SEO, GEO and SEM glossary, the terms of modern search

301 redirectTechnical SEOA permanent redirect from one URL to another that passes on most of the authority.

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302 redirectTechnical SEOA temporary redirect from one URL to another.

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307 redirectTechnical SEOA temporary redirect, the modern equivalent of the 302, that preserves the request's HTTP method.

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308 redirectTechnical SEOA permanent redirect, the modern equivalent of the 301, that preserves the request's HTTP method.

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404 errorTechnical SEOA code indicating the requested page does not exist.

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410 errorTechnical SEOA code indicating the page has been permanently removed.

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5xx errorTechnical SEOServer-side errors (500, 502, 503) that prevent access to the page.

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A

A/B testAnalytics and KPIsComparing two variants to determine which one performs better.

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Above the foldOn-page and contentThe part of the page visible without scrolling.

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AccountSEM and Google AdsThe top level of a Google Ads structure, tied to billing.

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Acquisition channelAnalytics and KPIsA broad category of traffic origin: organic, paid, direct, referral, social, email.

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Ad auctionSEM and Google AdsThe real-time process that determines which ads are shown and in what order.

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Ad descriptionSEM and Google AdsThe body text of an ad, limited to 90 characters per description.

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Ad groupSEM and Google AdsA subset of a campaign that groups keywords and ads around the same theme.

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Ad headlineSEM and Google AdsThe main line of an ad, limited to 30 characters in Google Ads.

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Ad RankSEM and Google AdsA value that determines an ad's position, based on the bid, quality and context.

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Ad scheduleSEM and Google AdsChoosing the days and hours when ads are served.

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Ad StrengthSEM and Google AdsA Google indicator of the diversity and relevance of a responsive ad's assets.

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Ads in AI OverviewsSEM and Google AdsAds shown in or around the summaries generated by Google's AI.

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AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)GEO and AIOptimizing for answer engines: featured snippets, voice assistants and conversational AI.

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AEO optimization service

Affinity audiencesSEM and Google AdsUsers targeted based on their long-term interests.

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Agentic commerceGEO and AIPurchases made wholly or partly by AI agents on behalf of users.

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AhrefsToolsAn SEO suite known for its backlink index, keyword research and AI visibility tracking.

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AI agentGEO and AIAn AI system capable of acting autonomously: browsing, comparing, filling out forms, buying.

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AI crawlersGEO and AIRobots that crawl the web to train models or feed live answers.

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AI ModeSERPGoogle's conversational search mode built on generative AI, which answers complex questions with sources.

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AI OverviewsSERPSummaries generated by Google's AI at the top of some SERPs, with links to the sources.

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ChatGPT SEO

AI referral trafficGEO and AIVisits coming from links clicked in AI answers (chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, etc.).

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AI SEOGEO and AIA common expression covering SEO and GEO applied to AI-assisted search.

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AI visibilityGEO and AIA measure of a brand's presence in AI-generated answers.

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AI-generated contentOn-page and contentContent produced with artificial intelligence tools. Google tolerates it if it is useful and not mass-produced to manipulate.

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AIO (AI Optimization)GEO and AIAn umbrella term for optimizing for artificial intelligence systems.

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AlgorithmSEO basicsThe set of rules and signals a search engine uses to rank pages.

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Algorithmic penaltyAlgorithms and penaltiesA ranking drop caused automatically by a filter or update, with no notification.

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Alt text (alt attribute)On-page and contentA text description of an image, useful for accessibility and image SEO.

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Amazon SEOSEO basicsOptimizing product listings so they stand out in Amazon's internal search engine.

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AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)Technical SEOA lightweight mobile page format, now in sharp decline.

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Anchor textOn-page and contentThe clickable text of a link.

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Anchor text diversityLink building and authorityThe variety of anchor texts in inbound links, essential for a natural profile.

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AnswerThePublicToolsA tool that visualizes the questions and phrases associated with a keyword.

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App campaignSEM and Google AdsA campaign that promotes an app across all Google channels.

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Apple Business ConnectLocal SEOApple's equivalent for managing a business's presence in Maps and Siri.

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Applebot-ExtendedGEO and AIA token that lets you opt out of content being used to train Apple's models.

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ASO (App Store Optimization)SEO basicsOptimizing an app's visibility in app stores.

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Assets (ad extensions)SEM and Google AdsAdditional information added to ads: sitelinks, callouts, call, location, price, structured snippets.

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AttributionAnalytics and KPIsA method of allocating credit for a conversion among touchpoints.

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AudienceSEM and Google AdsA group of users targeted based on demographics, interests or behaviours.

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AuthoritySEO basicsThe level of trust and credibility a search engine gives a site or page, often tied to the links it receives.

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Authority ScoreLink building and authoritySemrush's domain authority score.

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Autocomplete (Google Suggest)Keywords and intentSuggestions Google offers while a query is being typed.

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Average CPCSEM and Google AdsThe average amount actually paid per click.

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Average engagement timeAnalytics and KPIsThe average time during which the page is active in the foreground.

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Average positionSEO basicsThe average of the rankings a page or site achieves over a period, as measured by Google Search Console.

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B

Backlink (inbound link)Link building and authorityA link from another site pointing to yours.

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backlink acquisition

BERTAlgorithms and penaltiesA language model integrated in 2019 that understands the context of words in a query.

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BidSEM and Google AdsThe maximum amount an advertiser is willing to pay for an action.

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Bid adjustmentSEM and Google AdsModifying bids based on device, location, time of day or audience.

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Bing PlacesLocal SEOMicrosoft's equivalent for managing a business profile in Bing and Bing Maps.

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Bing Webmaster ToolsSEO basicsA free Microsoft tool to monitor and manage a site's presence in Bing.

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BingbotGEO and AIMicrosoft's robot, whose index powers Bing and part of the answers from Copilot and ChatGPT.

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Black hat SEOSEO basicsPractices that try to manipulate rankings by breaking the guidelines (keyword stuffing, mass link buying, cloaking).

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BotifyToolsA crawling, log analysis and technical SEO platform for large sites.

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Bounce rateAnalytics and KPIsIn GA4, the percentage of sessions without engagement.

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Brand biddingSEM and Google AdsBuying ads on your own brand name, or on a competitor's.

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Brand mention (AI)GEO and AIThe appearance of a brand name in an AI answer, with or without a link.

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Brand RadarGEO and AIAn Ahrefs tool that measures brand visibility in AI answers.

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Brand sentiment (AI)GEO and AIThe positive, neutral or negative tone in which an AI describes a brand.

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Branded anchorLink building and authorityAn anchor containing the brand name.

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Branded keywordKeywords and intentA query that contains a brand name.

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BrightLocalToolsA local SEO tool: citations, local rank tracking, profile and review audits.

