Glossary
The words of search and growth, each with what it means for a small site, how to read it in Search Console, and what to do.
162 pages
3
- 301 redirectA 301 redirect is a permanent move. Use it to send users and bots to a new URL, keep signals, avoid chains, and choose 308 when methods must persist.
- 302 redirectA 302 redirect is temporary. Use it for short moves like maintenance or campaigns. See how Google treats it and when to pick 301 or 307.
4
A
- Agentic SEOAgentic SEO is search work done by AI agents that read data, edit pages and publish in a loop. What it means for a small site, and its traps.
- AI citationLearn what AI citations are, where they come from, how to get them, and how to measure clicks from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
- AI crawlerAn AI crawler is a bot that fetches your pages for an AI. See the main bots, how to spot them in logs, and how to allow or block them well.
- AI OverviewAI Overviews are Google’s generated answers above results. See when they appear, what they cite, how to measure impact, and how to get cited.
- Alt textAlt text is the image alt attribute. Write what the image shows, keep it brief, use empty alt for decoration, and avoid stuffing keywords.
- AMPAMP is a framework for near-instant mobile pages, launched in 2015. What changed in 2021, why adoption fell, and whether a product site should add it.
- Anchor textAnchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. Use clear, specific anchors to help users and search engines understand your pages.
- Authority ScoreAuthority Score is Semrush’s 0 to 100 model of a domain’s strength. See what goes in, what it is not, how to read it, and what to do next.
- Average positionWhat average position means in Search Console, how Google averages it per impression, how to read it by page and query, and what to act on.
B
- BacklinkA backlink is a link from another site to yours. See what counts, how to check links, dofollow vs nofollow, and what a small site can expect.
- Black hat SEOBlack hat SEO tries to game search with cloaking, link schemes and more. It may work briefly, then brings demotion or removal. Here is how to avoid it.
- Bounce rateBounce rate is the share of sessions that were not engaged. See when a high rate is fine, when it is a problem, and what to change first.
- Brand mentionWhat brand mentions are, why they matter for a small site, how to find and measure them, and how to turn unlinked mentions into links.
- Branded searchBranded search means queries with your name in them. See why it signals marketing demand, how to split it in Search Console, and what to do next.
- BreadcrumbsBreadcrumbs are the trail of links that show where a page sits. Add them for visitors, crawlers and rich results, without changing your URL paths.
- Broken linkA broken link sends people and crawlers to an error. See the types, where to find them, and the exact fixes for a small site.
C
- Canonical URLA canonical URL names the original version of a page. Use it to handle parameters and duplicates, avoid split signals and keep the right page indexed.
- CDNA CDN serves your site’s files from servers near visitors. It cuts TTFB, speeds pages, reduces origin load and handles TLS, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3.
- ChatGPT searchWhat ChatGPT search is, where results come from, how to allow or block its crawler, and how a small site gets cited and measures impact.
- Click depthClick depth is the clicks from home to a page. Keep key pages within three clicks. Learn how to measure it and cut depth without spammy links.
- Click-through rate (CTR)CTR is clicks divided by impressions. See why it varies by position and the results page, how to read it in Search Console, and how to fix weak titles.
- ClicksWhat clicks mean in Search Console, why they differ from sessions, how to read the metric, and what to change on small sites.
- CloakingCloaking is showing Google different content than users. See what counts, what is safe, how to check your site, and how to fix risky setups.
- Content auditA content audit reviews every page against its figures and ends in one decision each: keep, refresh, merge, redirect or remove. The table and the rhythm.
- Content briefA content brief defined, what to include, how to write one in minutes, how to measure it in Search Console, and common traps to avoid.
- Content decayContent decay is when a once-performing page loses traffic over time. See the causes, how to measure it in Search Console, and how to fix it.
- Content gapA content gap is a searched topic your rivals cover and you do not. See how to find gaps, choose the pages to ship, and track results.
- Content pruningWhat content pruning is, how to judge pages with data, the four choices per page, and how to avoid traps when you tidy your index.
- Conversion rateConversion rate is conversions divided by eligible visits or visitors in a period. Learn how to define, measure and use it on a small site.
- Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are Google’s three field speed and responsiveness metrics. See their thresholds, lab versus field, how to read them, and what to fix.
- CPCCPC is the price per click on a search ad. See how tools estimate it, why it signals commercial value, and how to use it to pick keywords.
- Crawl budgetCrawl budget is how much Googlebot crawls your site. It matters on sites with thousands of URLs. Here is how to check it and avoid wasting it.
- Crawl errorA crawl error is a failure to fetch a URL: a 5xx, a timeout, a DNS failure, an unreachable robots.txt. Which ones matter, where they show, and the fix.
- CrawlingCrawling is how Googlebot discovers and fetches your URLs. See what it fetched, fix slow or blocked areas, and know when crawl budget matters.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)Cumulative Layout Shift is how much a page moves while loading. Keep CLS at or below 0.1. Here is how to measure, find causes, and fix them.
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- Dofollow linkA dofollow link is a normal link without rel values. Here is how to tell, what it means for rankings, and where small sites can earn them.
- Domain AuthorityDomain Authority is Moz’s 1 to 100 score from links. Here is how it works, what Google says about it, how to read it, and how to use it well.
- Domain ratingDomain rating is a tool’s score of your link profile. See how DR, DA and Authority Score differ, how to check yours, and what to do next.
- Doorway pageDoorway pages are many near-duplicate pages funnelling to one destination. See how to spot them, fix them, and protect rankings on a small site.
- Duplicate contentLearn what duplicate content is, how Google handles it, how to find it on a small site, and the exact controls to fix and prevent it.
E
- E-E-A-TE-E-A-T means Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. What it means for a small product site, and how to show it.
- Editorial calendarAn editorial calendar is the schedule of what you will publish and refresh. Here is what to include, how big it should be, and how to run it.
- Entity SEOEntity SEO makes search engines recognise your product or company as a real thing, not just words. Here is what to set up and how to check it.
- Evergreen contentEvergreen content is a page on a timeless subject that earns search clicks for years. See how to spot, measure and keep these pages fresh.
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- Featured snippetWhat a featured snippet is, how to earn and measure it, and how AI Overviews change clicks and priorities for a small site.
- First Input DelayFirst Input Delay measured the wait before the browser handled a first interaction. It was retired in March 2024 and replaced by Interaction to Next Paint.
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- Generative engine optimization (GEO)GEO means getting named and cited in AI answers. Learn how it differs from SEO, what to measure, which crawlers to allow, and what work to ship.
- Google indexThe Google index is the store of pages Google keeps. See if your pages are indexed, how this differs from ranking, and what to fix in Search Console.
- Google sandboxThe Google sandbox is the belief new sites are held back in search. What Google says, how to judge your case, and what to ship while you wait.
- GooglebotGooglebot is Google’s web crawler. Learn its versions, what it obeys, how it renders JavaScript, how to verify it, and what to fix on a small site.
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- Heading tagsHeading tags are h1 to h6 in HTML. See how to structure pages, help Google and screen readers, and write headings that win snippets.
- hreflanghreflang tells search engines the language and region for each page version. See when you need it, where to declare it, and how to avoid errors.
- HTTPSHTTPS is a small ranking signal. Serve every page over HTTPS, one‑hop redirect HTTP to HTTPS, fix mixed content, keep canonicals and sitemaps on HTTPS.
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- Image SEOA checklist for SEO on images: names, alt text, size, format, speed, and how to see if Google Images sends you traffic.
- ImpressionsWhat an impression is in Search Console, how it is counted, why impressions can rise without clicks, and what to fix on a small site.
- Index bloatIndex bloat is when Google indexes far more URLs than you want to rank. Here is how to spot it in Search Console and fix it by template.
- Index coverageIndex coverage is the old name of the Search Console report now called Page indexing. What it lists, which reasons to act on, and how to read the trend.
- IndexationIndexation means a page is stored in Google’s index and can appear in search. Here is how to check status, read Page indexing, and fix what blocks it.
- Information gainInformation gain describes what a page adds beyond the pages already ranking. What the patent says, what is not measurable, and how to write with it.
