Search systems
Algorithm
An algorithm is a set of rules and calculations a system uses to process information and make decisions.
Jargon decoder · field guide
SEO Dictionary
Translate SEO jargon into useful ideas. Search a term, browse the A–Z, or follow a category into its connected lessons and tools.
62 plain-English termsCard catalogue
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62 terms shown
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A6 terms
Page structure
Alt text
Alt text is a written alternative that communicates the purpose of a meaningful image when the image cannot be seen.
Measurement
Analytics
Software that records and summarises selected activity on a website, subject to its setup, consent choices and technical limits.
Connections
Anchor text
Anchor text is the visible, actionable wording of a text link.
Connections
Authority
Recognition that a person, organisation or resource is a credible source on a particular subject.
Measurement
Average position
An aggregated Search Console measurement of the highest position recorded for a property or page across relevant search appearances.
B3 terms
Connections
Backlink
A backlink is a link to a webpage from a different website.
Measurement
Baseline
A recorded starting point used to compare later measurements after enough time has passed.
Measurement
Bounce rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of measured sessions that do not meet an analytics platform’s engagement criteria.
C8 terms
Technical SEO
Canonical URL
A canonical URL identifies the preferred version of a page when multiple URLs contain the same or substantially similar content.
Measurement
Click
A reported selection of a search result that leads towards another page or feature.
Measurement
Click-through rate
The percentage of recorded impressions that produced recorded clicks: clicks divided by impressions, multiplied by 100.
Technical SEO
CLS
Cumulative Layout Shift measures unexpected movement of visible content.
Measurement
Conversion
A meaningful action selected for a website’s particular goal, such as a suitable enquiry, booking or completed purchase.
Technical SEO
Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google-defined metrics that assess loading performance, interaction responsiveness and visual stability.
Measurement
Correlation
A relationship in which measurements move together, without proving that one caused the other.
Search systems
Crawling
Crawling is the process of an automated search crawler requesting webpages and following accessible links and resources.
D3 terms
Connections
Digital PR
Earning relevant online coverage by offering journalists and publishers useful stories, expertise, data or resources.
Measurement
Domain authority
Domain Authority is a proprietary third-party score from Moz that estimates a domain’s ability to rank; it is not a Google metric or direct Google ranking factor.
Technical SEO
Duplicate content
Identical or substantially similar content available at more than one URL.
E2 terms
Content
E-E-A-T
A quality-evaluation framework covering experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust—not a single score or guaranteed ranking factor.
Connections
Editorial link
A link a publisher chooses because it helps or supports its content, rather than because the destination paid or required it.
F2 terms
Search presentation
Featured snippet
A featured snippet is a prominent search result that may extract a short answer from a webpage above or among standard results.
Connections
Followed link
An ordinary link without a nofollow, sponsored or UGC relationship value; crawlers may follow it, but outcomes are not guaranteed.
H4 terms
Page structure
H1
An H1 is a first-level HTML heading commonly used for the clear primary heading of a webpage.
Page structure
Heading
A heading labels a page or section so readers can understand and scan its structure.
Technical SEO
HTTP status code
A three-digit response that reports the outcome of an HTTP request.
Technical SEO
HTTPS
HTTP protected with encryption and authentication during transit.
I5 terms
Page structure
Image SEO
Image SEO is the practice of making useful images accessible, understandable and efficient on a webpage.
Measurement
Impression
A recorded appearance of a result in a search environment, according to that platform’s reporting rules.
Search systems
Indexing
Indexing is the processing and potential storage of information about a page so it can be considered for retrieval in search results.
Technical SEO
INP
Interaction to Next Paint measures the responsiveness of user interactions across a visit.
Connections
Internal link
An internal link connects one page to another page on the same website.
K2 terms
Measurement
Key performance indicator
A deliberately chosen measurement used to judge progress towards an objective.
Content
Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase used to describe a topic or the language people use when searching for it.
L5 terms
Technical SEO
LCP
Largest Contentful Paint measures when the largest visible content element renders.
Measurement
Lighthouse
An automated laboratory tool that audits a page in a controlled test for areas including performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO.
Connections
Link attribute
Information in a link’s HTML that describes its behaviour or relationship, such as nofollow, sponsored or UGC.
Connections
Link scheme
A manipulative arrangement intended to influence search rankings through artificial links rather than genuine reader value.
Content
Long-tail keyword
A long-tail keyword is a relatively specific search phrase, often with a narrower context or intent than a broad topic.
M1 term
Search presentation
Meta description
A meta description is a short HTML summary that may be used to describe a page in search results.
N2 terms
O2 terms
Search presentation
Organic result
An unpaid listing or search feature selected by a search system for a query.
Measurement
Organic traffic
Organic traffic is visits attributed by an analytics system to unpaid search results.
R4 terms
Search systems
Ranking
Ranking is the query-specific ordering of eligible results by a search system.
Technical SEO
Redirect
A response that sends a visitor or crawler from one URL to another.
Connections
Reputation
The wider pattern of what customers, peers and independent sources say or demonstrate about a person or organisation.
Technical SEO
Robots.txt
`robots.txt` is a file that provides crawling instructions for compliant automated crawlers.
S7 terms
Measurement
Search Console
Google’s service for reporting how a verified website appears in Google Search and for inspecting selected indexing information.
Content
Search intent
Search intent is the task or need behind the words someone enters into a search system.
Measurement
Search visibility
How often and where a website or its pages can appear for relevant searches, considered across suitable queries and contexts.
Search presentation
SERP
SERP stands for search engine results page: the page or interface a search engine presents in response to a query.
Technical SEO
Sitemap
A sitemap is a file or page that lists important website URLs to help search systems or visitors discover them.
Connections
Sponsored link
A link connected to advertising, sponsorship or compensation and labelled with the sponsored relationship value.
Technical SEO
Structured data
Structured data is machine-readable information added to a page using a recognised vocabulary to describe certain types of visible content.
T2 terms
U3 terms
Content
UGC
User-generated content: material submitted by users, such as forum posts, reviews or comments; rel="ugc" can identify links within it.
Connections
Unlinked brand mention
A reference to a brand, organisation or product online that does not include a clickable link to its website.
Technical SEO
URL
A URL is the web address used to identify and reach a page or other resource.
V1 term
Measurement
Vanity metric
A measurement that looks impressive but is not meaningfully connected to a goal, decision or explanation.
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