When talking about online marketing, SEO, and digital PR, you likely come across terms that you are unfamiliar with. We strive to make our content as accessible and clear as possible, but we some industry jargon is inevitable.
To help, we’ve put together a glossary of key terms and their definitions. Whether you’re new to the field or just need a quick refresher, this list will help you navigate the essential concepts behind digital growth and visibility.
If you come across a term that isn’t included, feel free to reach out—we’d be happy to update this resource!
A
- AI (Artificial Intelligence) – The use of machine learning, algorithms, and automation to analyze data, optimize content, personalize user experiences, and enhance digital marketing efforts.
- Algorithm – A set of rules or calculations used by search engines (e.g., Google) to rank web pages based on relevance, quality, and user experience.
- Anchor Text – The clickable text in a hyperlink, which helps search engines understand the content of the linked page.
- Attribution Model – A method used to determine which marketing channels contribute to conversions and how credit is assigned across different touchpoints in the customer journey.
B
- Backlink – A hyperlink from one website to another, used by search engines to determine the authority and relevance of a webpage.
- Black Hat SEO – Unethical SEO practices that attempt to manipulate search rankings using spammy techniques such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, and buying backlinks, often resulting in penalties from search engines.
- Bounce Rate – The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page, often used as an indicator of poor user experience or irrelevant content.
- Brand Mentions – When a brand is referenced online (in blogs, news, or social media), even without a direct link, often considered in digital PR and SEO strategies.
- Breadcrumb Navigation – A navigational aid that shows users the path they have taken on a website, helping with both user experience and SEO.
C
- Canonical Tag – An HTML tag that helps prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a webpage.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) – The percentage of users who click on a specific link or advertisement after seeing it.
- Content Marketing – The strategy of creating and distributing valuable content (such as blogs, videos, or infographics) to attract and engage a target audience.
- Conversion Rate – The percentage of users who complete a desired action (e.g., making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter) after visiting a website.
- Crawling – The process by which search engines discover and analyze web pages using automated bots (crawlers/spiders).
- CTA (Call-to-Action) – A prompt that encourages users to take a specific action, such as “Sign Up,” “Learn More,” or “Buy Now.”
D
- DA (Domain Authority) – A metric (developed by Moz) that predicts how well a website is likely to rank in search engines based on backlinks and overall authority.
- Digital PR – The practice of using online channels (news sites, blogs, social media) to gain brand exposure, build credibility, and improve search rankings through high-quality backlinks and brand mentions.
- Dwell Time – The amount of time a user spends on a webpage before returning to the search results, used as a ranking factor in SEO.
E
- E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) – A framework used by Google to evaluate the credibility of a website, particularly for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics.
- Engagement Rate – A social media metric that measures interactions (likes, shares, comments) relative to the audience size.
F
- Featured Snippet – A highlighted search result that appears at the top of Google’s organic results, often answering a user’s query directly.
- Follow vs. NoFollow Links – “Follow” links pass SEO value (link equity), while “NoFollow” links tell search engines not to pass authority from one site to another.
G
- Google My Business (GMB) – A free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence in Google Search and Maps.
- Google Search Console (GSC) – A free tool by Google that helps webmasters monitor site performance, indexing status, and search traffic.
H
- Hreflang Tag – An HTML attribute that indicates the language and regional targeting of a webpage, helping search engines serve the correct version to users.
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – The standard language used to create and format web pages.
I
- Indexing – The process of adding web pages to a search engine’s database, making them eligible to appear in search results.
- Influencer Marketing – A digital marketing strategy that involves collaborating with influencers (people with a strong online following) to promote a brand or product.
J
- JavaScript SEO – The optimization of JavaScript-heavy websites to ensure they are crawled and indexed correctly by search engines.
K
- Keyword Research – The process of identifying and analyzing search terms that people use to find information online.
- Keyword Stuffing – An outdated black hat SEO technique that involves overloading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings.
L
- Landing Page – A standalone webpage designed specifically for marketing campaigns to convert visitors into leads or customers.
- Link Building – The process of acquiring backlinks from other websites to improve search rankings and domain authority.
- Long-Tail Keywords – Highly specific, longer search phrases with lower competition but higher conversion rates.
M
- Meta Description – A short HTML snippet that describes the content of a webpage, displayed in search results below the page title.
- Mobile-First Indexing – Google’s approach to ranking websites based on their mobile version rather than the desktop version.
N
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) – Consistency in business contact information across directories and websites, important for local SEO.
O
- On-Page SEO – Optimization strategies applied directly on a webpage, including content, title tags, and internal linking.
- Organic Traffic – Website visitors that arrive through unpaid search engine results.
P
- PPC (Pay-Per-Click) – An online advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked.
- Penalty (Google Penalty) – A punishment issued by Google for violating its search guidelines, resulting in lower rankings or removal from search results.
Q
- Quality Score – A Google Ads metric that measures the relevance and quality of ads, keywords, and landing pages.
R
- Redirect (301, 302) – A method used to send users and search engines from one URL to another, often used in site migrations.
- Rich Snippets – Enhanced search results that include extra information like ratings, images, or event details.
S
- Schema Markup – A type of structured data that helps search engines understand website content better.
- SEA (Search Engine Advertising) – The practice of paying for advertisements to appear on search engine result pages (SERPs).
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – The practice of optimizing websites to rank higher in organic search engine results.
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page) – The page displayed by a search engine in response to a user’s query.
- Sitemap – A file that lists all important pages on a website, helping search engines crawl and index them effectively.
T
- Title Tag – An HTML element that specifies the title of a webpage, crucial for SEO and user click-through rates.
- Trust Flow – A Majestic SEO metric that evaluates the trustworthiness of a website based on the quality of its backlinks.
U
- User Experience (UX) – The overall experience a user has when interacting with a website, affecting engagement, conversions, and SEO rankings.
V
- Viral Marketing – A digital marketing strategy that relies on social sharing to rapidly spread content across platforms.
W
- White Hat SEO – Ethical SEO practices that follow search engine guidelines, such as high-quality content, natural link building, and technical optimizations.
Y
- YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) – A category of content that Google holds to high-quality standards, such as financial, health, and legal information.
Español 
English (UK)