with unclear user goals, needing more specification. |
| Amplification | Sharing or promoting a brand through social media, ads, and influencer marketing. |
| Analytics | Systems like Google Analytics used to monitor website traffic, user behavior, and performance metrics. |
| Anchor Text | The clickable text in a hyperlink, providing context about the linked page’s content. |
| Arbitrage | Exploiting price differences between markets, like reselling products or traffic for profit. |
| Article Spinning | Rewriting content to create multiple versions, often automated. |
| Article Syndication | Republishing content on third-party sites. |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Technology simulating human decision-making and problem-solving processes. |
| Astroturfing | Concealing sponsors behind grassroots campaigns, like fake reviews to improve online reputation. |
| Async | Asynchronous tasks run without blocking other operations. |
| Author Authority | Using an author’s reputation as a factor for credibility; emphasized in E-A-T for YMYL niches. |
| Authority | Signals used by search engines to evaluate website/page credibility for rankings. |
| Authority Score | Semrush metric measuring domain quality and influence in SEO. |
| Auto-generated content | Programmatically created content, not written by humans. |
| Average Difficulty | Semrush metric showing the difficulty of ranking for keywords in a list. |
| Average Position | Average ranking position for keywords in a campaign. |
| B2B SEO | Business-to-business SEO targeting professionals with longer buying cycles and higher costs. |
| B2C | Business-to-consumer SEO targeting shorter buying cycles and consumers with generally lower costs. |
| Backlink | A link from one website to another. Backlinks indicate the authority of a site. |
| Backlink Analysis | Evaluation of websites linking to your site or competitors’ sites to identify good and bad links for optimization or disavowal. |
| Backlinks | Links from other websites pointing to your website; essential for SEO and ranking improvement. |
| Baidu | Leading search engine in China, launched in 2000. |
| Bait and Switch | Creating a site for one purpose and switching to another, like overloading ads after gaining authority. |
| Banner Blindness | User tendency to ignore traditional banner ads due to oversaturation. |
| Banners | Picture ads (468×60 pixels) that can be static, interactive, or animated, used for online advertising. |
| Behavioral Targeting | Directing ads based on users’ past behavior, such as searches, purchases, or site visits, using cookies. |
| Beta | Software in final testing before public release. |
| Bing | Microsoft’s search engine, launched in 2009, powering Yahoo! Search. |
| Bing Ads | Microsoft’s paid advertising platform, similar to Google Ads, using bids and click-through rates for ad placement. |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Free tool by Microsoft to monitor a website’s Bing search performance. |
| Bingbot | Microsoft’s web crawler for building Bing’s search index. |
| Black Box | A complex, confidential program like Google’s algorithm with observable inputs/outputs. |
| Black Hat | Tactics that violate search engine guidelines to manipulate rankings. |
| Black Hat SEO | Unethical SEO practices that exploit search engine algorithms, often leading to penalties. |
| Blog | Informal, regularly updated content platform, often part of content marketing strategies. |
| Bookmark | A saved link in a browser for quick access to a webpage. |
| Boolean Search | Advanced search technique using operators like AND, OR, NOT to refine search results. |
| Bots | Software known as “crawlers” or “spiders” used for tasks such as crawling and indexing webpages. |
| Bounce Rate | Percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page, indicating a lack of engagement with the content. |
| Brand | A company or organization associated with specific products or services. |
| Brand Authority | Moz score (1-100) measuring the overall strength of a brand. |
| Branded Content | Content created by brands to promote their products, services, or values. |
| Branded Keywords | Keywords containing exact or partial matches of a company or brand name. |
| Breadcrumb | A navigation aid showing a webpage’s position within a site’s hierarchy (e.g., Home > Category > Page). |
| Bridge Page | A page designed solely to redirect users to another site. |
| Broken Link | A hyperlink that no longer works due to moved or deleted content. |
| Browser | Software for accessing the internet (e.g., Chrome, Safari). |
| Bundling | Combining multiple resources into one for efficiency. |
| Buyer Intent Keywords | Search terms indicating a user’s intent to make a purchase. |
| Cache | Stored version of a webpage indexed by a search engine. |
| Cached Page | Saved version of a webpage stored on a server. |
| Caching | Saved versions of a webpage. |
| Caffeine | Google’s web indexing system. |
| Call to Action (CTA) | Instruction encouraging users to take action, e.g., “Sign Up.” |
| Canonical Tag | HTML tag directing search engines to consider a specified URL as the primary version, avoiding duplicate content issues. |
| Canonical URL | Specifies the preferred version of a duplicate content page to reduce SEO issues, specified using <link rel=canonical>. |
| Carousel | Scrollable set of images in a SERP feature. |
| Cart Abandon Rate | Percentage of visitors who add items to a cart but leave without completing a purchase. |
| ccTLD | Country code domain indicating a site’s geographic relevance, e.g., .uk for the United Kingdom. |
| Channel | Traffic sources, such as organic search or social media. |
| Chatbot | AI software for automated interactions, improving user engagement and SEO. |
| Citation | Mention of a business’s name, address, and phone number online, impacting local SEO. |
| Citation Building | Securing mentions of a business’s NAP online. |
| Citations | Online references to a business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). |
| Click Bait | Misleading content designed to entice clicks for ad revenue. |
| Click Depth | Number of clicks from the homepage to a destination page; influences crawlability. |
| Click Potential | Predicted likelihood of a search result being clicked if ranked first. |
| Click-Through Rate | Ratio of impressions to clicks on URLs. |
| Clickstream Data | Data tracking user browsing behavior. |
| Client-side rendering | Code executed in the browser. |
| Cloaking | Black hat tactic where content shown to users differs from what’s shown to search engines. |
| CMS (Content Management System) | Backend software used for creating and managing website content, e.g., WordPress or Magento. |
| Co-Citation | Frequency of two websites mentioned together by a third party, establishing subject similarity. |
| Co-occurrence | Keywords appearing together on topic-related pages. |
| Code-to-Text Ratio | Ratio of text to code on a page, affecting user experience but not a ranking factor. |
| Comment Spam | Irrelevant, promotional comments by spambots for links. |
| Commercial investigation queries | Queries for comparing products to find the best fit. |
| Competition | Direct competitors (similar products) or SEO competitors (shared keywords). |
| Computer-Generated Content | Content created by software that mimics human writing. |
| Content | Information in various forms (text, images, videos) essential for SEO and audience engagement. |
| Content Delivery Network (CDN) | Distributed server network for faster website access. |
| Content Gap Analysis | Identifying missing topics compared to competitors. |
| Content Hub | Interlinked collections of content on a similar topic. |
| Content is King | Emphasizes the importance of high-quality content in SEO. |
| Content Marketing | Using blogs, videos, and other content to attract and engage an audience, driving traffic and conversions. |
| Content Relevance | The degree to which content meets reader needs and interests. |
