SEO Glossary 215+ Essential SEO Terms for 2024
If you’re venturing into search engine optimization and digital marketing for the first time, the multitude of acronyms and unfamiliar terms littering websites, blogs, and guides can be overwhelming. SEO. CRO. PPC. CMS. What do they signify? Fret not, for this SEO lexicon is here to provide clarity.
To assist you in unraveling these buzzwords of online marketing and gaining a deeper comprehension of the terminology you’ll inevitably come across as you explore the Internet marketing realm, we’ve curated this compilation of SEO terms! This resource is tailored for individuals seeking assistance deciphering the meaning of specific acronyms or marketing jargon, presented in clear and understandable English. While the glossary primarily focuses on SEO terminology, it also encompasses technical terms from all facets of Internet marketing.
How do you navigate this SEO glossary?
The SEO terms listed on this page are organized alphabetically. Simply click on one of the letters below to quickly navigate to the corresponding section, or scroll down the page until you locate the specific SEO technical term you’re seeking. It’s as straightforward as that!
Now that we’ve covered the basics, here’s our compilation of standard SEO terms and their definitions to explore and familiarize yourself with. We trust that you find this glossary informative and beneficial in understanding SEO terminology.
0-9
.htaccess:
A file utilized for website configuration, enabling the establishment of redirects and the protection of files with passwords.
200 status code:
Indicates a successful request, denoted as “OK.” This status signifies that the page or image was located and loaded successfully.
301 redirect:
A server response code indicating a permanent redirect. This signifies that a file or website has been relocated permanently to a new location, adhering to SEO best practices.
302 redirects:
A server response code indicating a temporary redirect.
404 status code:
Denoted as “Not Found,” this server response code indicates that the requested resource was not found. Implementing custom 404 error pages can enhance user experience.
A
A/B testing:
The practice of comparing two versions of a website, advertisement, or other campaign to determine which performs better. This process is also known as split testing.
Above the fold:
Originally referred to the content appearing on the top half of a folded newspaper. In the online context, it signifies the content visible without scrolling down a webpage.
Absolute link:
A hyperlink that includes the complete URL of a page instead of a relative link path. Absolute URLs are preferred to avoid issues related to canonicalization and hijacking.
AdSense:
A contextual display advertising platform provided by Google. It automatically places relevant ads on websites, and website owners earn some of the revenue from ad clicks.
Advertising network:
An intermediary connecting advertisers with available advertising space on websites. Prominent examples include the Google Search Network, where advertisers bid for ad space through the AdWords platform.
AdWords:
Google’s self-serve advertising network platform where advertisers bid on keywords to display ads. Ad placement is determined by a “quality score” based on factors like click-through rates and bounce rates. Note: Google officially refers to this product as “Google Ads.”
Affiliate marketing:
A performance-based marketing model where affiliates earn commissions for driving traffic or sales to a merchant’s website. Affiliates promote products or services through various marketing channels and earn a commission for each successful referral.
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX):
Web development techniques enable data retrieval without refreshing the entire webpage.
Alexa:
An online service ranking websites based on estimated traffic. It provides insights into user engagement, demographics, and geographic distribution. Amazon owns Alexa.
Algorithm:
A set of rules or procedures to solve specific problems efficiently. Search engines like Google use algorithms to determine search result rankings based on relevance and quality.
Alt attribute:
An HTML attribute provides a text-based alternative image or video description. Alt attributes are crucial for accessibility and are used by screen readers and search engines.
Analytics:
Analyzing data to gain insights into user behavior, website performance, and other metrics.
Anchor text:
The clickable text in a hyperlink. Google evaluates the relevance of anchor text to the linked content for ranking purposes.
Application program interface (API):
A set of protocols, routines, and tools facilitating interaction between different software applications.
Arbitrage:
The practice of exploiting price differences between markets for profit. Digital marketing involves sending paid traffic to a website to earn more from advertising revenue than the cost of acquiring the traffic.
