Search engines come with their own language.
You will often see terms such as crawling, indexing, canonical tags, backlinks, search intent, SERP, and many others when reading about Google and SEO. If you’re new to the subject, it can feel like everyone is speaking a different language.
This glossary is here to make things easier.
Below you’ll find simple explanations of common search engine, SEO, website, and digital search terms, from A to Z. You don’t need to be an SEO professional to understand them. If a term sounds complicated, we’ve tried to explain it in plain English.
As SearchEngineBasics.blog grows, we’ll continue adding terms and linking important definitions to our more detailed guides.
A
Algorithm
A set of computer instructions used to process information and make decisions. Search engines use many algorithms and ranking systems to decide which results to show for a search.
Alt Text
Text added to an image to describe what the image shows. It can help people using screen readers and gives search engines additional information about an image.
Anchor Text
The clickable words used in a link. For example, in the sentence “learn about search engine crawling,” the words “search engine crawling” could be the anchor text.
AI Search
A type of search experience that uses artificial intelligence to understand questions and provide answers, summaries, or links to useful sources.
AI Overview
An AI-generated answer that Google may display within its search results for certain queries.
Answer Engine
A system designed to provide a direct answer to a question rather than simply returning a list of web pages.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
The practice of creating and organizing content so that answer-focused systems can understand it and potentially use it when responding to questions.
Archie
One of the earliest internet search tools. Created in 1990, it helped users find files stored on FTP servers before the World Wide Web became widely available.
B
Backlink
A link from another website to a page on your website. Backlinks can help search engines discover pages and may also act as signals about a site’s reputation and importance.
Baidu
A major search engine used in China. It operates its own search systems rather than relying on Google.
Bing
A search engine operated by Microsoft. It provides web, image, video, news, and other types of search results.
Bingbot
The name commonly used for Microsoft’s web crawler. It visits web pages so Bing can discover and process their content.
Bing Webmaster Tools
A Microsoft service that gives website owners information about how their sites perform in Bing search. It also provides tools for checking crawling and indexing.
Bot
A short name for a software program that performs tasks automatically. Search engine crawlers are one type of bot.
Breadcrumbs
A navigation system that shows where a page sits within a website’s structure. For example:
Home → SEO → Technical SEO → XML Sitemap
C
Canonical URL
The preferred URL for a page when multiple URLs contain the same or very similar content.
Canonical Tag
An HTML element used to tell search engines which URL should be treated as the main version when similar pages exist.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who click a link after seeing it. In search, CTR can describe how often people click a particular result after it is shown.
Cloaking
A practice where different content is shown to search engines and users. This can violate search engine spam rules.
Content
Information published on a website, such as text, images, videos, charts, audio, or other useful material.
Content Gap
A topic or question that is missing from your website but is covered by competing or related websites.
Content Management System (CMS)
Software that allows people to create and manage website content without having to build every page manually with code. WordPress is a common example.
Core Update
A broad change to Google’s main search systems that can cause rankings to move across many websites and topics.
Core Web Vitals
A group of Google measurements related to how a web page performs for visitors. They focus on areas such as loading, visual stability, and interaction.
Crawl Budget
The amount of crawling a search engine can reasonably spend on a website during a given period. It becomes more important on very large websites.
Crawler
A program used by a search engine to visit web pages and discover or process their content.
Crawling
The process of visiting web pages to discover information, links, and other content.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets. CSS controls how many parts of a web page look, including fonts, spacing, colors, and layout.
Customer Journey
The stages a person may go through before and after becoming a customer. Search can play a role at several points in this journey.
D
Deindexing
The removal of a page or website from a search engine’s index. Once a page is no longer indexed, it normally cannot appear in regular organic results.
Direct Traffic
Visits that analytics tools classify as coming directly to a website rather than from another identifiable source.
Disavow
A Google Search Console tool that allows website owners to ask Google to ignore certain backlinks. It is intended for specific situations and is not a normal part of everyday SEO.
Domain
The main web address used by a website, such as searchenginebasics.blog.
Domain Authority
A third-party SEO metric created by companies such as Moz to estimate the strength of a website’s backlink profile. It is not a Google ranking score.
Duplicate Content
The same or very similar content appearing at more than one URL.
