The SEO Dictionary

In our blog, How To Measure the Success of Your SEO Efforts, we looked at the various aspects of an SEO Audit Report, to help readers understand what those reports are telling you (and created an SEO dictionary to help you out).  In this blog, we are giving you definitions of all the terms you will come across when you are dealing with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Don’t forget to bookmark this blog for easy reference whenever you are looking at your SEO Audit Reports.

Let’s dive into this SEO Dictionary.

Technical SEO

Possibly the most challenging aspect of SEO to understand, Technical SEO relates to all backend activities that affect crawlability, such as improving page speeds, or optimising your website for mobile devices.

Below are the definitions of Technical SEO terms.

TERM	DEFINITION
2XX	HTTP status codes indicating a successful request (e.g. 200 OK).
3XX	HTTP status codes indicating redirection (e.g. 301 Moved Permanently).
4XX	HTTP status codes indicating client errors (e.g. 404 Not Found).
5XX	HTTP status codes indicating server errors (e.g. 500 Internal Server Error).
Algorithm	A set of commands that must be followed for a computer to perform calculations or other problem-solving operations.
Encryption Algorithm	HTML attribute providing alternative text for images which is important for accessibility and SEO.
Alt Text	Descriptive text associated with an image, used for screen readers or when the image cannot be displayed.
Broken Link	A hyperlink that leads to a non-existent or unreachable page.
Cached	A locally saved version of a web page, used to speed up loading times.
Canonical Chain	A series of canonical tags pointing to each other.
Canonical Tag	HTML tag indicating the preferred version of a URL.
Canonical URL	The preferred version of a URL, specified by the canonical tag.
Certificate Name	The name associated with an Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.
Compressed	Reduced in file size for faster loading.
Crawlability	The ease with which search engine crawlers can access and index a website.
Crawling	The process of search engine bots discovering, accessing and analysing web pages.
CSS: Cascading Style Sheets	Style sheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a document.
Encryption Algorithm	A method used to secure data during transmission.
Error	An issue preventing the proper functioning of a web page or server.
Favicon	A small icon representing a website, displayed in the browser tab and in the search results.
Flash	Deprecated multimedia software often used for animations.
Frame Tag	HTML tag used for embedding external content.
H1 Tag	HTML tag indicating the main heading of a page.
H2 Tag	HTML tag indicating a secondary heading of a page.
Header Tag	HTML tags (H1, H2, etc.) used to structure content hierarchically.
HTML Header	The opening section of an HTML document containing metadata.
HTTP Encryption	The use of HTTPS to secure data during transmission.
HTTP Header	Information sent between a client and a server in HTTP requests and responses.
HTTP Status Code	A three-digit code indicating the outcome of an HTTP request.
HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol	Protocol for transferring data over the web.
HTTPS Encryption	A secure version of HTTP using encryption.
HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure	A secure version of HTTP, encrypting data transmitted between the user’s browser and the website.
Incompatible Plugin	A software component that doesn’t work seamlessly with a particular platform.
Indexability	The ease with which search engines can index a webpage.
Indexing	The process of search engines including web pages in their database.
Internal Link	A hyperlink pointing to another page within the same website.
Invalid Language Code	A language code that does not conform to standards.
Javascript	A programming language used to enhance interactivity on web pages.
Lab Environment	Controlled testing environment used to assess website performance.
Minified	Reduced in size by removing unnecessary characters.
Mixed Content	A webpage containing both secure (HTTPS) and non-secure (HTTP) elements.
Mobile Optimisation	The process of optimising a website for mobile devices.
No Trailing Slashes	URL structure without a slash at the end.
Non-Canonical Page	A webpage that is not the preferred version specified by the canonical tag.
Non-Optimised Title Tag	A page’s title element that has not been optimised for search engines and user engagement.
Pages Crawled	The number of pages on a website that have been visited and analysed by search engine crawlers.
Plugin	A software component that adds specific features or functionalities to a website.
Real-World Condition	Evaluation or testing of a website under realistic user scenarios and conditions.
Redirect	The process of forwarding one URL to another.
Redirect Chain	A series of consecutive redirects leading from one URL to another.
Redirect Loop	A situation where a series of redirects forms an infinite loop.
rel=”canonical”	HTML attribute specifying the preferred version of a URL.
Robots	Automated programs (“bots”) used by search engines to crawl and index web content.
Robots.txt File	A file that instructs search engine crawlers on which pages to index or ignore.
Security Certificate	A digital certificate that verifies the authenticity of a website’s identity and enables secure data transmission.
Security Protocol	The set of rules governing secure data transmission over a network.
Server Error	An issue occurring on the server that prevents a webpage from loading.
Sitemap	A file listing the pages of a website to help search engines crawl and index them.
SSL: Secure Sockets Layer	A standard security protocol for establishing encrypted links between a web server and a browser.
Timed Out	A situation where a process or request exceeds the allocated time.
Uncompressed Content	Content that has not been compressed for faster delivery.
URL Structure	The organisation and format of a webpage’s URL.
URL With Double-Slash	A URL containing two consecutive slashes after the domain.
User Experience	The overall experience and satisfaction of users when interacting with a website.
Valid Structured Data Markup	Properly formatted data on a webpage that follows structured data standards.
Viewport Meta Tag	HTML meta tag defining the viewport properties for responsive web design.
Web Crawler	An automated bot that systematically browses the internet, indexing web pages.
Website Architecture	The structure and organisation of a website’s content and navigation.
Website Security	Measures and protocols implemented to protect a website from security threats.
X-Default hreflang Attribute	An HTTP header indicating the default language and regional targeting of a webpage.
XML Sitemap	A file listing URLs of a website to assist search engines in crawling and indexing
X-Robots-Tag	An HTTP header allowing control over how search engines index content.

