Plain-English definitions of the SEO and AI Search terms that matter, from Technical SEO and Core Web Vitals to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Each entry explains what it is, why it matters, who needs it, and when to use it.
A 301 redirect is a permanent server instruction that sends users and search engines from an old URL to a new one, passing most of the old URL's ranking signals.
MethodologyAI Search Optimization tunes content and site signals so AI search features and assistants can find, summarize, quote, and recommend your brand.
TechnologyAnchor text is the visible, clickable words of a link. It gives search engines and readers context about the topic of the linked page.
MethodologyAnswer Engine Optimization (AEO) structures content so it can be lifted as a direct answer by featured snippets, voice assistants, and AI Overviews.
TechnologyA backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines treat relevant, credible backlinks as signals of authority and trust.
TechnologyA canonical tag is an HTML signal that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page, consolidating ranking signals when similar or duplicate content exists.
MetricCore Web Vitals are Google's three user-experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift.
TechnologyCrawlability is how easily a search engine's bots can discover and access a site's pages by following links and directives such as robots.txt.
MetricDomain authority is a third-party score (Moz DA, Ahrefs Domain Rating) estimating a site's backlink strength relative to others. Not a Google metric.
StandardE-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is the framework Google's quality raters use to assess content quality.
TechnologyA featured snippet is the highlighted answer box at the top of some Google results that quotes a page directly to answer a query, often read aloud by voice assistants.
MethodologyGenerative Engine Optimization (GEO) structures content so AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews can retrieve and cite it.
TechnologyGoogle AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries shown at the top of many search results that answer a query directly and link to a small set of sources the answer draws from.
ToolA Google Business Profile is the free listing that controls how a business appears in Google Search and Maps, including hours, reviews, photos, and the local map pack.
TechnologyThe Google Map Pack is the block of three local business listings shown with a map at the top of many location-based search results, drawn from Google Business Profiles.
TechnologyIndexability is whether a crawled page is eligible to be stored in a search engine's index, governed by signals like noindex tags, canonicals, and content quality.
TechnologyJavaScript SEO is the set of practices that ensure content rendered with JavaScript can still be crawled, rendered, and indexed by search engines.
MethodologyKeyword research finds and prioritizes the search terms your audience uses, by intent, volume, difficulty, and business value, to guide strategy.
TechnologyA large language model is an AI system trained on vast text to understand and generate human-like language. LLMs power ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
ServiceLink building is the practice of earning links from other websites through outreach, digital PR, and content worth referencing, in order to grow authority and rankings.
TechnologyA local citation is any online mention of a business's name, address, and phone number (NAP). Consistent citations reinforce local search legitimacy.
ServiceLocal SEO is the practice of optimizing a business to appear in location-based searches and the map pack, so nearby customers find it when they are ready to buy.
TechnologyA meta description is the short HTML summary of a page that search engines often show beneath the title in results. It is not a direct ranking factor.
ServiceMulti-location SEO optimizes a business with several branches so each ranks in its own local market, via location pages and separate Google profiles.
ServiceOff-page SEO covers the signals earned outside your own site (chiefly backlinks, brand mentions, and reputation) that build authority and trust in the eyes of search engines.
ServiceOn-page SEO optimizes what you control on a page: content, titles, headings, internal links, and structured data, so search engines understand it.
TechnologyOnline reviews are public ratings and feedback customers leave on Google, Yelp, and industry directories. They influence local rankings and trust.
TechnologyRobots.txt is a text file at a site's root that tells search engine crawlers which paths they may or may not request.
MethodologySearch intent is the goal behind a query: whether the searcher wants information, a specific site, a comparison, or to make a purchase. Matching it is essential to ranking.
ServiceAn SEO audit is a structured evaluation of a website's technical, on-page, content, and authority signals to find the issues and opportunities that affect its search visibility.
TechnologyA SERP is the page a search engine returns for a query, including organic results, ads, and features like the map pack, featured snippets, and AI Overviews.
MetricShare of model measures how often a brand is cited in AI-generated answers versus competitors. It is the AI-era counterpart to share of voice.
StandardStructured data is Schema.org markup (usually JSON-LD) that describes a page's content to search engines and can make it eligible for rich results.
ServiceTechnical SEO is the practice of making a website easy for search engines to crawl, render, and index. It covers site architecture, speed, structured data, and indexation controls.
TechnologyA title tag is the HTML element that sets a page's title, shown as the clickable headline in search results and browser tabs.
TechnologyAn XML sitemap is a file that lists a site's important URLs to help search engines discover and prioritize them for crawling.
Last updated: 2026-08-04