- Intent mismatchIntent mismatch is when your page type does not fit the query. Spot it, measure it, and fix it so the right page ranks and gets clicks.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP)INP is the delay from tap to next paint, good up to 200 ms; learn how to measure it, read field versus lab data, and fix script delays.
- Internal linkAn internal link is a link between two pages on the same site. Use them to show which pages matter, pass context with anchor text, and lift rankings.
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K
- KeywordA keyword is the search a page is written to answer. Learn how to cluster queries by intent, measure them, pick a head term, and avoid the relics.
- Keyword cannibalizationKeyword cannibalisation is when two of your pages compete for the same search, splitting clicks and weakening both; here is how to find and fix it.
- Keyword clusteringKeyword clustering groups queries that one page should answer. Use results-page overlap to form clusters, then build one strong page for each.
- Keyword difficultyKeyword difficulty is a tool’s estimate of how hard page-one is. Here is how to read it, when to ignore it and what to do on a small site.
- Keyword mappingKeyword mapping assigns each cluster of searches to exactly one page. The table, how to build it, and the cannibalisation it prevents on a small site.
- Keyword researchKeyword research is finding real searches, reading intent, and turning them into a plan of pages with an order of work for a small site.
- Keyword stuffingKeyword stuffing is loading pages with repeated terms to game rankings. See why it fails, what Google’s policies say, how to spot it, and what to write instead.
- Knowledge GraphWhat the Knowledge Graph is, where it draws from, what it feeds, and how your company gets recognised as an entity in Google.
- Knowledge panelWhat a Google knowledge panel is, where it pulls from, how a small site earns one, how to claim it, and the traps to avoid.
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- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)Largest Contentful Paint is when the biggest element appears. Aim under 2.5 s. See how to measure it, usual causes on small sites, and quick fixes.
- Link buildingLink building is earning links from other sites to yours. Here is what works within Google’s policies, how to measure it, and what to avoid.
- Link farmA link farm is a network of sites that sell or swap links to pass ranking. Here is why it harms small sites, how to spot it, and what to do.
- Link gapLink gap means sites that link to your rivals but not to you. Here is why it matters, how to find it, and how to turn it into links.
- Link juiceLink juice is slang for the value a link passes, properly called link equity. What PageRank documents, what is folklore, and what to do on your site.
- Link velocityLink velocity is the rate at which a site gains backlinks. No safe rate is documented. What Google has said, and when a spike is worth a look.
- ListicleA listicle is an article built as a list. See why best-of pages matter for products, what a good one includes, how to measure it, and what to avoid.
- llms.txtllms.txt is a Markdown file at /llms.txt that maps your site for AI agents. See what to put in it, how to publish it, and the traps to avoid.
- Local SEOLocal SEO is for businesses found by place. See when it applies, how to measure it, what to do, and why a SaaS has none to do.
- Log file analysisRead real crawler activity from your server logs, verify Googlebot, find wasted crawl and missed pages, and fix issues that crawl reports miss.
- Long-tail keywordLong-tail keywords are longer, specific searches. Here is why they matter, how to find yours in Search Console, and what to do on your pages.
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- Meta descriptionWhat a meta description is, how long to make it, why Google rewrites it, how to check yours, and what to write anyway for higher CTR.
- Meta robots tagThe meta robots tag tells crawlers what to do with a page. See each directive, how to set it, how to test it, and the robots.txt trap.
- Mobile-first indexingMobile-first indexing means Google uses your mobile page to crawl, index and rank. Here is what it hides on desktop-only pages and how to fix it.
- Mobile-friendlyWhat mobile-friendly means after Google retired its test, how to check with Lighthouse and Core Web Vitals, and fixes for small sites.
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)The Model Context Protocol in plain words: how MCP servers give Claude or Cursor your data, what that means for SEO work, and what to check before connecting.
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- Off-page SEOOff-page SEO is activity off your site that affects ranking. See what Google reads, what to avoid, how to measure it, and what to do for a product.
- On-page SEOOn-page SEO is everything on the page itself that search engines read. See what to check, how to measure it, the four rules, and the common traps.
- Open GraphOpen Graph tags tell other platforms how to draw a link to your page: title, description and image. The tags that matter, image sizes and how to test.