Off-Page SEO

Off-Page SEO is more than just getting other websites to link to site your website’s content.  It includes managing your social media presence, PR, and so much more.  If nobody is visiting your website because nobody is talking about it, then you might need better off-page SEO.  Chat to us if you want more information on how to improve your Off-Page SEO efforts.

Below are the definitions of Off-Page SEO terms.

TERM	DEFINITION
Domain Authority	A metric measuring the authority of a domain in search engine rankings, often shortened to DA.
Domain Trust	The level of trust search engines place in a domain, often shorted to DT.
External Link	A hyperlink pointing to a different domain.
Inbound Link	A hyperlink pointing to a website from external sources.
Link Equity	The value and authority passed from one webpage to another through links.
Referring Domain	A domain that links to another domain.
Social Signal	Social media activity and engagement that may influence search engine rankings.
Website Backlink	A link from another website pointing to a specific webpage.

On-Page SEO

Content!  Content!  Content!

Your website needs to have content that can be easily found and understood. Plus there’s the added detail that Search Engines prefer content that is helpful to readers.

Below are the definitions of On-Page SEO terms.

TERM	DEFINITION
AMP: Accelerated Mobile Page	A web page optimisation framework for fast mobile page loading.
Anchor	A clickable text or image in a hyperlink that directs users to another page.
Content Quality	The relevance, uniqueness, and value of website content.
Core Web Vitals	Google’s key metrics related to user experience and page loading, often shortened to CWV. You can discover your websites key metrics by using Google’s Page Speed Insights.
Description Meta Tag	HTML tag providing a brief summary of a page’s content.
Duplicate Content	Identical or very similar content found on multiple pages.
Fixed Width Value	A specific width set for an element, often in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
Hreflang	HTML attribute specifying the language and regional targeting of a webpage.
HTML Lang Attributes	HTML attributes specifying the language of the document.
HTML Size	The total size of a webpage’s HTML content.
Keyword Usage	The strategic placement of keywords in website content for SEO.
Localisation	Adapting content to a specific geographic or cultural context.
Meta Description	HTML tag providing a concise summary of a page’s content.
Meta Refresh Redirect	A method of redirecting users to a different URL after a specified time.
Meta Tag	HTML tag containing metadata about a webpage.
Minimum Text To HTML Ratio	The ratio of text content to HTML code on a webpage.
Mobile Responsiveness	A design approach ensuring a website functions well on various devices.
Nofollow	An attribute instructing search engines not to follow a particular link.
Noindex	An attribute instructing search engines not to index a particular page.
Optimised Title Tag	A page’s title element that has been strategically crafted for search engine optimisation, user readability, and relevance.
Page Load Speed	The time it takes for a webpage to fully load its content.
Page Speed	The overall speed and performance of a webpage, including load time and responsiveness.
Page Title	The HTML element that defines the title of a webpage, displayed on the browser tab.
Textual Content	The written or textual material on a webpage
Title Tag	HTML element defining the title of a webpage, important for SEO.
Twitter Card Tag	Meta tags that enable rich media experiences when links are shared on X (Twitter).
Usability	The overall user-friendliness and ease of use of a website.
Website Speed	The overall speed and performance of a website.

SEO Dictionary: Performance Optimisation

In this section of our SEO dictionary, we are defining terms commonly used when SEO Specialiasts and Digital Agencies talk about optimising your website’s performance.

TERM	DEFINITION
CLS: Cumulative Layout Shift	A metric measuring visual stability of a page’s content.
FCP: First Contentful Paint	A metric measuring the time it takes for the first content to be loaded (“painted”) on the screen.
FID: First Input Delay	A metric measuring the time between a user’s first interaction and the browser’s response.
LCP: Largest Contentful Paint	A metric measuring the loading time of the largest content element.
Site Usability	The ease with which users can navigate and interact with a website.
Speed Index	A metric measuring how quickly a webpage’s content becomes visible during loading.
TBT: Total Blocking Time	A metric measuring the total time a webpage is unresponsive to user input during loading.
TTI: Time To Interactive	A metric measuring how long it takes for a webpage to become fully interactive.

SEO Strategy And Metrics

Below are the definitions of common terms used in SEO Audit Reports to measure the effectiveness of your SEO Strategy.

TERM	DEFINITION
Backlink Profile	The collection of all inbound links to a website, impacting its SEO authority.
Bounce Rate	Percentage of visitors who navigate away from a site after viewing only one page.
Health Score	A metric assessing the overall health and performance of a website.
Keyword	A term or phrase used to find relevant content in search engines.
Notice	A notification or advisory regarding an aspect of a website’s performance or configuration.
Passed Check	Meeting a specified criterion or passing a particular test or evaluation.
Ranking	The position of a webpage in search engine results for a particular query.
Relevance	The degree to which a webpage’s content is applicable to a user’s search query.
Search Engine Algorithm	A complex set of rules used by search engines to determine the ranking of web pages.
Search Visibility	The presence and prominence of a website in search engine results.
SEO Trend	Current and evolving practices in search engine optimisation.
Warning	An alert or notification about potential issues on a website.

The Value Of Understanding SEO Terminology

Search Engine Optimization terminology can be overwhelming, but once you understand them, you’ll be in a better position to evaluate the performance of your SEO efforts, and make more effective strategic decisions.This is why we recommend keeping this SEO dictionary handy.

Reach out to Digital Squeak to discuss your marketing objectives and see if we can improve your SEO efforts – pippa@digitalsqueak.co.za