Digital Marketing Glossary
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Search Engine Optimization Terms (SEO)
A
Average Position
Average position is the position your website ranks on a SERP for a particular keywords/search query. Position 1 is at the top of the first page.
Google Algorithm
The Google algorithm is a formula that determines SERP rankings based on different SEO factors. The algorithm changes everyday, yet there is typically one core update each quarter that causes rankings to fluctuate more significantly.
Google Search Console (GSC)
Google Search Console, previous known as Webmaster Tools, is a free Google tool that helps you measure the performance, traffic, health and issues of your website.
F
Featured Snippet
A Featured Snippet is a SERP feature in which organic answer boxes that appear at the top of SERPs for certain queries.
G
Google My Business (GMB)
Google My Business is a profile for your business that shows up on Google and its applications, such as Google Maps. It includes your website, address, phone number, photos, store hours, and more.
M
Meta Description
A meta description is a summary of a webpage that shows up in the SERP.
Meta Keywords
Meta keywords are specific keywords listed on your website telling search engines what phrases you would like to show up for on the SERP. These keywords are not as significant in Google’s algorithm as in the past.
Meta Title
A meta title is a chosen headline for each webpage that shows up in the SERP. It will also show up as the tab title on most internet browsers.
R
Robots.txt
Robots.txt is a file that shows bots which pages you would and wouldn't like to be crawled on your website.
S
Search Engine
Examples of search engines are Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
Search Engine Result Page (SERP)
A SERP is the results search engines display after a search is performed.
Search Query
A search query is any keyword, phrase, or question typed into a search engine.
Search Volume
Search volume is the average times a certain keyword is searched per month.
SERP Feature
A SERP feature is an item on the SERP that is not a traditional organic link or ad. SERP features include Featured Snippets, People Also Ask, Local Pack and the Knowledge Graph.
Self-Referencing Canonical Tag
A self-referencing canonical tag is written in the same page's code that it is referencing.
Sitemap
A sitemap is a listing of the pages on your website that you want to rank for in the SERP.
SSL Certificate
A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate is a domain certificate that a browser and server agree upon to set a standard encryption for the transmission of safe and secure website data. You can tell if a website has an SSL certificate by the URL structured as https:// instead of http://.
Structured Data
Structured data, sometimes referred to as schema, is additional code that can be added to a website or webpage that organizes your content in pieces that can easily be crawled by bots.
B
Backlink
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. This is one of the most important ranking factors in Google’s algorithm.
Baidu
Baidu is the most popular search engine in China that offers roughly the same services as Google.
Bidirectional Encoder Representations and Transformers (BERT)
BERT is a machine learning Natural Language Processing framework to improve voice search.
C
Call To Action (CTA)
A CTA is a link or phrase that encourages and assists users in pursuing an action.
Canonical Tag
A canonical tag is a piece of code that represents the “original version” of the page in case its content is duplicated on another webpage.
Crawling
Crawling is when bots scan or “crawl” your website.
Content Marketing
A marketing technique that utilizes the creation, publication, and distribution of content to target a specific audience or platform.
D
Domain Authority (DA)
Domain Authority is a 0-100 metric developed by Moz that predicts a website’s ability to rank on the SERP.
E
External Link
An external link is a link directing to users to a different website.
H
Header Tags
Header tags are tags written in the code of a webpage that highlight aspects of the page’s content, such as the title and subtitle(s).
I
Indexing
Indexing is the process in which a search engine ranks, or indexes, your page to show up in the search results.
Internal Link
An internal link is a link directing users to other pages within the same website.
K
Keyword
A keyword is a term searched on a search engine to retrieve relevant information.
L
Link Earning
Link earning, also known as link building, is a process to gain more backlinks to your website. Among other things, this can be done through content generation and outreach campaigns.
Link Equity
Link equity is the authority of a linked webpage.
N
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
NLP is artificial intelligence that handles the interaction of computers and humans speaking in their natural language.
