Learning SEO terminology is a fundamental aspect of any organic marketing.
Why?
In today’s marketing era, most businesses are shifting toward online marketing, via websites, social media, etc, and if your small business is not optimized for it then you are missing out on potential clients. Therefore, it is important to tap into organic marketing.
In this blog, we will understand search optimization from the basic question “What is SEO” to 20+ SEO terminologies associated, that will help small businesses understand website optimization and set a baseline for organic marketing.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a practice of small changes to your website to gain higher visibility on SERP (Search engine results page).
Let’s understand with an example –
Suppose you are looking for information on – “how to make a cake” and the results shown in the SERP are the result of organic marketing, which is achieved when the content is optimized for search engines and users.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is making certain changes to your website to gain visibility and rank higher on SERP for specific keywords or phrases, which can help attract potential customers online.
It is also a part of digital marketing that attracts users organically which means you don’t need to advertise additionally to gain customers.
SEO practice typically involves:
- Targeting the right keywords
- Content creation around the keywords and optimization
- Optimization of service/product pages with money keyword
- Checking the technical aspects of the website
- Checking the mobile compatibility of the website
- Acquiring quality backlinks
Common SEO Terminology:
| S.N | SEO Terms | Meaning of SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Ranking | Position of a webpage in search engine results. |
| 2 | Organic Traffic | Visitors to a website from search engine results. |
| 3 | SERP | Search Engine Results Page displaying search results. |
| 4 | Inbound Links | Links from external sites pointing to a webpage. |
| 5 | Outbound Links | Links from a webpage to external sites. |
| 6 | Page Speed | Loading time of a specific webpage. |
| 7 | NoFollow Link | Hyperlink attribute instructing search engines not to follow. |
| 8 | DoFollow Link | Hyperlink attribute allowing search engines to follow. |
| 9 | Domain Authority (DA) | Metric predicting a website’s ranking potential. |
| 10 | Page Authority (PA) | Metric predicting an individual page’s ranking potential. |
Basic SEO Terminology You Need to Know
Search engine optimization is huge. SEO has different types and categories. To understand more effectively I have divided this into similar sections – types of SEO & categories of SEO.
Types of SEO
Based on the SEO practice and the use of techniques. SEO is divided into three main types:
1. Whitehat SEO: Whitehat SEO refers to ethical and legitimate optimization practices that comply with search engine guidelines.
2. Blackhat SEO: Blackhat SEO refers to aggressive and often unethical techniques to manipulate search engine rankings quickly.
3. Greyhat SEO: Greyhat SEO involves techniques that might not necessarily violate search engine guidelines outright but could be considered borderline or ethically questionable.
Categories of SEO
Three main categories of SEO can be classified as:
- On-page SEO: Optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search engines through content, code, and user experience enhancements.
- Off-page SEO: Improving search engine rankings through external activities like link building, social media marketing, and influencer outreach.
- Technical SEO: Optimizing the technical aspects of a website for better search engine visibility, including factors like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data markup.
Other subsets of SEO are as follows:
- Local SEO
- Mobile SEO
- Image SEO
- Video SEO
- Voice SEO
- E-commerce SEO
- International SEO
Let’s explore these SEO categories in detail and learn the SEO terminologies of associated with each of these SEO categories.
