SPECIALISED SEO AGENCY SYDNEY

Apply for an SEO Audit
3d render of the sydney opera house in blue hues

THE ULTIMATE SEO TERMS GLOSSARY

3d render of an open book on a blue and purple gradient background

200+ SEO-SPECIFIC TERMS, ORGANISED BY SEO ACTIVITY CATEGORY.

Welcome to the only SEO Terms Glossary you’ll ever need, a comprehensive collection of 200+ SEO terms (and growing) related to all aspects of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

We have organised the terms into several categories to help you quickly find the necessary information. Whether you're a seasoned SEO professional or just getting started with optimising your website, this glossary is a valuable resource for understanding the technical terms and concepts that are essential for success in the world of SEO.

To learn about a specific category of SEO terms, jump to your desired SEO terms below:

‍

• Linking and Authority SEO Terms

• Content SEO Terms

• Traffic and Analytics SEO Terms

• Performance and User Experience SEO Terms

• Website Data and Markup SEO Terms

LINKING AND AUTHORITY SEO TERMS

‍

‍

  • Anchor Text: The clickable text in a hyperlink that is used to describe the linked page.
  • Anchor Text Ratio: The ratio of different types of anchor text used in a website's link profile.
  • Authority Score (AS): Authority Score is a metric used to assess the overall quality of a website or webpage. A higher score suggests that the outbound links from that domain or webpage may hold more influence when pointing to another site and a higher likelihood that a particular domain or page will be able to rank for competitive keyword phrases. This score is determined by three primary components, link power, estimated organic traffic and link profile.
  • Backlink Audit: The process of evaluating a website's backlink profile to identify any low-quality or spammy backlinks that may be harming its search engine rankings.
  • Backlink Outreach: The process of contacting website owners or influencers in order to request a backlink to a specific website or webpage.
  • Backlink Prospect: A relevant website that has the potential to link to a specific domain or webpage but has not yet done so.
  • Backlinks: Hyperlinks from other websites that point to a specific website or webpage.
  • Broken Link: A hyperlink that leads to a page that no longer exists or returns a 404 error.
  • Canonical Link: A tag in the HTML code of a webpage that tells search engines which version of a URL should be considered the "canonical" or preferred version.
  • Citation Flow (CF): A metric developed by Majestic that measures the number of backlinks to a website or webpage.
  • Digital PR: The practice of using online public relations strategies to build relationships with journalists, bloggers, and other influencers in order to earn media coverage and backlinks to a website.
  • Disavow: The process of telling search engines to ignore specific backlinks pointing to a website to improve its search engine rankings.
  • Domain Authority (DA): A proprietary metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank in search engines based on various factors, including the quality and quantity of inbound links.
  • Domain rating (DR): A proprietary metric developed by Ahrefs that predicts a website's ability to rank in search engines based on its backlink profile.
  • Dofollow Link: A hyperlink that allows link equity to be passed to the linked page.
  • Guest Post: A content marketing strategy that involves writing and publishing a blog post on another website in order to earn backlinks to your own website.
  • Inbound Links: Hyperlinks that point from other websites to a specific website or webpage.
  • Internal Links: Hyperlinks that point from one page on a website to another page on the same website.
  • Internal Post: A blog post or other piece of content on a website that links to other pages on the same website.
  • Link Bait Content: Content designed to attract inbound links from other websites.
  • Link Building: The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own.
  • Link Juice: The value or equity passed from one page or website to another via hyperlinks.
  • Link Network: A group of websites that link to each other for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings.
  • Link Profile: The collection of backlinks pointing to a website or webpage.
  • Link reclamation: The process of fixing broken links or reclaiming lost backlinks to a website.
  • Moving Man Method: A content marketing strategy that involves identifying broken links on other websites and offering a replacement link to a relevant piece of content on your own website.
  • Nofollow link: A hyperlink that instructs search engines not to pass link equity to the linked page.
  • Outbound Links: Hyperlinks that point from a specific website or webpage to other websites.
  • Page Authority (PA): A proprietary metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a specific webpage will rank in search engines based on various factors, including the quality and quantity of inbound links.
  • Parasite SEO: is a link-building tactic where marketers use the authority of established websites to rank for specific keywords. By creating content on platforms with high domain authority, they achieve higher search engine rankings more quickly, leveraging the host site's reputation.
  • Skyscraper Method: A content marketing strategy that involves creating high-quality content that is better than existing content on a specific topic, with the goal of earning backlinks from other websites.
  • Toxic Link: A backlink from a low-quality or spammy website that can harm a website's search engine rankings.
  • Trust flow (TF): A metric developed by Majestic that measures the quality of backlinks to a website or webpage based on the trustworthiness of the linking sites.
  • Trust Score: A metric used by various SEO tools to predict a website's trustworthiness based on multiple factors, including its backlink profile.


