A method for comparing different versions of a strategy to see which performs better.
SEO Terms & Definitions
Terms
Categories
A
6 terms
A robots.txt instruction that permits specified pages or folders to be crawled.
AMP helps mobile pages load faster by allowing Google to cache and serve them quickly.
The process of improving a mobile app's visibility in app stores.
The average of a website's top positions across search results.
A metric that reports the average amount of time users spend on a website.
B
7 terms
Manipulative link-building strategies intended to improve search rankings by exploiting backlinks.
Practices that manipulate search engines to improve a site or page's ranking.
SEO-friendly material published on a blog or in the blog section of a website.
Bounce rate measures the share of visits in which users leave a page without further interaction.
A brand name used as the clickable text of a link to that brand's website.
A navigation aid that shows where a page sits within a website's hierarchy.
A hyperlink that no longer works as intended.
C
34 terms
Temporary storage that can help a web page load faster on a return visit.
A tag that identifies the preferred version of a page for crawling and indexing.
SEO-friendly content that explains a website category to visitors and search engine bots.
A network that delivers website data from servers in different locations.
Citation Flow is a Majestic metric based on the number of backlinks to a website.
A visit to a website after a user selects a result on a search engine.
A rendering method in which the browser processes an HTML file and creates the page content.
A system for creating, editing, and updating website content without writing code.
A status code indicating that the server responded successfully.
A status code indicating that a web page has been permanently redirected.
A status code indicating that a web page has been temporarily redirected.
A status code indicating that the server could not process a malformed or incomplete request.
A status code indicating that access to a web page is not permitted.
A status code indicating that the requested web page was not found on the server.
A status code indicating that a web page has been permanently removed from the server.
A status code indicating an internal server problem.
A status code returned when a server receives an invalid response from another server.
A status code indicating that a server is too busy to respond or is under maintenance.
A status code indicating that one server did not receive a timely response from another.
A status code indicating that a server has exceeded its monthly hosting traffic limit.
A search query from someone researching a product or service before making a purchase.
Clickable link text that combines characteristics of several anchor-text types.
The process of reducing image size to help web pages load faster.
Promoting a product, service, or brand through content that benefits its audience.
The percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action.
The practice of increasing the percentage of users who complete a desired action on a website or app.
Small text files that websites save on users' devices.
A two-letter internet top-level domain assigned to a particular country.
The number of pages a search engine is willing and able to crawl on a site within a given period.
The number of links a search engine bot must follow to reach a page from the starting point.
The process of systematically examining a website and collecting information from it.
The sequence of steps a browser completes before displaying page content.
A style-sheet language used to control the visual presentation of web-page elements.
The ratio of total clicks to total impressions.
D
10 terms
The time between entering a web page and its content becoming ready.
A Google Analytics category for visits without an identifiable referral source, including typed or bookmarked URLs.
A robots.txt instruction that blocks bots from crawling specified pages or folders.
A .txt file used to ask Google to disregard spam backlinks.
An external link that passes authority from the linking site to its destination.
A human-readable address used to access a website.
The length of time since a domain was first registered.
A Moz score that estimates the strength and authority of a domain.
Identical or substantially similar content appearing on the same or different websites.
An intermediate solution that helps search engine bots crawl JavaScript-based websites.
E
3 terms
SEO-friendly content that stays relevant and useful over time.
Clickable link text that exactly matches the keyword targeted by the linked page.
The last page a visitor views before leaving a website.
F
6 terms
The point when a browser first renders content after a user opens a web page.
Short extracts shown above standard Google results to answer a search query quickly.
A Search Console tool for testing how Google crawls a web page.
A metric that measures how quickly a browser responds to a user's first interaction.
A metric for the time it takes a page's primary content to appear.
An internet protocol used to transfer files between two connected computers.
G
9 terms
Generic top-level domains use broadly applicable extensions rather than country-specific ones.
A free analytics tool that provides detailed information about website visitors.
A feed that proactively shows users content based on their interests.
A free service that helps businesses appear in Google Search and Maps.
A tool for managing custom code and tags on a website.
A Google Search tool showing how interest in a search term changes across time and locations.
