In modern times, SEO is one of the fundamental aspects if you want your website to succeed online. It has the ability to increase visibility, attract organic traffic, build credibility, and provide a cost-effective means of marketing. 

However, knowledge of the basics of SEO and its major terms is essential because it is filled with jargon and terminology, making it easier to proceed with a clue about it. In this blog by Webzyro, one of the best agencies for SEO services, we provide an extensive glossary with more than 50 major terms and their explanations to enable you to navigate the SEO jagoran jungle easily.

Here is a list of SEO terminologies :

• Algorithm: An algorithm is a set of rules and calculations that are used by search engines to determine the order and relevance of search results.

• Anchor Text: Anchor texts are the text contained within a hyperlink, which provides insight into the content of the linked page when clicked.

• Bounce Rate: The bounce rate is a metric that quantifies the proportion of website visitors who leave the site after interacting with just one page, commonly employed as an indicator of user engagement.

• Canonical URL: A canonical URL refers to the preferred version of a website that search engines should index when there are multiple URLs with similar content.

• Crawling: Crawling involves search engine bots or spiders methodically exploring and entering web pages to catalog their content.

• CTR (Click Through Rate): CTR is a metric that measures the percentage of clicks a link or ad receives relative to the number of times it was shown.

• Domain Authority: Domain Authority, developed by Moz, measures the trustworthiness and authority of a website's domain. They are often used to predict its search engine ranking potential.

• Google Bot: Google Bot refers to web crawler used by Google to index and discover web pages for its search engine.

• Indexing: Indexing is the process of storing and organizing web page content in a search engine's database to make it retrievable in search results.
• Keyword Density: Keyword density refer to the percentage of the number of times a specific keyword or phrase appear in a piece of content compared to the total number of words.

On-Page SEO Terms

• Alt Text: Alt text is descriptive text added to images to provide information to users with disabilities and search engines.

• Header Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.): Header tags are HTML elements used to structure content hierarchically, with H1 being the main heading and H2, H3, etc., used for subheadings.

• Internal Linking: Internal linking includes hyperlinks within a website's content that point to other pages on the same website.

• Keyword Stuffing: Keyword stuffing is the unethical practice of overloading content with excessive keywords in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings.

• LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) Keywords: LSI keywords are semantically related words and phrases that help search engines to understand the context and topic of a webpage's content.

• Meta Description: Meta descriptions are snippets or summary of content that appear in the SERPs, providing a preview of the page's content.

• Nofollow: Nofollow is an HTML attribute that instructs search engines not to pass authority or follow through a specific link.

• Schema Markup: Schema markup is structured data added to the websites to provide search engines with specific information about the content, enhancing search results with rich snippets.

• SERP (Search Engine Result Page): SERP is the page that displays search results in response to a user's query.

• Silo Structure: Silo structure is an architectural approach to organizing website content into thematic or topic-based sections to make it easy for search engines to understand site hierarchy.

Off-Page SEO

• Backlinks: Backlinks refer to the incoming links from other websites to a specific webpage, often seen as a vote of confidence in the linked page's content.
• Deep Linking: Deep linking involves the practice of linking to specific pages or content within a website rather than just its homepage.

• Guest Blogging: Guest blogging constitutes writing content and publishing them on other websites to gain exposure and build backlinks.

• Link Juice: Link juice is the value passed from a certain webpage to another through a hyperlink.

• Outreach: Outreach in SEO involves reaching out to other websites or individuals to establish connections, build relationships, and promote content or backlinks.

• Page Rank: Google developed an algorithm called PageRank to evaluate the significance of web pages by considering the quantity as well as quality of links that direct to them.

• Social Signals: Social signals are social media interactions and engagement (likes, shares, comments, etc.) that may influence search engine rankings.

• Web 2.0: Web 2.0 signifies the internet's transformation into a more interactive and user-driven space, encompassing elements like blogs, social media, and collaborative platforms. 

Technical Terms of SEO

• 301 Redirect: It is an instruction given by the server in the form of a command that permanently sends one web address to another, keeping its search engine rankings intact and ensuring a smooth user experience.

• 404 Error: A 404 error signifies that a requested webpage was not found on the server, typically due to a broken or non-existent URL.

• CDN (Content Delivery Network): A CDN is a network of distributed servers that accelerates website content delivery by serving it from geographically closer locations to users, improving speed and reliability.

• DNS (Domain Name System): DNS refers to a system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, allowing users to access websites by name rather than numerical IP addresses.

• HTTPS: HTTPS is a secure communication protocol that encrypts data between a user's web browser and a website's server, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of transmitted information.

• IP Address: An IP address refers to a numeric tag assigned to devices on a network that enables them to communicate and be identified on the internet.
• Robots.txt: Robots.txt is a text file placed on a website's server to instruct web crawlers on which parts of the site to crawl or exclude from indexing in search engines.

• SSL Certificate: A digital certificate that verifies the identity of a website and enables secure, encrypted data transmission between the user's browser and the server is a SSL Certificate.

• XML Sitemap: An XML sitemap refers to a file that constitutes lists the URLs of a website's pages to help search engines crawl and index the site more efficiently.

Local SEO Vocabulary

• Citations: Citations are online references to a Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) on various websites and directories, which can help improve local search visibility.