CONTENT SEO TERMS

‍

‍

  • Content Value: The usefulness or relevance of a piece of content to its intended audience, as determined by factors such as purpose fulfilment, efficient delivery of key information, engagement metrics and user feedback.
  • Mixed Content: A security issue that arises when a webpage contains both secure (HTTPS) and non-secure (HTTP) content.
  • Duplicate Content: Content that appears on more than one webpage or website, which can result in search engine penalties for websites that engage in this practice.
  • Cornerstone Content: A high-quality, comprehensive piece of content on a particular topic that serves as a cornerstone for other related content on a website.
  • Evergreen Content: Content that remains relevant and useful to its target audience over a long period of time, as opposed to content that is time-sensitive or tied to a particular event or trend.
  • Page Structure: The organisation and layout of a webpage's content, including headings, paragraphs, and images.
  • Site Structure: The organisation and hierarchy of a website's pages and content, which can impact its usability and search engine rankings.
  • Re-post: The act of republishing content on a website or social media platform, often with the intention of reaching a larger audience.
  • Orphaned Pages: Pages on a website that are not linked to from any other pages, making them difficult for search engines and users to discover.
  • Content Audit: The process of evaluating the quality and relevance of a website's existing content.
  • Content Strategy: The plan for creating and publishing content that aligns with a business's goals and target audience.
  • Content Gap Analysis: The process of identifying topics or keywords that a website's competitors are ranking for, but the website itself does not have content on.
  • Content Curation: The practice of gathering and sharing relevant content from other sources in order to build authority and provide value to your audience.
  • Content Freshness: The extent to which a website's content is updated or revised on a regular basis.
  • Content Pillar: A piece of content that serves as a comprehensive resource on a particular topic and can be used to create smaller pieces of related content.
  • Content Silo: A group of related pages or articles on a website that are organised around a central topic or theme.
  • Content Syndication: The practice of republishing content from one website on another website in order to reach a larger audience.
  • Keyword Density: The percentage of times a specific keyword or phrase appears in a piece of content.
  • Content Relevance: The alignment between the content's topic and the interests or needs of the target audience, ensuring it provides valuable information.
  • Content Engagement Metrics: Quantitative measures such as time on page, bounce rate, and scroll depth that indicate how users interact with the content.
  • User Intent Matching: Ensuring that content accurately addresses the intent behind user search queries, enhancing its value to the audience.
  • Content Quality: The overall standard of a piece of content, encompassing factors like accuracy, depth, and the absence of errors.
  • Content Depth: The thoroughness and comprehensiveness of content, providing in-depth insights and information on the subject.
  • Thin Content: Content that lacks substance, value, or meaningful information and may be considered low-quality by search engines.
  • Content Originality: The uniqueness and originality of content, avoiding duplication and plagiarism to maintain credibility.
  • Content Consistency: Ensuring a consistent tone, style, and messaging across all pieces of content to establish a cohesive brand identity.
  • Content Engagement: The level of interaction, comments, shares, and likes that content receives on social media or other platforms.
  • Content Readability: The ease with which users can understand and absorb the content, considering factors like sentence structure and vocabulary.
  • Content Delight: Delivering content that exceeds user expectations, providing unexpected value or insights.
  • Content Alignment: Ensuring that the content's message and purpose align with the overall goals and values of the website or brand.
  • Content Lifecycle: The stages of content creation, publication, promotion, and updates throughout its lifespan.
  • Content Governance: Implementing rules and guidelines for content creation, management, and maintenance to ensure consistency and quality.
  • Content Engagement Strategies: Techniques and tactics employed to encourage user interaction and engagement with the content.
  • Content Personalisation: Customising content based on user preferences, behaviour, or demographic information to enhance user experience.
  • Content Distribution Plan: A strategic approach to sharing content across various channels and platforms to maximise its reach and impact.
  • Content Accessibility: Ensuring that content is accessible to users with disabilities, following accessibility guidelines such as WCAG.
  • Content SEO Optimisation: Incorporating relevant keywords, headings, and other on-page SEO elements to enhance content's search engine visibility.
  • Content User Journey: Mapping out the path users take as they engage with different pieces of content, from discovery to conversion.
  • Content Conversion Optimisation: Modifying content elements to encourage users to take desired actions, such as signing up or making a purchase.
  • Content Metrics Analysis: Regularly evaluating content performance metrics to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement.
  • Content Gap Filling: Creating new content to address topics or questions that the existing content doesn't cover, enhancing website coverage.
  • Content Upcycling: Repurposing existing content into different formats (e.g., infographics, videos) to expand its reach and appeal.
  • Content Tone of Voice (TOV): Defining the appropriate voice and tone for the content, aligning with the brand's personality and audience expectations.
  • Content Expiry and Archiving: Managing outdated content by archiving or updating it to maintain accuracy and user relevance.
  • Content Contextualisation: Ensuring that content is presented within the appropriate context, considering user location, device, and other factors.
  • Content Collaboration: Collaborating with subject matter experts, influencers, or other stakeholders to create more valuable and authoritative content.
  • Content Performance Benchmarking: Comparing content performance against industry benchmarks and competitors to identify areas of improvement.
  • Content Visualisation: Incorporating visuals such as images, infographics, and videos to enhance content engagement and comprehension.
  • Content Data Integration: Integrating data and research into content to provide factual support and credibility to the information presented.