Google's web-crawling software for discovering pages and building a searchable index.
Writing content for another website as a guest contributor.
A method for reducing source-file size by compressing repeated strings and spaces.
H
6 terms
HTML tags that define the hierarchy of headings on a web page.
The service that stores a website and makes it accessible to users.
A tag that tells search engines about a page's language and geographical target.
A server configuration file used for restrictions and routing rules.
A markup language used to create and structure web pages.
A sitemap designed to help people navigate a website.
I
10 terms
The process of preparing images for better SEO, page speed, and user experience.
A sitemap that lists URLs containing images.
A descriptive name that helps search engine bots understand an image.
An appearance of a web page in search engine results viewed by a user.
A search engine's stored collection of web pages that can be shown to users.
The process of adding crawled web pages to a search engine's index.
Visual files that present information or data through images and graphics.
A search query made to learn about a topic or find an answer.
Links that take users from one page to another on the same website.
A unique sequence of numbers assigned to an internet-connected device for communication.
J
2 terms
A programming language that adds functionality and interaction to web pages.
A jump link takes readers straight to a specific section within a long page instead of making them scroll to find it.
K
4 terms
Keywords are the words or phrases that most accurately represent what a page is about.
Keyword cannibalization happens when several pages on the same website target the same user query instead of one page ranking clearly for it.
Keyword density describes how often a target keyword appears on a page relative to the page's overall word count.
Keyword research is the process of studying search volumes and user queries to understand what a website is, or wants to be, ranked for.
L
10 terms
A landing page is the page a visitor arrives at after clicking a link in an email, ad, or similar campaign.
Lazy loading delays loading a page element, most often an image, until the point where it's actually needed.
Lighthouse is Google's open-source tool for analyzing and improving website performance.
Link bait is content created specifically to be interesting and useful enough that people want to share it with others.
A link farm is a website built to host a large number of irrelevant links, usually to manipulate rankings.
Link juice is the ranking potential distributed among the relevant pages or websites through hyperlinks.
Local SEO is the set of practices used to improve how a website performs in local search results.
A log file records user transactions and movements, typically on a daily basis.
Long-tail keywords are lower-volume search terms, usually three or more words long, that see less competition than short-tail keywords.
Latent semantic indexing (LSI) is a technique for examining how a page's content and keywords relate to what users search for.
M
3 terms
A meta description tag gives searchers a short summary of a page's content directly on the results page.
Meta keywords are keywords placed in a page's source code to tell search engines what the page is about.
Money anchor text is hyperlinked text built around keywords that the linked-to website uses to drive sales.
N
6 terms
Navigational intent describes queries from users who already know what they're looking for and are searching for a specific resource.
Negative SEO refers to any malicious or unethical practice aimed at sabotaging a competitor's search rankings.
New Users is a Google Analytics metric that identifies each first-time visitor to a website with a unique ID.
A news sitemap lists pages that contain news content so search engines can find and index them quickly.
A nofollow tag tells search engine bots not to pass ranking potential through a specific link.
A noindex tag tells search engine bots not to include a page in their indexes.
O
3 terms
On-page SEO covers changes made within a website to meet search engine criteria and improve its performance in search results.
Organic traffic consists of visitors who reach a website through unpaid search engine results.
Other anchor text uses generic words or phrases rather than a keyword or brand name.
P
8 terms
Pages per session is the average number of pages a visitor views during one session.
PageSpeed Insights is a free Google tool that reports on page loading speed and user experience metrics.
Pagination tags connect pages in a sequence and help users and search engines navigate between them.
Paid traffic consists of visitors who reach a website through paid promotions or advertisements.
Pogo-sticking happens when a searcher clicks a result and quickly returns to the search results page.
A pop-up is a window that appears when someone visits a web page.
A protocol defines the rules and standards that govern communication between a browser and a server.
A proxy routes an internet connection through an intermediary server.
R
8 terms
A rank tracker monitors how a website or its target keywords perform in search results.
A ranking factor is a criterion a search engine applies when ordering its search results.
A redirect chain occurs when a user or search engine bot is redirected more than once before reaching a page.