Astroturfing:
The deceptive practice of creating artificial grassroots campaigns to conceal the true sponsors or intentions behind a message.
Authority:
Refers to a website’s perceived quality, relevance, and usefulness about a specific topic. Websites with high authority are likelier to rank well in search engine results.
B
B2B SEO:
B2B SEO involves optimizing your website to target other businesses rather than individual consumers. It encompasses on-page, off-page, and technical optimizations tailored to B2B audiences.
Backlinks:
Backlinks are hyperlinks from one web page to another website. They are essential for users, search engines, and advertisers, facilitating the exploration of new content and enhancing search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
Backlink analysis:
A method to understand the types of websites linking to your or your competitors’ sites and identify undesirable links for disavowal.
Bait and switch:
A deceptive practice involving building a website for one purpose and then changing its focus after gaining site authority. For example, creating an informational site that later becomes inundated with ads.
Banners:
Picture advertisements are typically sized at 468×60 pixels. They can be static, interactive, or animated, commonly displayed on web pages. Banner space is often purchased through CPM or flat-rate models.
Banner blindness:
The phenomenon where users ignore traditional banner advertisements due to overexposure to ads in common positions on web pages. This has led to the success of text and contextual advertising.
Behavioral targeting:
Delivering ads to users based on past behaviors such as recent purchases, website visits, and searches, often facilitated through cookies.
Bing:
Microsoft’s search engine launched in 2009, also powering Yahoo! Search.
Bing Ads:
Microsoft’s self-serve advertising network platform, like Google’s AdWords, determines ad display frequency based on bid and click-through rate.
Black hat SEO:
SEO tactics that violate search engine guidelines are often deemed deceptive or exploit search algorithms for quick, high rankings.
Blog:
A frequently updated online journal, often informal and run by individuals or small groups, is an example of content marketing.
Boolean search:
Mathematical operators are used in searches to specify intent or unique parameters.
Bounce rate:
Percentage of website visitors who leave a page without visiting others, measured in Google Analytics.
Brand:
Company or organization associated with a specific product or service.
Brand stacking:
Displaying multiple page one results for branded search queries from the same domain.
Branded keywords:
Keywords associated with a brand are often high-value and high-converting.
Breadcrumb navigation:
Navigation aid showing the relationship between pages, usually in a format like “Home > SubCategory1 > Content.”
Broken link:
A hyperlink that does not function as intended, often due to website changes or content relocation. Multiple broken links can negatively impact SEO.
C
Cache:
The stored webpage version indexed by a search engine. Users can view the cached version, which may differ from the live page.
Canonical URL:
A URL is designated as the authoritative or preferred version to search engines among multiple URLs leading to the same page or content. It helps address inconsistent internal link structures.
Cart abandon rate:
On e-commerce sites, the percentage of visitors who add a product to their cart but leave the site without completing a purchase.
Country code top-level domain (ccTLD):
Domain extensions refer to specific countries, such as the UK for the United Kingdom.
Click-through rate (CTR):
The percentage of visitors who click on a link to a page.
Cloaking:
Displaying content to search engines and users that is different from what appears on a webpage. It can be used legitimately or to deceive search engines and users.
Conceptual searching:
Search engine techniques interpret queries on a semantic or contextual level rather than word matching, resulting in more relevant results.
Content management system (CMS):
Software controlling website content, including text, graphics, and code. Examples include WordPress, Magento, Joomla!, and Drupal.
Content marketing:
Reaching potential leads through created content like blogs, articles, videos, and graphics is part of inbound marketing.
Contextual advertising:
Displaying relevant ads based on accompanying content, as seen in Google AdSense.
Conversion:
A desired action on a website, such as a purchase or form submission.
Conversion rate:
The percentage of website visitors who complete a conversion.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO):
Testing a website to improve conversion rates.