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Broad matchSEM and Google AdsA match type that allows ads to serve on queries related to the keyword's meaning.

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Broken linkTechnical SEOA link pointing to a page that does not exist or returns an error.

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Broken link buildingLink building and authorityA technique that involves finding broken links on other sites and offering your content as a replacement.

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C

CAC (customer acquisition cost)Analytics and KPIsThe total cost of obtaining a new customer.

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CachingTechnical SEOTemporarily storing resources to speed up subsequent visits.

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CampaignSEM and Google AdsA set of ads sharing a budget, geographic targeting and a bidding strategy.

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Canonical tag (rel=canonical)Technical SEOA tag indicating the reference URL of a page when several URLs show identical or similar content.

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CarouselSERPA horizontally scrolling series of results (products, recipes, articles).

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Category pageOn-page and contentA page grouping products or articles of the same type, important in e-commerce.

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CCBotGEO and AICommon Crawl's robot, whose data is used to train many models.

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ccTLDTechnical SEOA country-specific domain extension (.ca, .fr, .be).

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CDN (Content Delivery Network)Technical SEOA geographically distributed network of servers that delivers content closer to the user.

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ChatGPT SearchGEO and AIA web search feature built into ChatGPT that cites its sources.

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ChatGPT-UserGEO and AIOpenAI's agent that visits a page at a user's request.

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ChunkingGEO and AISplitting a document into blocks that RAG systems retrieve separately.

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Circle to SearchSERPAn Android visual search feature that lets you circle an item on screen to search for it.

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CitabilityGEO and AIThe likelihood that a piece of content will be chosen as a source by an AI.

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Citation (AI)GEO and AIA link or source explicitly referenced by an AI in its answer.

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Citation (local SEO)Link building and authorityA mention of a business's name, address and phone number on another site.

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Citation FlowLink building and authorityA Majestic metric, from 0 to 100, that measures the quantity and raw strength of links pointing to a site.

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Citation rateGEO and AIThe percentage of prompts for which a domain is cited as a source.

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ClaudeGEO and AIAn AI assistant developed by Anthropic.

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ClaudeBotGEO and AIAnthropic's robot.

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ClearscopeToolsA content optimization tool that recommends terms and topics to cover.

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ClickAnalytics and KPIsThe act of clicking on a result or ad.

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Click fraudSEM and Google AdsInvalid clicks generated artificially to drain the advertising budget.

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CloakingTechnical SEOA prohibited practice of showing different content to robots and to users.

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CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)Technical SEOA measure of unexpected visual shifts during loading. Good score: 0.1 or less.

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CMS (Content Management System)Technical SEOWeb content management software (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Drupal).

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Co-citationGEO and AIA brand being mentioned alongside other entities or topics, which associates the concepts in the models' understanding.

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Co-occurrenceGEO and AITwo terms frequently appearing together in texts, which creates a semantic association.

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Commercial intentKeywords and intentThe user is comparing options before buying.

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Community platformsGEO and AISites like Reddit, Quora or forums, heavily cited by AI engines.

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Compression (Gzip, Brotli)Technical SEOReducing the size of files sent by the server.

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ConsensusGEO and AIThe consistency of information about a brand across many sources, which increases AI trust.

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Content briefOn-page and contentA document that frames the writing of a piece of content: keyword, intent, outline, sources, links.

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Content decayOn-page and contentThe gradual decline of a piece of content's traffic over time.

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Content freshnessOn-page and contentHow recent a piece of content is, more important for certain queries (news, prices, trends).

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Content gapKeywords and intentTopics covered by competitors but missing from your site.

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Content planOn-page and contentA strategy defining the topics, formats and content priorities needed to reach SEO goals.

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Content pruningOn-page and contentRemoving, merging or deindexing weak content to improve the site's overall quality.

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Content refreshOn-page and contentRevising existing content to keep it accurate and competitive.

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Context windowGEO and AIThe amount of text a model can process at once.

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Contextual linkOn-page and contentA link placed in the body of a text, surrounded by relevant content.

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Conversational queryKeywords and intentA long query in natural language, typical of voice search and AI assistants.

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ConversionSEM and Google AdsA valuable action taken by a user: purchase, call, form, sign-up.

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Conversion funnelAnalytics and KPIsThe steps a user goes through on the way to conversion.

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Conversion rateAnalytics and KPIsConversions divided by the number of visits or clicks.

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Conversion trackingSEM and Google AdsMeasuring the actions taken after a click on an ad.

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Conversion valueSEM and Google AdsThe amount assigned to a conversion, such as the revenue from a sale.

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Conversion windowSEM and Google AdsThe period after a click during which a conversion is attributed to the ad.

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CookiesAnalytics and KPIsSmall files stored by the browser to remember information, regulated by Law 25 in Quebec.

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Core updateAlgorithms and penaltiesA major change to Google's algorithm, rolled out several times a year, that revises its overall assessment of quality.

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Core Web VitalsTechnical SEOThree Google metrics measuring loading experience, interactivity and visual stability (LCP, INP, CLS).

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CPA (cost per acquisition)SEM and Google AdsThe average cost to obtain a conversion.

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CPC (cost per click)Keywords and intentThe average price paid in advertising for a click on a keyword, an indicator of commercial value.

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CPL (cost per lead)Analytics and KPIsThe average cost of obtaining a lead.

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CPM (cost per thousand)SEM and Google AdsThe cost per 1,000 ad impressions.

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Crawl budgetTechnical SEOThe number of pages a search engine is willing to crawl on a site within a given time frame.

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Crawl depthTechnical SEOThe number of clicks needed to reach a page from the home page.

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Crawled, currently not indexedTechnical SEOA Search Console status for a page that Google visited but chose not to index.

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Crawler (robot, spider, bot)SEO basicsAn automated program that browses the web to discover and fetch pages. Example: Googlebot.

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CrawlingSEO basicsThe process by which a robot visits and downloads a site's pages.

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CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)Analytics and KPIsOptimizing a site's conversion rate.

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CrUX (Chrome User Experience Report)ToolsA Google dataset that gathers real-world performance measurements experienced by Chrome users.

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CSR (Client-Side Rendering)Technical SEORendering the page in the browser with JavaScript, which is harder for some robots.

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CTA (Call to Action)On-page and contentA prompt inviting the user to act (call, buy, sign up).

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CTR (click-through rate)Analytics and KPIsClicks divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage.

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Custom segmentsSEM and Google AdsAudiences defined from keywords, URLs or apps.

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Customer MatchSEM and Google AdsTargeting based on customer lists supplied by the advertiser.

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Customer reviewsLocal SEORatings left by customers, an important signal for local rankings and conversion.

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D

DA (Domain Authority)Link building and authorityMoz's domain authority score.

