Basic Terminology in SEO Promotion

Do you want to delve into the field of search engine optimization and establish yourself as a qualified specialist in the corresponding niche? If so, it is worth starting with studying the thematic vocabulary extensively used by SEO specialists. Experts not only have a rich vocabulary but also know how to skillfully and subtly apply various professional terms depending on the situation. Below in the article, we provide a list of the most commonly used and important concepts in the world of SEO.

Introductory Terms

Let’s start the educational journey with the most typical concepts:

SEO – a set of technologies and measures aimed at increasing the site’s ranking in search results and attracting more traffic. This term is often confused with the similar-sounding CEO, which stands for an executive position and has nothing to do with search optimization.

Ranking – the process of determining the status of a web resource on a search engine results page in response to a specific user query.

Ranking factors – a set of parameters followed by search algorithms to determine the status of a web resource on a search results page for a specific target query. During the ranking process, search engines rely on a variety of factors related to the site’s external appearance, “value,” content relevance, text formatting order, and more.

On-page optimization – a set of tasks aimed at accelerating the indexing and ranking process of site content by search engines. In this case, optimization includes factors like code organization, site structure, resource content, usability, and commercial parameters.

Off-page optimization – a set of tasks to increase the backlink volume to the promoted site using external resources.

Behavioral factors – a set of metrics reflecting the behavior patterns of an average user on a web platform. Through analysis of these characteristics, search engines conclude how convenient and useful the site is for the audience.

Relevance – the degree to which the content of a web page aligns with the user’s target query.

Search Engine Results Page or SERP – a web page generated by a search engine in response to a user’s target query.

SERM – a set of operations carried out to improve the image of a brand, trademark, or company.

Search engine top – refers to sites that fall within the top 10 results on search output.

Assessor – a specialist whose job duties include evaluating the relevance of a web resource’s content. During work, the expert strictly follows step-by-step guides.

Intent – the user’s intentions when formulating a search query.

URL – a unique address assigned to each page. URLs can be absolute (with symbolic name inclusion) or relative (without symbolic name inclusion).

Friendly URL – a page URL configured for readability, clarity, and content.

Snippet – an information fragment displayed on the search results page and first seen by the user. The main elements of a snippet include: Title, description, favicon, domain, URL address, other optional information.

CGI parameter – a dynamic identifier in a URL through which page content can be altered.

Vertical search – a technology for searching information within a specifically defined thematic area.

Search Combinations

• Target query – words and phrases users enter in the search bar to perform a specific target action (order a product, subscribe, etc.).
• Semantics – words and phrases related to the site’s topic that can be used to build an SEO strategy.
• Types of search queries – subtypes include: high-frequency (HF, the most common), mid-frequency (MF, used 50-500 times a month), low-frequency (LF, rarely used), micro low-frequency (m-LF, used no more than 5 times a month).
• Geo-dependent query – queries for which the search results page differs in various regions.
• Visibility – an indicator showing the share of the target audience noticing the site after entering the corresponding search query.

Technical Lexicon

• Domain – a genuine alphanumeric code used to identify a web resource.
• IP address – a unique code consisting of numbers that marks a device in a public or private network.
• HTTP status codes, particularly server response codes – a three-digit combination informing the user about the server’s status when attempting to perform a specific target action.
• Mirror – a duplicate web resource located on another domain. To ensure search engines correctly perceive the site mirror, you need to set up 301 redirects to the new domain.
• CMS – a special program designed for managing information on a web page. Among the most popular CMS are WordPress, MODX, Drupal, etc.
• Meta-tags – HTML markup elements containing hidden information read by search algorithms. The most common meta tags are: Title (document title), Description (brief document description), Keywords (document description using several key phrases) – no longer considered by search engines and even considered spam sections on the site.

Marketing Definitions

• Target lead – a potential customer who has responded appropriately to a marketing offer.
• Click-through rate (CTR) – a metric reflecting the ratio of clicks on a specific ad to the total number of its audience impressions.
• Pay per click or PPC – a marketing scheme where the advertiser pays for a user click inspired by the advertisement.
• Cost Per Click or CPC – the price of one click on an advertisement.
• Cost Per Lead or CPL – the cost of acquiring a new lead.
• Cost Per Action or CPA – a marketing scheme where the advertiser pays for the acquisition of a user who performed a target action.
• Conversion Rate or CR – a metric reflecting the number of users who carried out a target action after visiting the site.

Analytics

• SEO traffic – the share of users who reached the site during a specific time period from search systems.
• Google Analytics – a specialized service tailored for analyzing statistical indicators related to user behavior on the site.
• Webmaster panel – an effective SEO optimization tool.

Text Block

• Text ranking parameters – factors expressing text block properties (material size, presence of keywords and synonyms for them, etc.).
• Shingle – a text extract consisting of a pair of words by which the search system determines the material’s degree of uniqueness.
• Okapi BM25 – a ranking option used by search robots for sorting documents based on their relevance to the target query.
• TF-IDF metric – a statistic used to estimate the significance of a word in the semantic context of a page.

Link Characteristics

• Inbound links – lead to the site from another URL address. Outbound links – lead to another URL address while being located directly on your site.
• External links – hyperlinks from other webs to your internet resource. Internal links – hyperlinks that lead from one page of the site to another page of the same site.
• “Dead link” – leads to a non-functional URL. Usually, when followed, the system returns error 410 or 404.
• Site-wide link – a hyperlink present on each site page (often in the template).
• PageRank – a ranking formula by which the “value” of a web resource is calculated, considering the quality and number of linking pages.

Search Engine Sanctions and Other Terms

• Black hat optimization schemes – shady promotion methods that contradict established search engine rules.
• Spam – “imposing” content on users who did not subscribe to notifications.
• Affiliation – a situation where several web resources are owned by the same extremely interested party.
• Ban – one of the blocking options for a digital project, where a web page is isolated from other global network objects and user attention.
• Indexing – the process of entering site data into a common database by search engine robots.
• LSI-copywriting – an approach to creating and optimizing content based on expanding the semantic core through the selection of synonyms for the main target queries.
• Dashboard – an info panel where all statistical indicators important for site promotion are concisely presented. Dashboard summaries should be regularly updated.

Conclusion

Approaching the creation of a search optimization strategy for a web platform without having a basic vocabulary in the SEO field is not advisable. If even the simplest terms are used incorrectly or with distorted meanings, clients will immediately detect your unprofessionalism and are unlikely to listen to even good suggestions. Thus, a beginner SEO specialist needs to actively expand their vocabulary, and a qualified expert must follow new trends in the stated industry.