- Organic trafficOrganic traffic is visits from unpaid search results. See how it is counted, where it differs from ads and direct, and what to do to grow it.
- Orphan pageAn orphan page is a URL with no internal links. Why that hides it, how to find yours on a small site, and the fixes that make it earn traffic.
- Outbound linkAn outbound link points from your page to another site. Linking out does not hurt a page. The rules that do matter: sources, rel values and dead links.
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- Page AuthorityPage Authority is Moz’s 1 to 100 page score from links. It predicts ranking inside Moz. Here is how to read it on a small site and what to do next.
- PageRankPageRank is Google’s 1998 link-based importance signal. The toolbar score is gone. Here is how to read its effects now and route link value on your site.
- PaginationHow to set up pagination for SEO after 2019: self-canonicals, real links, view-all for short lists, and infinite scroll with crawlable pages.
- People also askPeople also ask are Google’s expandable question boxes. See where they come from, how to read them, how to answer them, and the traps to avoid.
- PermalinkA permalink is a permanent page URL. See what that means, how to set WordPress permalinks, how to change them safely, and structures that work.
- Pillar pageA pillar page is a hub that covers a whole topic and links to deeper pages. See when to use it, how to structure the cluster and what to measure.
- PPCPPC is pay per click advertising. You pay each time someone clicks your ad. Learn the auction, the tradeoffs with SEO, and what to measure.
- PrerenderingPrerendering means producing a page's HTML before the request. How it differs from SSR and dynamic rendering, how to test it, and where it becomes cloaking.
- Private blog networkWhat a private blog network is, why Google treats it as link spam, how to spot PBN links, what to do if you bought them, and the traps to avoid.
- Programmatic SEOProgrammatic SEO is building many pages from one template using data. Learn when it earns, what to measure, and how to avoid spam policies.
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- RankingWhat a Google ranking is, why it varies, how to measure it in Search Console, and what to do when features above the results take clicks anyway.
- Redirect chainA redirect chain is a URL that redirects to a URL that redirects again. What each hop costs, how many Google follows, and how to flatten one.
- Referring domainA referring domain is a unique site that links to yours. Here is why the count matters more than backlink totals, how to check it, and what to do.
- RenderingRendering is how Google executes your JavaScript and CSS after crawling HTML, which can delay indexing. Here is what to check and how to fix it.
- Rich resultsRich results are Google results with more than a blue link. See types, how eligibility works, how to test them, and how to track clicks in Search Console.
- Rich snippetA rich snippet shows extras like price, rating or FAQ. See which schema can earn which result, how to add it, test it, and measure impact.
- robots.txtrobots.txt tells crawlers which URLs they may fetch. See what it does not do, how to test it, what to put in it, and how to handle AI bots.
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- Scaled content abuseWhat scaled content abuse means in Google’s spam policy, how to avoid it on a small site, how to check risk, and what to fix fast.
- Search appearanceSearch appearance splits clicks and impressions by result type. See which rich results, video, Discover or news formats earn traffic, and what to do next.
- Search engineWhat a search engine is, which engines matter, how they work, how to measure your presence, and what to do on a small site.
- Search intentLearn what search intent is, how to spot it on a results page, measure fit in Search Console, and fix pages that miss it.
- Search operatorsA search operator narrows a Google query: site:, quotes, minus, intitle:, filetype:. What each does, the four a founder uses, and their limits.
- Search queryA search query is what a person types or says to a search engine. See yours, read intent from the results page, and turn queries into pages that win.
- Search snippetWhat a search snippet is, where its text comes from, how to measure it, how to improve rich and featured snippets, and when to limit it.
- Search visibilitySearch visibility is a tool’s estimate of your organic presence. Learn how it is computed, why scores differ, and what to track in Search Console.
- Search volumeSearch volume is a provider’s monthly estimate of how often a query is searched, and you use it to compare keywords, not to forecast traffic.
- SEMSEM is marketing through search engines. Learn the two usages, how paid results work, how to measure it, and how to run it on a small site.
