SEO glossary: 150+ terms and definitions you should know
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a familiar concept for many marketers and business owners. However, this industry has unique terminologies and acronyms that might be hard for beginners to comprehend.
So, whether you’re an SEO newbie who wants to learn or an industry professional who needs a refresher, this SEO glossary will cover everything you need to know to understand the SEO process better.
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10x content
Content that needs to be 10 times better than the top available content on a given topic.
301 moved permanently
An HTTP status code indicating that the requested resource has been permanently moved to a new URL. This means all future requests should use the new URL.
302 found
An HTTP status code indicating that the requested resource is temporarily located at a different URL. This means the users should continue to use the original URL.
304 not modified
An HTTP status code indicating that the requested resource has not been modified since the last time the user accessed it. This means the users can use the cached version of the resource.
404 not found
A common HTTP status code indicating that the requested web page or source could not be found on the server. This typically means the URL is incorrect or the resource has been removed.
410 gone
An HTTP status code signaling that the requested resource is no longer on the server and no alternative location is available.
A
Algorithm
Algorithms are complex search engine guidelines and rules used to rank websites in search results. Each search engine algorithm is unique, but they share similarities.
Algorithm refresh
An algorithm refresh means the current algorithm is not updated or modified; it’s only a quick refresh to improve the search results.
Algorithm update
An algorithm update is a rollout of significant changes or upgrades to the preexisting algorithm to improve search quality, relevance, and reliability. Typically, these updates are tweaks to prevent people from manipulating the algorithm with spammy practices.
Google’s algorithm updates have three categories:
- Core updates. This is where Google implements major and wide-ranging changes that can affect page rankings. After core updates, many websites can see an increase or decrease in ranking depending on how well their content aligns with the latest quality standards.
- Targeted updates. Targeted updates are more specific than core updates and focus on a certain content type. These updates aim to improve and refine a particular aspect of search quality (e.g., fixing spammy links or improving thin content).
- Unconfirmed updates. As their name suggests, unconfirmed updates are algorithm changes that have not been officially announced or acknowledged. Many SEO and digital marketing experts use tracking tools to detect these updates.
Here’s a quick overview of Google’s algorithm updates over the years and what they targeted.
| Update name | Year | Changes |
| Big Daddy | 2005 to 2006 | URL handling and canonicalization Crawl budget optimization Duplicate content handling |
| Caffeine | 2010 | Faster and more comprehensive web indexing Better freshness |
| Exact-Match Domain (EMD) | 2012 | Penalized keyword domains with thin content Lessened keyword stuffing in domains |
| Florida | 2003 | Penalized websites that used black hat SEO tactics Penalized sites that use keyword stuffing and spammy backlinks |
| Fred | 2017 | Penalized websites with low-quality content and aggressive ad placements Booster sites with high-quality and user-focused content |
| Freshness | 2011 | Improved the precision and responsiveness of search results Prioritized time-sensitive queries (e.g., news and trending topics) Organized the search results by relevance |
| Hummingbird | 2013 | Improved search precision and accuracy by considering the entire query, not just matching keywords |
| Jagger | 2005 | Targeted spammy websites and irrelevant backlink profiles Penalized websites with poor quality link-building practices |
| Mobilegeddon | 2015 | Boosted mobile-friendly websites in mobile search results Penalized unresponsive sites (e.g., not mobile-optimized) Encouraged webmasters to improve mobile usability (e.g., easier site navigation and faster loading speed) |
| Panda | 2011 | Penalized websites with thin content and affiliate-heavy pages |
| Penguin | 2012 | Eliminated manipulative link-building practices and penalized sites with paid backlinks |
| Pigeon | 2014 | Improved localization and local search accuracy |
| RankBrain | 2015 | Improved the search engine’s capability to interpret complex queries |
| Venice | 2012 | Improved location-based search results |
| Vince | 2009 | Helped bigger businesses rank higher in SERPs |
Alt text
Alternative text added to an image’s HTML tag describing its content. This is effective in improving accessibility and helping search engines understand the image’s context.
Anchor text
The clickable, visible hyperlink text that indicates the linked page’s content to both users and search engines.
Angi
Formerly known as Angie’s List, Angie is an online directory where users can connect and review local service professionals.
Apple Maps
A mapping service developed by Apple. It provides Apple device users with real-time traffic updates, navigation tips, and local business information.
Attributes
Basic details or features of businesses listed in online directions. Some examples include amenities, accessibility features, and payment options.
