Glossary: SEO Terms
Comprehensive Guide to Search Engine Optimization Terminology
A
Algorithm
A complex system used by search engines to rank webpages in their search results based on numerous factors including relevance, authority, and user experience.
Anchor Text
The clickable text in a hyperlink. SEO best practices dictate that anchor text should be relevant to the page you're linking to.
Alt Text
Alternative text description added to an image's HTML tag that helps search engines understand what the image is about and provides accessibility for visually impaired users.
B
Backlink
A link from one website to a page on another website. Search engines view backlinks as votes of confidence, and quality backlinks are an important ranking factor.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate may indicate that your site isn't relevant to visitors' needs.
Black Hat SEO
Unethical SEO practices that violate search engine guidelines, such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, or using link schemes. These tactics can result in penalties.
C
Canonical URL
An HTML element that helps prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the "preferred" version of a web page.
Content Marketing
A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a target audience.
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
The percentage of people who click on your website's listing after seeing it in search results. A higher CTR can indicate more compelling titles and descriptions.
D
Domain Authority
A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs).
Duplicate Content
Substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.
Dwell Time
The length of time a visitor spends on your website after clicking a search result before returning to the SERPs. Longer dwell times can indicate quality content.
K
Keyword
A word or phrase that describes the content on your page. Keywords help search engines understand and rank your content for relevant queries.
Keyword Density
The percentage of times a keyword appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page. Modern SEO focuses more on context than strict density.
Keyword Research
The process of finding and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines with the goal of using that data for SEO or marketing purposes.
S
Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query by a user. The SERP includes both organic results and paid advertisements.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
A form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages through optimization and advertising.
Sitemap
A file that provides information about the pages, videos, and other files on your site, and the relationships between them to help search engines crawl your site more efficiently.
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