• GMB (Google My Business): GMB is a free tool from Google that allows businesses and organizations to manage their online presence, including their business information, reviews, and photos on Google Search and Google Maps.

• Local Pack: The Local Pack is a prominent feature in Google's search results that display maps and a list of local businesses relevant to a user's search query, typically showing the top three results.

• NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number): NAP refers to the essential business information that should be consistent across all online platforms and directories, as it plays a vital role in local SEO by verifying and authenticating a business's identity.

• Review signals: Review signals are factors like the quantity, quality, and frequency of online reviews that can influence a business's local search ranking and reputation.

Mobile SEO Terminology

• AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): AMP is an open-source project by Google designed to create web pages that load quickly on mobile devices, improving user experience.

• Mobile Friendly: A mobile-friendly website is designed and optimized to provide a good user experience on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

• Responsive Design: Responsive design is web designing that confirms that a website's layout and content adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices.

Content-Related SEO Terms

• Content Marketing: It is a strategy that deals with the creation and distribution of relevant content to grab the attention of the target audience.

• Evergreen Content: Evergreen content is content that appears valuable and relevant to readers over an extended period, as opposed to time-sensitive or trending content.

• Keyword Research: Keyword research is the process that comprises the identification and analysis of keywords that are relevant to a website's content and target audience for SEO purposes.

• Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are specific and less commonly searched for keyword phrases, often used to target niche audiences.

• User-Generated Content: User-generated content are content created by the audience or users of a website, such as reviews, comments, or forum posts.

E-commerce SEO Vocabulary

• Abandoned Cart Rate: Abandoned cart rate measures the percentage of added products by the users to their online shopping carts but do not complete the whole process of purchase.

• Product Schema: They are structured data markup that provides search engines with detailed information about products, helping improve their visibility in search results.

• SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): SKU is a unique identifier assigned to each product in an inventory, often used in e-commerce for tracking and management.

SEO Analytics and Tools

• Google Analytics: Google Analytics is an analytic tool that provides insights into website traffic, user behavior, and other key performance metrics.

• Keyword Rank Tracker: A keyword rank tracker is a tool used to monitor a website's rankings in search engine results for specific keywords.

• SEO Audit: An SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of a website's SEO performance, identifying areas for improvement.

• Webmaster Tools: Webmaster tools, like Google Search Console, provide website owners with data and insights related to their website's visibility in search engines.

Black Hat SEO Techniques (to avoid)

• Cloaking: Cloaking is a deceptive practice where different content is shown to search engines and users to manipulate search rankings.

• Keyword Stuffing: Keyword stuffing is the excessive use of keywords on a webpage in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings.

• Link Farm: A link farm constitutes a set of websites created only for the purpose of artificially increasing link popularity.

SEO Trends and Future Concepts

• Voice Search Optimization: Voice search optimization involves optimizing content and website structure for voice-activated search queries.

• Core Web Vitals: Core Web Vitals are a group of user experience metrics that Google uses to assess the loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability of web pages.

• E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): E-A-T is a concept used by Google to assess the quality and trustworthiness of website content, especially in areas where expertise matters.

Local SEO Trends

• Zero-Click Searches: Zero-click searches occur when a user's query is answered directly in search results, reducing the need for clicking on specific websites.

• Online Reviews: Online reviews are vital for local SEO, as positive reviews can boost a business's reputation and visibility.

International SEO Concepts

• Hreflang Tag: The hreflang tag is an HTML attribute used to indicate the language and geographical targeting of web pages in multilingual and international websites.

• Geo-Targeting: Geo-targeting is the practice of delivering a particular content or advertisements to users based on their geographic location.

Image SEO Terminology

• Image Compression: Image compression involves the process of reducing file size of images to improve the loading time of a website.

• Image Alt Tags: Image alt tags (or alt text) are descriptive text attributes added to images to provide information to users and search engines when images cannot be displayed.

Social Media Terminology

• Open Graph Tags: meta tags used in web pages to control how any content is displayed when they are shared on social media platforms like Facebook is referred to as Open Graph Tags.

• Twitter Cards: Twitter cards forms of rich media that allow you to attach photos, videos, and other content to your tweets to make them more engaging.

Link Building Strategies

• Local Link Building: Local link building involves acquiring backlinks from websites and sources within a specific geographic area to improve local search visibility.

• Geo-Targeted Content: Geo-targeted content is content created to cater to the needs and interests of a specific geographic audience.

Mobile SEO Best Practices

• Mobile Page Speed Optimization: Mobile page speed optimization comprises improving the loading speed of a website on mobile devices, which is essential to provide a better user experience and improve the rankings in search engine.

• Mobile Keyword Research: Mobile keyword research is the process that involves the identification and analysis of keywords that are specifically relevant to mobile users and their search habits, helping optimize content and attract mobile traffic.

If you are a beginner in the field of digital marketing or want to know about SEO, this comprehensive SEO glossary is your starting point. However, SEO is not only about a set of terms but a dynamic field that can shape the future of your online presence. You can enhance the reach of your website that can lead to long-term online success.

Webzyro offer the best SEO services to gain your visibility online and increase organic traffic to your website. Get in touch with us today to reach your target audience and achieve higher rankings on search engines.