Audit
A complete evaluation of a website’s performance, design, features, and content to identify areas for improvement.
Authority score
A measurement of a website’s quality and trustworthiness. Some of the factors include backlinks, traffic, and content quality.
Auto-generated content
Artificially created content without human touch or insight. These contents are often quality and could potentially violate search engine guidelines.
B
B2B
Business-to-business (B2B) involves businesses offering products and services to other businesses. An example includes a transaction between a wholesaler and a retailer.
B2C
Business-to-consumer transactions that involve selling products directly to consumers.
Backlinks
Links from external websites pointing to a website. These can serve as endorsements that can enhance site authority.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
A nonprofit organization accrediting businesses in the United States and Canada based on trustworthiness and performance.
Bing
Bing is Microsoft’s search engine platform. It was previously known as Live Search or MSN Search offerings.
Bing Places for Business
Microsoft’s answer to Google My Business. It’s a free platform where business owners can manage their profile on Bing Search and Maps.
Black hat SEO
Black hat SEO involves unethical and low-effort practices that aim to manipulate search engine algorithms to improve website rankings. These techniques can lead to lower site ranking or removal from search engine results. Some of the common black hat tactics to avoid include:
- Keyword spamming. This involves overusing keywords more than their intended use.
- Link farming. This involves buying and selling backlinks to improve site rankings artificially.
- Private blog networks. PBNs are link-building schemes that include creating a network of websites linking out other websites to boost organic search visibility.
- Hidden texts. These texts are visible only to search engines to manipulate search results.
Blog
Blogs include keyword-rich written website content that covers various topics related to the website’s industry or services.
Brand building
Creating and promoting a unique company or product identity to establish recognition and trust among consumers.
Brand signals
Indicators such as brand mentions, social media activity, and branded search queries that help search engines assess a brand’s online presence and authority.
Branded searches
Search queries that include a specific brand’s name, indicating user intent to find information related to that brand.
Brand tracking
Monitoring and analyzing a brand’s reputation online and how they are perceived.
Broken link building
A white hat SEO strategy that involves finding and replacing broken links on other web pages with your own content.
Business description
A summary of a company’s services, mission, and unique value proposition.
Business Title
A company’s official name they operate under. This title is often used in listings and directories.
C
Cache
A cache is a component that stores web page data so that future requests for that data can be faster.
Cached Page
A web page saved by the browser or search engine. These pages improve accessibility in case your website goes offline.
Call-to-action
An imperative prompt that nudges users to perform a specific action. This could be “Buy Now” or “Contact Us” which aims to drive conversions.
Canonical tags
Also known as rel canonical, these HTML elements indicate the preferred webpage version in case of multiple pages that have duplicate content. This prevents duplicate content issues in SEO.
Canonization
The process of choosing the preferred webpage version in case multiple versions exist. Using canonical tags will prevent duplicate content issues.
Citations
Online mentions of a business’s name, address, and phone number on directories, websites, forums, and social media platforms.
Citation campaign
The strategy of creating and managing accurate business listings across multiple online directories to improve local search visibility.
Claim
The process of verifying ownership of a listing on an online directory or platform.
Cluster
A group of related business locations or listings within a specific area. These groups are often used to analyze competition and market saturation.
Content
Information presented on a webpage, including text, images, videos, and other media, intended to inform, engage, or entertain users.
Content delivery network (CDN)
A system of servers strategically distributed across multiple locations, delivering web content to users based on their geographic proximity for faster loading times and improved performance.
Content management system (CMS)
Software that lets users create, manage, publish, and modify their website’s content without needing specialized technical skills. A few examples include WordPress and Joomla.
Content marketing
A strategic business approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content or information to attract and engage a target audience.
Content relevance
The degree to which a webpage’s content aligns with a user’s search query, influencing its ranking in search engine results.
Conversion
A marketing term that refers to turning website visitors into customers or achieving a desired action (e.g., signing up for a newsletter or leaving a review).
Core web vitals
Google’s set of user-centric performance metrics that assess the loading speed, interactivity, accessibility, and visual stability of webpages. These are commonly accessible through Google PageSpeed Insights or Chrome DevTools. It has three main types:
| Type | Purpose | Ideal value or score |
| Largest contentful paint (LCP) | Measures the rendering time it takes to load big media files (images, videos, and text blocks) on screen | Around 2.5 seconds or less |
| Interaction to next paint (INP) | Measures the responsiveness of web pages to user input. | Around 200 milliseconds or less. |
| Cumulative layout shift (CLS) | Measures the visual stability of webpages by quantifying unexpected layout shifts during page loading process. | Around 0.1 or less |
Crawler
An automated program or bot used by search engines to scan and index web pages.
