SEO jargon, in plain English

A

Algorithm

The set of rules Google uses to decide which pages rank, and in what order, for a given search. It weighs hundreds of signals and changes often, which is why SEO is an ongoing job rather than a one-off fix.

Alt text

A short written description of an image in the page code. It helps screen readers describe images to people who cannot see them, and gives search engines context about what the image shows.

Anchor text

The visible, clickable words in a link. Descriptive anchor text helps both readers and search engines understand what the linked page is about, so vague text like click here is a wasted chance.

Authority

A general measure of how trusted a site or page is in its field, built mainly through quality content and links from other reputable sites. More authority makes it easier to rank for competitive terms.

B

Backlink

A link from another website to yours. Search engines treat relevant, quality backlinks as votes of confidence, so earning them is a core part of link building and off-page SEO.

Black hat SEO

Tactics that try to trick search engines rather than serve users, such as hidden text or bought links. They can work briefly but usually lead to penalties, so we never use them.

Bounce rate

The share of visitors who land on a page and leave without interacting further. A high bounce rate is not always bad, but it can signal that a page is slow, irrelevant or hard to use.

Breadcrumb

A small navigation trail, usually near the top of a page, showing where it sits in the site structure. Breadcrumbs help users move around and help search engines understand your site hierarchy.

C

Canonical tag

A snippet of code that tells search engines which version of a page is the main one. It prevents duplicate content problems when the same page can be reached through more than one URL.

Citation

A mention of your business name, address and phone number on another website, such as a directory. Consistent citations help confirm your details and support local SEO.

Click-through rate

The percentage of people who click your result after seeing it in search. A strong title and meta description can lift click-through rate even without changing your ranking position.

Cloaking

Showing search engines different content from what real visitors see, in an attempt to manipulate rankings. It breaks Google's guidelines and risks a penalty, so it is firmly a black hat tactic.

Conversion

Any action you want a visitor to take, such as a call, a form submission or a sale. SEO is only worthwhile when the traffic it brings turns into conversions, not just visits.

Core Web Vitals

A set of Google metrics for loading speed, interactivity and visual stability. They are part of how Google judges page experience. See our Core Web Vitals guide for detail.

Crawl

The process where search engines send automated bots to read the pages on your site. If a page cannot be crawled, it usually cannot be indexed or ranked, which is why crawlability matters.

D

Dofollow link

A normal link that passes authority to the page it points to. Most links are dofollow by default, and earning dofollow links from trusted sites helps build your authority.

Domain authority

A third-party score that estimates how likely a whole domain is to rank. It is useful for comparison, but it is not a Google metric, so treat it as a guide rather than a target.

Duplicate content

The same or very similar content appearing on more than one URL. It can split ranking signals and confuse search engines, so we use canonical tags and unique content to avoid it.

E

E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, the qualities Google looks for in content, especially on topics that affect health or money. Clear authorship and genuine expertise help demonstrate it.

External link

A link that points from your site to a different website. Linking out to relevant, trustworthy sources can add value for readers and context for search engines.

F

Featured snippet

A boxed answer shown at the top of some search results, pulled from a page that answers the query directly. Clear, well-structured content gives you a better chance of earning one.

G

Google Business Profile

Your free business listing that can appear in Google Maps and the local pack. Keeping it accurate and active is central to local search.

Google Search Console

A free Google tool that shows how your site performs in search, which queries bring clicks, and any crawling or indexing issues. It is one of the first tools we set up for a client.

H

Heading tags

HTML tags from H1 to H6 that structure a page's content. A single clear H1 describes the page, while H2s and H3s organise the sections beneath it for readers and search engines.

Hreflang

A tag that tells search engines which language and region a page is meant for. It helps the right version of a page show to the right audience on international or multilingual sites.

I

Index

The huge database of pages search engines have crawled and stored. A page must be indexed before it can rank, so checking your important pages are indexed is a basic SEO health check.

Internal link

A link from one page on your site to another. Internal links help visitors navigate and help search engines understand which pages matter and how your topics connect.

K

Keyword

A word or phrase people type into search. Targeting the right keywords means matching what your customers actually search for, not just the terms you would use yourself.

Keyword research

The work of finding the searches your customers use, along with how often and how competitively. It guides what to write and build. See our keyword research guide.

