Glossary
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SEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) terms
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the backbone of online visibility. It’s the practice of enhancing your website’s content, structure, and authority to rank higher in search engine results, ensuring your target audience can find you when it matters most.
Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to brush up on the terminology, this glossary is designed to simplify the jargon and clarify key concepts. From “meta descriptions” to “backlinks,” these terms are essential to understanding how search engines work and why a strategic SEO approach can drive more traffic, generate leads, and ultimately grow your business.
By familiarising yourself with these terms, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions and maximise the impact of your digital marketing efforts.
Glossary Index for: Seo
- Ahrefs
- Anchor Text
- Bounce Rate
- Comparison Keywords
- Content Silos
- Conversion Rate (CR)
- Domain Authority (DA)
- Enterprise SEO
- Expired Domains
- Featured Snippet
- Google Analytics
- Keyword Rankings
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- Lead Conversion Rate
- Local Pack
- Long-Tail Keywords
- Moz
- Organic Traffic
- Pages per Session
- Pillar Pages
- Responsive Design
- Schema Markup
- Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
- Search Intent
- SEMrush
- SERP Features
- Time on Page
- User Experience (UX) Signals
- User-Generated Content (UGC)
- Website Traffic
- YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a powerful online software suite designed to support digital marketers, SEO professionals, and businesses in improving their search engine optimisation (SEO), content marketing, and website analysis efforts. Founded in 2010 by Dmitry Gerasimenko, Ahrefs has established itself as a trusted tool for analysing website performance, conducting keyword research, monitoring backlinks, and understanding competitors’ online strategies. Renowned for its vast database and intuitive interface, Ahrefs has become a staple in the SEO industry. It is widely used by individuals, agencies, and businesses of all sizes to gain actionable insights into their online presence and make data-driven decisions to boost … read more
Anchor Text
The clickable text in a hyperlink. Using relevant and descriptive anchor text helps improve SEO by signalling to search engines the content’s relevance to the linked page.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is a digital marketing metric that measures the percentage of website visitors who land on a page and leave without taking any further action, such as navigating to another page, clicking on a link, or engaging with other elements on the site. It is an indicator of single-page sessions, where the visitor exits the site without triggering any additional requests to the server. How Is Bounce Rate Calculated? Bounce rate is calculated as the number of single-page sessions divided by the total number of sessions on a website, expressed as a percentage. The formula is: Bounce Rate = … read more
Related to:
Engagement, Google Analytics, SEO, User Behaviour
Comparison Keywords
Search phrases used by users evaluating different options, such as "ERP vs CRM" or "Best ERP software for SMEs." These keywords often target users in the consideration stage of the funnel and are excellent for driving high-intent traffic.
Content Silos
A website structure strategy where related content is grouped into clusters, with internal links connecting them. This helps establish topical authority, improves SEO, and creates a better user experience by making content easier to navigate.
Conversion Rate (CR)
The percentage of users who take a desired action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to a service. It’s a key performance metric for campaigns.
Related to:
CRO, Google Analytics, PPC, SEO
Enterprise SEO
SEO strategies tailored for large-scale websites or organisations with vast content and complex structures. It focuses on improving rankings for high-competition keywords, addressing technical SEO challenges, and maintaining consistency across large teams and multiple domains.
Related to:
SEO
Expired Domains
The practice of buying expired domains involves acquiring domain names that were previously registered and used but have since lapsed and become available for purchase. These domains often come with a history of backlinks, traffic, and authority that were built up during their previous ownership. SEO professionals purchase such domains to leverage their existing "link equity" (the SEO value of their backlink profile) and gain an advantage in search engine rankings. Once the domain is acquired, it can be "resurrected" in a few ways: Rebuilding the Original Website: Re-creating the site’s original content and structure to maintain its relevance and … read more
Related to:
SEO
Featured Snippet
A highlighted box at the top of a Google search result that provides a concise answer to a query, often pulled from high-ranking content. Optimising for snippets can increase visibility and traffic.
Related to:
SEO
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a powerful web analytics tool that tracks website traffic, user behaviour, and conversion rates. It enables businesses to measure the performance of marketing campaigns, understand user demographics, and optimise user experiences. With real-time data, marketers can make data-driven decisions to improve their website's performance and ROI. It’s essential for any marketer serious about tracking digital success.
