SEO Reference

Complete SEO Glossary

Every SEO term, definition, and concept explained clearly. Updated for 2026.

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A5 terms
Algorithm

A set of rules search engines use to rank websites.

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Algorithm Update

A change Google makes to its search ranking systems.

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Alt Text

Text that describes an image for search engines and users who cannot see it.

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Anchor Text

The clickable text in a hyperlink.

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Authority

A measure of how trustworthy a site is in Google's eyes.

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B4 terms
Backlink

A link from one website to another.

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Bounce Rate

Percentage of visitors who leave after viewing one page.

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Breadcrumbs

Navigation links showing where a page sits within a website hierarchy.

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Broken Link

A hyperlink that leads to a non-existent page.

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C7 terms
Canonical Tag

An HTML tag that identifies the preferred version of a page.

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Canonical URL

The preferred URL when multiple pages have similar content.

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Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Percentage of people who click your result in search.

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Content Gap

Topics your competitors cover that your website does not.

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Core Web Vitals

Google's metrics measuring page experience quality.

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Crawl Budget

How many pages Google crawls on your site per day.

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Crawlability

How easily search engine crawlers can access and navigate a website.

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D3 terms
Domain Authority (DA)

Moz's score predicting how likely a domain is to rank.

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Domain Rating (DR)

Ahrefs' measure of backlink profile strength.

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Duplicate Content

Identical or very similar content across multiple URLs.

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E2 terms
E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness.

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Entity SEO

Optimizing your brand as a recognized entity in Google's Knowledge Graph.

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F1 term
Featured Snippet

A search result displayed above organic results in a box.

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G3 terms
Google Analytics

Google's free web analytics platform.

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Google Search Console

Google's free tool for monitoring search performance.

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Guest Blogging

Writing articles published on another website.

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H2 terms
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

The standard markup language for creating web pages.

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Hreflang

An HTML attribute telling Google which language a page targets.

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I4 terms
Index

Google's database of all web pages it has crawled.

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Indexability

Whether a webpage can be added to a search engine's index.

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Internal Link

A link from one page on a site to another page on the same site.

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Internal Linking

The practice of linking pages within the same website.

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K7 terms
Keyword

A word or phrase users type into search engines.

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Keyword Cannibalization

When multiple pages on a website compete for the same search query.

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Keyword Density

How often a keyword appears relative to total content length.

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Keyword Difficulty

How hard it is to rank for a keyword in organic search.

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Keyword Intent

The goal behind a search query from the user's perspective.

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Keyword Research

The process of finding what your audience searches for.

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Keyword Stuffing

Overusing keywords in content in an unnatural way.

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L4 terms
Link Building

The process of acquiring backlinks from other websites.

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Link Equity (PageRank)

The value and authority passed through hyperlinks.

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Local SEO

Optimizing your online presence for local search results.

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Long-Tail Keywords

Longer, more specific keyword phrases with lower search volume.

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M3 terms
Meta Description

HTML summary of a page displayed in search results.

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Meta Title (Title Tag)

The HTML title of a page shown in search results.

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Mobile-First Indexing

Google primarily uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking.

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N2 terms
Nofollow

A link attribute telling search engines not to pass authority.

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Noindex

A directive telling search engines not to index a page.

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O2 terms
On-Page SEO

Optimization of individual web pages for search engines.

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Organic Traffic

Visitors from unpaid search engine results.

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P2 terms
Page Speed

How fast a webpage loads for users.

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Pillar Page

A comprehensive guide covering a broad topic in depth.

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R2 terms
Redirect

A technique to send users and bots from one URL to another.

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Robots.txt

A file that tells search engines which pages not to crawl.

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S6 terms
Schema Markup

Structured data code that helps search engines understand content.

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Search Intent

The reason behind a user's search query.

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SEO Audit

A review of a website's technical, on-page, and off-page SEO issues.

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SEO Strategy

A plan for improving a website's visibility and rankings over time.

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SERP

Search Engine Results Page the page shown after a search.

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Sitemap

A file listing all pages on a site to help search engines crawl.

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T4 terms
Technical SEO

Optimization of website infrastructure for search engines.

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Thin Content

Low-value pages that add little useful information for users.

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Title Tag

The HTML title shown in browser tabs and search results.

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Topical Authority

Being recognized as an expert on a specific topic area.

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U2 terms
URL Structure

The way a website organizes URLs and paths.

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User Experience (UX)

How users interact with and feel about a website.

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W1 term
White-Hat SEO

SEO practices that comply with search engine guidelines.

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X1 term
XML Sitemap

A structured list of website URLs for search engines.

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