Keyword stuffing

Cramming a page with repeated keywords in the hope of ranking higher. It reads badly and can trigger a penalty, so we write for people first and let the keywords sit naturally.

L

Landing page

The page a visitor arrives on from a search or link. A good landing page matches the searcher's intent and makes the next step, such as calling or buying, obvious and easy.

Link building

Earning links from other websites to build authority and rankings. Done well it focuses on quality and relevance, not volume. It is one of our core services.

Local pack

The block of three local business listings, with a map, that Google shows for location-based searches. Appearing here is a major goal of local SEO for service businesses.

Local SEO

The work of ranking in local and near me searches and the map pack, through your profile, reviews, citations and local pages. Read more about local SEO.

Long-tail keyword

A longer, more specific search phrase, usually with lower volume but clearer intent. Long-tail terms are often easier to rank for and bring visitors who are closer to buying.

M

Meta description

The short summary that can appear under your title in search results. It does not directly affect ranking, but a clear, relevant description can improve your click-through rate.

Meta title

The clickable headline of a search result, set in the page's title tag. It is one of the strongest on-page signals and should describe the page clearly while including the main keyword.

Mobile-first indexing

Google's approach of using the mobile version of your site to index and rank it. If your site works poorly on phones, your rankings suffer, so mobile performance is not optional.

N

NAP

Name, Address and Phone number. Keeping your NAP consistent everywhere it appears online helps confirm your business details and supports local rankings.

Nofollow link

A link with an attribute telling search engines not to pass authority through it. It is often used for paid, untrusted or user-generated links, and is the opposite of a dofollow link.

O

Off-page SEO

Everything done away from your own site to build its reputation, mainly links, citations and reviews. It works alongside on-page and technical SEO rather than replacing them.

On-page SEO

Optimising the content and HTML of a page itself, including titles, headings, content and internal links, so it ranks well and answers the searcher clearly.

Organic traffic

Visitors who reach your site through unpaid search results, rather than ads. Growing organic traffic is the main goal of SEO, because it keeps working without ongoing ad spend.

P

PageRank

Google's original method of judging a page's importance by the quantity and quality of links pointing to it. The idea still underpins how links pass authority today.

Page speed

How quickly a page loads and becomes usable. Faster pages give a better experience and can help rankings, while slow pages frustrate visitors and lose conversions.

Q

Query

The actual words someone types or speaks into search. Understanding the intent behind a query matters more than the exact words, because Google rewards pages that answer the need.

R

Ranking

Where your page appears in search results for a given query. Higher rankings, especially on the first page, bring far more clicks, which is why position is worth the work.

Redirect

A rule that sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another. A 301 redirect is permanent and passes most authority, while a 302 is temporary. Both matter during site changes.

Rich result

A search result enhanced with extra detail, such as review stars or FAQs, drawn from structured data on the page. Rich results can stand out and lift clicks.

Robots.txt

A file that tells search engine bots which parts of your site they may or may not crawl. A mistake here can accidentally block important pages, so it needs care.

S

Schema markup

Structured data added to your code that helps search engines understand your content and can enable rich results. See our schema markup guide.

SERP

Search engine results page, the page of results you see after a search. It can include organic results, ads, the local pack, featured snippets and more, all competing for attention.

Sitemap

A file listing the important pages on your site to help search engines find and crawl them. Submitting an XML sitemap in Search Console is a simple, useful step.

Structured data

Code that labels the meaning of your content for search engines, often using schema.org vocabulary. It powers rich results and helps machines read your pages accurately.

T

Technical SEO

The behind-the-scenes work that helps search engines crawl, render and index your site, including speed, structure and code. Learn more about technical SEO.

Topical authority

Becoming a trusted source on a whole subject by covering it thoroughly, rather than chasing single keywords. It is central to how we work. See our topical authority guide.

U

URL

The web address of a page. Short, readable URLs that include a relevant word or two are easier for people to trust and for search engines to understand.

User intent

The goal behind a search, such as finding information, a place or something to buy. Matching intent is essential, because the best-written page still fails if it answers the wrong need.

W

White hat SEO

Tactics that follow search engine guidelines and focus on genuine value for users. It is slower than tricks but builds rankings that last, and it is the only approach we use.