SEO Terminology of On-Page SEO:
| S.N | On-Page SEO Terms | Meaning of On-page SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Keyword | Words or phrases used to find information online. |
| 2 | Meta Tags | HTML tags providing metadata about a webpage. |
| 3 | Alt Text | Descriptive text for images for accessibility. |
| 4 | Title Tag | HTML tag specifying the title of a webpage. |
| 5 | Meta Description | Brief summary of webpage content in HTML. |
| 6 | URL | Web address of a webpage. |
| 7 | Keyword Density | Proportion of keywords to total words on a webpage. |
| 8 | Anchor Text | Clickable text in a hyperlink. |
| 9 | Canonical URL | Preferred URL for a webpage, avoiding duplicates. |
| 10 | Duplicate Content | Content that appears on more than one webpage. |
| 11 | Internal Linking | Links from one webpage to another within the same site. |
| 12 | Keyword Stuffing | Overuse of keywords on a webpage to manipulate rankings. |
| 13 | Header Tags | HTML tags indicating headings on a webpage. |
| 14 | Internal Links | Hyperlinks pointing to other pages within the same site. |
| 15 | External Links | Hyperlinks pointing to pages on other websites. |
| 16 | LSI Keywords | Related keywords to a primary keyword. |
| 17 | Call-to-Action (CTA) | Prompt for users to take a specific action. |
SEO Terminology of Off-Page SEO:
| S.N | Off-Page SEO Terms | Meaning of Off-Page SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Backlink | Link from another website to yours. |
| 2 | Link Building | Process of acquiring backlinks to improve SEO. |
| 3 | Anchor Text | Text used in hyperlinks to link to your website. |
| 4 | Link Juice | Value passed from one site to another through links. |
| 5 | Backlink Profile | Collection of all backlinks pointing to a website. |
| 6 | Link Relevance | Relevance of the linking page’s content to your site. |
| 7 | Link Quality | Trustworthiness and authority of the linking site. |
| 8 | Social Signals | Metrics related to social media activity around a site. |
| 9 | Brand Mentions | Instances where your brand is mentioned without a link. |
| 10 | Guest Blogging | Writing and publishing articles on other websites. |
| 11 | Directory Submission | Submitting your website to online directories. |
| 12 | Forum Participation | Engaging in discussions on forums and leaving links. |
| 13 | Influencer Outreach | Collaborating with influential individuals for backlinks. |
| 14 | Press Releases | Distributing news releases to media outlets and websites. |
| 15 | Article Submission | Submitting articles to article directories for backlinks. |
| 16 | Blog Commenting | Leaving comments on blogs with a link back to your site. |
| 17 | Social Bookmarking | Sharing content on social bookmarking sites for backlinks. |
| 18 | Video Marketing | Creating and sharing videos to attract backlinks. |
| 19 | Q&A Participation | Answering questions on platforms like Quora with links. |
| 20 | Broken Link Building | Finding broken links on other sites and suggesting yours. |
| 21 | Competitor Analysis | Analyzing competitor backlink profiles for opportunities. |
SEO Terminology of Tech SEO:
| S.N | Tech SEO Terms | Meaning of Tech SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Technical SEO | Optimization of website infrastructure and server configuration for better search engine crawling and indexing. |
| 2 | XML Sitemap | File listing URLs of a website’s pages for search engines to crawl and index. |
| 3 | Robots.txt | Text file instructing search engine crawlers which pages or sections of a website to crawl or ignore. |
| 4 | Canonical Tags | HTML tags specifying the preferred version of a webpage to avoid duplicate content issues. |
| 5 | Structured Data | Markup added to web content providing context for search engines, enhancing visibility in search results. |
| 6 | Website Speed | Loading time of web pages, impacting user experience and search engine rankings. |
| 7 | Mobile Responsiveness | Website design adapting seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices, is crucial for mobile search rankings. |
| 8 | JavaScript SEO | Optimization techniques for JavaScript-powered websites to ensure content visibility to search engines. |
| 9 | Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) | Stripped-down HTML versions of web pages designed to load quickly on mobile devices, enhancing user experience. |
| 10 | HTTPS | Secure protocol encrypting data transmitted between a website and a user’s browser, positively impacting search rankings. |
| 11 | Schema Markup | Structured data format providing additional context to search engines about webpage content, enhancing rich snippets. |
| 12 | Page Speed Optimization | Techniques to improve website loading times, including image optimization, minification, and caching. |
| 13 | Mobile-Friendly Test | Evaluation tool to assess if a website is optimized for mobile devices, impacting mobile search rankings. |
| 14 | Render-Blocking Resources | CSS and JavaScript files delaying webpage rendering, affecting page speed and user experience. |
| 15 | Hreflang Tags | HTML tags indicating language and regional targeting for multilingual and multinational websites. |
| 16 | Pagination | Handling of multi-page content to ensure search engines correctly index and rank individual pages. |
| 17 | International Targeting | Configuration settings informing search engines about the target audience for multilingual and multinational websites. |
| 18 | Redirects | Forwarding users and search engines from one URL to another, preserving link equity and user experience. |
| 19 | URL Structure | Organization of URLs for clarity, relevance, and ease of navigation, impacting search engine crawling and user experience. |
SEO Terminology of Local SEO:
