SEO has evolved significantly over the past decade, but the fundamentals haven’t changed: create genuinely useful content, make your site technically sound, and earn credibility from other reputable sources. This glossary covers every SEO term you need to understand — whether you’re doing it yourself or overseeing someone who is.

A–B

Algorithm

The system Google uses to evaluate and rank web pages. Google’s algorithm uses hundreds of signals — content quality, backlinks, site speed, mobile-friendliness, user behavior, and more. Major algorithm updates (like Google’s Helpful Content Update or Core Updates) can significantly shift rankings across the web.

Alt Text (Alternative Text)

A written description of an image in your website’s code. Alt text helps search engines understand what images show (since they can’t “see” images the way humans do) and improves accessibility for visually impaired users. Good alt text is descriptive and naturally includes relevant keywords where appropriate.

Anchor Text

The clickable text in a hyperlink. When other websites link to yours, the anchor text of that link signals to Google what your page is about. Exact-match anchor text (e.g., “plumber in Dayton Ohio”) can boost rankings for that phrase, while branded or generic anchors help build a natural link profile.

Authority

A measure of how trustworthy and credible a website is, primarily based on the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to it. Google doesn’t publish an official “authority” score, but third-party tools like Moz (Domain Authority) and Ahrefs (Domain Rating) provide proxies. High-authority sites tend to rank more easily for competitive keywords.

Backlink

A link from another website to yours. Backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking signals in Google’s algorithm. Not all backlinks are equal — a link from a reputable news site or industry publication is worth far more than a link from a low-quality directory. Quality over quantity.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. In the context of SEO, a high bounce rate can signal to Google that users didn’t find what they were looking for — which can negatively affect rankings over time. Note: a high bounce rate on a contact page is fine; on a service page, it’s a warning sign.

C–D

Canonical URL

A tag in your page’s code that tells Google which version of a URL is the “official” one. Important when the same content is accessible via multiple URLs (e.g., with and without www, or with tracking parameters). Without canonicals, Google may split your ranking signals across duplicate versions of the same page.

Crawl

The process by which Google’s bots (called Googlebot or spiders) visit and read your website pages to understand and index their content. If a page can’t be crawled — due to technical errors, robots.txt blocks, or slow server response — it can’t rank.

Crawl Budget

The number of pages Google will crawl on your site within a given timeframe. For most small business sites, crawl budget isn’t a concern. For large sites with thousands of pages, wasting crawl budget on low-value pages can mean important content doesn’t get indexed promptly.

Core Web Vitals

A set of specific Google metrics measuring real-world user experience: Largest Contentful Paint (how fast the main content loads), Interaction to Next Paint (how responsive the page is), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking signal. Most modern WordPress themes handle these reasonably well, but large image files and slow hosting are common culprits for poor scores.

Domain Authority (DA)

A third-party metric developed by Moz (score 1–100) predicting how well a domain will rank in search results. Higher is better. DA is useful for comparing relative competitiveness between sites, but it’s not a Google metric — don’t optimize for DA directly, optimize for what drives it (quality content and backlinks).

Dwell Time

How long a visitor spends on your page before returning to the search results. Longer dwell time is generally a positive signal — it suggests users found your content valuable. Thin content, slow loading, or a mismatch between what the page promises and what it delivers leads to short dwell time.

E–I

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

A framework from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines that describes what makes content high-quality. Google wants to surface content from people who have genuine experience and expertise, are recognized as authoritative in their field, and operate trustworthy websites. For small businesses, demonstrating E-E-A-T means having detailed service pages, real author information, client results, and a solid online reputation.

Featured Snippet

The highlighted answer box that sometimes appears at the top of Google search results — above the standard organic listings. Getting a featured snippet (sometimes called “position zero”) dramatically increases visibility. Snippets are typically earned by directly and concisely answering a specific question in your content.

Google Search Console (GSC)

A free Google tool that shows how your site performs in search — which queries bring visitors, which pages are indexed, any crawl or coverage errors, and your Core Web Vitals scores. Every business with a website should have GSC set up and checked regularly. It’s one of the most valuable free SEO tools available.

H Tags (H1, H2, H3)

HTML heading tags that structure your page content. H1 is the main page title (use one per page). H2s are major section headings. H3s are subsections. Proper heading structure helps Google understand your content hierarchy and helps users scan the page. Your primary keyword should appear in the H1.

Index / Indexing

When Google adds your page to its database of known pages after crawling it. Only indexed pages can appear in search results. You can check indexing status in Google Search Console or by searching site:yourwebsite.com in Google. Pages can be blocked from indexing via noindex tags or robots.txt.

Internal Links

Links from one page on your site to another page on your same site. Internal links help Google understand the structure and hierarchy of your content, distribute “link equity” across pages, and help visitors navigate. Every important page on your site should be reachable via internal links from other relevant pages.

K–L

Keyword

A word or phrase that people type into Google when searching for something. Your SEO strategy is built around targeting the right keywords — ones with enough search volume to matter, intent that aligns with your business, and competition you can realistically rank for.

Keyword Cannibalization

When multiple pages on your site target the same keyword, causing them to compete against each other in search results. Cannibalization confuses Google about which page to rank and often results in neither page ranking as well as one consolidated page would. Regular content audits help identify and fix this.

Keyword Density

How frequently a keyword appears on a page relative to the total word count. Modern SEO doesn’t focus on hitting a specific keyword density — Google is sophisticated enough to understand topical relevance from natural language. Write for humans; keyword density takes care of itself.

Keyword Difficulty (KD)

A metric (typically 0–100) used by SEO tools to indicate how hard it would be to rank on the first page for a given keyword. Higher difficulty means stronger competition. New or lower-authority sites should target low-difficulty keywords first to build momentum before going after competitive terms.