Related to:
Email Marketing, Google Analytics, PPC, SEO, Social Media, Tools
Keyword Rankings
Position of website pages in search results for specific keywords.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP stands for Largest Contentful Paint, and it's a key performance metric in Google's Core Web Vitals framework. LCP measures the time it takes for the largest visible element on a webpage to fully render within the viewport (the part of the page visible to the user) after a user starts loading the page. Why is LCP important? LCP focuses on user experience, specifically on how quickly a webpage feels ready and useful to the user. If the largest element (e.g., a hero image, headline, or block of text) loads quickly, the user perceives the page as loading fast—even if … read more
Lead Conversion Rate
Percentage of leads that convert into customers.
Related to:
CRO, Lead Generation, PPC, SEO
Local Pack
The box that appears at the top of Google’s local search results, featuring a map and three local business listings. It is influenced by factors like proximity, relevance, and reviews, and is key to driving local business traffic.
Related to:
SEO
Long-Tail Keywords
Highly specific search phrases that target niche audiences. These keywords often have lower search volume but higher intent, making them ideal for driving highly qualified traffic and conversions. They are especially effective for smaller businesses competing against big brands.
Moz
Moz. Moz is a prominent name in the field of search engine optimisation (SEO), offering a suite of tools and resources designed to help businesses improve their online visibility and rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). Founded in 2004 as a small consulting firm in Seattle, Moz has grown to become a globally recognised platform that serves businesses, marketers, and SEO professionals alike. Its offerings include software, educational resources, and a robust online community, all aimed at demystifying SEO and making it more accessible. A brief history of Moz. Moz, initially launched as SEOmoz by founders Rand Fishkin … read more
Organic Traffic
Website visitors who arrive through unpaid search engine results. Generating organic traffic is a key objective of SEO and content marketing strategies.
Pages per Session
Average number of pages viewed during a single user session.
Related to:
Engagement, Google Analytics, SEO, User Behaviour
Pillar Pages
In-depth, comprehensive pages that act as the central hub of a content cluster. They link to and from related subtopics, helping to organise content, establish topical authority, and improve SEO through strategic internal linking.
Responsive Design
A web design approach that ensures a website functions and looks good across all devices, from desktops to mobile phones. It’s critical for user experience and mobile SEO.
Related to:
SEO, User Experience, Web Design
Schema Markup
Structured data code added to a website to help search engines understand its content better. It can enable rich results, like featured snippets or FAQ boxes, which improve visibility and CTR in the SERPs.
Related to:
SEO
Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
The page displayed by a search engine after a query is entered. It includes organic results, paid ads, and SERP features like snippets, maps, and carousels.
Related to:
SEO
Search Intent
The purpose behind a user’s search query, which can be informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial investigation. Understanding search intent is essential for creating content that matches user needs and ranks well in search engines.
Related to:
Content, SEO, User Behaviour
SEMrush
SEMrush is a comprehensive software platform designed to assist individuals, businesses, and digital marketing professionals in optimising their online visibility and marketing strategies. Founded in 2008 by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov, the platform is widely recognised as one of the leading tools for search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimisation (SEO), and competitive analysis. SEMrush has grown to become an industry standard for marketers and is used by millions of professionals worldwide, including in-house teams, freelancers, and large agencies. The platform offers a suite of tools that provide insights into website performance, keyword rankings, content marketing opportunities, competitor analysis, … read more
SERP Features
Non-traditional search results that appear on Google, such as featured snippets, local packs, video carousels, and knowledge panels. These features improve visibility and can drive significant traffic beyond standard blue links.
Related to:
SEO
Time on Page
Average amount of time users spend viewing a specific page or screen.
Related to:
Content, Engagement, Google Analytics, SEO, User Behaviour
User Experience (UX) Signals
Metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rate (CTR) that show how users interact with a website. These signals indirectly impact SEO rankings, as search engines prioritise sites that provide a positive user experience.
Related to:
Engagement, SEO, User Behaviour, User Experience
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Content created by users, such as reviews, social media posts, or testimonials. UGC builds trust, drives engagement, and can be leveraged in marketing campaigns to amplify reach.
Related to:
Content, CRO, SEO, Social Media
Website Traffic
Total number of visitors to a website in a given period.
Related to:
Google Analytics, SEO
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)
A term used by Google to categorise content that can impact a user's finances, health, safety, or well-being. Google applies stricter quality standards to YMYL content, requiring high levels of E-E-A-T to ensure accuracy and trustworthiness.
Related to:
SEO
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