TRAFFIC AND ANALYTICS SEO TERMS

‍

‍

  • Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page.
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of clicks a link receives out of the total number of times it was shown or displayed.
  • Conversion: The completion of a desired action on a website, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
  • Event: An action that is tracked on a website, such as a button click or form submission.
  • Exit Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing a particular page.
  • Funnel: The process by which a website guides visitors towards a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
  • Goal: A specific action or event that is defined as a conversion on a website.
  • Google Analytics (GA): A free web analytics service provided by Google that allows website owners to track and analyse website traffic and user behaviour.
  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4): The latest version of Google Analytics, featuring improved machine learning capabilities and enhanced data tracking.
  • Google Search Console (GSC): A free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor and optimise their website's presence in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  • Google Tag Manager (GTM): A free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to manage and deploy website tracking tags and scripts.
  • Key Performance Indicator (KPI): A metric used to measure the success or effectiveness of a website or marketing campaign.
  • Month on Month (MoM): A comparison of website traffic or other metrics between two consecutive months.
  • Organic Search: The process of obtaining website traffic through unpaid, natural search engine results.
  • Organic Traffic: The website traffic that comes from unpaid, natural search engine results.
  • Pogo Sticking: The act of clicking back and forth between search engine results and a website in quick succession, which can indicate that the website is not providing the information the user is looking for.
  • Rankings: The position of a website or webpage in search engine results pages (SERPs) for a particular keyword or query.
  • Search Engine Results Pages (SERP): The page of search engine results that appears after a user enters a query.
  • Session: A period of time during which a user is actively engaged with a website.
  • Universal Analytics (UA): The previous version of Google Analytics, featuring traditional tracking methods such as cookies and user IDs.
  • Visibility: The degree to which a website or webpage appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) for a particular keyword or query.
  • Year on Year (YoY): A comparison of website traffic or other metrics between two consecutive years.
  • Heatmap: A graphical representation of website visitor activity, typically indicating areas of high and low engagement or interest.
  • Key Performance Indicator (KPI): A metric used to measure the success or effectiveness of a website or marketing campaign.
  • Pageviews: The number of times a webpage is viewed by visitors, which can be an indication of the popularity or engagement of the content.
  • User Flow: The path that a website visitor takes through a website, from their initial entry point to their exit point, often used to identify areas where visitors may be dropping off or encountering difficulties.
  • Engagement Rate: The measurement of how actively users interact with a website's content, including likes, shares, comments, and other forms of engagement.
  • Session Duration: The average time users spend on a website during a single session, indicating the level of user engagement and interest.
  • Time on Page: The average duration users spend on a specific webpage, reflecting the quality and relevancy of the content.
  • Bounce Rate Segmentation: Dividing bounce rates into specific segments (e.g., traffic sources, device types) to gain insights into why users are leaving without engaging further.
  • Exit Page Analysis: Evaluating which pages users are most likely to exit a website from, providing insights into potential usability or content issues.
  • Conversion Funnel Abandonment: Identifying the stages of a conversion funnel where users drop off or abandon the process, aiding in optimisation efforts.
  • Conversion Attribution: Determining which touchpoints or interactions contribute most significantly to conversions, helping allocate resources effectively.
  • Attribution Models: Various methods (e.g., first-click, last-click, linear) for assigning credit to different touchpoints in a user's journey towards conversion.
  • Cross-Device Tracking: Monitoring user behaviour across multiple devices (e.g., desktop, mobile, tablet) to understand their path to conversion.
  • Multi-Channel Attribution: Analysing the impact of various marketing channels (e.g., organic search, social media, email) on conversions.
  • User Segmentation: Dividing website users into distinct groups based on demographics, behaviours, or other characteristics for targeted analysis.
  • User Persona Analysis: Creating detailed user personas and analysing how they interact with the website to enhance user experience.
  • User Intent Analysis: Investigating user search queries and behaviours to understand their underlying intent and tailor content accordingly.