DuckDuckGo
A search engine known for placing a strong focus on user privacy.
E
E-E-A-T
A concept used in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness and is used by human quality raters when assessing search results.
Ecommerce SEO
SEO work aimed at helping online stores and product pages gain visibility in search engines.
Entity
A specific person, place, organization, product, concept, or other identifiable thing that a search engine can understand as a distinct subject.
Exact-Match Keyword
A keyword or search phrase that matches a particular target phrase exactly. Modern search engines do not require exact wording to understand the meaning of every query.
External Link
A link that points from one website to another website.
F
Featured Snippet
A highlighted search result that may appear above some regular organic results and provides a short answer taken from a web page.
First Input Delay (FID)
A former Core Web Vitals measurement that looked at how quickly a page responded to a user’s first interaction. It has been replaced by Interaction to Next Paint (INP).
Footer
The section at the bottom of a website or web page. It often contains navigation links, copyright information, contact details, and legal pages.
Freshness
How recently information was published or updated. Freshness can matter more for searches where current information is important.
G
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
A term used for efforts aimed at making content easier for generative AI systems to understand, retrieve, and potentially mention in their answers.
The world’s best-known web search company and the name commonly used for its main search engine.
Google Analytics
A Google service used to collect and analyze information about website visitors and their behavior.
Google Business Profile
A free Google service that allows eligible businesses to manage information that can appear in Google Search and Google Maps.
Googlebot
Google’s web crawler. It visits websites to discover and process pages and other content.
Google Search Console
A free Google service that helps website owners monitor search performance, indexing, crawling, and technical issues.
Google Search Ranking
The position a web page receives in Google’s search results for a particular query.
Google Search Spam Policies
Google’s rules about practices that try to manipulate search results or create a poor search experience.
H
H1 Tag
An HTML heading normally used as the main heading of a page. It helps users understand what the page is about and contributes to the page’s structure.
H2 Tag
A second-level heading used to divide a page into major sections beneath the main heading.
H3 Tag
A third-level heading commonly used for sections within an H2 section.
Heading
A piece of text used to organize a web page into sections and make its structure easier to follow.
Hreflang
An HTML attribute or other signal used to tell search engines about language and regional versions of a page.
HTTPS
A secure version of HTTP that encrypts information sent between a visitor’s browser and a website.
I
Index
A large collection of information that a search engine has processed about web pages and other content.
Index Coverage
Information showing which URLs Google has or has not included in its index. Google Search Console provides related indexing reports.
Indexed Page
A web page that has been included in a search engine’s index and may be eligible to appear in search results.
Indexing
The process through which a search engine processes information about a discovered page and decides whether to include it in its searchable index.
Informational Intent
A type of search intent where someone is mainly looking for information or an answer.
Example:
“How does Google indexing work?”
Internal Link
A link from one page on a website to another page on the same website.
International SEO
SEO work aimed at websites that serve people in multiple countries or languages.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
A Core Web Vital that measures how quickly a page responds to user interactions throughout a visit.
J
JavaScript
A programming language commonly used to add interactive features and dynamic behavior to websites.
JSON-LD
A format used to add structured data to a web page in a way that search engines can read.
K
Keyword
A word or phrase that someone enters into a search engine when looking for information, a product, service, or answer.
Keyword Cannibalization
A situation where multiple pages on the same website target very similar search intent and end up competing with each other.
Keyword Difficulty
An SEO metric used by various SEO tools to estimate how difficult it may be to rank for a particular keyword.
Keyword Research
The process of finding and studying the words and phrases people use when searching online.
Keyword Stuffing
The practice of adding keywords to a page excessively or unnaturally in an attempt to influence search rankings.
Knowledge Graph
A system used by Google to connect information about people, places, organizations, things, and other entities.
Knowledge Panel
An information box that Google may display in search results when it has enough information about a particular entity.
L
Landing Page
A page designed for visitors arriving from a particular source, campaign, advertisement, or search query.
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)
An older information-retrieval method that is sometimes incorrectly presented as a modern Google SEO technique. Google does not use “LSI keywords” as an SEO concept in the way many SEO articles claim.
Link Building
The process of getting links from other websites to your own website.
Link Equity
A general SEO term used to describe the ranking value that may pass through links from one page to another.