Keyword Intent

The underlying goal behind a search query. Informational intent (“what is SEO”) means the user wants to learn. Navigational intent (“Moz blog”) means they’re looking for a specific site. Transactional intent (“hire SEO agency”) means they’re ready to act. Commercial intent (“best SEO agency near me”) means they’re comparing options. Aligning your page to the right intent is as important as targeting the right keyword.

Link Building

The practice of acquiring backlinks from other websites. Tactics include creating content others want to reference, digital PR, guest posting, broken link building, and local citations. Link building is one of the most time-intensive parts of SEO — and one of the most impactful for competitive keywords.

Local SEO

Optimizing for location-based searches — “near me” queries, city + service searches, and Google Maps results. Local SEO involves your Google Business Profile, consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across directories, local content on your website, and local backlinks. For most small service businesses, local SEO has the highest direct ROI of any digital marketing channel.

Long-Tail Keyword

A longer, more specific search phrase — typically three or more words. “Marketing agency” is a head keyword (high volume, high competition). “Marketing agency for contractors in Ohio” is a long-tail keyword (lower volume, lower competition, much higher intent). Long-tail keywords collectively drive the majority of search traffic and are often where small businesses can compete most effectively.

M–O

Meta Description

A short summary (150–160 characters) of a page’s content that appears in search results under the title. Meta descriptions don’t directly affect rankings, but they significantly affect click-through rate. A compelling meta description that matches user intent and includes a clear value proposition will earn more clicks than a generic one.

Meta Title (Title Tag)

The clickable headline that appears in search results. One of the most important on-page SEO elements. Should include your primary keyword, be 50–60 characters, and be compelling enough to earn the click. Every page should have a unique, descriptive title tag.

NAP

Name, Address, Phone Number. Consistency of your NAP information across your website, Google Business Profile, and online directories is a key local SEO factor. Inconsistent NAP (e.g., “St.” on one listing and “Street” on another) confuses Google and dilutes local ranking signals.

Nofollow Link

A link with a rel=”nofollow” tag telling Google not to pass ranking credit through it. Social media links, comment sections, and many directory listings are nofollow. While nofollow links don’t directly boost rankings, they still drive traffic and can contribute to brand visibility.

Off-Page SEO

SEO efforts that happen outside your own website — primarily link building, but also brand mentions, social signals, and local citations. Off-page SEO builds your site’s authority and reputation in Google’s eyes.

On-Page SEO

Everything you do on your own website to improve its ranking potential — title tags, headings, content quality, keyword usage, internal links, image optimization, and URL structure. On-page SEO is fully within your control and the logical starting point before pursuing off-page strategies.

Organic Traffic

Visitors who find your website through unpaid search results. Organic traffic is the compounding asset of SEO — pages that rank well can drive traffic for years without ongoing ad spend. Building organic traffic takes time (typically 3–6 months to see meaningful movement), but the long-term ROI is often the best in digital marketing.

P–S

Page Speed

How quickly your website pages load. Page speed is both a ranking signal and a major conversion factor — research consistently shows that even a one-second delay reduces conversion rates. Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals reports identify specific speed issues. Large uncompressed images are the most common culprit for slow local business sites.

Redirect (301 / 302)

A 301 redirect permanently forwards one URL to another and passes nearly all ranking signals to the new URL. A 302 redirect is temporary and does not pass full ranking value. Use 301s when you change a URL permanently — missing redirects on changed URLs mean losing all accumulated ranking signals for that page.

Schema Markup

Structured data code added to your website that helps Google understand your content more precisely — and can unlock rich results in search (star ratings, FAQs, event listings, etc.). Local business schema, review schema, and FAQ schema are the most valuable for small businesses.

Search Volume

The average number of times a keyword is searched per month. Higher search volume means more potential traffic — but also usually more competition. Use search volume alongside keyword difficulty and business relevance to prioritize which keywords to target.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

The page Google shows in response to a search query. Modern SERPs include organic results, paid ads, Local Pack (map listings), featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, images, and more. Understanding how the SERP looks for your target keywords helps you understand what type of content and what format is most likely to win visibility.

Sitemap

An XML file that lists all the pages on your website, helping Google discover and crawl your content more efficiently. Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. Most CMS platforms (including WordPress) generate sitemaps automatically via SEO plugins.

T–W

Technical SEO

The behind-the-scenes work that makes your site crawlable, indexable, and fast. Includes site speed optimization, mobile-friendliness, fixing crawl errors, proper URL structure, HTTPS, XML sitemaps, and structured data. Technical SEO is the foundation — even great content won’t rank well on a technically broken site.

Topical Authority

How comprehensively a website covers a particular subject area. Google increasingly rewards sites that deeply cover a topic over those that have isolated pages. Building topical authority means creating a cluster of related content — a pillar page plus supporting articles — that together signal genuine expertise in your niche.

URL Structure

How your web addresses are formatted. Clean, descriptive URLs help both Google and users understand what a page is about. Compare: yourbusiness.com/services/plumbing-dayton-ohio (clear and keyword-rich) vs. yourbusiness.com/p=4891 (meaningless). Keep URLs short, lowercase, and descriptive.

User Intent

What the person searching actually wants to accomplish. Matching your page’s content to user intent is the most fundamental principle of modern SEO. A page targeting “how to unclog a drain” should provide a how-to guide, not a service page for hiring a plumber — even if a plumber wrote it.

White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO

White hat SEO follows Google’s guidelines — creating quality content, earning real backlinks, optimizing for users. Black hat SEO uses manipulative tactics (buying links, keyword stuffing, cloaking) that may work short-term but risk Google penalties that can tank a site’s rankings entirely. For any business building long-term value, white hat is the only viable approach.