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SEO Glossary

Your audit report uses SEO terms. We explain them in plain English so you understand what to fix and why it matters.

We promise: No jargon. No fluff. Just clear explanations and practical examples for business owners (not SEO experts).

Content

Above the Fold

Content

The part of your webpage visible without scrolling. Important content placed here gets more attention and better engagement.

Example: Your main headline, hero image, and call-to-action button should appear above the fold so visitors see them immediately.

Alt Text

Content

Short, descriptive text that explains what an image shows. Search engines can't see images, so alt text tells them (and visitors using screen readers) what the image is about.

Example: Instead of just an image, you'd write: 'alt="A mechanic in blue overalls holding a wrench"' to describe what visitors see.

Anchor Text

Content

The clickable, visible text in a hyperlink. It should describe where the link goes or what you'll find there.

Example: Good anchor text: 'Read our plumbing services guide' instead of 'Click here'.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Content

The percentage of people who see your page in search results and actually click on it. Higher CTR means your title and description are compelling.

Example: If 100 people see your page in Google and 5 click it, your CTR is 5%.

Duplicate Content

Content

When the same or very similar content appears on multiple pages or websites. Search engines may penalize or ignore duplicate versions.

Example: If your 'About Us' page content appears exactly the same on multiple URLs, that's duplicate content.

Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3)

Content

HTML formatting that marks titles and subheadings. H1 is the main heading, H2 and H3 are subheadings. They help structure content for both readers and search engines.

Example: Your page might have one H1 ('Plumbing Services'), then multiple H2s ('Emergency Service', 'Residential Plumbing', 'Commercial Plumbing').

Impression

Content

When your page appears in search results where someone can see it. Impressions count whether they click or not.

Example: Your page appears in Google search results for 100 people—that's 100 impressions even if only 5 people click.

Keyword Density

Content

How often a keyword appears on your page compared to total words. Natural keyword usage is better than stuffing keywords everywhere.

Example: If you use the word 'plumber' 5 times in a 500-word article, your keyword density is 1%. Aim for 1-3% for best results.

Keyword Research

Content

The process of finding and analyzing search terms your target customers use. Informs what to write about and how to structure content.

Example: You discover that 'emergency plumber near me' gets 2,000 monthly searches in your area, so you create a page optimized for that phrase.

Keyword Stuffing

Content

Overusing keywords on a page to try to rank higher. Search engines penalize keyword stuffing—good content that naturally includes keywords ranks better.

Example: Bad: 'We offer plumbing, plumbing services, best plumbing, affordable plumbing, plumbing repair, plumbing installation...' Avoid this.

Meta Description

Content

A 155-160 character summary of your page that appears below the title in search results. It doesn't directly affect rankings but influences click-through rates.

Example: For a plumbing services page: 'Professional plumbing services in Dublin. Emergency repairs, maintenance & installations. Available 24/7. Get a free quote today.'

Search Intent

Content

What the searcher actually wants to find when they type a query. Informational, navigational, or transactional (buying).

Example: 'Best plumber near me' shows commercial intent (they want to hire someone), while 'how to fix a leaky tap' shows informational intent (they want to learn).

Title Tag

Content

The main heading for your page that appears in browser tabs and search results. Should be unique, descriptive, and include your main keyword.

Example: Instead of 'Services', use 'Professional Plumbing Services in Dublin | 24/7 Emergency Service'.

Technical

Canonical URL

Technical

The preferred URL version of a page. If the same content exists at multiple URLs, you tell search engines which one to treat as the original.

Example: For a service page, you might choose www.example.com/plumbing as the canonical URL instead of example.com/plumbing (with or without www).

Canonicalization

Technical

When the same content is available at multiple URLs. A canonical URL tells search engines which version is the 'official' one to rank.

Example: If your business page is at both example.com/services and example.com/services/, you'd mark one as canonical to avoid duplicate content confusion.

Crawl Budget

Technical

The limit on how many pages search engines will crawl on your site. Large sites with limited budgets need to prioritize important pages.

Example: If you have 10,000 pages but search engines only crawl 1,000 daily, you have a crawl budget of 1,000 pages per day.

Crawlability

Technical

How easily search engine robots can navigate and access your website. If search engines can't crawl your pages, they can't rank them.

Example: A page blocked by robots.txt, hidden behind JavaScript, or inside a login wall has poor crawlability.

Domain Authority

Technical

A score (0-100) that estimates how trustworthy and important your entire website is. Higher scores mean you're more likely to rank well.

Example: A website about local plumbing with lots of quality links from trusted sources might have a domain authority of 45, while a new site might be 5.

Indexing

Technical

The process where search engines store and organize your pages in their database. If your page is indexed, it can appear in search results.

Example: When you publish a new page, Google eventually crawls it and adds it to the Google index so it can appear in search results.

Internal Linking

Technical

Links from one page on your site to another page on your site. Helps visitors navigate and distributes page authority throughout your site.

Example: Your homepage links to your services pages, which link to your contact page—this is internal linking.

Meta Tags

Technical

Hidden HTML code that gives search engines information about your page. Meta descriptions, keywords, and other metadata are examples.

Example: Inside your page's <head> section, you might have: <meta name='description' content='Your page summary here'>

Mobile Friendliness

Technical

How well your website works on smartphones and tablets. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in mobile search results.

Example: Your site should have readable text without zooming, clickable buttons that work on touch screens, and fast loading on mobile networks.

Page Authority

Technical

A score (0-100) that estimates how well a specific page will rank in search results. Higher scores indicate better ranking potential.

Example: Your homepage might have a Page Authority of 50, while a new blog post starts at 10.

Page Speed

Technical

How fast your website loads. Faster sites rank better and have lower bounce rates. Users expect pages to load in under 3 seconds.

Example: A page that loads in 1 second performs better than one taking 5 seconds, even with identical content.

Robots.txt

Technical

A file that tells search engines which pages they can and can't crawl on your site. Helps manage crawl budget and hide sensitive areas.

Example: Your robots.txt might say 'Disallow: /admin/' to prevent search engines from crawling admin pages.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

Technical

The page of results that appears when you search on Google, Bing, or other search engines. Your goal is to appear in the top results.

Example: When you search 'plumber in Dublin', the SERP shows 10 organic results plus ads at the top and bottom.

Schema Markup

Technical

Special HTML code that helps search engines understand what your content is about. Can improve how your page appears in search results.

Example: Adding recipe schema markup tells Google that your page contains a recipe, so it displays the recipe in special recipe search results.

Site Speed

Technical

How quickly pages on your entire website load. A slower site hurts rankings and user experience. Technical optimization improves site speed.

Example: If pages load in 2 seconds on average, your site has good speed. If they load in 6+ seconds, you need optimization.

Structured Data

Technical

Standardized HTML code that provides specific information to search engines about your content (reviews, events, products, etc.).

Example: Adding structured data for a local business tells Google your address, phone number, hours, and star rating to display in search results.

User Experience (UX)

Technical

How easy and pleasant it is for visitors to use your website. Includes design, navigation, speed, and mobile-friendliness. Good UX improves rankings.

Example: A site with confusing navigation, slow loading, and broken buttons has poor UX and fewer visitors will convert to customers.

XML Sitemap

Technical

A file listing all your website pages to help search engines discover and crawl them more efficiently. Not required but helpful.

Example: Your sitemap might list 500 pages and tell Google which are most important and how often they change.

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