| Contextual Advertising | Serving ads relevant to the accompanying content, e.g., Google AdSense. |
| Conversion | Any desired action taken on a website, such as a purchase or form submission. |
| Conversion Form | Web form used to collect visitor data and generate leads. |
| Conversion Rate | Percentage of actions (e.g., clicks, sign-ups) after total interactions. |
| Cookie | Data file stored in a user’s browser for tracking and personalization purposes. |
| Core Update | Broad changes to Google’s core algorithm for better search results. |
| Core Web Vitals | Metrics measuring page performance: loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP), and stability (CLS). |
| Cornerstone Content | Key articles that a website wants to rank highly in search results. |
| Correlation | Relationship between variables in SEO; doesn’t imply causation. |
| CPA (Cost Per Action) | Online advertising model where payment is made only when a user completes a specified action. |
| CPC (Cost Per Click) | Advertising model where advertisers pay for each click on their ad. |
| CPM (Cost Per Thousand) | Cost of 1,000 impressions in Pay-Per-Click advertising. |
| Crawl | Automated search and data collection process for website pages and their SEO elements. |
| Crawl Budget | Number of URLs a search engine can and wants to crawl on a site during a time period. |
| Crawl Error | Errors preventing search engines from accessing pages. |
| Crawlability | How easily search engines can access a website’s content. |
| Crawler | Software that gathers website data for indexing by search engines. |
| Crawler directives | Instructions for what bots should crawl and index on a site. |
| Crawler/Bot | Programs sent by search engines to comb through & index webpages. SEOs use them for auditing & diagnosing website issues. |
| Crawling | The process by which search engines discover new & updated web pages using automated bots called crawlers or spiders. |
| Critical rendering path | Steps to convert HTML, CSS, and JS into a viewable page. |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management practices to retain and convert customers. |
| CRO | Conversion Rate Optimization improves conversion rates through testing design and messaging. |
| CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) | Style sheet language defining the appearance of HTML elements on a webpage. |
| CTR (Click-Through Rate) | Percentage of users who click on a website link from search results. |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Measure of unexpected shifts in webpage layout during loading. |
| Customer Journey | Steps a consumer takes from brand awareness to purchase and beyond. |
| Cybersquatting | Registering popular domain names to sell them at high prices to businesses. |
| DA (Domain Authority) | Moz metric predicting a domain’s ranking ability; used for comparisons. |
| Data | Numbers representing customers, critical for informed SEO decisions. |
| De-index | Removing a webpage/site from search results, voluntarily or as a penalty. |
| Dead Link | Broken links that lead to nonexistent pages, potentially harming SEO. |
| Dead-End Page | Webpage with no outbound links, halting user or bot navigation. |
| Declined Keywords | Keywords with decreased rankings but still in the top 100. |
| Deep Link | A link to a specific page within a site, rather than the homepage. |
| Deep Link Ratio | Ratio of deep links to homepage links; indicates content quality. |
| Deindexed | URLs removed from a search engine index, often due to penalties. |
| Destination Site | The site a user visits after leaving a domain. |
| Direct Traffic | Visitors accessing a site directly via URL or unrecognized traffic sources. |
| Directory | Human-edited website list categorized by relevance; can be free or paid. |
| Directory Links | Local business listings or low-quality links violating Google’s guidelines. |
| Disavow | Requesting Google to ignore harmful backlinks affecting your site. |
| Disavow File | File submitted to Google listing backlinks to ignore. |
| Display Ads | Online ads combining text, images, and links, often static or animated. |
| Distance | Proximity of the searcher or specified location in a query (local pack context). |
| DMOZ | Former large online directory called “Open Directory Project”; ended in 2017. |
| DNS | Links domain names to IP addresses for browsers to load resources. |
| Do-follow | Links passing authority to the linked site; boost SEO. |
| Dofollow Link | Link that passes PageRank and SEO authority. |
| DoFollow vs. Nofollow | DoFollow links pass link equity to the target, while Nofollow links instruct search engines to ignore the link. |
| DOM | Structure of an HTML document, accessible and modifiable via JavaScript. |
| Domain | The main address of a website, e.g., www.example.com. |
| Domain Age | Time since a domain’s registration. |
| Domain Authority | A Moz-developed metric (0–100) that assesses a website’s ability to rank, though not an official ranking factor. |
| Domain History | Previous activities/backlinks associated with a domain. |
| Domain name registrar | Company managing internet domain reservations (e.g., GoDaddy). |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Metric measuring a website’s authority based on its backlink profile. |
| Domain Structure | Organization of a website’s domain name, subdomains, and directories. |
| Doorway Page | Pages created to rank for similar queries, redirecting users to other pages. |
| DuckDuckGo | Privacy-focused search engine avoiding user tracking and targeted ads. |
| Duplicate Content | Blocks of content repeated across pages or sites, harmful to SEO unless managed with canonical tags. |
| Dwell Time | Time users spend on a webpage before returning to the search results. |
| Dynamic Content | Web content that changes over time or based on user interaction. |
| Dynamic Tags | Automatically generated meta tags for SEO across large sites. |
| Dynamic URL | URL with content based on variable parameters. |
| E-commerce | Online buying and selling of products or services. |
| E-E-A-T | Google’s concept for quality content: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. |
| Earned Media | Unpaid attention or content created by third parties, i.e. social posts, reviews, often achieved organically or through promotion. |
| Earnings Per Click | A metric measuring potential earnings per ad click. |
| Ecommerce | Buying/selling goods and services online (B2B, B2C, or C2C). |
| Ecommerce SEO | Optimization strategies to improve search rankings for ecommerce websites, driving traffic and sales. |
| Editorial Link | Inbound links earned organically without payment or request, driven by valuable content. |
| Editorial Links | Links earned naturally without payment or coercion. |
| Ego Bait | Content designed to attract attention from influential individuals or experts. |
| Email Outreach | Personalized emails to promote content or products to relevant people. |
| Engagement | Data showing how users interact with a site from search results. |
| Engagement Metrics | Data points like click-through rate, time on page, and repeat visits used to measure user interaction. |
| Engagement Rate (Social) | Percentage of interactions (likes, comments) relative to audience and posts. |
| Enterprise SEO | Large-scale, long-term SEO strategy aligning business goals with market potential. |
| Entities | People, places, or things represented in search (e.g., Knowledge Graph). |
| Entity | Unique, distinct object, concept, or idea (e.g., person, place, item). |
| Entity-Based SEO | SEO approach focusing on entities rather than just keywords. |
| Entry Page | First page a user views on your website. |
| Estimated Accuracy | Metric gauging the reliability of Semrush traffic data. |
| Estimated Traffic | Predicted traffic for a website from various sources. |
| Everflux | Google’s term for continuous updates to its search algorithms and indexes. |
| Evergreen Content | Content that remains relevant and doesn’t go out of date. |
| Exact Match Keywords | Keywords exactly matching user queries for targeted search results. |
