Search Engine Optimization Glossary
Keep up with your digital advertising agency and know your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) terms. We even include tips and tricks!
- Alt Text
Alt text describes the appearance or function of an image on a page and is important for accessibility.
- Anchor Text
The word or phrase used when linking to another domain; anchor text is key to signaling the topic of a page.
- Backlinks
Backlinks are 'cosigns' from other websites that support/vouch for your site; backlinks help build domain authority.
- Conversions
Conversions for SEO can include Ranking KWs, Impressions, & Sessions.
- Crawlers
Crawlers (bots or spiders) visit and download a page and extract its links in order to discover additional pages.
Tip: Everyone has a crawl budget that can be burnt if the URL architecture is confusing.Domain authority is determined by relevance to a specific topic or industry. Google takes it into account when picking which pages to serve up to users.
- H1
H1 is the heading at the top of the page; it is key to use relevant KWs in your H1.
Tip: It doesn't have to be the same as the Title Tag.- Impression
Impressions are gained when your domain appears in the SERP for a query.
- Internal Link
Linking to other parts of your website can create association for Google; it also helps direct the user to the next stage in the decision funnel.
- Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase that you can use to align your content. Each KW has different search volume and competition density.
- Keyword
Meta descriptions allow you to describe the page's content in under 180 characters.
Tip: It is important to be precise & persuasive.- Organic
Organic is an umbrella term for users that come in from the search engine; it's a segment that can be compared to Paid or Direct.
- Pageview
A Pageview is counted every time a page is accessed or Javascript is fired.
Tip: Google Analytics is the Gold Standard for tracking Pageviews.- Ranking
Ranking Keywords determine your visibility and statistically how many users are likely to click.
Tip: Top 10 or bust.- Search Engine Result Page (SERP)
The page that lists the results returned by the search engine in response to a specific query. Each page has 10 results and some rich results like (FAQs or Maps).
- Session
A session is started when a device (laptop/phone/tablet) accesses a site and end when either the device leaves or goes inactive (after 30 minutes).
- Sitemap
Sitemap is a set of instructions for the crawlers; it indicates what exists on the domain and what is prioritized.
Tip: It's best practice to have only one sitemap per domain.- Structured Data
Structured data (or schema) is a form of code that describes to Google what sort of content is on the page.
- Title Tag
The title tag is what appears in the SERP. It's generally the first thing a user will read - so make it catchy and relevant.
- User Intent
User intent demonstrates the part of the journey that each user occupies, it informs the tone or content of each page on the domain.
Tip: Differentiate between Informational, Commercial, and Transactional.