Link Profile
The collection of backlinks pointing to a website or web page.
Local SEO
SEO focused on helping a business appear for searches connected to a particular location.
Long-Tail Keyword
A longer and usually more specific search phrase. Such queries often have less search volume than broad keywords but can show clearer intent.
M
Manual Action
A Google action taken after a human reviewer determines that a website or page has violated Google’s spam policies.
Meta Description
A short description of a web page that can appear below the page title in search results. Google may choose to display different text instead.
Meta Robots Tag
An HTML instruction that can tell search engines how they should handle a page, such as whether it should be indexed or whether links should be followed.
Meta Title
A common SEO term for the HTML title of a page. Search engines may use it as the main clickable title shown in search results.
Mobile-First Indexing
Google’s approach of primarily using the mobile version of a website’s content when indexing and evaluating pages.
Mobile SEO
SEO work focused on making a website work well for people using smartphones and other mobile devices.
N
NAP
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. The term is commonly used in local SEO when discussing business information across websites and directories.
Navigational Intent
A search where the person already has a particular website, brand, or page in mind.
Example:
“Facebook login”
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
A field of artificial intelligence that helps computers process and understand human language.
Noarchive
An instruction that can tell search engines not to show a cached copy of a page in their search results.
NoFollow
A link-related instruction that tells search engines not to treat a link as a normal endorsement for ranking purposes. Search engines may still discover or visit the linked URL.
Noindex
An instruction telling a search engine not to include a particular page in its search index.
O
Off-Page SEO
SEO work that takes place outside your own website. Backlinks, online mentions, and some forms of digital reputation building fall into this area.
On-Page SEO
Work performed on individual web pages to improve their content, structure, relevance, and usefulness.
Organic Search
Search results that appear naturally rather than as paid advertisements.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who reach a website through unpaid search results.
Orphan Page
A page on a website that has no internal links pointing to it from other pages on the same site.
P
Page Experience
The overall experience a visitor has when using a web page. Factors can include loading performance, mobile usability, security, and ease of interaction.
PageRank
An algorithm originally developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin that used links between pages as part of measuring importance. PageRank has changed over time and should not be confused with the old public toolbar score.
Pagination
The practice of splitting a large amount of content across several pages.
People Also Ask (PAA)
A Google search feature that displays related questions which users can expand to see answers.
People Also Search For (PASF)
A search feature showing other queries that may be related to the topic a person searched for.
Perplexity
An AI-powered search and answer service that provides responses along with source references.
Primary Keyword
The main search phrase a page is created to address.
Private Blog Network (PBN)
A group of websites created or controlled by one person or organization, often for the purpose of creating backlinks. Using such networks to manipulate rankings can violate search engine guidelines.
Q
Query
The words or phrase a person enters or speaks when using a search engine.
Query Intent
The reason a person performs a particular search. It describes what they are trying to find, learn, compare, or do.
Query Refinement
Changing or adding words to a search after seeing the first set of results.
For example:
“best running shoes”
may become:
“best running shoes for flat feet under $100.”
R
Ranking
The process of deciding the order in which eligible pages and other search results are shown for a query.
Ranking Factor
A signal or piece of information that may be used by a search engine when determining where a result should appear.
Ranking Signal
Information that a search engine can use as part of its ranking systems.
Redirect
A method of sending visitors and search engines from one URL to another.
Referral Traffic
Visitors who arrive at your website after clicking a link from another website.
Relevance
How well a page or result matches what a person is looking for.
Responsive Web Design
A website design approach that allows pages to adjust to different screen sizes and devices.
Robots.txt
A file that provides instructions to web crawlers about which parts of a website they may access.
Q
Schema Markup
A type of structured data that helps describe the meaning and type of information on a web page.
Search Algorithm
A system used by a search engine to process queries and determine which results should be displayed.
Search Engine
A service that helps people find information on the internet by searching through an organized collection of web content.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
A broad term commonly used for marketing through search engines. In many contexts, it mainly refers to paid search advertising.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The practice of improving a website and its content to help it gain visibility in unpaid search results.
Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
The page displayed after someone performs a search.
Search Intent
The reason behind a search query. Common types include informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional intent.