| Exit Rate | Percentage of visitors who leave the website after viewing a specific page. |
| External Link | Links pointing to a different domain or website, used by search engines to evaluate page quality. |
| Facebook Engagement | Total reactions, shares, and comments on Facebook posts. |
| Faceted Navigation | Navigation with sorting/filtering options on websites with many listings, like e-commerce. |
| Favicon | Small graphics representing a brand in browsers and search results. |
| Featured Snippet | A special box above search results showing a summary, title, URL, and content (Position Zero). |
| Featured snippets | Organic answer boxes appearing at the top of SERPs for specific queries. |
| Fetch and Render tool | Google Search Console tool to view pages as Google sees them. |
| File compression | Reducing file size through encoding. |
| File Transfer Protocol (FTP) | A protocol used to transfer files between a computer and a website’s server. |
| Findability | Ease of discovering website content by users and search engines. |
| First Link Priority | Theory that Google values anchor text of the first link to the same page. |
| Flat Design | Minimalistic web design style without 3D effects or skeuomorphism. |
| Focus Keyword | Primary keyword targeted for ranking in search results. |
| Follow | Default link state that passes PageRank. |
| Follow Links | Links passing trust and SEO value to the linked site. |
| Footer Link | Hyperlinks placed in the footer of webpages, often site-wide. |
| Forum | Online message boards for community discussions on niche topics. |
| Fresh Content | New or updated website content that attracts search engine crawlers and user engagement. |
| Freshness | Google prioritizes fresh content for certain queries (e.g., news, events). |
| FTP (File Transfer Protocol) | Protocol for transferring files between computers or networks. |
| Gated Content | Content accessible only after visitors provide contact information. |
| Gateway Page | Page created to rank for search queries but redirects visitors elsewhere without value. |
| GBP Optimization | Semrush tool for managing Google Business Profile to improve local search. |
| GDPR | EU regulation for data protection and privacy. |
| Geo-Targeting | Delivering ads or content based on a user’s geographical location. |
| Geographic modifiers | Terms describing a location or service area, e.g., “pizza in Seattle.” |
| Google | Most-used search engine, founded in 1998, based on crawling and algorithms. |
| Google AdSense | Google’s program allowing publishers to display targeted ads on their websites. |
| Google Alerts | Free service that monitors web content changes for specific search queries. |
| Google Algorithm | Complex system determining search results based on relevance and query matching, continuously updated. |
| Google Analytics | Online tool for analyzing website traffic, user behavior, and SEO campaign progress. |
| Google Analytics (GA) | Free Google tool providing detailed website activity insights. |
| Google Analytics Goals | Actions tracked as goals for conversion analysis. |
| Google Autocomplete | Search suggestions shown while typing in Google’s search bar. |
| Google Bomb | Manipulative linking to rank controversial phrases (e.g., “miserable failure”). |
| Google Bombing | Manipulating search rankings for humorous or unexpected results. |
| Google Business Profile | Free listing for businesses, visible in Google Maps and search results. |
| Google Caffeine | Search index introduced in 2010 for fresher, faster results. |
| Google Dance | Term for volatile search rankings during index updates (early 2000s). |
| Google Hummingbird | Algorithm update (2013) focusing on understanding natural language queries. |
| Google Keyword Planner | Tool for keyword research, search volumes, and competition insights. |
| Google Keyword Tool | Google’s free tool for keyword research, providing search volumes, competition, and related keyword suggestions. |
| Google Knowledge Graph | Database of entities and their relationships. |
| Google Knowledge Panel | SERP feature displaying information about a query’s main subject. |
| Google Looker Studio | Free tool for customizing data visualizations and reports. |
| Google My Business | Free business listing available to local businesses. |
| Google Panda | Algorithm update filtering low-quality or thin content, now part of Google’s core algorithm. |
| Google Panda Algorithm | Update rewarding high-quality sites and penalizing low-quality content. |
| Google Penalties | Consequences for violating Google’s guidelines, ranging from ranking drops to removal from search results. |
| Google Penalty | Punishment for violating Google’s webmaster quality guidelines. |
| Google Penguin | Algorithm update (2012) targeting manipulative links and keyword stuffing. |
| Google Penguin Algorithm | Update targeting manipulative link schemes and keyword stuffing. |
| Google Pigeon | Local search algorithm improving relevance and accuracy (2014). |
| Google Pigeon Update | Local search algorithm improving organic ranking for local businesses. |
| Google Quality Guidelines | Rules from Google outlining forbidden SEO tactics. |
| Google RankBrain | Machine learning component of Google’s core algorithm (2015) for query understanding. |
| Google Review Link | URL directing customers to leave feedback on Google Business Profile. |
| Google Sandbox | Alleged filter preventing new sites from ranking high in competitive queries. |
| Google SE Traffic | Estimated visitors from Google’s top 100 organic results. |
| Google Search Console | A platform for monitoring and maintaining a website’s presence in Google search. |
| Google Search Operators | Special text to refine search queries (e.g., site:). |
| Google Search Text Ads | Paid Google ads shown above or below organic search results. |
| Google Tag Manager | Hub for managing website tracking codes. |
| Google Top Heavy Update | Algorithm update penalizing pages with excessive top ads. |
| Google Trends | A tool for analyzing changes in keyword search volumes over time. |
| Google Webmaster Guidelines | Recommended practices for optimizing websites while avoiding penalties. |
| Google Webmaster Tools | Now called Search Console, a free tool to check site performance in search results. |
| Googlebot/Bingbot | Search Engine web crawler for discovering and indexing webpages. |
| Gray Hat | SEO tactics in a gray area between ethical (white hat) and unethical (black hat). |
| Guest Blogging | Contributing posts to another blog for attention, authority, and backlinks. |
| Guestographic | Infographic created by you but published on other websites. |
| H1 Tag | HTML heading tag commonly used to mark up a web page title. |
| Head Term | High-search-volume, competitive keywords; opposite of long-tail keywords. |
| Header Tag | HTML code for headings (e.g., <h1>, <h2>) for structuring headings and subheadings. |
| Heat Map | Visual representation of data using colors to show high-use areas (e.g., click maps). |
| Hidden Text | Content visible to search engines but hidden from users; penalized by Google. |
| Hilltop Algorithm | Algorithm assigning expert status to topic-specific pages (2003). |
| Historical Data | Keyword and domain data from previous months, available in tools like Semrush. |
| Holistic SEO | Improving all aspects of a website for better rankings. |
| Homepage | Welcome page and main navigation hub of a website. |
| Hreflang Tags | HTML attribute specifying alternate versions of a web page for different languages/regions. |
| HSTS | Web security policy ensuring browsers use HTTPS to prevent attacks like cookie hijacking. |
| HTML (HyperText Markup Language) | Basic coding language used to structure and display content on web pages. |
| HTML Tags | Tags like H1, H2, etc., structure webpage content, helping search engines understand its hierarchy and importance. |
| HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) | Protocol for transmitting/receiving data on the web; used for HTML pages. |