Crawling
The process where crawlers visit and scan web pages to help search engines index content for ranking search results.
Customer journey
The complete customer experience that starts with discovering a product and leads to making a purchase. Businesses use content marketing strategies to improve lead generation because it tells how customers interact with brands.
D
Deindexing
A process of removing a site from the Google search results page because of poor content quality or guideline violations, such as black hat SEO.
Digital PR
The practice of enhancing a brand’s online presence through digital media channels, including publishing press releases and building relationships with influencers.
Directory
An online platform or website where users can view and access a business’ basic information such as address, contact details, services, products, and reviews.
Dofollow
Hyperlinks default attribute that allows search engines to follow the link and pass on link equity or “link juice” to the linked page.
Domain
A domain name is the address of a site users can enter in a browser (e.g., domain.com). Domains are unique and offered through domain registrars.
Domain extensions
These are the suffixes at the end of a domain name. A few popular domain extensions include the following:
- .com. Most recognized and trusted domain extension
- .org. Used by organizations, nonprofits, charities, foundations, and clubs
- .net. Used mostly by businesses, entrepreneurs, and tech companies
Domain hosting
The service of storing and facilitating domain names and making websites accessible online.
Duplicate content
Identical content appearing on multiple web pages that can confuse search engines and affect rankings.
E
E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)
Google’s set of criteria that assess content quality and source credibility. Here’s what each factor means and their examples:
- Experience. This indicates the creator’s real-life experiences related to the topic or practical knowledge of the subject matter. Some examples of this include case studies and real-life examples.
- Expertise. This pertains to the creator’s skills and knowledge of the topic or if they create informative, accurate, and updated content that covers complex topics.
- Authoritativeness. This factor dives into the creator’s trustworthiness and reputation in their field or industry. Google will check if the content has mentions and citations from other reputable sources or if the creator receives high-quality backlinks from reputable websites within the same field.
- Trustworthiness. This factor highlights a website’s transparency and accuracy with the information it presents. Google will check if the website doesn’t use manipulative tactics and if its content is free from bias and is regularly updated.
eCommerce
eCommerce involves buying and selling goods or services online via websites, apps, and marketplaces. Some popular examples of eCommerce platforms include Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.
Editorial links
Organic inbound backlinks that occur when other writers or website editors choose to link your high-quality content because they find the information valuable.
Engagement metrics
Digital marketers use these data points to measure user interactions with content or websites. Common engagement metrics include:
- Bounce Rate. Percentage of visitors leaving a website after viewing a web page without any interaction.
- Click-through rate (CTR). User percentage clicks on a search result, ad, or link compared to the overall impressions.
- Conversion rate. The percentage of visitors who made a purchase, signed up, downloaded, or availed of services
- Dwell time. The duration of a visitor’s time on a page before returning to the search results.
- Frequency and recency. This indicates how often a user visits a website within a specific period and when
- New vs returning visitors. This compares the number of first-time users and repeat visitors.
- Time on page. The average time a user spends on a page.
External link
A website hyperlink that directs users to a page on a different domain to cite reference and additional information.
F
Featured snippets
Highlighted answer boxes at the top of a Google search results page that display quick and direct query answers. Some formats include paragraphs, images, lists, tables, or videos.
G
Geo-targeting
A way of delivering content or advertisements to users based on their geographic location.
Geographic modifiers
Specific terms to narrow search queries by location, such as city or a neighborhood name.
Global SEO
SEO strategies aim to rank a website internationally rather than for a single country or region.
The world’s largest search engine that handles billions of searches daily. Uses complex algorithms to rank content based on relevance, authority, and user experience.
Google Accounts
A unified login that grants access to various Google services, such as Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube. It enables synchronization across devices and personalized experiences.
Google Ads
Google’s online advertising platform that allows businesses to create ads to reach potential customers across Google Search, YouTube, and other sites.
Google Analytics
A free tool that helps businesses get web traffic insights and user behavior.
Google Business Profile (GBP)
A free management tool that allows businesses to enhance their online presence across Google by providing accurate information and engaging with customers.
Google Business Profile Help Community
An online forum where users can seek assistance, share experiences, and learn about managing their Google Business Profiles.
