25 SEO Terms You Need to Know
Understanding SEO Jargon Knowing that S-E-O stands for “Search Engine Optimization” may seem like just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SEO terms, industry jargon, and definitions. Here are 25 of the most popularly used SEO terms when it comes to learning SEO, speaking with your SEO Company and optimizing your website….
Carissa Krause | Last updated May 1, 2025
Understanding SEO Jargon
Knowing that S-E-O stands for “Search Engine Optimization” may seem like just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SEO terms, industry jargon, and definitions.
Here are 25 of the most popularly used SEO terms when it comes to learning SEO, speaking with your SEO Company and optimizing your website.
SEO Terms
Algorithm or Search Algorithm – a set of instructions for determining which web pages should be listed for a Search Result and in what order. Google uses over 200 factors to determine what results to deliver to an individual searcher. See this article for the History of Google Algorithm Updates.
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Alt Tag – text assigned to graphical elements to help the Search Engines see and understand the graphic.
Anchor Text – the clickable (hyperlinked) portion of a backlink on a webpage. The words used in the hyperlink help Search Engines associate the content on the linked-to page and contribute to PageRank.
Blog –(short for web log) – the part of a website that is regularly maintained with new content and encourages interaction with visitors through comment fields. Search Engines favor fresh new content which is easily achieved through a blog.
Canonical URL – the standard form of a URL used for accessing a webpage (https://www.examplesite.com). Canonicalization translates all other versions (such as www.examplesite.com) into this standard form.
Duplicate Content – content that is used on more than one webpage; only one webpage is given credit for content that is duplicated.
Google Analytics – official Google software that helps measures website traffic by including specific HTML coding in the source code. For more info see this Google page, Google Analytics for Beginners.
Hosting Company – a service provider that makes an individual website visible on the World Wide Web. The reputation of an individual website (and its Search Rankings) can be influenced by the reputation of the hosting company.
HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language – the basic building blocks of a website that is read and interpreted by a web browser and delivered in its visual form to the web user; HTML is what search robots read.
Indexing or Indexed pages – the process of a Search Engine’s robots visiting a website and recording or indexing its content so that it can easily recall the content.
IP Address – Internet Protocol address – a number given to a device to identify the host and to provide a location address.
Keywords or Keyword Phrases – the words and phrases used by searchers to find a particular answer, product or service.
Link Popularity – the number of inbound links directed towards a website.
Links or Backlinks or Inbound Links – a hyperlink listed on a site that points the visitor towards another site which are also used by Search Engines to determine the importance or popularity of a webpage.
Natural Link – a backlink that naturally occurs when one website decides to promote the content of another site.
Link Farm – an unethical practice where a number of websites are simply linked to each other in order to increase the PageRank which is now considered spamming.
One Way Link – a single backlink that connects one site to another site.
Reciprocal Link – an exchange of backlinks between two or more websites.
Meta Data or Meta Tags – included in the HTML code (but not visible to browsers) to further help Search Engines understand the information on the webpage. This data includes a Title, Description and Keywords.
NoFollow – an attribute assigned to a link to signal to Search Engines that the hyperlink should not influence the ranking.
PageRank – Google’s method of determining the relative importance of a webpage; the PageRank is calculated using an algorithm that measures the number of incoming links or back links; more links equate to a higher PageRank.
Robots.txt – a file placed on the website to signal the structure of the website to Search Engines; can also be used to block access to specific folders or restrict certain search robots from visiting the site.
SEM – Search Engine Marketing – involves marketing your business, products and services online through Search Engines using both SEO and PPC practices.
SERP – Search Engine Results Page – the page returned by a Search Engine when a specific keyword is searched.
Spiders or Robots of Googlebot – a software tool used by Search Engines to crawl websites in order to read and determine the content on the site to be indexed.
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To learn more about the basics of SEO, check out or SEO site page
If you have any questions about SEO terms or about our SEO company, call our office at 1-888-262-6687 to speak with a 1st on the List SEO expert today.
Carissa Krause
Carissa Krause is a Digital Marketing and Project Specialist at 1st on the List. Over the last 13+ years she has worked in our Abbotsford office with clients on a wide range of projects that include areas like local SEO, project reporting, backlink profile review, content development, strategic planning, and more. Whatever the project may be Carissa focuses on achieving greater efficiencies and putting plans into action. When away from her desk you’ll likely find her drinking all the coffee while sitting on the floor driving cars with her three young boys.
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