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Daily budgetSEM and Google AdsThe average amount an advertiser is willing to spend per day on a campaign.

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DashboardAnalytics and KPIsA visualization bringing together the main indicators.

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Data aggregatorLocal SEOA service that distributes business data to many directories and platforms.

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Data thresholdsAnalytics and KPIsThe withholding of certain data in GA4 to protect user anonymity.

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Data-driven attributionAnalytics and KPIsA model that allocates credit according to the estimated actual contribution of each touchpoint.

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DataForSEOToolsA provider of SEO data APIs (SERPs, keywords, backlinks, LLM mentions).

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DeindexingAlgorithms and penaltiesThe complete removal of a page or site from the index.

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Demand GenSEM and Google AdsA visual campaign type on YouTube, Discover and Gmail, designed to generate demand.

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Digital PRLink building and authorityEarning media mentions and links through stories, studies or data.

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Direct trafficAnalytics and KPIsVisits with no identifiable source, often from typing the URL directly.

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DirectoryLink building and authorityA site that lists businesses or websites by category.

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DisallowTechnical SEOA robots.txt directive that blocks crawling of a given path.

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DisavowLink building and authorityA Google tool for asking it to ignore certain inbound links.

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Discovered, currently not indexedTechnical SEOThe status of a page Google knows about but has not yet crawled.

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Display NetworkSEM and Google AdsVisual ads served on millions of partner sites and apps.

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Display URLSEM and Google AdsThe address visible in the ad, with customizable paths.

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Dofollow linkLink building and authorityA standard link that passes authority. The term refers to the absence of a nofollow attribute.

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DOM (Document Object Model)Technical SEOA structured representation of an HTML page that browsers and robots work with.

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Domain authority (generic score)Link building and authorityA score estimating a site's strength, calculated by third-party tools. It is not a Google metric.

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Doorway pagesOn-page and contentPages created solely to capture queries and send users to another page, prohibited by Google.

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DR (Domain Rating)Link building and authorityAhrefs' domain authority score, from 0 to 100.

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Duplicate contentTechnical SEOIdentical or very similar content found at several URLs, on the same site or on different sites.

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Dwell timeAnalytics and KPIsThe time spent on a page after a click from the SERP, before returning to the results.

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Dynamic renderingTechnical SEOA technique that serves a pre-rendered version to robots and a JavaScript version to users.

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Dynamic search ad (DSA)SEM and Google AdsAn ad whose headline and landing page are generated automatically from the site's content.

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E

E-E-A-TOn-page and contentExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness: criteria used by Google's quality raters.

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Earned mediaGEO and AICoverage earned in independent media, a major source of AI citations.

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Editorial calendarOn-page and contentThe schedule of content to produce and publish.

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Editorial linkLink building and authorityA link given naturally by a publisher because the content deserves it.

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EmbeddingGEO and AIA numerical representation of a text's meaning, used to measure semantic similarity.

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EMD (Exact Match Domain) updateAlgorithms and penaltiesAn update reducing the advantage of domain names made up exactly of the keyword.

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Engagement rateAnalytics and KPIsIn GA4, the percentage of sessions lasting at least 10 seconds, with a conversion or at least two pageviews.

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Enhanced conversionsSEM and Google AdsA method that uses hashed first-party data to measure conversions more accurately.

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brand authority and entity

EntityOn-page and contentA unique, identifiable thing or concept (person, place, brand, idea) that search engines recognize and connect to one another.

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Entity clarityGEO and AIA site's ability to describe unambiguously who the business is, what it does and where.

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Entry page (analytics landing page)Analytics and KPIsThe first page viewed during a session.

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EventAnalytics and KPIsAn interaction tracked in GA4 (click, scroll, form submission).

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Evergreen contentOn-page and contentContent that stays relevant for a long time without quickly becoming dated.

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Exact matchSEM and Google AdsA match type that serves on queries with the same meaning as the keyword.

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Exact match anchorLink building and authorityAn anchor identical to the targeted keyword. Used excessively, it can look manipulative.

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Exit pageAnalytics and KPIsThe last page viewed before leaving the site.

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Experiments (A/B tests)SEM and Google AdsA Google Ads feature for testing campaign or bidding variants.

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Expired domainLink building and authorityA domain name that was not renewed, sometimes bought back for its link history.

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Expired domain abuseAlgorithms and penaltiesBuying expired domains to publish low-value content on them, penalized since 2024.

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ExtractabilityGEO and AIHow easily an AI can isolate and reuse a clear answer from a page.

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F

Fact densityGEO and AIThe concentration of precise facts, figures, dates and sources in a piece of content, a favourable factor in GEO.

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FAQOn-page and contentA questions-and-answers section that covers common questions and long-tail queries.

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FCP (First Contentful Paint)Technical SEOThe moment the first piece of content appears on screen.

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Featured snippetSERPA highlighted answer at the top of the results, taken from a web page.

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Featured snippet optimizationOn-page and contentFormatting a concise answer (definition, list, table) to target position zero.

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FID (First Input Delay)Technical SEOA former metric of first-interaction delay, replaced by INP.

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Final URLSEM and Google AdsThe address of the page the user lands on after a click.

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First-party dataAnalytics and KPIsData collected directly by the business from its users.

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FraseToolsA content writing and briefing tool based on SERP analysis.

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G

GeminiGEO and AIGoogle's family of models and AI assistant.

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Generative AIGEO and AIArtificial intelligence capable of creating text, images or other content.

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Generative engineGEO and AIA system that produces a written answer rather than a simple list of links.

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Generic anchorLink building and authorityAn anchor with no keyword, such as "click here" or "learn more".

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GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)GEO and AIOptimizing a brand's and its content's presence in the answers of generative AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, AI Overviews).

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Geographic targetingSEM and Google AdsChoosing the areas where ads are served.

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Google AdsSEM and Google AdsGoogle's advertising platform (Search Network, Display, YouTube, Shopping, Performance Max).

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Google Ads management

Google Ads EditorSEM and Google AdsFree software for managing campaigns in bulk offline.

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Google Analytics 4 (GA4)ToolsGoogle's event-based audience analytics tool.

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Google Business ProfileLocal SEOA free profile that shows a business's information in Google Maps and the Local Pack. Formerly Google My Business.

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Google DanceAlgorithms and penaltiesRanking fluctuations observed during an update.

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Google DiscoverSERPA personalized content feed offered on mobile without the user entering a query.

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Google documents leak (2024)Algorithms and penaltiesThe disclosure of internal Google API documentation that revealed many attributes used to evaluate pages.

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Google ImagesSERPGoogle's image search engine.

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Google Keyword PlannerToolsGoogle Ads' keyword planning tool.

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Google LensSERPGoogle's image and camera search tool.