Cookie:
Unique identification data file stored in web browsers for tracking purposes, used for personalization, conversion tracking, and remarketing.
Cost per action (CPA):
Measuring advertising effectiveness by assigning monetary value to specific actions like clicks or form submissions, commonly used in affiliate marketing.
Cost per click (CPC):
Measuring PPC advertising effectiveness by the amount paid for each ad click.
Cost per thousand (CPM):
Measuring the cost of serving one thousand ad impressions, reflecting website profitability.
Crawler:
Search engine software discovering and indexing webpages.
Cascading style sheet (CSS):
Language describing the appearance of a separate document, linked from HTML pages, to control the appearance and minimize coding within HTML.
Cybersquatting:
Registering domain names related to brands intending to profit from selling them at high prices.
D
Dark search:
In 2012, Google ceased providing Google Analytics data on queries users input to arrive at a website, resulting in these queries being termed “dark search” by many Internet marketers.
Dayparting:
Adjusting an ad campaign based on when one’s target audience is most and least active. Dayparting may involve pausing a campaign, adjusting bids, or modifying budget allocations during specific periods.
Dead link:
Synonymous with a broken link.
De-listing:
Removal of a web page or pages from a search engine directory, either temporarily or permanently, due to reasons such as search engine penalties, changes in crawl priorities, or page relocation.
Demographics:
Segments of a population based on characteristics like gender, age, and location are often used for targeted advertising.
Directories:
Organized collections of websites with high-quality directories curated by industry experts.
Disavow:
A tool allowing removal of inbound links from disreputable sources, signaling to search engines disapproval of the link source to mitigate negative SEO or penalties.
Display advertising:
Online advertising comprising banner ads, images, or videos, is often used for site monetization through display networks.
DMOZ:
The Open Directory Project, owned by AOL, is a significant manually edited website directory.
Domain name:
The customizable or branded part of a website’s URL.
Domain name server (DNS):
A naming system associating domain names or hosts with specific TCP/IP addresses.
Doorway page:
A webpage designed to rank highly for specific search terms but covering different topics, often redirecting to other pages with relevant advertisements.
Duplicate content:
Content that is nearly identical or copied verbatim is penalized by search engines.
Dwell time:
The duration a searcher spends on a website before returning to search results.
Dynamic content:
Content is programmed to change over time, sometimes posing indexing challenges for search engines.
E
Earned media:
Earned media refers to attention or content generated by third parties that mentions or promotes your business. Unlike paid media, earned media is not paid for directly and can be obtained organically or through promotional efforts. Examples include social media posts, articles, and reviews about your business written by external sources.
Earnings per click:
A metric used to gauge potential earnings based on the revenue generated for each click on an advertisement.
E-commerce:
Websites that facilitate the online buying and selling of goods and services. It stands for “electronic commerce.”
E-commerce SEO:
A set of optimization techniques to improve the visibility and ranking of e-commerce websites in search engine results. E-commerce SEO helps websites appear in relevant search queries, driving more traffic and sales.
Editorial link:
An inbound link is acquired naturally through high-quality content and effective marketing strategies rather than being paid for or solicited.
Engagement metrics:
Data points used to assess user engagement on a website, including metrics like click-through rate, repeat visits, and time spent on the page.
Everflux:
Google’s term for continuously updating and changing search engine algorithms and indexes.
Exit rate:
The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing a specific page, distinct from the bounce rate which measures the percentage of single-page visits.
External link:
A hyperlink that directs users to a different website or domain. Search engines consider the quality and relevance of external links in their ranking algorithms.
F
Favicon:
A small icon displayed next to a website’s URL in web browsers serves as a visual identifier for the site.
File transfer protocol (FTP):
A protocol for transferring files between a client and a server over a network, commonly used for website maintenance and file management.
Flat design:
A minimalist style of web design characterized by the absence of 3D effects or realistic textures, popularized in the late 2000s.