Google Business Profile Help Community Product Experts
Skilled and knowledgeable people who assist users within the help community by providing guidance and answering questions about Google Business Profiles. Many of them are acknowledged by Google and have intensive experience in relevant industries.
Google Customer ID number (CID)
A unique identifier assigned to each Google Ads account that can be used to manage and track advertising campaigns.
Google Data Studio (GDS)
Also known as Looker Studio, this free tool turns data into interactive dashboards and informative visual reports.
Google Maps
A web-based map with detailed geographical information. Some of its notable features are satellite imagery, street views, and route planning for various modes of transportation.
Google Messaging
Google Business Profile’s messaging feature that allows businesses to communicate directly with customers.
Google Shopping
An eCommerce platform that allows users to search for products from various retailers, compare prices, and make purchases directly through Google’s platform.
Google Trends
A tool that analyzes trends and popularity of top search queries across regions and languages over a specific time.
Grey hat SEO
SEO tactics that combine white and black hat SEO practices. Many SEO experts do not recommend using these risky tactics because they lead to a penalty.
An example of a grey hat SEO is updating and repurposing old content with new ideas, insights, and statistics (white hat) but also slightly modifying the texts to create multiple versions and publishing it across different pages to target a similar keyword (black hat).
Guest posting
Writing and publishing articles on other websites or blogs to reach a broader audience, build relationships, and acquire backlinks.
H
H1 tag
An HTML tag that denotes a webpage’s main heading signals its primary topic to search engines and users.
Header tags
HTML elements (e.g., H1, H2, and H3) that define web page headings and subheadings to improve content structure and SEO.
Head term
A short, broad, high-volume keyword that represents a general topic is often competitive in search rankings. For example, the term “shoes” is a broad, high-volume search term that makes it hard to compete for.
Hreflang tags
HTML attributes that can specify the language and regional targeting of a webpage. These tags help search engines serve users the correct language or regional URL based on their preferences.
.Htaccess file
A configuration file used on Apache web servers to control various server settings, including URL redirection, access control, and enabling or disabling features
HTML
HyperText markup language (HTML) is a standard language that web developers and programmers use to create and structure content on the web. HTMLs are the backbones of webpages because it defines headings, images, links, and paragraphs.
HTTP
HyperText transfer protocol (HTTP) transmits hypertext requests and information online.
HTTPS
An HTTP extension that encrypts and secures data transmission between a user’s browsers and a web server.
Hub page
A central webpage that links to related content on a specific topic.
I
Image carousel
A horizontal scrollable set of images in Google’s search results pages. These often appear for eCommerce, movie showings, food, and travel searches.
Image compression
The process of reducing an image’s file size to enhance webpage load times while maintaining its quality.
Image sitemap
A sitemap specifically listing images on a website to help search engines discover and index effectively.
Indexing
The process where search engines store and organize website content in their database. Indexed pages qualify to appear in search results.
Internal links
Hyperlinks that link pages within the same website, creating a well-organized pathway for both users and search engine crawlers to easily navigate and access content.
IP Address
An internet protocol (IP) address is a set of unique numerical addresses assigned to a connected device (e.g., 190.159.1.1).
J
JavaScript SEO
Website optimization that uses JavaScript to ensure search engines can effectively crawl, render, and index their content. This is typically useful for JavaScript-heavy sites.
K
Keyword
A word or phrase users type into search engines to find relevant information, products, or services.
Keyword cannibalization
It is a form of black hat SEO practice involving multiple website pages competing for the same keyword.
Keyword density
The percentage of times a keyword appears in a content relative to the total word count. SEO experts use this to gauge keyword optimization.
Keyword difficulty
A metric that determines how hard it is to rank for a keyword based on competition, domain authority, and existing content.
Keyword research
The process of finding and analyzing search terms users enter in search engines to optimize content for better rankings.
Keyword stuffing
An outdated black hat SEO practice of excessively using keywords in content to manipulate search rankings.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Measurable values that track progress towards a specific objective within a certain period. Different industries have their own set of KPIs. For SEO, an example of KPI is measuring organic web traffic.
Knowledge graph
Google’s database of interconnected facts and entities that provides rich search results with contextual information.
Knowledge panel
A box that appears in Google search results with summarized information about a person, brand, and place with sources from multiple websites.
L
Landing pages
SEO-optimized standalone web pages designed specifically for conversions (e.g., lead generation, sales, and sign-ups).
Lazy loading
A performance optimization technique or strategy that delays the loading of non-critical resources (e.g., images or videos) until they are actually needed.