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Google Maps SEOLocal SEOOptimizing a business's ranking in Google Maps.

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Google NewsSERPGoogle's service and tab dedicated to news articles.

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Google PostsLocal SEOShort updates published from the Google Business Profile.

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Google Search CentralSEO basicsGoogle's official portal for documentation aimed at site owners and SEOs.

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Google Search ConsoleToolsA free Google tool for monitoring a site's indexing, performance and issues in search.

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Google Search Essentials (Webmaster Guidelines)SEO basicsRules published by Google describing best practices and prohibited practices.

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Google Tag Manager (GTM)ToolsA tag manager that lets you install tracking scripts without modifying the site's code.

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Google TrendsKeywords and intentA Google tool that shows the relative change in interest for a query over time.

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Google-ExtendedGEO and AIA robots.txt token that lets you opt out of a site being used to train Gemini models, without affecting Google Search.

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GPTBotGEO and AIOpenAI's robot used to collect training data.

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Grey hat SEOSEO basicsPractices that sit in a grey area, neither clearly allowed nor clearly forbidden.

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GrokGEO and AIxAI's AI assistant, built into X.

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GroundingGEO and AIBasing an AI answer on verifiable sources rather than on the model's memory alone.

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gTLDTechnical SEOA generic domain extension (.com, .org, .net).

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Guest postLink building and authorityAn article written for a third-party site, usually in exchange for a link to one's own site.

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H

H1 tagOn-page and contentThe main visible heading of a page, normally unique.

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HallucinationGEO and AIMade-up or incorrect information presented confidently by an AI.

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HARO (Help A Reporter Out)Link building and authorityA service that relays requests from journalists looking for experts, used to earn quotes and links in the media.

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Heading tags (H2 to H6)On-page and contentSubheadings that structure a page's content hierarchically.

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Headless CMSTechnical SEOA CMS that manages content separately from its display, delivered through an API.

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HeatmapAnalytics and KPIsA visualization of the areas of a page where users click, move or scroll.

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Helpful contentOn-page and contentA Google concept that rewards content created first for people rather than to manipulate rankings.

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Helpful Content UpdateAlgorithms and penaltiesA series of updates launched in 2022 to reward helpful content. The system was folded into core updates in March 2024.

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Hidden textOn-page and contentText invisible to users but present for robots, considered spam.

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HotjarToolsA tool for heatmaps, session recordings and surveys.

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HreflangTechnical SEOAn attribute that tells search engines about the language or regional versions of a page (fr-ca, en-ca).

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multilingual content

HTML sitemapTechnical SEOA user-facing page listing the site's main pages.

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HTTP status codeTechnical SEOA code returned by the server indicating the outcome of a request (200, 301, 404, 500, etc.).

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HTTPSTechnical SEOThe secure version of the HTTP protocol, encrypted by an SSL/TLS certificate, a trust signal for Google.

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HummingbirdAlgorithms and penaltiesA 2013 overhaul that improved understanding of the overall meaning of queries.

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HydrationTechnical SEOThe step where JavaScript makes a page already rendered on the server interactive.

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I

Image optimizationOn-page and contentCompression, modern formats (WebP, AVIF), relevant file names and alt text.

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Image SEOOn-page and contentOptimizing images so they appear in Google Images and contribute to the page's relevance.

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ImpressionAnalytics and KPIsThe display of a result or ad to a user.

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In-market audiencesSEM and Google AdsUsers who are actively researching a product or service.

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IndexSEO basicsThe giant database where a search engine stores the pages it has crawled and deemed worthy of being displayed.

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IndexingSEO basicsStoring a crawled page in the search engine's database, a prerequisite for it to appear in the results.

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IndexNowTechnical SEOA protocol for instantly notifying Bing, Yandex and other participating search engines of added or updated URLs.

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Infinite scrollTechnical SEOContinuous loading of content as the user scrolls, which must remain accessible to robots.

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Informational intentKeywords and intentThe user wants to learn or understand something.

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INP (Interaction to Next Paint)Technical SEOHow quickly the page responds to user interactions. Replaced FID in March 2024. Good score: 200 ms or less.

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Internal linkingOn-page and contentThe network of links between pages of the same site, which distributes authority and guides robots.

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International SEOTechnical SEOOptimizing a site for several languages or countries (ccTLDs, subdomains, subdirectories, hreflang).

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Intrusive interstitialTechnical SEOA window that hides the main content, penalized on mobile by Google.

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J

JavaScript SEOTechnical SEOThe set of practices that ensure sites built with JavaScript are properly crawled and indexed.

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Journalist sourcing platformLink building and authorityA service that connects journalists and experts to earn quotes and media links (e.g. Qwoted, Featured).

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JSON-LDTechnical SEOThe format Google recommends for adding structured data to a page.

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K

KeywordSEO basicsA term or phrase targeted by a page so it can rank for matching queries.

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Keyword cannibalizationTechnical SEOA situation where several pages on the same site compete for the same keyword, which dilutes their performance.

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Keyword clusteringKeywords and intentGrouping keywords that share the same intent so a single page can target them.

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Keyword densityOn-page and contentThe frequency of a keyword relative to the total word count. It is no longer a target in itself.

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Keyword difficulty (KD)Keywords and intentA score estimating the effort needed to rank for a keyword, often based on the links of the top pages.

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Keyword gapKeywords and intentAn analysis of the keywords competitors rank for and you do not.

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Keyword mappingKeywords and intentAssigning each keyword group to a specific page on the site.

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Keyword PlannerSEM and Google AdsA free Google Ads tool that estimates keyword volumes and bids.

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Keyword researchKeywords and intentThe process of identifying the terms the target audience uses and their potential.

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Keyword stuffingOn-page and contentExcessive repetition of keywords, considered spam.

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Knowledge cutoffGEO and AIThe date beyond which a model has no knowledge from its training.

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Knowledge GraphSERPGoogle's knowledge base that connects entities and their attributes.

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brand authority and entity

Knowledge PanelSERPAn information box about an entity (person, business, place), powered by the Knowledge Graph.

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KPI (key performance indicator)Analytics and KPIsA measure chosen to assess whether a goal is being met.

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L

Landing pageOn-page and contentA page designed to receive a visitor and prompt a specific action.

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Last-click attributionAnalytics and KPIsA model that gives all the credit to the last touchpoint.

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Lazy loadingTechnical SEODeferring the loading of off-screen images or elements until the user gets close to them.

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LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)Technical SEOThe time it takes to display the largest visible element on the page. Good score: 2.5 seconds or less.

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LeadAnalytics and KPIsA qualified contact who has shown interest.

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Learning periodSEM and Google AdsThe phase during which an automated bidding strategy adjusts its settings.

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Lexical fieldOn-page and contentThe set of words related to the same theme, used to enrich content.