Forum:
An online discussion platform where users can post messages, interact with others, and discuss various topics within a specific community or niche.
Fresh content:
New and regularly updated content on a website can lead to increased search engine crawling frequency and higher user engagement, provided that the content is of high quality.
G
Geographic targeting:
The practice of delivering ads or content to users based on their geographic locations.
Google Algorithm:
A highly complex algorithm developed by Google to match search queries with relevant search results. It undergoes continuous updates and changes, requiring website owners to stay informed about the latest developments to optimize their sites effectively.
Google Keyword Planner:
A free keyword research tool provided by Google, offering insights into search volume, competition, and related keyword suggestions for specific queries.
Google Partner:
A program by Google designed for advertising agencies and digital marketers, offering access to special events, training, industry research, and certification opportunities.
Google Penalties:
Negative repercussions imposed by Google on websites that violate its guidelines or engage in improper practices. Penalties can range from decreased rankings to removal from search engine results pages (SERPs).
Google SEO:
The process of optimizing a website to improve its rankings in Google’s search results. It involves various strategies and techniques aimed at enhancing visibility and relevance for specific search queries.
Google Trends:
A tool provided by Google for analyzing and comparing keyword search volumes over time, helping users identify trending topics and search patterns.
Google Webmaster Guidelines:
A set of recommended practices and guidelines established by Google to help websites rank well in its search results.
Google Search Console:
A suite of tools offered by Google that provides website owners with insights and control over various technical aspects related to SEO.
Googlebot:
The web crawling bot used by Google to discover and index web pages on the internet.
H
Headings:
HTML elements used to structure and organize the content on a web page. Properly utilizing headings, from H1 to H6, is considered an important SEO practice.
Hidden text:
Text placed within a webpage’s code intended for search engine crawlers but not visible to human users. Websites employing hidden text risk penalties from search engines like Google.
Hijacking:
The deceptive practice of redirecting search engine users from their intended destination to a different webpage.
Homepage:
The main landing page of a website, typically providing an overview and navigation to other sections or pages.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML):
A foundational coding language used for creating and structuring content on web pages.
Hummingbird:
A major algorithm update introduced by Google, aimed at improving the understanding of search queries and delivering more relevant search results.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP):
The protocol used for transmitting data between web servers and browsers, facilitating the retrieval and display of web content.
I
Impressions:
The count of times an advertisement is displayed to users. These may not be unique, as the same ad could be shown to the same user multiple times.
Inbound link:
A hyperlink directed towards one’s website, originating from a different website.
Inbound marketing:
A marketing approach where a company attracts potential customers to itself rather than actively reaching out to them.
Index:
A search engine’s repository of data used to generate search results.
The main or starting page of a website.
Infographic:
A visual representation of data, typically presented as a long image containing information on a specific topic.
Information architecture (IA):
The organization of a website’s content to maximize usability for visitors. IA professionals often create wireframes or layouts of websites, categorizing content into different sections and may conduct user testing to ensure optimal layout and organization. See user experience for additional details.
Internal link:
A hyperlink from one page to another within the same website.
Internet service provider (ISP):
Companies that provide access to the Internet to users.
Invisible web:
Parts of the Internet that have not been indexed by search engines, thus not appearing in search results.
Internet protocol (IP) address:
A unique numerical label assigned to each device with Internet connectivity, serving as its identifier on the Internet.
J
JavaScript:
A programming language often integrated into HTML content to add dynamic features.
K
Key performance indicator (KPI):
A specific metric used to gauge the success of a marketing initiative. Examples include bounce rate and conversion rate.
Keywords:
Words and phrases strategically incorporated into a website’s content to enhance its visibility in search engine results and attract relevant traffic.
Keyword cannibalization:
The unintentional targeting of the same keywords across multiple pages of a website, leads to a potential drop in rankings by search engines.