| HTTP 200 Response Code | Status code indicating a successful HTTP request. |
| HTTPS | Secured version of HTTP, encrypting data between browser and server, and a ranking factor. |
| Hub Page | Authoritative, topic-focused resource linking to relevant pages. |
| Hummingbird | A Google algorithm update that improved semantic search and understanding of synonyms. |
| Hypertext | Text containing hyperlinks to other information or resources. |
| Image carousels | Scrollable image results in some SERPs. |
| Image compression | Reducing image file sizes to speed up web pages without degrading quality. |
| Image Optimization | Optimizing images to reduce file size while maintaining quality for better SEO. |
| Image sitemap | Sitemap containing only image URLs on a website. |
| Impressions | Number of times an ad is shown, not necessarily unique views. |
| Improved Keywords | Keywords with improved rankings within Semrush’s top 100 positions. |
| Inbound Link | Links from external websites pointing to your site, important for SEO authority. |
| Inbound Marketing | Attracting customers through valuable content rather than outbound promotions. |
| Index | A search engine’s database of crawled and stored web pages for generating results. |
| Index Bloat | Excessive indexing of less important pages on a site. |
| Index Coverage report | A report in Google Search Console on the indexation status of site pages. |
| Indexability | A search engine’s ability to analyze and store a web page. |
| Indexed Page | A webpage stored in a search engine’s index for retrieval. |
| Indexing | The process of adding web pages to a search engine’s database after crawling. |
| Infographic | Visual representation of data, often used for educational or marketing purposes. |
| Information Architecture | Organizing website content for usability and findability. |
| Information Architecture (IA) | Practice of organizing website content for optimal usability and visitor satisfaction. |
| Information Retrieval | Process of finding and presenting relevant data (text, images, video). |
| Informational queries | Queries where searchers seek information or answers to questions. |
| Informational Query | Search query seeking information, not products. |
| Intent | User’s underlying goal when typing a search query. |
| Internal Link | Links that connect different pages within the same website to improve navigation. |
| Internal LinkRank | Metric measuring the importance of pages based on internal link structure (0–100 scale). |
| Internal Links | Links navigating between pages on the same domain, aiding bots and navigation. |
| Interstitial Ad | Full-screen ads displayed over website or app content. |
| Invisible Web | Portions of the Internet not indexed by search engines. |
| IP Address | Unique numerical identifier for devices on the internet or local network. |
| ISP (Internet Service Provider) | Companies providing Internet access to users. |
| JavaScript (JS) | Programming language for dynamic content; can impact crawlability and page load speed. |
| JavaScript SEO | SEO practices for improving search visibility of JavaScript-heavy websites. |
| JSON-LD | Data structuring format preferred by Google for schema.org. |
| Kanban | A scheduling system for task management. |
| Key Performance Indicator (KPI) | A specific metric to measure marketing success, e.g., bounce rate indicates first-time visitor interest. |
| Keyword | A word or phrase that users type into search engines to find information. Keywords are foundation of SEO & content strategy. |
| Keyword (Google Ads) | Terms for which a site bids in Google Ads for paid search results. |
| Keyword (Organic) | Terms ranking in Google’s organic search results, monitored by Semrush. |
| Keyword (Related) | Terms with similar SERPs in Google’s top-20 results. |
| Keyword Cannibalization | Occurs when multiple pages target the same keywords, confusing search engines and lowering rankings. |
| Keyword Clustering | Grouping similar and relevant keywords into clusters. |
| Keyword Density | Percentage of keyword usage on a page, with excessive use leading to penalties. |
| Keyword Difficulty | A Moz score estimating the difficulty of outranking competitors for a keyword. |
| Keyword Explorer | A Moz tool for keyword research and discovery. |
| Keyword Lists | Comprehensive list of target keywords for content and link strategies. |
| Keyword Metrics | Data showing keyword performance in search strategies. |
| Keyword Modifiers | Words (e.g., adjectives) refining keyword meaning for precision. |
| Keyword Not Provided | Organic searches not visible in Google Analytics due to user privacy. |
| Keyword Overview | Semrush tool providing analytics for queried keywords. |
| Keyword Prominence | Positioning keywords high on a page for better ranking signals. |
| Keyword Ranking | A website’s position in search results for a specific keyword. |
| Keyword Research | The process of identifying popular search terms and phrases used by your audience. |
| Keyword Stemming | Google’s ability to understand keyword variations like plurals or tenses (e.g., shop/shopping). |
| Keyword Stuffing | Overusing a keyword on a page to manipulate search rankings, often penalized. |
| Keyword Value | Cost-per-click value showing keyword worth for paid campaigns. |
| Knowledge Graph | SERP feature providing a quick profile of a query with related images and searches. |
| Knowledge Panel | Google’s factual box for entities, shown at the top/right of search results. |
| Landing Page | Standalone page designed for conversions through specific calls to action. |
| Large Language Models (LLMs) | AI algorithms for understanding and generating human language (e.g., GPT). |
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | Core Web Vital measuring time taken to render the largest visible content. |
| Latent Semantic Analysis | Technique analyzing relationships between documents and terms. |
| Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) | A method search engines use to analyze relationships between terms in content. |
| Lazy Loading | Deferring the loading of objects until needed to improve speed. |
| Lead | Potential customer showing interest by providing contact information. |
| Link | Connection between websites via HTML, critical for navigation and ranking. |
| Link accessibility | Ease of finding a link by visitors or crawlers. |
| Link Bait | Attention-grabbing content meant to attract backlinks. |
| Link Baiting | Content designed to attract backlinks from other websites. |
| Link Building | The practice of acquiring backlinks to increase a site’s authority and ranking. |
| Link Churn | Measurement of lost links over time. |
| Link Equity/ Link Juice | Ranking power passed from a linking page to target page, influenced by factors i.e. domain authority, relevance, link type. |
| Link Exchange | Reciprocal linking tactic (“you link to me, I’ll link to you”), often violating guidelines. |
| Link Explorer | Moz tool for discovering and analyzing links. |
| Link Farm | Group of websites linking to each other to manipulate rankings (spam tactic). |
| Link Hoarding | Retaining link popularity by avoiding external linking. |
| Link Juice | Value passed through a link from one page/site to another. |
| Link Popularity | Total number of inbound links; quality matters more than quantity. |
| Link Profile | Assessment of a website’s backlinks in terms of quality, quantity, and diversity. |
| Link Reclamation | Process of recovering lost backlinks. |
| Link Reputation | Quality and relevance of a site’s link profile. |
| Link Rot | Broken links due to unavailable pages/sites. |
| Link Schemes | Manipulative linking practices, violating search engine guidelines. |
| Link Spam | Irrelevant links used to manipulate rankings. |
| Link Text | Visible, clickable text of a hyperlink (anchor text). |
| Link Velocity | Speed of link accumulation; sudden increases may indicate spamming or viral activity. |
| Link volume | Number of links on a page. |