Lead
A site visitor and potential customer who expressed interest in a product or service through signing up or inquiring.
Link accessibility
The ease with which users and search engines can access and follow hyperlinks on a webpage which impacts SEO and user experience.
Link building
The process of acquiring backlinks from other websites to your own to improve SERP rankings.
Link equity
The value or authority passed from one page to another through hyperlinks.
Link juice
The value or authority that a web page can pass to another using hyperlinks.
Link volume
The total number of hyperlinks pointing to a webpage, which can boost its authority and ranking.
Local citations
Mentions of a business’ name, address, and phone numbers across local websites, directories, and social media platforms.
Local pack
A feature in Google’s search results that displays a set of local businesses relevant to a user’s query, typically shown alongside a map.
Local SEO
An SEO strategy that focuses on improving local search results. Many businesses use this method to increase their location-based search visibility for queries like “restaurants near me.”
Local service ads
A pay-per-lead feature for service-based businesses. This feature displays a group of local business listings relevant to the services the users search for, typically appearing at the top of Google search results.
Long-tail keywords
Longer, more specific search phrases with lower search volume but higher conversion because of their intent-specific nature.
M
Manual action
A procedure when a human reviewer at Google determines web pages that are compliant with Google’s spam policies, leading to ranking drops or deindexing.
Meta description
An HTML tag that summarizes a webpage’s content, often displayed in search engine results to inform and attract users.
Meta keywords
An outdated meta tag indicates relevant keywords to search engines. It is often found within the head section of the HTML code.
Meta tag
HTML elements that provide webpage metadata, such as descriptions and keywords, which aid search engines in understanding its content.
Meta title
Also known as the title tag, meta tags define a webpage’s title. Meta titles appear in browser tabs and search engine results.
Mobile-friendliness
The degree to which a website is optimized for mobile devices, ensuring usability and accessibility on smaller screens.
N
NAP Consistency
Uniformity of a business’s name, address, and phone number throughout all of their listings and online platforms. Having NAP consistency builds local SEO credibility.
Near me
A common search query phrase that aims to find businesses or services within close proximity to the user’s current location.
Nofollow links
Hyperlinks with a rel=”nofollow” attribute that instructs search engines not to follow the link or pass link equity to the linked page.
O
Off-page SEO
A type of SEO that focuses on building a website’s authority and credibility. This involves link building and web page optimization (e.g., guest posting and social media marketing).
On-page SEO
A type of SEO that focuses on optimizing website pages and content to improve ranking on search engine results. Some examples include writing keyword-optimized title tags, headers, and content.
Organic search
These are unpaid or unsponsored search results that appear based on relevance and quality.
Outbound links
Links from your website that point to external sites, which can provide additional value to users and indicate content relevance.
P
Page speed
Measurement of how fast a webpage loads and displays its content to users.
Paid search
Sponsored ads that appear at the top of the search results page. They often have “sponsored” indicators on top.
Pay-per-click (PPC)
An online ad model that allows advertisers to pay a fee each time their ad is clicked.
People Also Ask (PAA) boxes
A Google search results page feature showing questions with expandable answers to the user’s queries.
Persona
A fictional profile that represents a brand’s ideal target customer. Customer personas help businesses tailor their marketing strategies and content.
Pillar content
Authoritative content with a broad and in-depth topic. These contents serve as a central resource and link to related subtopics.
Q
Query
Search terms or phrases users enter in a search engine to find things related to their interests.
R
Ranking
A website or page’s position in search results for a specific query. Some factors that can include rankings are SEO, content quality, and user intent relevance.
Ranking factor
Elements that can influence or impact a webpage’s ranking in search results pages.
Readability
A quality that measures how easy it is for users to read and understand content on a web page. Factors like sentence structure, word choice, and formatting can influence these.
Redirection
The process of forwarding one URL to another, commonly using 301 or 302 redirects to guide users and search engines.
Referrer string
A part of the HTTP request header that identifies the website URL linked to the requested resource, providing context about how users navigate between pages.
Regional queries
Search terms influenced by location, often including city, state, or country names to refine search intent.
Robots.txt
A website’s root directory text file that instructs and redirects search engine crawlers from pages or sections of the site that are uncrawlable or unindexable.
RSS feed
Really simple syndication (RSS) is a web feed format that allows users and applications to receive updates from websites, such as news articles or blog posts, in a standardized, computer-readable format.
S
Schema markup
A type of structured data added to a webpage’s HTML to provide search engines with information about its content.