PERFORMANCE AND USER EXPERIENCE SEO TERMS

‍

‍

  • Page Speed: The amount of time it takes for a webpage to load, measured in seconds or milliseconds. Faster page speed is generally associated with a better user experience and improved search engine rankings.
  • Core Web Vitals (CWV): A set of user experience metrics introduced by Google in 2020, including First Contentful Paint (FCP), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These metrics are used to measure website performance and user experience, and are becoming increasingly important for search engine rankings.
  • First Contentful Paint (FCP): A user experience metric that measures the time it takes for the first piece of content to appear on a webpage after a user requests it.
  • Last Contentful Paint (LCP): A user experience metric that measures the time it takes for the largest piece of content to appear on a webpage after a user requests it.
  • User Experience (UX): The overall experience that a user has while interacting with a website, including factors such as ease of use, navigation, and design.
  • Image Optimisation: The process of compressing, resizing, and otherwise optimising images to improve website performance and user experience.
  • Image Sizing: The process of adjusting the dimensions of images to fit within the design and layout of a webpage, while minimising the file size and preserving image quality.
  • Lazy Loading: A technique used to improve page speed and reduce server load by delaying the loading of non-critical content, such as images or videos, until the user scrolls to that part of the webpage.
  • Page Speed Optimisation: The process of improving website performance and user experience by optimising page speed through various techniques such as image optimisation, caching, and server response time improvement.
  • Caching: A technique used to improve website performance by storing frequently accessed data in a temporary storage location, such as a user's browser or a server's memory.
  • Server Response Time: The amount of time it takes for a server to respond to a request from a user's browser, including the time it takes to process the request, generate a response, and transmit the response to the user's browser.
  • Page Timings: The time it takes for a webpage to load, including the time it takes to load all resources such as images, scripts, and stylesheets.
  • Content Delivery Network (CDN): A network of servers distributed geographically around the world, used to improve website performance and user experience by reducing the distance between a user's browser and the server that is hosting the website's content.
  • Browser Caching: The approach of saving copies of web assets (e.g., images, scripts) within a user's browser so they don't require reloading during subsequent visits to the site.
  • Compression: The process of diminishing the size of web assets, like images and scripts, to enhance website efficiency.
  • Minification: The process of trimming extraneous characters (e.g., whitespace, comments) from code to reduce its file size and enhance page loading speed.
  • Render Blocking: JavaScript and CSS resources that impede a webpage from rendering until fully loaded, potentially retarding page loading times.
  • Page Load Time: The duration it takes for an entire webpage to load, encompassing elements like images, scripts, and content. Swift page load times lead to enhanced user engagement and improved SEO standings.
  • Time to First Byte (TTFB): The interval between a user's request for a webpage and the initial byte of data transmitted by the server in response. A low TTFB signifies effective server performance.
  • Resource Prioritisation: The practice of assigning priority to loading specific resources (e.g., critical CSS, above-the-fold content) to expedite the initial rendering of a webpage.
  • DNS Lookup Time: The time required for a user's browser to resolve a domain name to its corresponding IP address, influencing the initial connection to a website.
  • Connection Time: The duration needed to establish a connection between a user's browser and the server hosting a webpage, affecting the overall page load time.
  • Time to Interactive (TTI): A metric gauging when a webpage becomes entirely interactive for users, indicating that users can interact with elements and content seamlessly.
  • Above-the-Fold Content: The content visible to users without scrolling when a webpage loads initially. Prioritising the loading of above-the-fold content enhances perceived page speed.
  • Critical Rendering Path: The sequence of steps and resources necessary to render a webpage on a user's browser, including HTML parsing, CSS rendering, and JavaScript execution.
  • Browser Rendering: The process by which a browser constructs and displays content on a webpage, encompassing rendering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images.
  • Connection Pooling: The technique of maintaining a set of open connections between a web server and a database to diminish the overhead of establishing new connections for each request.
  • Content Flickering: A phenomenon where content on a webpage momentarily flickers or shifts during loading, leading to a suboptimal user experience.
  • Resource Gzipping: Compressing resources like CSS and JavaScript files using the Gzip compression algorithm to reduce their file size and accelerate loading times.
  • Preconnect: A browser optimisation technique initiating an early connection to domains hosting resources required for rendering a webpage, curbing latency.
  • Service Workers: Scriptable network proxy used by browsers to manage the caching of resources, enabling websites to function offline or with low network connectivity.
  • DOMContentLoaded: An event in the browsing process signifying when a webpage's Document Object Model (DOM) has been fully constructed, allowing JavaScript to interact with the page's content.
  • CSS Sprites: A technique merging multiple images into a single image file, minimising HTTP requests and enhancing loading speed.
  • JavaScript Bundling: The practice of consolidating multiple JavaScript files into a single file, reducing the number of HTTP requests needed for loading.
  • Critical CSS: The essential CSS required for rendering above-the-fold content, loaded initially to enhance perceived page speed.
  • Content Served from Subdomain: Distributing content from a subdomain (e.g., static.example.com) to capitalise on parallel browser requests and enhance loading speed.
  • Render Time: The duration taken for a browser to fully render a webpage, including all resources and interactivity.
  • Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Web applications combining the characteristics of both websites and mobile apps, offering offline access, push notifications, and faster loading times.
  • WebP Format: An image format designed specifically for the web, delivering high-quality images with smaller file sizes compared to traditional formats like JPEG or PNG.
  • Render-Blocking CSS: CSS that prevents the initial rendering of a webpage until it's fully loaded, affecting page speed and user experience.
  • Client-Side Rendering (CSR): A method where web browsers take on the task of rendering a webpage's content using JavaScript, enabling dynamic content updates without reloading the entire page.
  • Server-Side Rendering (SSR): A technique where the server pre-renders a webpage's content before delivering it to the user's browser, enhancing page load times and SEO performance.
  • Critical Path CSS: The minimal set of CSS required to render the visible portion of a webpage's content, optimising initial rendering.
  • Database Indexing: The process of structuring a database to facilitate swift data retrieval, leading to faster queries and improved performance.
  • Data Caching: Storing frequently accessed data in memory for rapid retrieval, enhancing overall application or website performance.
  • Resource Lazy Loading: Deferring the loading of non-essential resources, such as images below the fold, until they come into view in the user's viewport.
  • HTTP/2 Protocol: An updated version of the HTTP protocol designed to improve performance through enhanced request multiplexing, compression, and server push.
  • Web Performance Audit: A systematic evaluation of a website's speed, efficiency, and user experience, often resulting in recommendations for improvement.