| Linkbait | Content designed to attract backlinks. |
| Listing Management | Maintaining accurate business info across directories to boost local visibility. |
| Local Ads | Location-specific ads enhancing local business visibility. |
| Local business schema | Structured data to help search engines understand business information. |
| Local Citation | Online mentions of a business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). |
| Local Citations | Online mentions of a business’s NAP details. |
| Local Finder | Google’s section listing additional local businesses under “More Places.” |
| Local Keyword Research | Identifying keywords used for local searches to attract nearby customers. |
| Local Listings | Business details listed on directories, search engines, and social media platforms. |
| Local Marketing | Strategies to promote products/services within a specific area. |
| Local pack | Group of three local business listings for local-intent searches (e.g., “oil change near me”). |
| Local queries | Queries focused on specific locations, e.g., “coffee shops near me.” |
| Local Ranking Factors | Elements like relevance, distance, and prominence affecting local search rankings. |
| Local Search | Search results focused on a specific geographic area. |
| Local Search Grid | Google Maps tool showing keyword rankings at a hyper-local level. |
| Local Search Marketing | Efforts to improve search visibility for local businesses. |
| Local SEO | Optimizing online presence to improve visibility in local search and map results. |
| Local Teaser | SERP feature showing reservation-based businesses like hotels or restaurants. |
| Log File | File recording user/bot activities, IPs, and site interaction details. |
| Log File Analysis | Analyzing log files to track trends, bot movements, and demographics. |
| Login forms | Pages requiring user authentication for content access. |
| Long Tail Keyword | Specific, multi-word queries with low search volume but high conversion potential. |
| Long Tail Keywords | Specific multi-word terms with lower competition and higher purchase intent. |
| LSI Keywords | Synonym-based terms relevant to products/services identified through latent semantic indexing. |
| Machine Learning | AI branch using data and algorithms to simulate human learning and improve accuracy over time. |
| Manual Action | Google’s manual penalties for spammy practices, demoting or removing websites/pages from search results. |
| Manual Penalty | Search engine penalty for noncompliance with SEO best practices. |
| Manual Review | Human review of a website’s legitimacy by a search engine. |
| Manual Sanctions | Google penalties for non-compliance with webmaster guidelines. |
| Map Rank Tracker | Semrush tool for tracking local business rankings on Google Maps. |
| Market Consolidation | Metric showing competition levels in a market. |
| Match Score | Semrush metric for identifying domains with partnership potential. |
| Meta Description | Brief summary appearing in SERPs below a webpage link, guiding users about the page content. |
| Meta descriptions | HTML elements that describe page content, often used in search result snippets. |
| Meta Keywords | Keywords in HTML code to indicate a page’s topic; no longer influential for SEO rankings. |
| Meta Redirect | Code redirecting users to another URL after a delay. |
| Meta robots tag | Code providing crawlers with instructions for indexing or ignoring content. |
| Meta Tags | HTML snippets describing page content to search engines; includes title tags and meta descriptions. |
| Meta Title | HTML title tag appearing in browser tabs and SERPs, describing a page’s content. |
| Metadata | Descriptive data about webpage content for search engines. |
| Metric | Data points tracked to measure SEO performance and inform strategy. |
| Microblogging | Short, frequent updates via platforms like Twitter. |
| Microdata | Markup language helping search engines understand webpage content. |
| Mindshare | Brand recognition among a target audience compared to competitors. |
| Minification | Removing unnecessary characters from source code without altering functionality. |
| Mirror Site | Duplicate hosting of website content or download locations. |
| Mobile Marketing | Marketing via mobile devices like phones or tablets. |
| Mobile Optimization | Adapting a website to ensure it works well on mobile devices, boosting rankings. |
| Mobile-First Indexing | Search engines prioritize the mobile version of a website for indexing due to the increase in mobile device usage. |
| MozBar | Chrome plugin showing metrics like DA and PA. |
| Multivariate Testing | Testing multiple variables simultaneously to optimize outcomes. |
| NAP (Name, Address, Phone) | Basic info ensuring local SEO consistency across citations. |
| National Level Data | Aggregate search engine data without bias from specific locations. |
| Natural Language Processing | Algorithms interpreting search intent instead of exact keyword matches, e.g., Google’s Hummingbird update. |
| Natural Link | Organic backlinks earned through quality content without requesting or paying for them. |
| Navigation | Links helping visitors move through a website. |
| Navigational queries | Queries aiming to find a specific location, e.g., “Moz blog.” |
| Navigational Query | Query seeking a specific website. |
| Negative Keyword | Keyword used to prevent ads from showing for specific searches. |
| Negative Keywords | Keywords excluded from Google Ads to optimize budget and ROI. |
| Negative SEO | Black hat tactics to lower competitors’ rankings, such as low-quality backlinks. |
| Niche | A specialized subset of a broader category, e.g., “inbound marketing for mining companies.” |
| Noarchive Tag | Tells search engines not to save a cached copy of the page. |
| Nofollow | HTML attribute preventing link authority from passing to another site. |
| Nofollow Attribute | Prevents links from passing authority or influencing search rankings. |
| NoFollow Link | A type of link that does not pass SEO value to the linked page, often used for ads. |
| NoFollow Links | Links marked with rel=”nofollow” to indicate no credit or endorsement is passed. |
| Noindex | Command instructing search engines not to index a page. |
| Noindex Tag | Directs search engines not to index a webpage in search results. |
| Noopener | HTML attribute preventing security risks for links opening in new tabs/windows. |
| Noreferrer | Attribute preventing referrer data from being passed through a link. |
| Nosnippet Tag | Prevents search engines from displaying a snippet or cached link for the page. |
| Not Provided (Google Analytics) | Placeholder in Google Analytics hiding popular organic keywords. |
| Number of Results | Total search results displayed for a query. |
| Off-Page SEO | SEO practices outside your website, including backlinks and social signals, to improve search rankings. |
| On-Page SEO | Optimizing visible and source content on a webpage to improve its ranking in search engines. |
| Online Directories | Websites listing business information for users to connect with companies. |
| Online Review Management | Monitoring and managing reviews to maintain a positive reputation. |
| Online Visibility | A business’s overall online presence and reach. |
| Open Graph | Markup for making content shareable as rich objects on social networks. |
| Open Graph Meta Tags | Code controlling how URLs appear when shared on social media. |
| Open Source | Software with accessible source code for modification. |
| Opt-in | User chooses to participate in marketing (e.g., subscribing to a newsletter). |
| Opt-out | User chooses not to participate in marketing initiatives. |
| Organic | Earned, unpaid placement in search results. |
| Organic Search | Unpaid search results ranked based on relevance to user queries. |
| Organic Search Results | Search results ranked by relevance and quality, not ads. |
| Organic SEO | Improving rankings through non-paid strategies, focusing on relevance, content quality, and user experience. |
