Launching your SEO adventure? Great move. But come on—SEO is cryptic, as you’d have to learn a new language. This quick SEO glossary dissects the top 10 keywords you should know to grasp the online marketing world. Whatever you call it, your SEO cheat sheet, written for starters who need plain English, not technical mumbo-jumbo.
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Let’s get back to basics. SEO is the technique of optimizing your site and content so that it becomes more search engine-friendly and thus ranks higher on search engine result pages (SERPs). Why? To get more visibility and drive organic (non-paid) traffic through search engines like Google and Bing.
2. Keywords
Keywords are the precise words or phrases people query in search engines when they look for something. Proper keyword choice is key. They help search engines identify what your content is and lead you to the right audience.
3. LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing)
LSI keywords are semantically related keywords to your anchor keyword. They help the search engines comprehend the meaning of your content better. For example, for the keyword “Apple,” your LSI keywords may be “fruit,” “iPhone,” or “MacBook,” depending on your topic. LSI keywords boost relevancy and improve SEO without spamming keywords.
4. Meta Title and Meta Description
These are HTML tags that tell search engines (and visitors) what your page is about. Meta title is the clickable title in the search results. Meta description is the brief summary below. Creating good metadata boosts click-through and enhances your SEO ranking.
5. Backlinks
Backlink
A backlink is a link from one site to another. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of confidence. If credible sites connect to your content, your credibility (and rankings) are enhanced. Quality is more important than quantity.
6. Alt Text
Alt text (alternative text) is HTML to describe images on your website. It helps search engines understand what an image is about. It also improves web accessibility for users of screen readers. Optimized alt text can further help make your images show up on Google Image Search.
7. Anchor Text
Anchor text refers to the clickable link in a hyperlink. It informs both users and search engines what the linked page is about. Having descriptive and relevant anchor text (rather than ambiguous ones like “click here”) is an intelligent SEO action.
8. Domain Authority (DA)
This is a score (developed by Moz) that estimates how well a website will rank in search engines. It’s 1 to 100 scaled. A higher DA generally means a better chance of ranking well. Keep in mind that it’s a relative score—not an absolute measure of success.
9. Crawlability & Indexing
Search engines use bots (also referred to as spiders or crawlers) to crawl your site. Crawlability refers to the capability of these bots to access your pages. Indexing is where this information gets stored and made available so it can show up in search results. Your pages will not show up in Google unless they are indexed.
10. SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
SERP stands for the page you land on after searching with a query in a search engine. It contains organic results, ads, featured snippets, and other presentations like People Also Ask and video carousels. Your ultimate SEO goal is to be found on page one—ideally in the top 3 results.
This beginner’s SEO tutorial covered important search engine terms and SEO definitions that all marketers and business people need to know. With this SEO dictionary, you’re ready to craft optimized content that resonates, converts, and ranks high.