SEO Glossary

SEO keywords explained in a simple and straightforward way

A

Above the Fold

Content (text or visual) visible at the beginning of the site or article, without scrolling down the page. It is critical for users' first impression and also affects bounce rate.

Alt text

Alternative text for images, useful for accessibility and on-page SEO ranking. If it is missing, SEO is penalized.

Anchor text

Clickable portion of text in a link. It is, in essence, the word that is clicked on to open the link. Depending on the type of word, it affects the ranking in search engines.

Algorithm

Set of rules used by search engines to determine page rankings.

Average position

Average site position in search results for a set of keywords. Calculated by dividing the sum of positions by the number of ads shown for a given keyword.

B

Backlink

Links that a page receives from another external page. Very useful for ranking, backlinks are obtained in various ways.

Banner

Advertising strip placed on a Web site, usually placed at the top of pages and of narrow, long format. The banner carries the name, logo or image of the advertiser company or its product.

Black Hat SEO

Unethical techniques used to manipulate search engine results. This is the opposite of white hat SEO.

Benchmark

Indicator, measure, benchmark against which a company evaluates its performance with respect to products, services, business processes.

Bounce Rate

Percentage of users who abandon a site after viewing only one page.

Brain storming

Decision-making method consisting of intensive debate sessions designed to stimulate proposals and identify the best solution.

Branded traffic

Visits generated from searches containing the brand name as a keyword. Traffic generated by people in a high funnel position.

C

Content Marketing

Strategy that uses valuable content to attract and engage audiences. It is one of the foundations of web marketing.

Crawl

Process by which search engines analyze web pages.

Canonical Tag

HTML tag used to indicate the preferred version of a web page when there is duplicate content.

Cloaking

Technique that allows (by means of special scripts) a different content to be shown to search engines than is shown to visitors.

Copywriting

Production of textual content within pages and websites. Fundamental to SEO, these persuasive writing techniques should direct the user to the desired action.

Duplicate content

Identical or very similar content found on multiple web pages, which can penalize ranking. It should be modified or removed to raise the ranking.

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition within an advertising campaign is a method of payment based on whether or not an action such as a purchase is finalized.

Cost per click (CPC)

The cost to the advertiser of each individual click on an ad or link that requires linking to the advertiser's Web page.

Cost per lead (CPL)

Cost per lead is a payment method based on a specific action such as filling out a form or signing up for a newsletter aimed at engaging consumers.

Cost per thousand (CPM)

Cost per thousand is the cost the advertiser pays for displaying the ad for every 1,000 impressions.

Cost per salt (CPS)

The cost paid each time a sale originated from clicking on the advertisement.

Cost per view (CPV)

Cost per view is when the advertiser pays per unique viewer, of the ad or website.

Contextual advertising

Managed through the use of technology that identifies the topic or topics on a web page, providing sponsored links for the advertiser's keywords, which pays only for the clicks received.

Core Web Vitals

Three main metrics Google uses to evaluate user experience:

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Loading time of the largest visible element.
  • FID (First Input Delay): Response time of the site to the first user interaction.
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Visual stability of the page during loading.

Growth in brand research

Increased search volume of the brand name over time.

CTR

Percentage of clicks versus impressions of a link. CTR is commonly calculated from the ratio of number of clicks to number of impressions, but it can also be related to the number of people who clicked, which is generally considered more reliable.

D

Directory

List of websites organized by category. It is essential for organized content discovery and search.

Domain Authority (DA)

Metric that measures a site's likelihood of ranking in search results. Measured from 1 to 100, the higher the number, the higher the page will rank in user searches.

Duplicate content

Identical or very similar content found on multiple pages, penalized by search engines.

E

Engagement

Measure of user interaction with content, important for ranking. More engagement means that users find content interesting and useful, and take actions to demonstrate interest.

E-A-T

Acronym for "Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness." Important for some specific queries. It is not a direct ranking factor (it is not calculated by a computer), but as a whole it rewards or penalizes content of a certain type.

F

Featured Snippet

Featured result that responds directly to a user query.

On-page factors

Optimized elements within the web page, such as meta tags and content.

Off-page factors

Elements external to the site that influence ranking, such as backlinks and social signals.

G

Google Analytics

Web analytics tool that provides data on user traffic and behavior. Also useful for information on overall website performance.

Google Search Console

Tool that helps monitor and optimize site presence in search results.

Guest Blogging

Practice of writing articles for other blogs in order to gain backlinks and visibility.

H

HTML Tags

Markers used in HTML code to structure web page content.

Headings (H1, H2, H3)

HTML tags used to define content headings. They go from the main one (H1) down as you write sub-paragraphs and proceed in your writing. 

HTTPS

Secure protocol used to protect communication between the browser and the server.

Hit

Total count of files requested from the server. When a user visits two web pages that each retrieve a file (from an image) then it produces four hits, that is, he will have downloaded two pages and two images.

I

Indexing

Process by which search engines add pages to their database. A site is indexed = it appears on platforms such as Google and Bing.

Research Intent

User motivation behind a search query. An online article should be as close as possible to why the user is writing. This is done through keywords and copywriting.

J

JavaScript SEO

Specific techniques for optimizing Web sites built with JavaScript so that they are properly indexed by search engines.

K

Keyword

Word or phrase used by users in search engines, critical for content optimization. Every page and article on Google is written from keywords. The choice of keywords is one of the main factors influencing SEO.