| S.N | Local SEO Terms | Meaning of Local SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Google My Business | Google’s tool for managing business info in search. |
| 2 | NAP | Name, Address, Phone Number of a business. |
| 3 | Local Citations | Mentions of a business’s NAP on other websites. |
| 4 | Local Pack | Group of local business listings displayed in SERP. |
| 5 | Local Keywords | Search terms with local intent, e.g., “near me”. |
| 6 | Local Schema | Structured data markup for local business information. |
| 7 | Reviews | Customer feedback influencing local rankings. |
| 8 | Local Backlinks | Links from local websites pointing to a business site. |
| 9 | Geotargeting | Targeting content to specific geographic locations. |
| 10 | Local Directories | Online directories listing local businesses. |
SEO Terminology of Mobile SEO:
| S.N | Mobile SEO Terms | Meaning of Mobile SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Mobile-Friendly | Websites easily accessible and usable on mobile devices. |
| 2 | AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | Framework for creating fast-loading mobile web pages. |
| 3 | Mobile Optimization | Adapting website content and design for mobile users. |
| 4 | Touchscreen Compatibility | Design elements optimized for touch-based interaction on mobile devices. |
| 5 | Mobile-first Indexing | Google’s practice of primarily using the mobile version of a website’s content for indexing and ranking. |
SEO Terminology of Image SEO:
| S.N | Image SEO Terms | Meaning of Image SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Image Filename | Descriptive filename reflecting image content. |
| 2 | Alt Text | Text describing image content for accessibility. |
| 3 | Title Attribute | Optional attribute providing additional image info. |
| 4 | Image Size | Optimized size for faster loading and better user experience. |
| 5 | Image Format | Format choice affecting quality and file size. |
| 6 | Image Compression | Reducing file size without significant quality loss. |
| 7 | Image Captions | Text accompanying images for context and relevance. |
| 8 | Image Sitemap | Separate sitemap listing image URLs for indexing. |
| 9 | Image Lazy Loading | Loading images as they come into view to improve performance. |
SEO Terminology of Video SEO:
| S.N | Video SEO Terms | Meaning of Video SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Video Title | The title of the video should be descriptive and include relevant keywords. |
| 2 | Video Description | Text describing the video content, including keywords and relevant information. |
| 3 | Video Tags | Keywords or phrases are added to videos to improve discoverability. |
| 4 | Video Filename | The name of the video file, should include keywords and be descriptive. |
| 5 | Video Transcript | Text version of the video’s audio content, useful for search engines to index. |
| 6 | Video Sitemap | Sitemap specifically for videos, listing video URLs for search engines. |
| 7 | Thumbnail Optimization | Choosing an eye-catching thumbnail to increase click-through rate. |
SEO Terminology of Voice SEO:
| S.N | Voice SEO Terms | Meaning of Voice SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Voice Search | Using spoken commands to search the internet. |
| 2 | Natural Language Processing (NLP) | AI understanding human language. |
| 3 | Long-Form Answers | Detailed responses to voice queries. |
| 4 | Voice Assistants | Platforms facilitating voice searches (e.g., Siri, Alexa). |
| 5 | Natural-sounding Text | Content resembling human speech patterns. |
| 6 | Contextual Content | Relevance to user context or situation. |
SEO Terminology of E-Commerce SEO:
| S.N | E-Comm SEO Terms | Meaning of E-Comm SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Product Descriptions | Writing unique, compelling descriptions with relevant keywords. |
| 2 | Category Structure | Creating a clear hierarchy for easy navigation and indexing. |
| 3 | User Reviews | Encouraging and showcasing user-generated content for credibility. |
| 4 | Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) | Improving website conversion rates for better ROI. |
| 5 | FAQ Pages | Addressing common queries to improve user experience and SEO. |
SEO Terminology of International SEO:
| S.N | Inter-SEO Terms | Meaning of Inter-SEO Terminologies |
| 1 | Hreflang Tag | HTML attribute indicating language and region targeting. |
| 2 | International SEO | Optimization strategies for targeting global audiences. |
| 3 | Geo-targeting | Tailoring content based on user location or region. |
| 4 | Multilingual SEO | Optimizing content for multiple languages. |
| 5 | Internationalization | Adapting a website for global audiences. |
| 6 | Language Targeting | Strategy focusing on specific language audiences. |
| 7 | IP Detection | Identifying user location through IP address. |
| 8 | International Hosting | Choosing servers located in target countries for SEO. |
Importance of Knowing These Basic SEO Terminology
We all know that digital presence is very important in today’s market and understanding this SEO terminology will help us to understand what your project needs and how you can approach SEO.
SEO is very effective in the long run for many reasons, such as brand awareness, organic sales, and more.
Many micro and small business owners don’t implement SEO during development or early business stages, which can cost more in the future.
It is good to invest a little time and money in SEO and setting up SEO tools during the early stage of the website or while building an SEO-friendly website.
In the vastness of organic marketing, SEO terminology is like learning the language of the internet. It will help you to navigate the complexities of online organic marketing.
Let’s continue to explore SEO basics and apply this knowledge to shape the online presence and achieve growth.
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