For those just diving into the world of Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, learning its unique vocabulary can feel daunting at first. That’s why we created a guide to SEO industry lingo– so that you can refer back to it when you encounter an unfamiliar word or phrase online. Feel free to bookmark this page for future reference, or print it out for quick access during your workday.
SEO 101
- Keywords: The foundation of SEO, indicating phrases or terms users search for.
- Intent: The motivation behind a user's search query, crucial for content strategy.
- Query: The specific phrase or question a user types into a search engine. For example, when searching for this post, you might have typed “SEO vocab” into your search engine.
- Ranking: The position of a web page on the search engine results page, or SERP, the primary goal of SEO strategy.
- Organic: Search results appearing due to their relevance, not paid advertisements. For more on search engine marketing, refer to our guide to SEO vs. SEM.
SEO Strategies
- On-Page SEO: Involves optimizations on the website itself, including content and HTML tags.
- Off-Page SEO: Focuses on external factors like backlinks and social media presence.
- Technical SEO: Deals with website and server optimizations for better crawling and indexing.
Keyword Research
- Keyword Difficulty: A metric estimating the challenge of ranking for a specific keyword.
- Search Volume: The number of searches made for a keyword over a certain period of time.
- Seed Keywords: Basic, broad terms that define a topic or niche, and serve as a starting point for keyword research.
- Long-tail Keywords: Longer, more specific phrases likely used closer to a purchase.
SERP Features
- SERP (Search Engine Results Pages): The pages shown by search engines in response to queries.
- Featured Snippets: Short excerpts at the top of Google's search results, answering queries directly.
- People Also Ask Boxes: Provides users with additional questions and answers related to their query.
Linking Strategies
- Backlinking: Links from other websites to yours, indicating content value and credibility.
- Internal Linking: Links connecting different pages within the same website, aiding in navigation and authority distribution.
Website and Content Indexing
- Crawling: The process by which search engine bots discover and assess web pages.
- Indexing: Organizing and storing content found during crawling for later retrieval.
For more on what SEO is or why you should invest in the digital marketing strategy, check out our guide on the subject. With questions about your SEO strategies and how our team might be able to help, get in touch.
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