Keyword density:
The frequency of a specific keyword’s occurrence on a webpage. While once considered important, monitoring keyword density is now less critical, but ensuring keywords naturally appear within relevant content remains advisable.
Keyword not provided:
The absence of specific keyword information in organic search referrals, initiated by Google’s transition to secure search protocols, complicates the identification of high-converting keywords.
Keyword research:
Identifying relevant and profitable keywords to target in SEO, paid search, and PPC campaigns.
Keyword stuffing:
The outdated practice of excessively using a specific keyword on a webpage, can negatively impact its ranking in search engine results.
Knowledge Graph:
A feature of Google search results that presents information related to a query concisely at the top of the results page, enhancing user accessibility to relevant information without leaving the search page.
L
Landing page:
The webpage a user is directed to after clicking on a link or advertisement.
Link:
A pathway connecting one webpage to another or to a different section of the same website.
Link baiting:
Creating content to attract links from other websites.
Link building:
The process of acquiring links to a webpage from other websites to improve its search engine ranking.
Link churn:
The measurement of lost links within a defined period.
Link equity:
A metric indicating a website’s quality based on its inbound link profile and the potential ranking influence these links can provide to other sites. Websites with high link equity typically achieve better search engine rankings and contribute to the ranking improvement of linked sites.
Link farm:
Websites established solely to link out to other sites.
Link hoarding:
The practice of retaining link popularity by refusing to link to other websites or by using methods that do not transfer link equity.
Link popularity:
The number of inbound links a website has. Search engines prioritize quality backlinks over their quantity.
Link reputation:
An evaluation of the overall quality and relevance of a website’s link profile.
Link rot:
The degradation of links leading to unavailable pages or websites.
Local search:
A search type allowing users to search within a specific geographic area against a database of local business listings.
Long-tail keywords:
Specific and detailed search terms reflecting user intent, often characterized by higher value and lower competition.
LSI Keywords:
LSI, or Latent Semantic Indexing, refers to a computer program learning synonyms based on context. While LSI keywords may not precisely match a product or service, they represent the terms users search for when seeking such products or services.
M
Manual penalty:
A penalty applied to a website by a search engine engineer.
Manual review:
An evaluation of a website conducted by a search engine engineer to assess its legitimacy. Search engines typically employ a combination of manual and automated review processes.
Meta description:
A summary of a webpage’s content displayed below its title in search engine results.
Meta keywords:
An HTML tag indicating the keywords and phrases a webpage targets. Modern search engines do not give significant weight to meta keywords.
Meta tags:
An encompassing term referring to meta description, meta keywords, and sometimes page title tags.
Microblogging:
Blogging is characterized by short, frequent posts, often done through platforms like Twitter.
Mindshare:
The extent to which people associate a specific brand with products in the same category.
Mirror site:
A website replicating another site’s content, sometimes used for downloading files from different locations.
Mobile marketing:
Marketing conducted on or with mobile devices such as cell phones or tablets.
Multivariate testing:
The simultaneous testing of multiple variables to identify the most effective combination.
N
Natural language processing:
An algorithmic approach that interprets the intent behind a search query rather than relying solely on exact-match keywords. Refer to Google’s Hummingbird update for more information.
Navigation:
The system used to guide users throughout a website.
Negative SEO:
Deliberate efforts to lower the search engine rankings of another website, often employing outdated and black hat SEO techniques such as inundating a website with low-quality inbound links.
Niche:
A specific subset within a broader category. For instance, within the broad category of “marketing,” a niche could be “inbound marketing for mining companies.”
Nofollow:
An HTML attribute instructing search engines not to transfer link authority to the linked website.
O
Off-page SEO:
SEO strategies that do not entail modifications to your website itself. This approach includes acquiring inbound links from other sites and promoting your website on social media.
On-page SEO:
Optimize individual web pages to enhance search engine visibility and attract more traffic. On-page SEO focuses on improving user experience and increasing the visibility of website content.
