Reference
SEO terms, in plain language.
Use these definitions to ask clearer questions about a proposal or report.
- SEO
- Search engine optimization: work that helps search engines understand content and people discover and evaluate it.
- AEO
- Answer engine optimization: a term used for organizing content around questions and answers. It is not a promise that an answer service will include the page.
- Query
- The words a person enters into a search service. The same words can express different intentions in different contexts.
- Search intent
- The purpose behind a query, such as learning, comparing or finding a specific service. It is an interpretation that should be checked against the reader’s needs.
- Crawling
- A search system fetching content it has discovered. A successful fetch does not by itself establish indexing or a ranking.
- Indexing
- A search system processing content for possible inclusion in its results. Inclusion and display remain separate questions.
- Canonical URL
- A declared preferred URL for substantially equivalent content. It should agree with the actual content and URL plan; it is not a redirect.
- Redirect
- An HTTP or browser behavior that sends a request to another URL. A proposed redirect map is not evidence that a redirect has been applied.
- 404 response
- An HTTP response indicating that the requested resource was not found. A page that says “not found” while returning success needs a separate review.
- Title element
- The HTML page title. It should describe the page clearly; search services may display a different title link.
- Meta description
- An HTML summary of a page. It should be accurate and useful; a search service may choose different snippet text.
- H1
- A primary page heading that identifies the main subject for a reader. A clear heading structure supports understandable content.
- Internal link
- A link between pages of the same website. Its label should help a reader understand the destination.
- Sitemap
- A list of website URLs, often supplied as XML to help discovery. Listing a URL does not prove that it is indexed.
- Noindex
- An indexing instruction used to keep a page out of search results when the instruction can be processed. It is not authentication or protection for private information.
- Structured data
- Machine-readable descriptions of information. Valid syntax does not establish that the described business fact is true.
- Local citation
- A published reference to a business and its details. Its usefulness depends on accuracy and context, not merely its existence.
- Backlink
- A link from another website. A link is not, on its own, proof of partnership, endorsement or a business relationship.
- Impression
- An appearance counted by a particular reporting source. Always check that source’s definition and date range.
- Click
- A recorded selection of a link or control. It does not automatically establish a visit, request or sale.
- Conversion
- A deliberately defined action in a measurement plan. The name alone does not tell you whether a durable inquiry or purchase occurred.
- Attribution
- A method of assigning credit for an observed outcome. Different methods and missing data can change the interpretation.
- LCP
- Largest Contentful Paint, a loading-performance measure. Keep the test conditions with the result.
- INP
- Interaction to Next Paint, a responsiveness measure. A page’s response to interaction matters beyond its first load.
- CLS
- Cumulative Layout Shift, a visual-stability measure. Unexpected movement can make a page harder to use.
- Lab data
- Measurements collected in a controlled test. Useful for diagnosis, but different from evidence gathered from real visitors.
- Field data
- Measurements from real use, subject to the source’s collection rules and available sample. An absence of data is not a zero.
- Durable receipt
- A persisted record proving that a request was accepted. A success screen or sent notification alone is not sufficient evidence.
- Idempotency
- Handling a repeated operation so retries do not create unintended duplicates. Intake should define how a repeated request is recognized.
- Contribution
- Revenue minus the direct costs included in a stated model. A contribution estimate is different from revenue or accounting profit.