| Organic Traffic | Website visitors acquired naturally without paid promotion, considered high-quality traffic. |
| Orphan Page | Pages without any internal links, making them hard to find by users or search engines. |
| Orphaned Pages | Webpages with no internal links, making them harder to discover. |
| Outbound Link | Links pointing from your site to an external website. |
| Outbound Marketing | Paid marketing targeting broad audiences (e.g., TV ads, banner ads). |
| Outbound/External Links | Links pointing from one domain to another; used to cite sources. |
| Outreach | Strategy to acquire backlinks by contacting website owners. |
| PA (Page Authority) | Moz metric predicting a single page’s ranking ability. |
| Page Authority | A score that predicts how well a specific page will rank on search engine results. |
| Page Rank | Google’s algorithm that determines the relevance of pages to a search query. |
| Page Speed | The time it takes for a webpage to fully load; critical for user experience and rankings. |
| Page Speed & Load Times | Key factors affecting user experience and SEO rankings, with slow pages potentially leading to higher bounce rates. |
| Page Title | HTML tag specifying the title of a webpage, displayed as a clickable title in SERPs. |
| Page View | Event where a user views a webpage once. |
| PageRank | Algorithm evaluating the relevance and quality of links to rank webpages. |
| Pages per Session | Average number of pages viewed in a single session. |
| Pageview | Count of how often a webpage is viewed by users. |
| Pagination | Splitting large pages into sequences, often using rel=”next” and rel=”prev” tags. |
| Paid Inclusion | Paid ads in directories like Yahoo! based on certain standards. |
| Paid Link | Backlink acquired by payment. |
| Paid Search | Pay-per-click ads displayed on search engines above/below organic results. |
| Panda | Google’s algorithm update targeting thin or low-quality content. |
| Penalty | Search engine punishment for violating guidelines (e.g., spam, keyword stuffing). |
| Penguin | Google algorithm targeting manipulative link schemes. |
| People Also Ask | A box in SERPs listing related questions and answers. |
| Permission Marketing | Inbound marketing strategy requiring user consent. |
| Persona | Fictional representation of ideal customers to guide SEO and marketing efforts. |
| Personalization | Search engines tailoring results based on user-specific factors like location and history. |
| PHP | Scripting language for building dynamic, interactive websites. |
| Pigeon | Google algorithm connecting local and regular search signals. |
| Pillar Page | High-level guide on a broad topic, part of a topic cluster. |
| Piracy | Unauthorized reproduction of protected content, infringing ownership rights. |
| Piracy Update | Penalizes websites with DMCA takedown notices. |
| Pogo Rate | High bounce-back rates indicating poor page relevancy. |
| Pogo-sticking | Users repeatedly clicking back to SERPs after unsatisfactory results; signals poor relevance. |
| Pop-under | Ads appearing in a hidden browser window. |
| Pop-up | Ads displayed on top of the active browser window. |
| Position | A webpage’s rank in search engine results. |
| Position (SERP) | Ranking position of a page for a query in search results. |
| PPA (Pay Per Action) | Ad model where publishers are paid only after user actions like conversions. |
| PPC (Pay Per Click) | An advertising model where advertisers pay each time their ad is clicked. |
| Primary Keyword | Main keyword around which a page is optimized. |
| Private Blog Network (PBN) | Private blog networks linking to a site to manipulate rankings; against SEO guidelines. |
| Programming language | Instructions written for computers to execute, e.g., JavaScript. |
| Prominence | Businesses’ real-world reputation affecting local pack rankings. |
| Protocol | “http” or “https,” governing how data is relayed between server and browser. |
| Pruning | Removing low-quality pages to improve site quality. |
| Public Relations (PR) | Managing a brand’s reputation and communications through outreach and press releases. |
| Purchase Conversion | Metric showing visits ending with conversions like “thank you” or checkout pages. |
| Purchased Links | Paid links requiring a NoFollow tag to avoid penalties. |
| QDF (Query Deserves Freshness) | Query Deserves Freshness; prioritizes newer content for trending topics. |
| Qualified Lead | Relevant prospect likely to become a paying customer. |
| Qualified Traffic | Relevant visitors likely to engage or convert. |
| Quality Content | Content that achieves business goals like traffic, rankings, and conversions. |
| Quality Link | High-authority, relevant backlink positively influencing rankings. |
| Quality Score | Google’s metric for ad quality based on CTR, keyword relevance, and landing page quality. |
| Quality Score (QS) | Google Ads metric influencing ad rank and cost-per-click (CPC). |
| Query | Words or phrases entered in a search engine to find relevant results. |
| Question Keywords | Detailed queries in search engines, often in the form of a question. |
| Rank | Position of a website in search engine results for a specific query. |
| RankBrain | A component of Google’s algorithm that uses machine learning to understand search intent. |
| Ranking | Ordering search results by relevance to the query. |
| Ranking Factor | Criteria search engines use to evaluate and rank webpages. |
| Readability Score | Metric assessing how easy text is to read, based on Flesch–Kincaid readability test. |
| Reciprocal Link | When two websites link to each other. |
| Reciprocal Links | Links exchanged between websites, can occur naturally or intentionally. |
| Reconsideration Request | Request for Google to review a site after fixing manual action issues. |
| Redirect | Directs users or bots from one page to another (301 permanent or 302 temporary). |
| Redirection | Moving a URL to another location, typically with a 301 redirect. |
| Referral Traffic | Traffic from external sources outside search engines or social media. |
| Referrer | Source (e.g., website or social media) from which a visitor originates. |
| Regional keywords | Keywords unique to a locale, like “soda” vs. “pop.” |
| Registrar | Company managing domain name registrations. |
| Reinclusion | Request to reindex a website/page after it was removed or penalized. |
| Rel=canonical | Tag indicating the original version of a page to Google. |
| Related Searches | Search queries related to the original term, shown at the bottom of SERPs. |
| Relative Link | URL path referring to current page location. |
| Relative URL | URL that omits the domain name and relies on the current page’s location. |
| Relevance | How well a local business matches a search query in the local pack context. |
| Relevancy | Extent to which a site matches the search query based on algorithms. |
| Render-blocking scripts | Scripts delaying page rendering until fetched. |
| Rendering | Process of turning code into a viewable web page. |
| Repeat Visits | Same user returning to a website. |
| Reputation Management | Monitoring and improving public perception of a brand online. |
| Resource Pages | Pages with helpful links, often used for link building. |
| Responsive Design | Design pattern allowing websites to adapt to different devices. |
| Responsive Website | A website that adapts to different screen sizes (desktop, mobile, etc.). |
| Retargeting | Serving ads to users who previously visited a site. |
| Return on Investment (ROI) | Measures profitability of SEO activities relative to their costs. |
| Reverse Index | List of keywords associated with specific content. |
| Review Management | Semrush tool for tracking and managing online customer reviews. |
| Reviews | SERP feature displaying customer reviews and ratings alongside a result. |
| Rich Media | Ads using advanced features like video or audio. |
| Rich Site Summary (RSS) | Centralized viewing of content from various sources via a feed reader. |
| Rich snippet | Enhanced search result snippets with structured data, e.g., rating stars. |