Open source:
Software distributed with its source code, enabling programmers to modify and customize it as needed.
Opt-in:
Marketing initiatives in which users voluntarily choose to participate, such as opting in to receive a newsletter by providing an email address.
Opt-out:
Marketing initiatives where users choose not to participate.
Organic SEO:
A digital marketing strategy to achieve high rankings in organic search engine results pages (SERPs) through content creation, earned media, and technical optimization.
Organic search results:
Unpaid listings in search engine results pages, determined by algorithms. Enhancing organic search ranking is a primary objective of SEO.
Outbound link:
A hyperlink directing users from one website to another.
Outbound marketing:
Also known as paid or interruptive marketing, it involves reaching out to broad audiences to convert them into customers. Outbound marketing includes TV or radio ads, banner ads, and direct mail.
P
PageRank:
Google’s initial algorithm for ranking search engine results is primarily based on the quantity and quality of inbound links. Google has since developed other ranking algorithms to prevent manipulation.
Paid inclusion:
Websites meeting specific criteria can purchase ads in directories like the Yahoo! Directory or Thomasnet.
Panda:
One of Google’s algorithms, Panda, assesses website content quality and ranks sites accordingly using various signals.
Pay-per-click (PPC):
Paid advertisements displayed in search engine sidebars or top areas. Advertisers incur costs only when users click on PPC ads
Penalty:
A punitive measure, often initiated by Google or its algorithm updates, imposed on websites that violate search engine terms of service. Common penalty triggers include spamming links, keyword stuffing, and thin content.
Penguin:
One of Google’s algorithms, Penguin, penalizes sites employing manipulative link schemes to inflate page rankings.
Permission marketing:
A term coined by Seth Godin that is synonymous with inbound marketing.
Pigeon:
A Google algorithm update strengthening the correlation between local search and standard web search signals.
Piracy update:
A Google update penalizes websites receiving DMCA takedown notices.
Pogo rate / Pogo sticking:
The percentage of users quickly returning to search results and clicking on another result immediately. Higher Pogo rates suggest poor relevancy and negative user engagement.
Pop-under:
A form of advertising that generates a separate browser window positioned beneath the active window to avoid disruption.
Pop-up:
An advertisement displayed on top of or within the active browser window.
Portable Document Format/PDF:
A file format developed by Adobe Systems for storing and viewing documents in a printer-friendly layout.
Q
Quality content:
Content of high caliber that merits backlinks.
Quality link:
A link that carries more weight in SEO, often originating from a universally trusted source or high-authority domain.
Quality Score (QS):
A factor used by Google AdWords influencing both ad rank and CPC. The ad order formula is (bid x QS).
Query:
The term or phrase a user inputs into a search engine.
R
Rank:
The position of a page on a search engine results page (SERP).
Reciprocal links:
Also known as “link trading,” reciprocal links occur when two or more sites link to each other. While reciprocal links can be natural, certain strategies may lead to penalties.
Redirect:
An indication that a page or content has moved. Redirects can be permanent or temporary (see 301 and 302 redirects).
Referrer:
The website traffic source.
Registrar:
A company registering domain names.
Reinclusion:
Reintegrating a website into the search index after rectifying issues that led to its penalization.
Relative link:
The opposite of an absolute link, a relative link employs a path referencing the current page’s URL instead of explicitly stating the full URL.
Relevancy:
The degree of similarity between a website and the keywords it ranks for.
Repeat visits:
Occurrences when the same user revisits a website multiple times.
Reputation management:
Managing brand keywords to ensure search results reflect positively on the brand.
Responsive design:
A design approach that ensures a website adapts to screens of all sizes, enhancing user experience across various devices.
Retargeting or remarketing:
A marketing tactic involving displaying ads for previously viewed websites or products to users who have shown interest.
Return on investment (ROI):
A metric indicating the benefit or profit derived from an investment, calculated as (cost/revenue).
