SEO & digital marketing glossary
49 terms explained in plain English, each linked to the tools and services that put them to work.
A
C
Canonical tag
A canonical tag tells search engines which URL is the main version of a page when similar or duplicate versions exist.
PPCConversion rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a goal, such as submitting a form, calling or buying.
AnalyticsConversion tracking
Conversion tracking records valuable actions — form submissions, calls, purchases — so you know which marketing produced them.
SEOCore Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google’s metrics for real-world page experience: loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS).
PPCCPC (cost per click)
CPC is the amount you pay for each click on an ad.
PPCCPL / CPA (cost per lead or acquisition)
Cost per lead (CPL) or cost per acquisition (CPA) is the average ad spend needed to get one lead or customer.
SEOCrawl budget
Crawl budget is the number of pages a search engine is willing and able to crawl on a site in a given time.
PPCCTR (click-through rate)
CTR is the percentage of people who click a link or ad after seeing it.
G
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
GEO is the practice of making content more likely to be understood, quoted and cited by AI assistants and AI search engines.
AnalyticsGoogle Analytics 4 (GA4)
GA4 is Google’s free analytics platform that measures website and app visits as events.
SEOGoogle Business Profile
Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows a business on Google Maps and in the local map pack.
AnalyticsGoogle Search Console
Google Search Console is Google’s free tool that shows how a site performs in Google Search and reports indexing problems.
AnalyticsGoogle Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager is a free tool for adding and managing tracking tags on a website without editing its code each time.
L
Landing page
A landing page is the page a visitor arrives on after clicking an ad or link, designed for one specific action.
AI searchllms.txt
llms.txt is a proposed Markdown file at a site’s root that summarises the site and links its key pages for AI assistants.
SEOLocal SEO
Local SEO helps a business appear in map results and local searches such as “dentist near me” or “plumber in Toronto”.
SEOLong-tail keyword
A long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific search phrase with lower volume but clearer intent.
M
N
NAP citations
NAP citations are mentions of a business’s Name, Address and Phone number on other websites such as directories.
PPCNegative keywords
Negative keywords stop ads from showing for searches you do not want to pay for.
SEONoindex
Noindex is an instruction that tells search engines not to show a page in their results.
O
P
Page speed
Page speed is how quickly a page loads and becomes usable for visitors.
PPCPerformance Max
Performance Max is a Google Ads campaign type that runs across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps from one campaign.
PPCPPC (pay-per-click)
PPC is online advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
R
Remarketing
Remarketing shows ads to people who have already visited your website or used your app.
SEORich results
Rich results are enhanced search listings that show extra information such as ratings, prices, breadcrumbs or images.
PPCROAS (return on ad spend)
ROAS is the revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising.
SEORobots.txt
Robots.txt is a text file at the root of a website that tells crawlers which parts of the site they may crawl.
S
Search intent
Search intent is the goal behind a search — to learn something, find a specific site, compare options or buy.
SEOSEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the work of improving a website so it appears higher in unpaid search results for the searches its customers make.
DevelopmentStaff augmentation
Staff augmentation is adding external specialists, such as developers, to your own team for as long as you need them.
SEOStructured data (schema markup)
Structured data is code, usually JSON-LD using schema.org vocabulary, that describes a page’s content to search engines.
T
Put it into practice on your own site.
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