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LighthouseToolsGoogle's automated audit tool (performance, accessibility, SEO, best practices).

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Link buildingLink building and authorityA strategy for acquiring inbound links to strengthen a site's authority.

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Link farmLink building and authorityA group of sites that all link to one another to artificially inflate their popularity.

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Link gap analysisLink building and authorityA comparison that identifies sites linking to competitors but not to you.

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Link insertion (niche edit)Link building and authorityAdding a link to an article already published on a third-party site.

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Link juiceLink building and authorityAn expression for the authority passed from one page to another through links.

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Link profileLink building and authorityAll of a site's backlinks, analyzed by number, quality, diversity and anchors.

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Link schemeLink building and authorityAny practice aimed at manipulating PageRank through artificial links, prohibited by Google.

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Link velocityLink building and authorityThe pace at which a site gains new backlinks.

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LinkbaitLink building and authorityContent designed to attract links naturally (study, tool, infographic).

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LLM (Large Language Model)GEO and AIA large language model trained on huge volumes of text to understand and generate language (GPT, Gemini, Claude, Llama).

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LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)GEO and AIOptimization aimed at being understood, mentioned and recommended by large language models.

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llms.txtGEO and AIA proposed file at the root of a site to guide language models to its key content. Its adoption by the major engines remains unconfirmed.

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Local citationLocal SEOA mention of a business's contact details on a directory, media outlet or platform.

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Local FalconToolsA local rank tracking tool using a geographic grid.

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Local FinderLocal SEOAn expanded list of businesses that opens after clicking "more places" from the Local Pack.

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Local intentKeywords and intentThe user is looking for a product or service nearby.

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Local Pack (Map Pack)Local SEOA block of three businesses shown with a map in the results for a local query.

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Local page (city page)Local SEOA page targeting a service in a specific city or region.

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Local rank grid (geo-grid)Local SEOA measure of a profile's ranking across a grid of geographic points around a business.

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Local SEOLocal SEOOptimizing a business's visibility for searches with a geographic component.

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Local Services AdsLocal SEOGoogle's paid ads for local service businesses, with a verification badge.

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Local spamLocal SEOFake profiles, fake reviews or keyword stuffing in a profile's name to manipulate local results.

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LocalBusiness schemaLocal SEOStructured data describing a local business: address, hours, phone, service area.

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Log file analysisTechnical SEOStudying log files to understand how robots actually crawl a site.

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Log filesTechnical SEOServer files that record every visit, including those from robots.

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Long tailKeywords and intentA long, specific query with low individual volume but strong conversion and less competition.

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Looker StudioToolsA free Google tool for creating dashboards and reports.

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Lost linksLink building and authorityBacklinks that have disappeared or are no longer active.

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LSI keywordsOn-page and contentA popular notion of related keywords. Google says it does not use latent semantic indexing, but related terms remain useful.

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LTV (customer lifetime value)Analytics and KPIsThe total revenue expected from a customer over their entire relationship with the business.

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LumarToolsA crawling and technical monitoring platform for enterprise sites, formerly Deepcrawl.

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M

Macro-conversionAnalytics and KPIsA site's main goal (purchase, quote request).

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MajesticToolsA tool specializing in backlink analysis.

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Manual biddingSEM and Google AdsA strategy where the advertiser sets their own maximum CPCs.

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Manual penalty (manual action)Algorithms and penaltiesA sanction applied by a Google employee after review, visible in Search Console.

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Match typeSEM and Google AdsA rule that determines which queries a keyword can trigger an ad for.

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Max CPCSEM and Google AdsThe maximum amount an advertiser is willing to pay for a click.

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Maximize clicksSEM and Google AdsA bidding strategy that seeks as many clicks as possible within the budget.

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Maximize conversion valueSEM and Google AdsA bidding strategy that seeks the highest total conversion value.

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Maximize conversionsSEM and Google AdsAn automated bidding strategy that seeks as many conversions as possible within the budget.

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MediumAnalytics and KPIsThe type of channel through which traffic arrives, such as organic, cpc, referral or email.

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Merchant CenterSEM and Google AdsGoogle's platform where merchants upload their product catalogue.

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Meta descriptionOn-page and contentA summary of the page shown below the title in the results. Not a direct ranking factor, but it influences click-through rate.

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Meta robots tagTechnical SEOAn HTML tag that gives robots instructions about a specific page (index, noindex, follow, nofollow).

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Micro-conversionAnalytics and KPIsA small action that leads toward the main goal (sign-up, click on a phone number).

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MicrodataTechnical SEOA structured data format embedded directly in the HTML tags.

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Microsoft AdvertisingSEM and Google AdsMicrosoft's advertising platform for Bing, Yahoo and partner networks.

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Microsoft ClarityToolsA free Microsoft tool for heatmaps and session recordings.

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Microsoft CopilotGEO and AIMicrosoft's AI assistant, powered in part by the Bing index.

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Middle tailKeywords and intentAn intermediate query, more specific than the short tail.

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MinificationTechnical SEORemoving unnecessary characters from CSS, JavaScript or HTML code to make files lighter.

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Mixed contentTechnical SEOAn HTTPS page that loads resources over HTTP, which triggers security warnings.

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Mobile searchSEO basicsA search made from a smartphone, now the majority on Google.

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Mobile-first indexingTechnical SEOThe method by which Google uses the mobile version of a page to crawl and rank it.

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MobilegeddonAlgorithms and penaltiesThe nickname for the 2015 update that favoured mobile-friendly sites.

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MozToolsAn SEO suite, the originator of the DA and PA metrics.

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Multimodal searchGEO and AISearch combining text, image, voice or video.

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MUM (Multitask Unified Model)Algorithms and penaltiesA multimodal, multilingual Google model announced in 2021, more powerful than BERT.

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N

"Near me" queryLocal SEOA search expressing a need for immediate proximity.

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Naked URL anchorLink building and authorityAn anchor that simply shows the site's address.

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citations and media relations

NAP (Name, Address, Phone)Local SEOA business's name, address and phone number, which must be identical everywhere on the web.

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NAP consistencyLocal SEOThe uniformity of a business's contact details across all sites and directories.

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NavBoostAlgorithms and penaltiesA Google system, confirmed during the U.S. antitrust trial, that uses click data to adjust rankings.

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Navigational intentKeywords and intentThe user is looking for a specific site or brand.

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Negative keywordSEM and Google AdsA term that prevents an ad from showing for certain queries.

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Negative SEOLink building and authorityAn attempt to harm a competitor's rankings, for example by building toxic links to their site.

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NofollowTechnical SEOA directive asking the search engine not to follow a link or not to pass authority through it.

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Nofollow linkLink building and authorityA link carrying rel="nofollow", treated by Google as a hint rather than a strict directive.

