Marketing glossary
Clear definitions and practical explanations of essential marketing terms. Whether you're new to digital marketing or looking to brush up on terminology, find what you need here.
SEO terms
3
301 redirect
SEOA 301 redirect permanently sends users and search engines from an old web page to a new one, preserving SEO value and ensuring a smooth user experience.
302 redirect
SEOA 302 redirect temporarily moves a webpage to a new location, signaling to browsers and search engines that the change is not permanent. It's useful for short-term changes.
A
Alt text
SEOAlt text, or alternative text, is a short written description of an image on a webpage. It helps search engines understand what the image is about and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.
Anchor text
SEOAnchor text refers to the visible, clickable words in a hyperlink. It provides context to both users and search engines about the linked page's content.
B
Backlink
SEOA backlink is when one website links to another. It acts like a vote of confidence from one site to another, signaling to search engines that the linked content is valuable.
Black hat SEO
SEOBlack hat SEO uses unethical tactics to trick search engines into ranking a site higher. These methods can lead to severe penalties and long-term damage to a website's reputation.
Breadcrumb navigation
SEOBreadcrumb navigation shows website visitors their current location on a site, providing a trail of links back to the homepage. It improves user experience and helps with site navigation.
Broken link
SEOA broken link is a hyperlink that no longer works, leading users to an error page instead of the intended content. This negatively impacts user experience and SEO.
C
Canonical URL
SEOA canonical URL tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred one, preventing duplicate content issues and consolidating ranking signals.
Content gap analysis
SEOContent gap analysis helps you find missing content that your audience is looking for. It compares your existing content to what competitors offer or what users search for, revealing opportunities.
Content pruning
SEOContent pruning is removing or improving old, low-quality content from your website to boost SEO and user experience. It helps focus search engine crawlers on your best pages.
Core Web Vitals
SEOCore Web Vitals are key metrics from Google that measure user experience on a webpage, focusing on loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
Crawl budget
SEOCrawl budget is the number of pages search engine bots can and want to crawl on your site within a given timeframe. It impacts how quickly new content is discovered and indexed.
Crawlability
SEOCrawlability refers to a search engine's ability to access and read content on your website. It's crucial for SEO because if search engines can't crawl your pages, they can't index them.
D
Dofollow link
SEOA dofollow link is a hyperlink that search engines follow, passing 'link juice' or authority from the linking site to the linked site. It's crucial for SEO.
Domain authority
SEODomain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score, developed by Moz, that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages. It ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater ranking potential.
Duplicate content
SEODuplicate content refers to identical or very similar content found at multiple web addresses. It can negatively impact a website's search engine visibility and user experience.
E
E-A-T
SEOE-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a set of guidelines Google uses to evaluate the quality and credibility of web content and its creators, significantly influencing search rankings.
External linking
SEOExternal linking means adding links on your website that point to other websites. These links help your audience find more useful information and signal to search engines that your content is well-researched.
F
Featured snippet
SEOA featured snippet is a special box at the top of Google's search results that directly answers a user's question, pulling information from a webpage.
G
Google My Business
SEOGoogle My Business is a free tool from Google that helps businesses manage their online presence across Google Search and Maps. It allows you to display important business information to customers.
Gray hat SEO
SEOGray hat SEO uses tactics that are neither purely ethical (white hat) nor clearly unethical (black hat). These methods operate in a grey area, carrying potential risks but also offering faster results.
H
Header tags
SEOHeader tags (H1-H6) are HTML elements that structure your web content, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand the hierarchy and main topics of a page. They help improve readability and SEO.
I
Image SEO
SEOImage SEO helps search engines understand the images on your website, making them more likely to appear in image search results and improve overall site visibility.
Indexation
SEOIndexation is when search engines like Google add your website's pages to their massive database. This allows your content to appear in search results.
Internal linking
SEOInternal linking connects pages on the same website. It helps search engines understand your site structure and guides visitors to related content, improving navigation and SEO.
K
Keyword cannibalization
SEOKeyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your website compete for the same search keywords, confusing search engines and potentially lowering your rankings. This can dilute your SEO efforts and reduce overall organic traffic.
Keyword density
SEOKeyword density is the percentage of times a specific keyword appears on a web page compared to the total word count. It helps search engines understand what your content is about.
Keyword research
SEOKeyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the actual words and phrases people type into search engines like Google. It helps businesses understand what their audience is looking for online.
Keyword stuffing
SEOKeyword stuffing is the outdated practice of over-using keywords on a webpage to manipulate search engine rankings. It harms user experience and can lead to search engine penalties.
Knowledge graph
SEOA knowledge graph organizes information about real-world entities and their relationships, helping search engines understand context and deliver more relevant results. It powers rich search features like featured snippets and local packs.
L
LSI keywords
SEOLSI keywords are conceptually related terms that search engines use to understand content context. They help improve SEO by signaling relevance.
