SEO Vocabulary Explained: Essential SEO Terms You Must Know
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has changed dramatically over the years. What once focused mainly on keywords and backlinks now includes AI-powered search, user intent, entities, and experience signals. To succeed in 2026, understanding SEO vocabulary is no longer optional-it's essential.
This guide explains the most important SEO terms in simple language, with examples and modern context. Whether you are a beginner, blogger, digital marketer, or business owner, this SEO glossary will help you stay competitive.
SEO vocabulary refers to the terms, metrics, and concepts used to understand how search engines rank websites. Knowing these terms helps you:
Communicate with SEO professionals
Optimize content correctly
Understand Google updates and AI search
Make better marketing decisions
| SEO Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| SERP | Search Engine Results Page |
| CTR | Click-through rate |
| Impressions | Number of times a site appears |
| Organic Traffic | Free visits from search engines |
| Bounce Rate | User leaves after viewing one page |
| Session Duration | Time spent on the website |
| KD | Keyword Difficulty |
| Long-Tail Keywords | More specific keyword phrases |
| Indexing | Adding a page to Google index |
| Crawl Budget | Pages Google scans on a site |
| Sitemap | Map of website pages |
| Robots.txt | File that guides search bots |
| Canonical Tag | Prevents duplicate content issues |
| Core Web Vitals | Speed and UX performance metrics |
| Mobile-First Indexing | Google indexes mobile version first |
| Schema Markup | Code for rich search results |
| Title Tag | Page title shown in search results |
| Meta Description | Short summary of page content |
| Header Tags | H1–H6 heading structure |
| Alt Text | Image description text |
| Internal Links | Links within the same website |
| Content Depth | Level of detail in content |
| Keyword Clustering | Grouping related keywords |
| Semantic SEO | Optimization based on search intent & meaning |
| Backlink | Link from another website |
| Anchor Text | Clickable text in a link |
| Domain Authority | Strength of a domain |
| Link Juice | SEO value passed by links |
| NAP Consistency | Same business name, address, phone |
| Brand Mentions | Online mentions of a brand |
| Digital PR | Online brand publicity |
| EEAT | Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust |
| AI Search (SGE) | AI-generated answers in Google |
| AEO | Answer Engine Optimization |
| Conversational Queries | Chat-like search queries |
| Zero-Click Search | User gets answer without visiting site |
| Multimodal Search | Search using text, image, and voice |
| Entity SEO | Focus on topics and entities |
| Topical Authority | Expertise depth on a subject |
| Vector Search | Search by meaning not keywords |
| Local Pack | Map-based local search results |
| GMB / GBP | Google Business Profile |
| Review Signals | Ratings and reviews impact |
| Product Schema | Structured data for products |
| Voice SEO | Optimization for voice searches |
| Shoppable Content | Content that allows direct purchase |
| Marketplace SEO | SEO for Amazon, Flipkart, etc. |
| Omnichannel SEO | SEO across web, apps, and platforms |
| Search Intent | The purpose behind a user's query |
| Informational Query | User seeks knowledge or answers |
| Navigational Query | User wants a specific website |
| Transactional Query | User intends to buy or convert |
| Commercial Investigation | User compares products or services |
| Featured Snippet | Highlighted answer at top of SERP |
| People Also Ask (PAA) | Expandable related questions in Google |
| Index Bloat | Too many low-value pages indexed |
| Thin Content | Low-value or shallow content |
| Content Pruning | Removing or improving weak pages |
| Link Velocity | Speed at which backlinks are gained |
| NoFollow Link | Link that doesn't pass ranking signals |
| DoFollow Link | Link that passes SEO value |
| Spam Score | Metric estimating link risk |
| Content Freshness | How recently content was updated |
| Query Deserves Freshness (QDF) | Google boost for trending topics |
| Topical Map | Structured content coverage of a subject |
| Pillar Page | Main page supporting topic clusters |
| Content Decay | Traffic loss over time |
| Rank Tracking | Monitoring keyword positions |
| Search Visibility | Overall presence in search results |
| Engagement Signals | User behavior indicators (time, clicks) |
| First Input Delay (FID) | Page interactivity speed metric |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Visual stability metric |
| Helpful Content System | Google system rewarding people-first content |
| Generative SERP | AI-generated answers in search results |
| Brand Authority | Trust and recognition of a brand |
| Search Demand | Total interest in a keyword/topic |
| Content Gap | Keywords competitors rank for but you don't |
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