Reference
The SEO Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms that actually come up in search, SEO, and AI discovery — written for people doing the work.
A
- AI OverviewsGoogle's AI-generated summaries displayed at the top of search results, pulling information from multiple sources to answer queries directly.
- Anchor TextThe visible, clickable text in a hyperlink that users see and can click on.
- Answer Engine OptimizationOptimizing content and websites to rank well in AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity rather than traditional search engines.
B
- BacklinkA hyperlink from one website to another, pointing toward your site from external sources.
C
- Canonical URLThe preferred version of a web page URL when multiple URLs serve the same or similar content.
- Content PruningRemoving, consolidating, or significantly revising low-performing content to improve site quality and search visibility.
- Core Web VitalsGoogle's set of three metrics measuring real-world page experience: loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
- Crawl BudgetThe number of pages Googlebot will crawl on a site within a given timeframe, limited by server resources and crawl demand.
D
- DisavowA tool to tell Google to ignore links pointing to your site that you believe are harmful or spam.
- Domain AuthorityA link-based authority score (0–100) that predicts a domain's ranking ability across all its pages.
E
- E-E-A-TGoogle's acronym for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—core signals used to evaluate content quality and site credibility.
- Entity SEOSEO strategy focused on establishing and strengthening a brand or topic as a recognizable entity in search systems and knowledge graphs.
F
- Featured SnippetA highlighted search result that displays an answer to a query directly on the SERP, pulled from a webpage's content.
G
- Generative Engine OptimizationPractice of optimizing content and technical setup to perform well in AI-powered search engines and generative answer systems.
- Google Business ProfileGoogle's free business listing service that displays company information, reviews, and posts across Search, Maps, and Google.
H
- HreflangAn HTML attribute that tells search engines which page version to show to users in different languages or regions.
I
- IndexabilityWhether a page can be discovered, crawled, and added to a search engine's index.
- Internal LinkingLinks from one page on a domain to another page on the same domain, used to establish hierarchy, distribute authority, and guide user navigation.
K
- Keyword CannibalizationWhen multiple pages on the same domain target the same or very similar keywords, diluting ranking potential and confusing search engines about which page to rank.
- Knowledge GraphGoogle's semantic database linking entities, attributes, and relationships to understand real-world objects and concepts beyond keywords.
L
- Link EquityThe value or authority transferred from one page to another through hyperlinks, influencing search ranking potential.
- llms.txtA proposed standard markdown file at a site's root (/llms.txt) that gives AI models a curated, easy-to-parse map of its most important content.
- Local CitationsOnline mentions of a business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on third-party websites, directories, or platforms.
- Local PackGoogle's map-based search result showing 3 local businesses ranked by relevance and proximity to the searcher's location.
- Log File AnalysisExamination of server access logs to understand how search engines and users interact with a website.
N
P
- Programmatic SEOAutomating the creation of large numbers of optimized pages using templates, data, and code rather than manual content production.
R
- RenderingThe process of converting code into visible HTML and CSS that appears on a user's screen.
- Retrieval-Augmented GenerationAn AI technique that retrieves relevant documents or data before generating a response, rather than relying solely on training data.
- Rich ResultsEnhanced search results that display structured data as formatted blocks—ratings, prices, recipes, events—rather than plain text links.
- Robots.txtA text file placed in a website's root directory that instructs search engine crawlers which pages or sections they can or cannot access.
S
- Schema MarkupHTML code added to web pages that tells search engines what specific data represents, using a standardized vocabulary.
- Search IntentThe underlying goal or information need a user is trying to satisfy when they enter a search query.
- SERPSearch engine results page — the page a search engine displays after a user submits a query.
T
- Topical AuthorityA website's demonstrated expertise and comprehensive coverage of a specific subject area, signaled through interconnected content and domain history.
X
- XML SitemapA structured XML file that lists a website's URLs, helping search engines discover and crawl pages more efficiently.
Z
- Zero-Click SearchA search result that answers a user's query directly without requiring a click to another page.