Keyword Density

Percentage of keyword to total words in a text. It affects SEO, penalizing a site for both too many and too few keywords.

Keyword Research

Process of identifying the most relevant keywords to use in content. Various tools are used, to analyze the market and also the various competitors.

Keyword Stuffing

Bad practice of filling a page with too many keywords.

L

Landing Page

Page specifically developed to deal with specific topics: shows content that is an extension of the link or advertisement and is optimized for a specific keyword, or phrase, to attract search engines.

Lead

Potential customer who has shown interest in a product or service by providing their contact information for future communications.

Link Building

Strategy for getting backlinks from other websites.

Long Tail Keywords

Keywords composed of three or more terms, often less competitive but more specific. Closer to the search intent, but more difficult to position

External link

Link pointing to a domain other than one's own, useful for improving site authority and thus SEO.

Internal link

Link pointing to another page in the same domain. Useful for navigation and internal authority as well as SEO.

M

Meta Description

Brief description of the page that appears in search results. It must be eye-catching and informative, as well as meet certain parameters.

Mobile Optimization

Practices designed to ensure that a site works properly on mobile devices. Optimization for mobile done right promotes User Experience.

Mobile-First Indexing

Priority given by Google to optimizing for mobile devices, SERPs are more likely to be based on how Google has scanned content based on mobile version of that page, rather than on the desktop system.

SEO Monitoring

Ongoing practice of analyzing site SEO performance over time. Essential for implementing or modifying a digital communication strategy.

N

Nofollow Link

Link that "speaks" to search engines, telling them to ignore that link. PageRank is not transmitted, and therefore. Without affecting the SEO ranking. It is Used to avoid spam.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Technologies that enable search engines to better understand human language.

Negative SEO

Anti-competitive unfair practices that are used to damage a competitor's website ranking.

O

On-page SEO

Optimization of factors internal to the web page, such as text and tags.

Optimization Score

Evaluating the quality of site SEO optimization against best practices.

Opt-in

Methods of subscribing to the newsletter. The person subscribes by providing consent to receive future messages.

Opt-out

Methods of subscribing to the newsletter. You have been subscribed without your knowledge without having provided explicit consent. In the email message he receives there are instructions for possible unsubscription from the newsletter. This mode is considered spamming.

Organic Traffic

Organic or natural traffic consists of all the visits a website receives naturally through search engine results, without the use of sponsored ads.

Overlapping Keywords

Shared keywords between your site and those of competitors increase competition.

P

Page Speed

Speed at which a web page loads. Important factor in user experience and page or site ranking.

PPC (Pay Per Click)

Advertising model in which advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad.

Q

Quality Score

Rating provided by Google to PPC ads based on the quality of keywords and landing pages.

R

Rankings

Site position in search engine results for specific keywords. SEO seeks to improve this parameter.

Follow/NoFollow Ratio

Percentage of backlinks with "follow" and "nofollow" attributes. The nofollow attribute tells search engines to ignore that link. Follow links are links that convey a vote of confidence for the information shared on that web page.

Redirect 301

Type of permanent redirection from one URL to another. Useful for preserving SEO authority.

Referral Traffic

A referral is not a source of traffic to a site, that is, a link within a Web site that points to a third party. Visits from other sites via backlinks.

Robots.txt

File used by webmasters to tell search engines which pages should be crawled or ignored.

ROI (Return on Investment)

Metric that evaluates the effectiveness of an investment by calculating the ratio of the profit made to the cost of the investment.

S

Schema Markup

Type of code that helps search engines better understand your content and represent it in the right way within search results.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

Search engine-generated results page.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Techniques and strategies to improve site visibility in search engines.

Sitemap

File that lists site URLs, helping search engines scan the content.

Social Signals

Social media interactions (likes, shares) that can affect SEO ranking and website brand identity.

Technical SEO

Optimization of technical aspects of the site, such as URL structure and speed.

Local SEO

Site optimization to improve visibility in local searches. It is mainly used for business, e-commerce and pages that are very locally related.

T

Traffic Analysis

Study of user behavior on the site through analytical tools.

Traffic Share

Metric that allows to visualize the percentage breakdown of the total traffic generated by a cluster of keywords.

Title Tag

HTML tag that defines the title of the page. Important for both users and search engines.

Organic traffic

Site visits from non-paid search engine results. High organic traffic means a successful marketing strategy and a site that works.

U

User Experience (UX)

Overall user experience during interaction with a Web site.
Includes ease of navigation and speed of loading content.

URL Structure

Structure of web page addresses. It must be clear and relevant to keywords.

V

Voice Search Optimization

Content optimization for voice search. It is becoming very popular in recent years and is increasingly used by users.

Visual Content

Image- or video-based content important for user engagement.

W

White Hat SEO

Techniques to improve SEO that are deemed ethical and in accordance with search engine guidelines.

Webmaster Tools (now Google Search Console)

Tools provided by search engines to monitor and optimize online presence.

X

XML Sitemap

Version of the sitemap in XML format, useful for search engines in crawling the site.

Y

YouTube SEO

Optimizing YouTube videos so that they are easily found in search results.

Z

Zero Click Searches

Searches in which the user finds the answer directly in the SERP without clicking on any links.

ZMOT (zero moment of truth)

Moment when the consumer searches the web for information about a particular product or service, starting the process that will lead to contact with a company and, finally, to purchase.