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NoindexTechnical SEOA directive asking the search engine not to show a page in its results.

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Non-branded keywordKeywords and intentA generic query with no brand name.

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O

OAI-SearchBotGEO and AIOpenAI's robot that powers ChatGPT search.

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Off-page SEOSEO basicsOptimizations made outside the site, mainly link acquisition and brand mentions.

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Offline conversion importSEM and Google AdsAdding sales closed offline into Google Ads to better steer bidding.

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On-page SEOSEO basicsOptimizations made directly on the page: content, tags, structure, internal linking.

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OnCrawlToolsA cloud-based crawler and log analysis tool.

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Organic resultSERPAn unpaid link shown in the SERP.

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Organic searchSEO basicsSynonym of organic search optimization: visibility earned without paying the search engine.

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Organic trafficSEO basicsVisits coming from the unpaid results of search engines.

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Organic traffic valueAnalytics and KPIsAn estimate of what organic traffic would cost if it were bought through advertising.

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Orphan pageTechnical SEOA page that receives no internal links and is therefore hard to discover.

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OtterlyToolsA tool for monitoring a brand's presence in ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Overviews.

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Outbound linkLink building and authorityA link from a page on your site to another site.

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P

PA (Page Authority)Link building and authorityMoz's authority score for a page.

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Page ExperienceTechnical SEOA set of signals tied to page experience: Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, mobile-friendliness, no intrusive interstitials.

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Page indexing report (formerly Coverage report)Technical SEOA Search Console report listing indexed pages and the reasons pages are not indexed.

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Page speedTechnical SEOThe time it takes for a page to display and become usable.

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PageRankLink building and authorityGoogle's original algorithm that assesses a page's importance based on the links it receives. Still used internally.

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PageSpeed InsightsToolsA Google tool that measures a page's performance and its Core Web Vitals.

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PageviewsAnalytics and KPIsThe total number of pages viewed.

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PaginationTechnical SEOSplitting a list of content into several successive pages.

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Paid resultSERPAn advertisement shown in the SERP, labelled "Sponsored".

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PandaAlgorithms and penaltiesA filter launched in 2011 against low-quality content, now part of the core algorithm.

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Parametric memoryGEO and AIKnowledge stored in the model's parameters during training, as opposed to information retrieved live.

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Partial match anchorLink building and authorityAn anchor that contains the keyword along with other words.

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Payday LoanAlgorithms and penaltiesAn update targeting heavily spammed queries (loans, casinos, adult content).

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PBN (Private Blog Network)Link building and authorityA network of sites controlled by the same person to build links to a target site, a black hat practice.

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Peec AIToolsA tool for tracking a brand's mentions and share of voice in AI engines.

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PenguinAlgorithms and penaltiesA filter launched in 2012 against artificial links, part of the real-time algorithm since 2016.

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People Also AskSERPA block of expandable questions related to the query.

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Performance Max (PMax)SEM and Google AdsAn automated campaign type that serves across all Google channels using assets supplied by the advertiser.

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PerplexityGEO and AIAn AI answer engine that systematically cites the sources it consulted.

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PerplexityBotGEO and AIPerplexity's robot.

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PersonalizationSERPAdapting results based on the user's history, location and device.

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Perspectives (Forums and Discussions)SERPBlocks highlighting content from forums, Reddit or social networks.

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Phrase matchSEM and Google AdsA match type that serves on queries that include the keyword's meaning.

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PigeonAlgorithms and penaltiesA 2014 update that brought local rankings closer to traditional search signals.

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Pillar pageOn-page and contentA comprehensive reference page on a broad topic, linked to more specialized pages.

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Pixel widthSERPThe width in pixels of a title or description, which determines whether it will be truncated in the SERP.

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Pogo-stickingAnalytics and KPIsQuickly returning to the results after a click, a possible sign of dissatisfaction.

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PopularitySEO basicsA page's reputation, measured largely by the number and quality of links pointing to it.

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Position zeroSERPAn expression for the featured snippet placed above the standard results.

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PossumAlgorithms and penaltiesA 2016 local update that changed how businesses located close to one another are filtered.

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PPC (Pay Per Click)SEM and Google AdsAn advertising model where the advertiser pays for each click.

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Primary categoryLocal SEOThe category chosen in the Google profile that best describes the business, highly influential on local rankings.

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Primary keywordKeywords and intentThe central term targeted by a page.

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Product feedSEM and Google AdsA file containing product information (title, price, availability, GTIN).

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Product pageOn-page and contentA page presenting a single product with its features and price.

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Product Reviews UpdateAlgorithms and penaltiesUpdates aimed at rewarding in-depth product reviews based on experience.

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Profile suspensionLocal SEOThe deactivation of a Google profile for violating the guidelines.

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ProfoundToolsA tool for tracking brand visibility in AI answers.

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Programmatic advertisingSEM and Google AdsAutomated, real-time buying of ad space across many sites.

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Programmatic SEOOn-page and contentCreating large numbers of pages from templates and databases (e.g. directories, city plus service pages).

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ProminenceLocal SEOA business's reputation, influenced by reviews, links and mentions.

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PromptKeywords and intentA question or instruction submitted to a generative AI assistant, the GEO equivalent of a query.

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Prompt engineeringGEO and AIThe art of writing effective instructions to get better answers from an AI.

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Prompt trackingGEO and AIRegular monitoring of AI answers to a list of representative prompts.

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ProximityLocal SEOThe distance between the user or the searched location and the business, a key local ranking factor.

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Q

Quality contentOn-page and contentContent that is useful, original, accurate and satisfies the user's intent.

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Quality Rater GuidelinesOn-page and contentGuidelines given to Google's human raters to assess the quality of results.

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Quality ScoreSEM and Google AdsA rating from 1 to 10 estimating a keyword's quality based on expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.

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QuerySEO basicsA word or group of words typed or spoken by a user into a search engine.

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Query fan-outGEO and AIA method where the AI breaks a question down into several sub-queries run in parallel to build its answer.

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Question keywordsKeywords and intentQueries phrased as questions (how, why, how much).

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Question-and-answer structureGEO and AIFormatting content as questions followed by direct answers, which favours citation by AI.

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Questions and answers (Google profile)Local SEOThe section of the profile where the public can ask the business questions.

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R

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)GEO and AIA technique where the model retrieves external documents (web search, database) before generating its answer.

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Rank MathToolsA WordPress plugin that competes with Yoast, managing tags, schema and redirects.

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Rank trackingAnalytics and KPIsRegular monitoring of a site's rankings for a list of keywords.

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RankBrainAlgorithms and penaltiesA machine learning system launched in 2015 to interpret new or ambiguous queries.

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RankingSEO basicsThe position a page holds in the search results for a given query.

