Introduction to SEO glossaryIntroduction to SEO, word by word.

    Master SEO fundamentals with our glossary of essential search engine optimization terms. Build your foundation for better rankings and visibility.

    Browse the termsOrganic Traffic & Rankings questions
    The terms

    Every introduction to SEO term, A to Z.

    Twenty terms, each defined in a sentence or two. Tap a letter to jump to it, or type to find a term.

    20 terms

    A

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    Alt TextAlternative Text

    Text that describes an image and is beneficial for website visitors and search engines. It is used when the image cannot be displayed and helps search engines understand the context of the image.

    See also Image OptimizationOn-Page SEO

    Anchor Text

    The clickable text part of a link. SEO best practices dictate that anchor text be relevant to the page you’re linking to.

    See also BacklinksInternal LinksLink Building

    B

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    C

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    Crawling

    The process by which search engine bots (like Googlebot) discover and read pages on your website. Making your site easily crawlable is fundamental to SEO success.

    See also Robots.txtTechnical SEO

    G

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    Google Analytics

    A free Google tool that tracks and reports website traffic. This service offers insights into how users find and use your website.

    See also Google Search ConsoleConversions

    Google Search Console

    A free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results.

    See also Google Analytics

    I

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    K

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    Keyword Density

    The number of times a keyword is used on a webpage compared to the total number of words on the page. While important, modern SEO focuses more on natural language and user intent.

    See also KeywordsOn-Page SEO

    Keywords

    Phrases in your web content that help people find your website via search engines. They are the bridge between what people are searching for and the content you provide.

    See also Long-Tail KeywordsKeyword DensitySearch Intent

    L

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    Long-Tail Keywords

    Keyword phrases that typically consist of three or more words. They’re important for SEO because they’re more specific and often less competitive than singular keywords, leading to higher conversion rates.

    See also KeywordsSearch Intent

    M

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    Meta Description

    A ~160 character snippet in HTML that summarizes a page’s content. Search engines show the meta description in search results, usually when the searched phrase is within the description.

    See also Meta TagsCTRSERP

    Meta Tags

    Text snippets found in a page’s HTML that describe its content. The Meta tags attribute isn’t visible to visitors but can be recognized by search engine crawlers.

    See also Meta DescriptionTitle TagOn-Page SEO

    O

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    Off-Page SEO

    All measures that can be taken outside of the website to improve its position in search rankings. These include link building, social media marketing, and influencer marketing.

    See also BacklinksDomain AuthorityLink Building

    On-Page SEO

    All measures that can be taken by website owners within their own website to improve their search engine rankings. These include optimizing HTML tags, headlines, images, improving website structure and URLs, and producing high-quality content.

    See also Technical SEOContent OptimizationMeta Tags

    Organic Search / Organic Traffic

    Unpaid traffic that comes from search engines. This is the primary goal of SEO—to increase the quantity and quality of organic traffic to your website.

    See also SEOSERPPPC

    S

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    SEOSearch Engine Optimization

    A digital marketing strategy that focuses on a website’s presence in search results on search engines. The goal is to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to your site through organic search engine results.

    See also SERPOrganic TrafficKeywords

    SERPSearch Engine Results Page

    The page that a search engine returns with the results of its search. The major search engines typically display three kinds of listings on their SERPs: pay-per-click (PPC) results, organic results, and local listings or maps.

    See also SEOPPC

    T

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    Technical SEO

    The process of optimizing your website for the crawling and indexing phase to improve organic rankings. It involves aspects like improving website speed, mobile-friendliness, data structure, security, etc.

    See also Crawlability

    U

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    URLUniform Resource Locator

    Also known as a web address, it’s a specific character string that refers to a resource. Clean, descriptive URLs are important for both users and search engines.

    See also Technical SEO

    X

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    XML Sitemap

    A file where you can list the web pages of your site to inform Google and other search engines about the organization of your site content.

    See also CrawlabilityTechnical SEO

    Questions

    Introduction to SEO questions, answered.

    Quick answers drawn from the terms above. For more, read the organic traffic & rankings questions.

    What does “Backlinks” mean in introduction to SEO?

    Links from one website to a webpage on another website. They are important for SEO because they can represent a vote of confidence from one site to another, thus affecting the site’s rank positively on the SERPs.

    What does “Long-Tail Keywords” mean in introduction to SEO?

    Keyword phrases that typically consist of three or more words. They’re important for SEO because they’re more specific and often less competitive than singular keywords, leading to higher conversion rates.

    What does “On-Page SEO” mean in introduction to SEO?

    All measures that can be taken by website owners within their own website to improve their search engine rankings. These include optimizing HTML tags, headlines, images, improving website structure and URLs, and producing high-quality content.

    What does “SEO” mean in introduction to SEO?

    A digital marketing strategy that focuses on a website’s presence in search results on search engines. The goal is to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to your site through organic search engine results.

    What does “SERP” mean in introduction to SEO?

    The page that a search engine returns with the results of its search. The major search engines typically display three kinds of listings on their SERPs: pay-per-click (PPC) results, organic results, and local listings or maps.

    The glossary

    The rest of the glossary.

    Twelve sections, each a page of terms in plain English. Keep turning, or open the whole glossary.

    1. All Things A.I.
    2. Analytics & Reporting
    3. Backlinks
    4. Content
    5. Google Ads
    6. Introduction to SEOYou are here
    7. Keyword Research
    8. Local SEO
    9. On-Page Optimization
    10. Search Performance Reports
    11. Technical Optimization
    12. Website Analytics
    Open the whole glossary
    Related

    Goes with these terms.

    The whole glossaryEvery section, from AI to technical SEO.Open → Organic Traffic & Rankings questionsCommon questions, answered plainly.Open → SEO servicesRankings built on a clean technical base.Open → SearchLab Engineered™Managed search, executed every week.Open → The Idea StreamEssays on search, AI and local growth.Open → Free SEO and AEO auditSee how your site scores on search and AI answers.Open →
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