SEO Glossary
The definitive guide to search engine optimization terminology.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
The systematic process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action (e.g., filling out a form, becoming customers).
Core Update
A significant, broad change to a search engine's overall ranking algorithm. Google releases these several times a year to improve search results.
Crawl Error
An issue encountered by a search engine bot when trying to access a page on a website, preventing it from successfully crawling the page.
Crawlability
The ability of search engines to access and crawl the content on your website.
DoFollow Link
A standard hyperlink that allows search engines to follow it and pass on 'link juice' or authority to the linked page.
Domain Authority (DA)
A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages.
Duplicate Content
Substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.
Dwell Time
The length of time a visitor spends on a page from the search results before returning to the SERPs. A metric debated as a potential ranking factor.
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google's framework for evaluating the quality of content, especially for YMYL topics.
Evergreen Content
Search-optimized content that remains continually relevant and stays fresh for readers over a long period of time.
External Link
A hyperlink that points at any domain other than the domain the link exists on (source).
Faceted Navigation
A navigation system that allows users to filter and sort content based on multiple attributes (facets), common on e-commerce sites. Can create massive duplicate content issues if not managed correctly.
Featured Snippet
A summary of an answer to a user's query, which is displayed on top of Google search results. It's extracted from a webpage.
First Contentful Paint (FCP)
A performance metric that measures the time from when the page starts loading to when any part of the page's content is rendered on the screen.
Google Analytics
A web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, currently operating on the GA4 platform.
Google Search Console (GSC)
A free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results.
Googlebot
The generic name for Google's web crawler. Googlebot is the general name for two different types of crawlers: a desktop crawler and a mobile crawler.
Guest Blogging
The practice of writing and publishing a blog post on another person's or company's website to build relationships, exposure, authority, and links.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
The standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser.
Heading Structure
The hierarchical organization of heading tags (H1 to H6) on a webpage, which helps both users and search engines understand the content's outline.
Heading Tags
HTML tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) used to separate headings and subheadings on a webpage. They help structure content for both users and search engines.
Hreflang Attribute
An HTML attribute used to specify the language and geographical targeting of a webpage. Crucial for international SEO.
Hreflang Tag
An attribute used in HTML to indicate the language and geographical targeting of a webpage, essential for international SEO to prevent duplicate content issues.
Image Compression
The process of reducing the file size of an image without significantly degrading its quality, crucial for improving page load speed.