WEBSITE DATA AND MARKUP SEO TERMS

‍

‍

  • Meta Description (MD): A short summary of a webpage's content that is displayed in search engine results pages (SERPs) beneath the page title and URL. The meta description is typically up to 155-160 characters in length and is used to provide users with an overview of the page's content and to encourage them to click through to the page.
  • Page Title (PT): The title of a webpage that is displayed at the top of the browser window and in search engine results pages (SERPs). The page title is typically up to 60-70 characters in length and is used to provide a concise and descriptive summary of the page's content.
  • Structured Data: A form of markup that is added to a webpage's HTML to provide additional information about the page's content to search engines and other web applications. Structured data uses a standardised format to provide information such as the type of content, author information, event details, and more. This information can be used by search engines to display enhanced search results, such as rich snippets or knowledge panels, and to provide additional context about the page's content.
  • Alt Text: A short description of an image that is added to the image's HTML code. Alt text is used to provide a textual alternative to an image for users who are unable to see it, such as visually impaired users or users who have disabled images in their browser. Alt text is also used by search engines to understand the content and context of an image and to index images for image search results.
  • Image Title: An attribute that is added to an image's HTML code to provide additional information about the image. The image title is typically displayed as a tooltip when the user hovers their mouse over the image and can be used to provide additional context or information about the image. The image title is not used by search engines for indexing or ranking purposes but can be useful for improving user experience and providing additional information to users.
  • HTML Sitemap: A page on a website that lists all of the pages on the site in a hierarchical or structured format, used to help search engines and users navigate the website.
  • XML Sitemap: A file on a website that lists all of the pages on the site in a structured format, used to help search engines index the website more effectively.
  • Schema Markup: A form of structured data added to a webpage's HTML to provide additional information about the page's content to search engines and other web applications.
  • Hreflang Tag: A tag that is added to a webpage to indicate the intended language and geographic targeting of the page's content, used to help search engines display the correct version of a page to users in different countries or languages.
  • Open Graph Protocol: A set of meta tags that are added to a webpage's HTML to control how the page appears when shared on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.
  • Twitter Card: A form of metadata added to a webpage's HTML to control how the page appears when shared on Twitter.
  • Rich Snippets: A type of structured data that provides additional information about a webpage's content in search engine results pages (SERPs), including reviews, ratings, and other data.
  • Breadcrumbs: A navigational aid that is added to a webpage to show users where they are in the website's hierarchy and to help search engines understand the site's structure.