A redirect loop sends a user or search engine bot through an endless cycle of redirects.
Referring domains measures how many distinct domains link back to a website.
Image resizing adjusts an image to better match its display area and reduce the space the file consumes.
Rich snippets add page details beyond the standard title, description, and URL shown in search results.
A robots.txt file defines which parts of a website search engine bots are permitted to access.
S
18 terms
Structured data markup helps search engine bots understand the meaning of a page's content.
Google Search Console is a free tool for monitoring website performance and managing search-related actions.
Search operators are special commands and characters that refine or extend a standard text search.
A search query is the word, phrase, or combination of keywords a user enters into a search engine.
SEO visibility is a scoring metric that indicates how prominently a website appears in search results.
A search engine results page, or SERP, lists the pages returned for a user's search query.
Server-side rendering processes a page request on the server and sends the resulting output to the browser.
Server status codes are three-digit responses a server returns when a browser requests a page.
A session is a group of interactions a user has with a website within a defined period.
Short-tail keywords are broad, high-volume terms made up of one or two words.
Sitelinks are additional links shown beneath a website's main search result.
A sitemap is an XML file that helps search engine bots find and examine a website's URLs.
The sitemap command in robots.txt tells search engine bots where to find a website's sitemap.
A soft 404 occurs when a server returns a 200 OK response for a page that Google believes should return a 404.
A spam link is an artificial, low-quality, or manipulative link.
The sponsored tag identifies hyperlinks used for advertisements, sponsorships, or other paid placements.
An SSL certificate establishes an encrypted connection between a website and its users.
A subdomain is a domain that forms part of a larger domain.
T
7 terms
TF measures how often a keyword appears in one text, while IDF measures how widely it appears across different texts.
Thin content is insufficient or irrelevant material that does not serve its target audience or meet user demand.
Third-party resources are external elements added to a website rather than supplied by the site itself.
A title tag specifies the title of a web page for users and search engines.
Transactional intent describes searches made by users who want to purchase a product or service.
Trust Flow is a Majestic metric that scores the trustworthiness of a website from 0 to 100.
Time to first byte measures the interval between a browser requesting a page and receiving the first byte from the server.
U
7 terms
A UGC tag identifies backlinks placed in user-generated content.
URL shortening turns a long, complicated link into a shorter, more manageable address.
The user-agent command in robots.txt sets permissions for bots that visit a website.
User comments provide feedback on a page and may contribute to how active and useful the site appears.
User experience describes how someone interacts with and experiences a product, system, or service.
User intent is the reason behind a search query and helps search engines and websites understand what result the user needs.
UTM parameters are pieces of code added to URLs so campaign traffic can be identified and analyzed.
V
2 terms
A video sitemap lists page URLs and supplies additional information about the videos hosted on them.
A VPN creates an encrypted internet connection between a device and a network.
W
18 terms
WebM is a compressed audiovisual file format designed to keep web audio and video files smaller.
WebP is an image format designed to produce smaller files at comparable quality.
Website speed optimization covers improvements that help users and search engine bots access a site faster.
Hidden links use a font color that matches the website background so users cannot see them.
Above the fold is the content visible when a page first loads, before the user scrolls.
A backlink is a reference link that directs users from one website to another.
PageRank is a Google metric developed to measure the importance of web pages.
Whois is a service that provides detailed information about registered domain names.
10x content, a term introduced by Rand Fishkin in his Whiteboard Friday video series, describes content that is 10 times stronger than standard content.
Alt text describes an image for search engine bots and visitors who use assistive technology.
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink that directs users to another page.
Cloaking is a black hat SEO technique that shows search engine bots a specially prepared page that users do not see.
A CSS sprite combines several images into one file that can be retrieved with a single request.
Keyword stuffing is the practice of hiding keywords all over a page in ways invisible to users but still readable by search engines.
A naked link uses the destination URL itself as its anchor text instead of a keyword.
A subfolder sits inside another folder, while a path shows the ordered sequence of folders leading to a resource.
A URL is the unique web address used to access a resource on the internet.
WordPress is a popular free content management system for creating and managing websites.