Link building
SEOLink building is the process of getting other websites to link to your website. These links, called backlinks, are crucial for improving search engine rankings and increasing organic traffic.
Link juice
SEOLink juice refers to the value or authority passed from one webpage to another through hyperlinks. It's a key factor in how search engines rank pages.
Link penalty
SEOA link penalty is a negative action by search engines, like Google, that impacts a website's ranking due to unnatural or manipulative backlinks.
Local SEO
SEOLocal SEO helps businesses appear in local search results, like when someone searches for 'stores near me'. It optimizes your online presence to attract customers in a specific geographic area.
Long-tail keyword
SEODefinition will be generated by AI.
M
Meta description
SEOA meta description is a short summary of a web page's content. It appears under the page title in search engine results, helping users decide if they want to click.
Mobile optimization
SEOMobile optimization ensures your website and digital content look and perform great on smartphones and tablets. It's crucial for user experience, SEO, and reaching customers on the go.
Mobile-first indexing
SEOMobile-first indexing means Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for ranking and indexing. It ensures search results reflect the experience of most users who browse on mobile devices.
N
Nofollow link
SEOA nofollow link is an HTML attribute that tells search engines not to pass authority to the linked page. It helps control how link equity flows and manages spam.
O
Off-page SEO
SEOOff-page SEO involves actions taken outside your website to improve its search engine rankings, primarily by building authority and trust through external signals like backlinks.
On-page SEO
SEOOn-page SEO involves optimizing elements on your website pages, like content, keywords, and HTML, to improve their ranking and visibility in search engine results. It helps search engines understand your content better and makes it more appealing to users.
Organic traffic
SEOOrganic traffic refers to visitors who find your website through unpaid search results, like Google or Bing. It's a key indicator of your website's visibility and relevance in search engines.
Orphan page
SEOAn orphan page is a web page on your site that no other internal pages link to, making it difficult for both users and search engines to discover. They are isolated from your main website structure.
P
Page authority
SEOPage authority predicts how well a specific web page will rank on search engines, scored from 1-100 based on factors like backlinks. It helps marketers gauge a page's competitive strength.
Page speed
SEOPage speed measures how quickly your website's content loads for users. It impacts user experience, SEO rankings, and conversion rates, making it vital for digital marketing success.
R
Redirect
SEOA redirect automatically sends users and search engines from an old web page to a new one. It is crucial for maintaining website functionality and SEO when pages move or are deleted.
Rich snippet
SEORich snippets are enhanced search results that display extra information directly on the search engine results page, making your listing more appealing and informative to users.
Robots.txt
SEORobots.txt is a file on your website that tells search engine crawlers which pages or files they can or cannot request from your site. It helps manage crawler access and optimize SEO efforts.
S
SERP
SEOA SERP, or Search Engine Results Page, is what you see after typing a query into a search engine like Google. It displays a list of results, including organic links and paid ads.
Schema markup
SEOSchema markup is a specialized code added to your website that helps search engines understand your content's context, leading to richer, more informative search results.
Search engine optimization
SEOSearch engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website's visibility in search engine results. It helps more people find your business online for free.
Search intent
SEOSearch intent refers to the underlying goal a user has when typing a query into a search engine. Understanding it helps marketers create content that truly answers user needs, improving SEO performance.
Search visibility
SEOSearch visibility measures how often your website appears in search engine results for important keywords. It shows how visible your business is to potential customers online.
Semantic SEO
SEOSemantic SEO focuses on optimizing content for topic relevance and user intent rather than just keywords. It helps search engines understand the meaning and context of your content.
Site architecture
SEOSite architecture is how your website's pages are organized and linked. A good structure helps users find information and search engines understand your content.
T
Technical SEO
SEOTechnical SEO optimizes your website's infrastructure to improve its crawlability and indexability, helping search engines understand and rank your content better.
Thin content
SEOThin content refers to web pages with little to no valuable or unique information for users. Search engines often see it as low quality, which can hurt a website's search rankings.
Title tag
SEOA title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a webpage. It appears in browser tabs and search engine results, helping users and search engines understand page content.
U
URL structure
SEOURL structure defines how a webpage's address is organized. A clear, logical structure helps both users and search engines understand content and navigate your site.
V
Video SEO
SEOVideo SEO is the process of optimizing your video content to rank higher in search engine results on platforms like Google and YouTube. It helps make your videos more discoverable to your target audience.
Voice search optimization
SEOVoice search optimization helps your content rank higher when people use voice assistants like Siri or Alexa to search. It focuses on conversational queries to match how users speak.
W
White hat SEO
SEOWhite hat SEO uses ethical strategies to improve a website's search engine ranking by focusing on a great user experience and high-quality content, adhering to search engine guidelines for long-term success.
X
XML sitemap
SEOAn XML sitemap is a list of all important pages on your website that tells search engines where to find your content, helping them crawl and index your site more effectively.
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