| Robots.txt | A file in the root directory specifying crawl rules, e.g., to exclude specific pages from search results. |
| Robots.txt File | File guiding search engine crawlers on which pages to ignore. |
| Root Domain | Highest hierarchical level of a site (e.g., example.com). |
| SaaS (Software as a Service) | Subscription-based software hosted online (e.g., Semrush, Gmail). |
| SAB (Service Area Business) | Business offering services at customer locations, optimized for local SEO. |
| SAM (Serviceable Available Market) | Demand within the market for a product or service. |
| Schema | Markup language improving how search engines display and interpret content. |
| Schema Markup | Structured data that adds extra detail to your content (e.g., reviews, location), enabling rich search results. |
| Schema.org | Guidelines for structured data markup to enhance search engine understanding. |
| Scrape | Technique of extracting website data for analysis or use elsewhere. |
| Scraped content | Republishing content taken from other websites without permission. |
| Scraping | Technique to extract data from websites into a database or file. |
| Scroll Depth | Tracking how far visitors scroll on a page. |
| Scrum Board | Task tracking tool for larger goals. |
| SE Traffic Price | Estimated cost of an ad campaign to match organic traffic levels. |
| Search Algorithm | Rules for ranking search results. |
| Search Engine (SE) | Program for retrieving information that matches a user’s input (e.g., Google, Bing). |
| Search Engine Poisoning | Malicious websites appearing in search results to steal data or spread malware. |
| Search forms | Website search functions for locating specific pages. |
| Search History | A log of websites visited and related data stored by browsers for easy navigation. |
| Search Intent | The goal behind a search query, whether informational, navigational, or transactional. |
| Search Quality Rater Guidelines | Google’s instructions for human evaluators assessing webpage quality. |
| Search Query | Keywords entered into search engines to find relevant websites. |
| Search Results | List of webpages shown in response to a query. |
| Search Term | Words or phrases entered into a search engine. |
| Search Traffic | Visitors coming from search engines. |
| Search Visibility | Estimated percentage of clicks from organic rankings. |
| Search volume | Estimated number of times a keyword is searched monthly. |
| Seasonal trends | Popularity changes in keywords over time, e.g., “Halloween costumes” near October. |
| Secondary Keywords | Related terms complementing a primary keyword. |
| Secure Socket Layer (SSL) | SSL certificates ensure secure, HTTPS-based websites, essential for payment sites and a ranking factor. |
| Seed Keywords | Short-tail, foundational keywords used to start keyword research. |
| SEM (Search Engine Marketing) | Search Engine Marketing; includes paid and organic activities to boost visibility. |
| Semantic Core | Group of keywords defining a website’s content direction. |
| Semantic Search | Search engines understand query intent and context. |
| Semrush Rank | Metric indicating a domain’s visibility based on organic rankings and traffic. |
| Sentiment | Public perception of a brand. |
| SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | Optimizing a website to rank higher in search results for targeted queries on search engines. |
| SEO Audit | Evaluation of a website’s performance in search engines. |
| SEO Business | Company offering services to improve website visibility and organic search traffic. |
| SEO Campaign | A planned effort to improve website rankings using strategies like audits, keyword research, and link building. |
| SEO Company | Firms specializing in increasing businesses’ search engine visibility for leads and sales. |
| SEO Consulting | Expert guidance provided to businesses for better search engine rankings and traffic. |
| SEO Copywriting | Writing optimized content to rank well and enhance user experience. |
| SEO Cost | Pricing for SEO services, typically ranging from $700-$2,000 monthly or $80-$200/hour. |
| SEO Glossary | Compilation of SEO terms and definitions to simplify technical jargon. |
| SEO Hosting | Web hosting services designed to enhance website searchability and boost SEO. |
| SEO Keywords | Words and phrases in website content helping users find the site via search engines. |
| SEO Manager | Expert responsible for creating and implementing SEO strategies within a business. |
| SEO Report | Tracks website SEO performance, highlighting successes and areas for improvement. |
| SEO Services | Professional services to increase organic search traffic and website visibility. |
| SEO Silo | Grouping related web pages via internal links for better organization. |
| SEO Specialist | Analyzes and optimizes websites to rank higher in search results. |
| SEO Web Design | Designing websites to improve crawling, indexing, and overall visibility in search engines. |
| SEO Writing | Creating and optimizing content to rank well in search engines. |
| SEO-friendly URL | Clear and concise URL reflecting page content. |
| SERP (Search Engine Results Page) | The page displayed by search engines in response to a user’s query. |
| SERP Features | Non-traditional elements in search engine results pages, providing extra information. |
| SERP Source | Snapshot of SERP data collected by Semrush. |
| SERP Volatility | Changes in rankings due to algorithm updates or index changes. |
| Server | Computer hosting website files. |
| Server-side rendering | Code executed on the server and sent pre-rendered to the browser. |
| Session Duration | The average time users spend on a site during a single session. |
| Share of Voice | A metric comparing your brand’s market presence against competitors in the same industry. |
| Short-Tail Keywords | High-volume Search terms with three or fewer words, typically broad and competitive. |
| Siphoning | Methods to poach traffic from other sites (e.g., spyware). |
| Site Map | A file that lists all the pages on a website to help search engines find them. |
| Sitelinks | Additional links shown under a website’s main search result for easier navigation. |
| Sitemap | An XML file listing all website URLs for search engines, aiding quicker page indexation. |
| Sitemaps | XML file listing all pages to be indexed by search engines. |
| Sitewide Link | Outbound link appearing on every page of a website. |
| Sitewide Links | Links appearing across multiple pages, usually in the footer, sidebar, or navigation menu. |
| SMM (Social Media Marketing) | Promotion of products/services via social platforms. |
| Social Media | Platforms enabling content creation, sharing, and engagement in virtual communities. |
| Social Signal | Indicators like shares and likes that may influence search rankings by demonstrating content popularity. |
| Social Signals | Interactions on social media that indirectly boost SEO, like shares and likes. |
| Social Traffic | Visitors from social media platforms. |
| Source Code | HTML and other programming code used to create and structure web pages. |
| Spam | Unwanted, bulk digital communication often disrupting user experience. |
| Spam Score | Moz metric indicating a site’s risk of penalization. |
| Spamdexing | Manipulating search rankings using techniques against search engine guidelines. |
| Spammy tactics | Practices that violate search engine quality guidelines, similar to “black hat.” |
| Spider | Internet bot that crawls websites to index data for search engines. |
| Splash Page | Visually appealing webpage with minimal content. |
| Split Testing | Controlled experiments comparing webpage variations to optimize user interactions. |
| Sponsored | Attribute marking paid/sponsored content in HTML links. |
| Sponsored Link Attribute | Attribute indicating a link is an advertisement, paid, or sponsored. |
| Spyware | Software collecting user data without consent. |
| SRCSET | HTML attribute specifying different images for varying screen sizes. |