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Ranking factorSEO basicsA signal the algorithm takes into account to determine a page's position (relevance, links, quality, experience, etc.).

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Ranking systemsAlgorithms and penaltiesThe set of automated systems Google describes publicly (freshness, reviews, helpful content, links, etc.).

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ReadabilityOn-page and contentHow easy a text is to read (short sentences, clear structure, accessible vocabulary).

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Reciprocal linkLink building and authorityAn exchange of links between two sites. When excessive, it is considered a link scheme.

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Reconsideration requestAlgorithms and penaltiesA request sent to Google after fixing a manual action.

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Redirect chainTechnical SEOA series of successive redirects before reaching the final page, to be avoided.

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Redirect loopTechnical SEORedirects that point to one another endlessly.

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Redirect mapTechnical SEOA mapping table between old and new URLs during a migration.

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Referral trafficAnalytics and KPIsVisits coming from a link on another site.

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Referring domainLink building and authorityA unique site containing at least one link to your site.

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rel="sponsored"Link building and authorityThe attribute to use for paid, sponsored or affiliate links.

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rel="ugc"Link building and authorityThe attribute to use for links placed by users (comments, forums).

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RelevanceSEO basicsThe degree of match between a page's content and the intent behind a query.

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Relevance (local)Local SEOThe match between a business's profile and the user's query.

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Remarketing (retargeting)SEM and Google AdsServing ads to people who have already visited a site or interacted with a brand.

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Render-blocking resourcesTechnical SEOCSS or JavaScript files that delay the page from displaying.

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RenderingTechnical SEOExecuting a page's code, especially JavaScript, to produce its final content as the user sees it.

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Responsive designTechnical SEODesigning a site so it automatically adapts to the screen size.

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Responsive search ad (RSA)SEM and Google AdsA format where Google automatically combines up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions.

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Review managementLocal SEORequesting, monitoring and responding to customer reviews.

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Review snippets (review stars)SERPRatings shown in the results thanks to review structured data.

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Rich resultTechnical SEOA search result enhanced by structured data (stars, prices, FAQs, recipes).

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Rich Results TestToolsA Google tool that checks whether a page is eligible for rich results.

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Rich snippetsSERPSnippets enhanced by structured data (price, availability, ratings).

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ROAS (Return On Ad Spend)SEM and Google AdsRevenue generated divided by ad spend.

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Robots.txtTechnical SEOA text file at the root of a site that tells robots which sections they can or cannot crawl.

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ROI (return on investment)Analytics and KPIsThe gain obtained relative to the amount invested.

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S

SamplingAnalytics and KPIsAnalyzing a portion of the data to produce a report more quickly.

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SandboxAlgorithms and penaltiesThe hypothesis of a waiting period during which a new site struggles to rank.

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Scaled content abuseOn-page and contentMass production of low-value pages to manipulate rankings, regardless of how they are produced.

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Schema Markup ValidatorToolsA tool that checks the validity of structured data markup.

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Schema.orgTechnical SEOA shared structured data vocabulary recognized by Google, Bing, Yahoo and Yandex.

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Screaming FrogToolsA desktop crawler for auditing a site the way a search engine would.

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SEA (Search Engine Advertising)SEM and Google AdsBuying ads on search engines.

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Search engineSEO basicsSoftware that crawls, indexes and ranks web pages to answer users' queries (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo).

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Search intentKeywords and intentThe real goal behind a query.

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Search NetworkSEM and Google AdsText ads shown in search results.

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Search terms reportSEM and Google AdsA list of the actual queries that triggered the ads.

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Search volumeKeywords and intentThe average number of monthly searches for a keyword in a given area.

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SeasonalityKeywords and intentVariation in search volume depending on the time of year.

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Secondary keywordsKeywords and intentRelated terms that complement the primary keyword on the same page.

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Seed keywordKeywords and intentA starting term used to generate a broader list of keywords.

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Self-referencing canonicalTechnical SEOA page's canonical tag that points to itself.

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SEM (Search Engine Marketing)SEM and Google AdsMarketing on search engines. In the strict sense, paid advertising on search engines. In the broad sense, SEO and SEA combined.

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topic clusters and internal linking

Semantic cocoonOn-page and contentA method of organizing content and internal links according to the intents and semantics of a topic.

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Semantic SEOOn-page and contentOptimization based on meaning, entities and relationships between concepts rather than keyword repetition.

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SemrushToolsA digital marketing suite covering SEO, advertising, content and AI visibility.

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SEO (Search Engine Optimization)SEO basicsOrganic search optimization. The set of techniques used to improve a site's visibility in the unpaid results of search engines.

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SEO auditSEO basicsA full analysis of a site to identify the technical, content and popularity issues holding back its visibility.

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SEO copywritingOn-page and contentWriting that balances persuasion, readability and search optimization.

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SEO migrationTechnical SEOA major site change (domain, structure, CMS, HTTPS) planned so as to preserve search rankings.

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SEO reportAnalytics and KPIsA periodic review of the actions taken and the results achieved.

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SEO split testAnalytics and KPIsAn experiment that compares groups of modified and unmodified pages to measure the effect of a change.

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SEO strategySEO basicsA prioritized action plan to improve a site's organic visibility in line with its business goals.

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SERP (Search Engine Results Page)SEO basicsThe results page a search engine displays after a query.

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SERP volatilitySERPThe extent of ranking fluctuations in the results over a period.

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Server-side trackingAnalytics and KPIsCollecting measurement data through a server rather than in the browser, more reliable and better controlled.

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Service area business (SAB)Local SEOA business that travels to its customers and defines a service area rather than a public address.

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Service pageOn-page and contentA page presenting a commercial offering, often targeting a transactional or local query.

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SessionAnalytics and KPIsAll of a user's interactions on a site during a given period.

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Shopping (free listings)SERPFree display of products in the Shopping tab through Merchant Center.

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Shopping campaignSEM and Google AdsProduct ads with an image, price and merchant, powered by a Merchant Center feed.

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Short tailKeywords and intentA generic query of one or two words, with high volume and high competition.

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SiloTechnical SEOAn architecture that groups pages by topic and limits links between topics to strengthen relevance.

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Similar audiences (lookalike)SEM and Google AdsUsers whose profile resembles that of existing customers.

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Site architectureTechnical SEOThe hierarchical organization of pages and their internal links.

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Site reputation abuse (parasite SEO)Algorithms and penaltiesPublishing third-party content on a reputable site to benefit from its authority, penalized since 2024.

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Site tree structureTechnical SEOThe tree-shaped structure of a site's categories and subcategories.

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SitebulbToolsTechnical audit software with visualizations and prioritized recommendations.

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SitelinksSERPAdditional links to internal pages shown below a site's main result.