Search Index
The organized collection of information a search engine has stored about content it has processed.
Search Query
The words or phrase entered into a search engine.
Semantic Search
Search that attempts to understand the meaning and context of a query rather than relying only on exact keyword matches.
Short-Tail Keyword
A short and broad search phrase, often made up of one or two words.
Sitelinks
Additional links that Google may show beneath a main search result, helping users reach other important pages on the same website.
Sitemap
A file or page that provides information about the URLs available on a website. XML sitemaps are commonly created to help search engines discover important URLs.
Slug
The part of a URL that identifies a particular page.
Example:
searchenginebasics.blog/search-engine-crawling/
Here, search-engine-crawling is the URL slug.
Spam
Unwanted or manipulative content or activity, including practices designed to trick search engines or users.
Spider
Another common name for a web crawler.
Structured Data
Information added to a page in a format that helps search engines understand what the page or its content represents.
T
Technical SEO
SEO work related to the technical structure and setup of a website. It can include crawling, indexing, page speed, redirects, mobile usability, structured data, and other technical areas.
Thin Content
A page that provides little useful information or does not properly satisfy the reason someone visited it.
Title Tag
The HTML title assigned to a web page. Search engines often use it when creating the clickable title shown in search results.
Topical Authority
A general SEO concept describing how thoroughly and consistently a website covers a particular subject.
Transactional Intent
A search where the person is ready or likely to take an action, such as purchasing something or signing up for a service.
Example:
“buy wireless keyboard online”
Trustworthiness
The degree to which information, a website, or its creator can be considered reliable and trustworthy.
U
URL
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is the web address used to locate a particular page or resource on the internet.
URL Inspection Tool
A feature in Google Search Console that allows website owners to check information about a specific URL, including indexing-related details.
URL Parameter
Extra information added to a URL after a question mark, often used for tracking, filtering, sorting, or other purposes.
Example:
example.com/products?color=blue
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience a person has while using a website or digital product.
User Intent
Another term for the reason or goal behind a person’s search.
V
Vertical Search
Search focused on a particular type of information or industry rather than the entire web.
Examples include product search, job search, travel search, and image search.
Voice Search
Searching by speaking a query rather than typing it.
Visibility
A general term used to describe how easily a website or page can be found in search results.
W
Web Crawler
Automated software that visits web pages to discover and process information.
Web Page
An individual document or resource that can be accessed through a web address.
Webmaster
An older term for a person responsible for managing a website. The term is still used in some tools and services, although “website owner” or “developer” is more common today.
Website Authority
A general SEO term used to describe how trustworthy or established a website appears based on factors such as content, links, reputation, and other signals. It is not one official Google score.
White Hat SEO
SEO practices that aim to follow search engine guidelines rather than manipulate rankings through prohibited methods.
X
X-Robots-Tag
An HTTP response header that can provide search engine instructions for handling a URL or other content. It can be used for things such as controlling indexing of files that do not contain normal HTML markup.
Y
Yahoo
An internet company that operates a search service and other online products. Yahoo Search has historically used technology and search results from other search providers.
Yandex
A search engine and technology company that has been widely used in Russia and other markets.
YMYL
YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life.
Google uses this term for topics that can have a strong effect on a person’s health, financial situation, safety, or general well-being. Such topics are held to high standards when search quality is evaluated.
Z
Zero-Click Search
A search where a person gets the information they need directly from the search results without visiting another website.
For example, a person searching for the current temperature may see the answer directly in Google.
Zero-Search-Volume Keyword
A keyword that SEO tools report as having little or no monthly search volume. That does not always mean nobody searches for it. Some very specific queries may have too little data for a tool to estimate their volume accurately.
Keep This Glossary Handy
Search engines have a lot of terminology, but you don’t need to memorize everything.
If you’re learning SEO, start with the basic concepts:
Crawling → Indexing → Ranking → Search Intent → SEO
Once those make sense, terms like canonical URLs, structured data, crawl budget, backlinks, and technical SEO become much easier to understand.
We’ll continue adding new terms as SearchEngineBasics.blog grows, so this page can become a handy reference whenever you run into an unfamiliar search or SEO term.
Didn’t find the term you’re looking for?
Contact us and let us know. It may become the next addition to the glossary.