SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving a website so it ranks higher in Google and other search engines. This SEO Glossary 2025 explains 100+ SEO terms in simple words - from backlinks and crawling to E-E-A-T and programmatic SEO.
This glossary is beginner friendly and your go-to SEO dictionary for learning and reference.
Suggested Path: Learn SEO Step by Step
If you’re starting fresh, don’t jump randomly across terms. Follow this roadmap:
1. Basics
2. On-Page SEO
- What is a Title Tag in SEO?
- What is a Meta Description in SEO?
- What is an H1 Tag in SEO?
- What is Keyword Research?
3. Off-Page SEO
- What is a Backlink in SEO?
- What is Anchor Text in SEO?
- What is a NoFollow Link?
- What is a DoFollow Link?
4. Technical SEO
5. Metrics & User Signals
- What is Bounce Rate in SEO?
- What is Dwell Time in SEO?
- What is CTR in SEO?
- What is Domain Authority (DA)?
6. Advanced SEO
- What is E-E-A-T in SEO?
- What is Programmatic SEO?
- What is International SEO?
- What is Voice Search SEO?
Beginners can follow this path like a mini-course, while advanced users can jump directly to the glossary below.
SEO Glossary A–Z (100+ Terms)
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alt Text | Text describing an image in HTML, important for accessibility and image SEO. |
| Anchor Text | The clickable text in a hyperlink, often optimized with keywords. |
| Algorithm Update | Search engine changes to improve or adjust ranking systems. |
| AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) | A framework for faster-loading mobile pages. |
| Backlink | A link from another site to yours, signaling trust and authority. |
| Black Hat SEO | Unethical SEO practices like keyword stuffing or cloaking. |
| Bounce Rate | Percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page. |
| Breadcrumbs | Navigation links showing a user’s path on a website. |
| Canonical Tag | An HTML tag that tells search engines the preferred version of a page. |
| Click Depth | Number of clicks needed to reach a page from the homepage. |
| Cloaking | Showing different content to users and search engines (against Google’s rules). |
| Conversion Rate | Percentage of users who complete a desired action (e.g., signup). |
| Core Web Vitals | Google’s user experience metrics: speed, responsiveness, stability. |
| Crawling | Process where search engines discover web pages. |
| Crawl Budget | The number of pages a search engine crawls on your site. |
| CTR (Click-Through Rate) | Percentage of people who click your result after seeing it. |
| Disavow Links | Asking Google to ignore spammy or harmful backlinks. |
| Domain Authority (DA) | A score predicting a domain’s ability to rank. |
| Duplicate Content | Identical or similar content on multiple pages. |
| Dwell Time | How long users stay on a page before going back to search results. |
| E-E-A-T | Google’s quality concept: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. |
| Evergreen Content | Content that stays relevant for a long time. |
| Featured Snippet | Highlighted box at the top of Google results. |
| Follow Link (DoFollow) | A link that passes ranking authority. |
| Google Analytics | Free tool to track website traffic and user behavior. |
| Google My Business (GMB) | Free listing tool for local businesses in Google Search/Maps. |
| Google Search Console (GSC) | Free tool to track and optimize search performance. |
| Gray Hat SEO | SEO methods riskier than white hat but not as harmful as black hat. |
| H1 Tag | The main heading of a page that defines the topic. |
| Heading Tags (H2–H6) | Subheadings that organize content. |
| Image Optimization | Improving images for faster loading and better SEO. |
| Impressions | Number of times a page appears in search results. |
| Indexing | Adding crawled pages into a search engine’s database. |
| Internal Linking | Linking between pages of the same website. |
| International SEO | Optimizing sites for multiple countries and languages. |
| JavaScript SEO | Ensuring JS-based content can be crawled and indexed. |
| Keyword | A search term typed by users into search engines. |
| Keyword Cannibalization | Competing pages on the same site targeting one keyword. |
| Keyword Density | Frequency of a keyword in proportion to total words. |
| Keyword Research | Finding search terms to target for SEO. |
| Knowledge Panel | Google’s info box on the right side of results. |
| LSI Keywords | Related terms that add context to a topic. |
| Link Building | Acquiring backlinks to improve rankings. |
| Link Equity (Link Juice) | SEO value passed through links. |
| Link Farm | Networks of sites built only for linking, usually spammy. |
| Local Citations | Mentions of business details (name, address, phone). |
| Local SEO | Optimizing for local search results. |
| Long-Tail Keywords | Longer, specific search queries. |
| Meta Description | Short HTML snippet describing page content in search results. |
| Meta Keywords | Old tag once used for keywords, now ignored by Google. |
| Meta Tags | HTML tags giving metadata like title and description. |
| Mobile SEO | Optimizing websites for mobile usability and ranking. |
| Nofollow Link | A link that does not pass authority. |
| Off-Page SEO | SEO actions outside your website like backlinks. |
| On-Page SEO | SEO optimizations done on your website content. |
| Organic Traffic | Visitors coming from unpaid search results. |
| Page Authority (PA) | A score predicting a single page’s ranking ability. |
| Page Experience | Google’s assessment of user-friendliness. |
| Page Speed | How fast a webpage loads. |
| Panda Update | Google update targeting low-quality content. |
| Penguin Update | Google update targeting spammy backlinks. |
| Pillar Content | A comprehensive guide covering a core topic. |
| Programmatic SEO | Generating large numbers of pages with data + templates. |
| RankBrain | Google’s AI algorithm for interpreting queries. |
| Redirect (301/302) | Forwarding users/search engines from one URL to another. |
| Rich Snippet | Search results with extra info like ratings or FAQs. |
| Robots.txt | A file telling crawlers which pages to allow/block. |
| Schema Markup | Structured data to help search engines understand content. |
| Search Engine | A tool like Google that indexes and ranks pages. |
| Search Intent | The goal behind a search query. |
| SERP (Search Engine Results Page) | The page showing search results. |
| Short-Tail Keywords | Broad, high-competition keywords. |
| Silo Structure | Organizing content into related topic clusters. |
| Sitemap | A file listing important site URLs. |
| Spam Score | A measure of how spammy a site may appear. |
| SSL Certificate (HTTPS) | Security protocol that also boosts trust and SEO. |
| Technical SEO | Optimizing site infrastructure for crawling and indexing. |
| Thin Content | Pages with little value or depth. |
| Title Tag | HTML element defining the page title. |
| Trust Flow | Majestic SEO’s metric for backlink quality. |
| URL Structure | How URLs are formatted, affecting SEO. |
| User Experience (UX) | Overall usability of a site, indirectly affecting SEO. |
| Voice Search SEO | Optimizing for spoken, conversational queries. |
| White Hat SEO | Ethical SEO following search engine rules. |
| XML Sitemap | A structured XML file listing all important URLs. |
| YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) | Pages about health/finance, held to higher standards. |
FAQs on SEO Glossary
Q1. What is an SEO Glossary?
An SEO Glossary is a collection of SEO terms explained in simple words. It helps beginners and professionals quickly understand concepts.
Q2. Why should I learn SEO terms?
Knowing SEO terms helps you work better with marketers, writers, and developers, and improves your ability to optimize websites.
Q3. How do I use this glossary?
Click on any term to explore its detailed guide. Beginners can follow the suggested path for step-by-step learning.