NoFollow Tag
A NoFollow Tag is a piece of code put on a webpage that indicates to search engines not to give preference to that page in the SERPs.
NoIndex Tag
A no index tag is a piece of code added to a webpage that informs bots not to crawl that page. This is used when there is a certain webpage that doesn't want to be included in the SERPs.
O
Off-Page Optimizations
Optimizations made on platforms other than the website to increase the website’s overall search engine rankings. This includes social media platforms, Google My Business, as well as acquiring backlinks.
On-Page Optimizations
Optimizations made to the content or source code of a webpage to better rank for specific target keywords.
Organic Traffic
Organic traffic refers to a user who visits a website by clicking on an unpaid search result produced by a search engine.
P
Page Authority
Page authority is similar to Domain Authority, in that it is a metric that predicts a webpage's ability to rank on the SERP.
C
Conversion
A conversion is a tracking tool set up to count the number of times users engage with chosen aspects of your advertisement or website.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC)
Cost-Per-Click, or CPC, is the amount charged when a user clicks on a paid advertisement.
D
Display Campaign
A display campaign is an advertising campaign that is usually made up of text and an image or a video shown on a webpage not belonging to the advertiser.
E
Extensions
Ad extensions are additional information that can be, but is not guaranteed to be, featured with a search advertisement. These include, but are not limited to, sitelinks to specific webpages, important announcements, a physical address, and a phone number.
P
Paid Campaign
A user who visits a website by clicking on a paid advertisement.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Pay-Per-Click advertising, or PPC, is associated with an advertising campaign that requires you to pay the Cost-Per-Click when someone clicks on your ad.
S
Search Campaign
An advertising campaign shows text advertisements when users search a certain keyword or phrase.
Analysis & Reporting Terms
B
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of sessions in which a user visits a page on the website, has no interaction with it, and then exits.
C
Click-Thru-Rate (CTR)
Click-Thru-Rate, or CTR, is the ratio of impressions to clicks.
E
Events
Events tracking codes are tags on the website that track specific user actions, such as clicking on a phone number. Event tags can be implemented directly into a website's code or via Google Tag Manager.
G
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free platform provided by Google that tracks website traffic, audience, acquisition, user behavior, and conversions.
U
UTM Tag
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. This code goes at the end of a URL so you can track and analyze custom traffic sources, mediums, and campaigns.
Mobile-First Indexing
Mobile-first indexing was a Google update in 2018 in which Google bots crawl the mobile version of a website rather than the desktop version. This update made it crucial to have a responsive site in order to rank better on search engines.
Search Engine Marketing Terms (SEM)
A
Ad Group
An ad group is a grouping of ads within a campaign that share similarities with a common goal (ie: similar keywords, audience demographics, etc.)
N
Negative Keywords
Negative keywords are keywords users search for that you do not want your advertisement showing up for.
I
Impression (Top) %
Impressions (Top) % is the percentage of times your ad is shown as one of the first 4 advertisements at the top of the SERP.
Impression (Abs. Top) %
Impressions (Abs. Top) % is the percentage of times your ad is shown as the very first advertisement at the top of the SERP.
Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is when the same keyword or keyword variations are oversaturated in a webpage's content. Google sees this tactic as spam and will hurt your SEO.
Knowledge Graph
A Knowledge Graph is a panel on the right side of the SERP that shows information, facts, and links associated with your search.
Local Pack
The Local Pack is a visual map of three local business listings that appear in a SERP for local-intent searches, such as "near me" search queries.
Local SEO
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank better for a local audience and location-based search queries. (ie: "near me" and "in charlotte nc")
Long-Tail Keywords
These are keywords that are longer in length, which makes them more specific than more general keywords.
People Also Ask (PAA)
People Also Ask is a SERP feature that shows a list of questions other users have searched for related to your query.
Google Data Studio
Google Data Studio is a free data visualization tool that can pull in data from a variety of sources and platforms to produce advanced custom dashboards and reports.