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Sitemap indexTechnical SEOA file grouping several XML sitemaps, useful for large sites.

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SiteScoreGEO and AISitegrow's platform that tracks brand visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and AI Overviews.

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Sitewide linkLink building and authorityA link present on every page of a site.

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Skyscraper techniqueLink building and authorityCreating content better than a heavily linked piece, then reaching out to the sites that link to it.

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SlugTechnical SEOThe final, readable part of a URL that identifies the page (e.g. /seo-glossary).

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Smart BiddingSEM and Google AdsGoogle's set of automated bidding strategies based on machine learning.

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SnippetSERPThe block making up a search result: title, URL and description.

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Soft 404Technical SEOA page that returns a 200 code but shows empty or error content, which Google treats as a 404.

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SourceAnalytics and KPIsThe specific origin of traffic, such as google, facebook or the name of a newsletter.

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Spam scoreLink building and authorityAn indicator of the risk that a domain is perceived as spammy, according to the tool that calculates it.

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Spam updateAlgorithms and penaltiesAn update targeting spam practices.

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SpamBrainAlgorithms and penaltiesGoogle's AI system that detects spam, including purchased links.

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Sponsored articleLink building and authorityPaid content published on a third-party site, which must carry a sponsored link according to Google.

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SSG (Static Site Generation)Technical SEOGenerating static HTML pages in advance, which are fast and easy to crawl.

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SSL/TLS certificateTechnical SEOA certificate that enables encryption of exchanges between the browser and the server.

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SSR (Server-Side Rendering)Technical SEORendering the page on the server, which delivers complete HTML to robots.

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Staging environmentTechnical SEOA test version of a site, which must be blocked from indexing.

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Standalone answerGEO and AIA paragraph that makes sense on its own and answers a question directly without relying on the rest of the page.

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Structured dataTechnical SEOStandardized code added to a page to describe its content to search engines (product, review, FAQ, event, etc.).

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structured data

SubdirectoryTechnical SEOA section of a site placed in the URL path (example.com/blog).

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SubdomainTechnical SEOA section of a domain placed before the main name (blog.example.com).

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SurferToolsA content optimization tool that compares a page with the top-ranking pages.

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SXO (Search Experience Optimization)SEO basicsAn approach that combines SEO and user experience to attract traffic and convert it.

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T

Target CPA (tCPA)SEM and Google AdsA bidding strategy that aims for a set cost per acquisition.

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Target ROAS (tROAS)SEM and Google AdsA bidding strategy that aims for a set return on ad spend.

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Technical SEOSEO basicsOptimizations to the site's infrastructure that make crawling, indexing and performance easier.

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TF-IDFOn-page and contentA statistical measure of a word's importance in a document relative to a corpus, used by some optimization tools.

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Thin contentOn-page and contentShallow, poor content or content with no added value.

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Things to knowSERPTopic blocks that break a subject down into sub-questions.

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Tier 2 linksLink building and authorityLinks pointing to pages that themselves link to the target site.

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Title attributeOn-page and contentAn optional tooltip on a link or image, with no notable SEO effect.

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Title rewritingSERPGoogle replacing a page's title with other text it judges more relevant.

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Title tag (meta title)On-page and contentThe page title shown in the browser tab and usually used as the clickable title in the SERP.

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TokenGEO and AIA unit of text (word fragment) processed by language models.

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Top StoriesSERPA block of recent news shown for news-related queries.

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Topic clusterOn-page and contentA group of interlinked content built around a pillar page to demonstrate expertise on a topic.

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Topical authorityOn-page and contentSearch engines' perception that a site covers a topic in depth and with expertise.

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Toxic linksLink building and authorityLow-quality or spammy links that can harm how a site is perceived.

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Traffic potentialKeywords and intentThe total traffic a page in first position can receive, counting all related queries.

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Training dataGEO and AIThe body of text used to train a language model.

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Transactional intentKeywords and intentThe user is ready to buy or take action.

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Trust FlowLink building and authorityA Majestic metric, from 0 to 100, that measures the quality of a site's links based on how close they are to trusted sites.

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TTFB (Time to First Byte)Technical SEOThe time between the browser's request and the receipt of the first byte of the server's response.

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U

UGC (User-Generated Content)On-page and contentContent created by users: reviews, comments, forums.

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Universal search (blended search)SERPA SERP that mixes several types of results: pages, images, videos, maps, news.

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Unlinked brand mentionLink building and authorityA mention of a brand without a link, which can be turned into a link or counts as a signal for AI.

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UR (URL Rating)Link building and authorityAhrefs' authority score for a specific page.

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URLTechnical SEOThe unique address of a resource on the web.

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URL InspectionTechnical SEOA Google Search Console tool that shows a URL's indexing status and lets you request indexing.

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URL parameterTechnical SEOAn element added after a question mark in a URL (sorting, filtering, tracking).

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UserAnalytics and KPIsAn (anonymously) identified person who visits a site.

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UTM parametersAnalytics and KPIsTags added to a URL to identify a visit's source, medium and campaign.

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V

vCPMSEM and Google AdsThe cost per 1,000 viewable impressions.

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Vector searchGEO and AISearch based on similarity of meaning between embeddings rather than exact words.

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Video campaignSEM and Google AdsAds served on YouTube and Google's video partners.

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Video packSERPA block of video results, often from YouTube.

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Video SEOOn-page and contentOptimizing videos (title, description, transcript, structured data) for search.

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VisibilitySEO basicsAn overall measure of a site's presence in search results, often weighted by query volume and positions.

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Voice searchSEO basicsA search made by voice through an assistant or phone, often phrased in natural language.

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W

Wayback MachineToolsA web archive that lets you view older versions of a site.

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Web accessibilityTechnical SEODesign that allows everyone, including people with disabilities, to use a site. It overlaps with several SEO best practices.

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White hat SEOSEO basicsSEO practices that comply with search engine guidelines.

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WhitesparkToolsA local SEO tool specializing in finding and building citations.

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X

x-defaultTechnical SEOThe hreflang value designating the default page when no language matches the user.

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X-Robots-TagTechnical SEOAn HTTP header that carries the same directives as the meta robots tag, useful for PDFs and non-HTML files.

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XML sitemapTechnical SEOA file listing a site's important URLs to help search engines discover and crawl them.

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YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)On-page and contentTopics that can affect health, finances, safety or well-being, held to higher quality standards.

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Yoast SEOToolsA WordPress plugin that manages tags, sitemaps and structured data.

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YouTube SEOSEO basicsOptimizing videos so they rank on YouTube and in Google's video results.

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Z

Zero-click searchSEO basicsA search where the user gets the answer directly in the SERP without clicking a result.

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Zero-volume keywordKeywords and intentA query that tools show at zero but that people actually search, often useful in niches.

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