- Semantic searchSemantic search retrieves pages by meaning, not exact words. See what it changes for small sites, how to read it in Search Console, and what to write.
- SEO auditAn SEO audit is a structured review that ends in a prioritised change list. See the parts, what tools find, where judgement matters, and what to fix first.
- SEO pluginAn SEO plugin adds the missing SEO fields to your CMS. See what it changes, what it cannot do, how to measure impact, and whether you need one.
- SEO scoreAn SEO score is a tool’s grade, not a Google ranking. See what it does measure, how to read it, what to fix first, and the traps to avoid.
- SEO titleWhat an SEO title is, how it differs from the H1, how many characters fit, how to write one that wins clicks, and what plugins measure.
- SERPA SERP is a search engine results page. See its parts as of 2026, how to read features, how they affect clicks, and what to do on your site.
- SERP featuresLearn the main SERP features, what they signal about intent, which a small site can win, and how to check them and act.
- SERP volatilitySERP volatility is the day-to-day movement of search results. What the weather tools measure, what is normal, and when a drop is worth acting on.
- Share of voiceShare of voice in SEO: what it means, how trackers calculate it, when it is useful, how to measure it on your topics, and what to do next.
- SitelinksSitelinks are the extra links under a Google result. Here is how Google picks them, how to check yours, and what to change on a small site.
- Sitemap indexA sitemap index lists your sitemap files. Use it when you split URLs by section or language, or pass one sitemap’s 50,000 URL or 50 MB limit.
- Sitewide linkA sitewide link appears on every page of a site, usually in the footer or the navigation. How Google treats it, when it is a risk, and what it is worth.
- Soft 404A soft 404 answers with a success status while being an error or an empty page. How Google detects it, where it shows, and the fix for each cause.
- Speed IndexSpeed Index measures how quickly a page is visually populated, from a filmstrip of the load. Where it appears, its weight, and what it catches.
- Striking distanceStriking distance keywords are queries where you rank 11 to 20. Here is why they are your cheapest wins, how to find them, and what to change next.
- Structured dataStructured data is schema markup that names your page type. See why it changes results, how to add JSON-LD, and how to validate it.
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- Technical SEOTechnical SEO is the machinery that lets Google crawl, render, index and serve your site. Here is what to check, how to measure it and what to fix first.
- Thin contentThin content is a page with little value of its own. See why it drags a small site, how to spot it, and how to expand, merge or remove.
- Time to first byteTime to first byte is the interval from the request to the first byte of the response. The thresholds, what it contains, and what actually improves it.
- Title tagA title tag is the HTML title of a page. See how long it should be, why Google rewrites it, what to put in it, and how to fix weak titles.
- Top-level domainA top-level domain is the last part of a domain name. Here is how TLDs work, what Google says, and how to choose one for a small site.
- Topical authorityWhat topical authority means, how to plan a topical map, link hubs, and read real signals without chasing third party scores.
- Topical mapA topical map is the searches in a category, grouped into clusters, and the pages to answer each. Build it, measure it, and avoid the traps.
- Trust FlowTrust Flow is Majestic’s 0 to 100 score of link trust. See how it’s computed, how to read it with Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow, and what to do.
- Twitter cardA Twitter card is the preview drawn when a link is posted on X. The tags, the two types in use, the fallback to Open Graph, and how to test one.
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- URLA URL is a page’s address. Learn its parts, why variants split equity, what a good URL looks like, and what to fix on a small site.
- URL parametersURL parameters are key=value after a question mark. Handle them to avoid duplicate pages, index bloat and wasted crawl, and to keep clean rankings.
- URL slugA URL slug is the last part of a URL that identifies the page. See what good slugs look like, how they affect clicks, and how to change them safely.
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- Web crawlerA web crawler is software that fetches pages and follows links. Here is what that means for a small site, how to check access, and what to fix.
- White hat SEOWhite hat SEO means following search engines’ spam policies. Build pages that answer queries, keep the site fast and crawlable, and earn links for a reason.
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Check my site, free
Every term here is a figure the check reads on your own site: impressions, positions, the rivals on your searches, the sites that link to them and not to you.
- Free check, no card
- Read-only, your own accounts
- Readable by your agent