Reverse index:
A list of keywords associated with the content in which they are utilized.
Rich media:
Advertisements incorporating advanced features like video, audio, or other non-text elements.
Robots.txt:
A file in a website’s root directory governing what content search engines should or should not crawl.
Rich site summary (RSS):
A mechanism for aggregating content from multiple sources into a single feed reader for centralized viewing.
S
Scraping:
The process of extracting data from an online source using software.
Search engine:
The primary tool for seeking information online.
Search engine marketing (SEM):
Utilizing both PPC and SEO to boost visibility on search engines.
Search history:
A record of a user’s past search queries, often leveraged for targeted advertising.
Search engine optimization (SEO):
Enhancing a website’s quality and quantity of content to improve its visibility and organic search rankings on search engines like Google.
Search engine results page (SERP):
A page displaying search results after querying a search engine.
SEO copywriting:
Creating content adhering to SEO best practices to achieve favorable search engine rankings and enhance user experience.
SEO-friendly URL:
A URL that succinctly describes a page’s content while omitting irrelevant characters, improving readability and SEO value.
Semantic search:
The process by which search engines interpret the intent and context of a search query to provide more relevant results.
Server:
The physical computer hosts a website’s online files.
Siphoning:
Methods of diverting traffic from another website, often through spyware.
Sitemap:
A page guiding search engines through a website’s structure.
Social media:
Online platforms enable users to interact by sharing personal information and engaging with content.
Spam:
Unsolicited advertisements manifest in various forms across the Internet.
Spider:
See “Crawler.”
Splash page:
A visually appealing webpage with minimal indexable content.
Spyware:
Software collects user information covertly for ad targeting or identity theft.
Static content:
Content that remains unchanged or changes infrequently after publication.
T
Text link ads:
Advertisements displayed as standard text links.
Thin content:
Content on a website that provides minimal value or information to users, often lacking depth or helpfulness, which can adversely affect SEO.
Title tag:
An HTML element serving as the title of an entire webpage.
Time on page:
Refer to dwell time.
Top-level domain (TLD):
The highest level in a URL hierarchy, such as .com, .org, .gov, etc.
Tracking code:
A JavaScript snippet that feeds detailed traffic data from a website into Google Analytics.
U
Uniform resource locator (URL):
A unique address pointing to specific web content.
Universal search:
Google’s method of integrating search results from various verticals like images, news, videos, etc.
Usability:
An assessment of how user-friendly a website is to navigate and interact with.
Usage data:
Metrics indicating user engagement with a website, including repeat visits, time spent on site, click-through rates (CTR), demographics, and more.
User experience (UX):
Overall evaluation of how satisfying and easy it is to use a website, often measured by bounce rate, cart abandonment rate, and other metrics.
V
Vertical search:
Searching within a specific field or industry.
Viral marketing:
Marketing strategies designed to spread rapidly through self-propagation, often via email, blog posts, or social media.
Virtual server:
Partitioning a physical server into multiple virtual servers to host multiple top-level domains (TLDs) from a single machine.
W
Webinar:
An online seminar conducted by an individual or organization, typically aimed at educating attendees on a particular topic, often consisting of slides, video, audio, or a combination.
White hat SEO:
SEO techniques that comply with best-practice guidelines established by search engines like Google.
Whois:
A domain record containing ownership details such as name and address, often concealed by registrars through privacy services.
WordPress:
A blogging platform offered in two versions: WordPress.com, a free solution, and WordPress.org, which provides downloadable, open-source software that is fully customizable.
X
Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML):
An extension of HTML incorporating XML formatting.
Extensible Markup Language (XML):
A markup language facilitating the formatting and syndication of content, commonly used in technologies like RSS.
Y
Yahoo! directory:
An authoritative web directory offering paid inclusion to eligible websites.
Yahoo! search marketing:
Yahoo’s keyword-based PPC internet advertising service, similar to Google’s AdWords platform.