Search engine
A system or database that retrieves data and information corresponding to user queries. Some of the popular search engines include Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Search engine marketing
A digital marketing tactic that involves using paid advertisements to appear higher on search results pages.
Search engine optimization
The process of improving a website’s ranking in organic search results. Its three pillars include technical, on-page, and off-page optimizations.
Search engine results page (SERP)
The list of paid and organic results after a user submits a search query. Many SEO experts aim to rank the first page for higher visibility.
Search intent
| Type | Definition | Example |
| Commercial | This is when users are looking for a specific type of product or service. | “What is the best domain registrar?” |
| Informational | This is when users are looking for new knowledge or information. | “What is a domain extension?” |
| Navigational | This is when users are searching for a specific website. | “Domain.com website” |
| Transactional | This is when users are ready to buy a product or service | “Buy a premium domain name.” |
Search volume
The number of times a keyword is searched within a given period, indicating its popularity and traffic potential.
Seasonal trends
Keyword or search demand fluctuations based on specific times of the year, such as holidays or industry trends.
Seed keywords
Short-tail keywords are starting points for keyword research to generate related ideas.
SERP features
Non-traditional search results that enhance SERPs. It can take up various forms and features like AI overviews, PAA boxes, image carousels, and featured snippets.
Service area
The geographical region where a business provides its services.
Social media marketing
The use of social media platforms to promote products, services, or content, engage with audiences, and build brand awareness.
Spider
A search engine bot that crawls and indexes web pages to certify their relevance and ranking in search results.
SSL certificate
An SSL digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables encrypted connections. This commonly has an “https:” URL.
Status code
Three-digit numbers that web servers return in response to a user’s request.
Structured data
A standard data format that helps search engines understand a website’s content and structure. It enhances search visibility by enabling rich results such as FAQs, featured snippets, and product details.
Subdomain
A subdomain refers to an additional section of your website. This is usually a prefix to a domain name.
T
Target keywords
The primary search terms a webpage optimizes to attract relevant traffic and rank higher in search results. These keywords help Google’s crawlers scan information within a website to determine its relevance to the users.
Thin content
Webpages with little or no valuable content. These content types offer minimal user benefit and could potentially harm search engine rankings.
Thumbnails
Smaller images or videos that are often used as previews for blogs.
Traffic
The number of visitors a website receives. It has four types:
- Direct traffic. This refers to users who visit a website without using search engines.
- Organic traffic. Unpaid visitors that come from search engines.
- Paid traffic. The number of visitors gained from ads.
Referral traffic. The number of visitors that came from other websites.
Top-level domain (TLD)
TLDs are the texts that follow the dot symbol in a domain name. These domains are among the highest in the hierarchy of the domain name system (DNS).
U
URL
Uniform resource locator (URL) is a unique text identifier to locate resources on the internet. These are accessible through the browser search bar.
URL slug
The part of a URL that identifies a specific page, typically derived from the page’s title.
User experience (UX)
This pertains to how users perceive a website’s interface and features. SEO professionals optimize UX designs because they can affect the buyer’s journey and overall brand perception.
W
Web hosting
Hosting is a service that stores website files to make them accessible online. Some of its classifications include:
- Cloud hosting. The type of hosting stores website data across multiple data centers worldwide.
- Dedicated hosting. A hosting solution where an entire server is allocated to a single website.
- Shared hosting. A budget-friendly hosting option where multiple websites share the same server resources.
- Virtual private server (VPS). A middle-ground between shared and dedicated hosting where a single physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers.
Webmaster guidelines
Standards and requirements set by Google with official recommendations for best SEO practices and website optimization.
Website navigation
The structure and system of links that can help users move through a website easily.
White hat SEO
Ethical, guideline-compliant SEO strategies that focus on long-term organic growth. Several practices include creating quality content, natural link-building, and proper keyword frequency and usage.
WordPress
A popular CMS platform that many businesses use to create, manage, and edit their websites.
X
XML
Extensive markup language (XML) is a flexible structured markup language that stores and transports data and allows users to define custom tags to organize information.
XML sitemaps
Files that list a website’s important pages in XML format, helping search engines discover and index the site’s content.
Put these SEO terms to work
Now that you have new and improved SEO knowledge, it’s time to build a strategy to boost your business’ online presence. Keep this glossary handy as a quick reference as you optimize your site, create content, and refine your marketing strategies.
If you ever need expert help, we have the resources, tools, and services you need to grow your business. Start building a solid SEO strategy today!