| SSL Certificate | Digital certificate ensuring secure, encrypted connections between users and websites. |
| Static Content | Content that doesn’t change often. |
| Status Codes | Server responses to requests (e.g., 200 OK, 404 Not Found). |
| Stop Word | Common words like “a,” “the,” often ignored by search engines in queries. |
| Structured Data | Standardized information to provide context to search engines and other services. |
| Subdomain | Section of a website under the root domain (e.g., blog.example.com). |
| Subfolder | Section within a website indicated by a “/” after the domain (e.g., example.com/folder). |
| Syndication | Republishing content on multiple platforms to expand its reach. |
| Taxonomy | Grouping of URLs or content based on shared characteristics for better organization. |
| Taxonomy SEO | Optimizing website content structure for search engines. |
| Technical SEO | Adjustments to improve a site’s crawlability, understanding, and indexing by search engines. |
| Text Link Ads | Ads displayed as plain text links. |
| TF-IDF | Measures term importance in a document based on frequency within the text. |
| The Fold | Part of the webpage visible without scrolling. |
| Thin Content | Content offering little value or poor explanations, negatively affecting SEO. |
| Thumbnails | Small preview images representing larger content, like videos or photos. |
| Tiered Link Building | Creating links to external pages that link to your website. |
| Time on Page | Duration a visitor spends on a webpage before leaving or navigating elsewhere. |
| Title Tag | The main headline of a webpage that appears in search results and on the browser tab. |
| TLD (Top-Level Domain) | The segment of a domain following the last dot (e.g., .com). |
| Topic Efficiency | Metric showing the ratio of search volume to difficulty for a topic in Semrush. |
| Topical Relevance | The closeness of content between the linking page and the linked page. |
| Total Addressable Market | Total demand for a product/service within the target market, including all potential customers. |
| Total Blocking Time (TBT) | Core Web Vital metric measuring delays in page interactivity. |
| Total Engagement | Total audience interactions (e.g., likes, shares, comments) on social media over a period. |
| Tracking Code | JavaScript code collecting detailed website traffic data for tools like Google Analytics. |
| Traffic | Organic visits to a website via search engine results. |
| Traffic % | Percentage of site traffic coming from a specific keyword or page. |
| Traffic Cost | Estimated monthly ad cost to replicate organic traffic from keywords in Domain Analytics. |
| Transactional queries | Queries focused on actions like purchasing, often at the bottom of the marketing funnel. |
| Transactional Query | A query made by someone looking to purchase but undecided on the seller. |
| Transport Layer Security (TLS) | More secure version of SSL used for private connections. |
| Trend (Semrush) | Graph showing changes in keyword search volume over 12 months. |
| Trust | Search engine perception of a site’s credibility, influenced by quality and security. |
| TrustRank | Algorithm assessing web content quality by analyzing backlinks, site content, and relevance. |
| Tweet Listings | Twitter links displayed in SERPs. |
| Twitter Cards | Rich media previews on Twitter designed to drive traffic. |
| Twitter Engagement | Total likes, retweets, and mentions for a Twitter handle during a set time. |
| UGC Link Attribute | Attribute marking a user-generated content link (e.g., in comments or forums). |
| Universal Search | Expands search results to include various media formats like images, videos, and news. |
| Unnatural Links | Suspicious or manipulative links that may trigger manual actions by Google. |
| Unstructured Citations | Business information mentioned on non-directory platforms. |
| URL (Uniform Resource Locator) | Web address of a document/page on the internet (e.g.,https://example.com). |
| URL folders | Website sections after the TLD, separated by slashes, e.g., “/blog” in “example.com/blog.” |
| URL parameters | Information after a “?” in a URL to change content (active) or track data (passive). |
| URL Rating (UR) | Metric measuring the strength of a target page’s backlink profile (0–100 scale). |
| URL Slug | The part of the URL after the domain name or subfolder. |
| Usability | Ease with which users navigate and derive satisfaction from a website. |
| Usage Data | Metrics indicating website visitors (e.g., repeat visits, time on site, CTR, demographics). |
| User Agent | Software or bots acting on behalf of users, identified in HTTP headers. |
| User Experience (UX) | How easy and satisfying a website is to use, influencing metrics like bounce and cart abandon rates. |
| User Intent | Purpose behind a user’s search query. |
| User-Generated Content (UGC) | Content like text, images, or videos created by individuals rather than brands. |
| UTM Code | Tracking code appended to URLs for campaign analysis. |
| Vanity URL | A short, descriptive URL used for easy recall or redirection. |
| Vertical Search | Search engine focusing on a specific category (e.g., travel, shopping). |
| Viral Marketing | Self-disseminating marketing through shares on email, blogs, and social media. |
| Virtual Assistant (VA) | Bots like Siri or Cortana performing tasks using natural language. |
| Virtual Server | Dividing one physical server into multiple virtual servers for hosting multiple domains. |
| Visibility | Measurement of a website’s presence in organic search results. |
| Visibility % | Metric showing how visible a domain or URL is across tracked keywords in Position Tracking. |
| Voice Search | Technology allowing users to search online by speaking into a device. |
| Voice Search SEO | Optimization for voice-activated search platforms like Siri or Alexa. |
| Volatility (Semrush) | Measures changes in search engine results, reflecting algorithm updates or fluctuations. |
| Volume (Search Volume) | Average monthly searches for a keyword over the past year. |
| Webinar | Online seminars intended to educate audiences using slides, video, or audio. |
| Webmaster guidelines | Search engine-published guidelines to help site owners optimize content for search performance. |
| Webpage | A document accessible via a web browser. |
| Website | A collection of related webpages hosted under a single domain. |
| Website Authority | Metric measuring a site’s strength, often using Domain Rating. |
| Website Hit | A request made to a website’s server, including all individual elements. |
| Website Navigation | How users move through a site via menus, breadcrumbs, and links. |
| Website Structure | How a website is organized and its pages interlinked. |
| Webspam | Manipulative SEO tactics violating guidelines (e.g., Black Hat SEO). |
| White Hat | SEO methods adhering to search engine guidelines and user expectations. |
| White Hat SEO | SEO strategies that follow search engine guidelines and provide value to users. |
| Whois | Domain record containing ownership details (name, address); can be hidden by registrars. |
| Word Count | Total number of words in content; thin content may indicate low quality. |
| WordPress | Free blogging platform (WordPress.com) or customizable software (WordPress.org). |
| X-Robots-Tag | HTTP header with crawling/indexing directives for web crawlers. |
| XHTML | Extends HTML with XML formatting. |
| XML | Markup language designed to store and transfer information (e.g., RSS feeds). |
| XML Sitemap | A file that helps search engines index a website’s pages more efficiently. |
| Yahoo | A search engine turned portal, now powered by Bing for organic results. |
| Yahoo Directory | Authoritative web directory offering paid inclusion. |
| Yahoo! Search Marketing | Yahoo’s PPC advertising platform, similar to Google Ads. |
| Yandex | Leading search engine in Russia, founded in 1997. |
| YMYL Pages | Pages about topics that impact an individual’s well-being, such as health and financial stability. |
