Glossary | SEO and AI search
SEO glossary: SEO and GEO terms in plain English.
This SEO glossary explains classic SEO words and the newer AI search terms most glossaries skip. Each entry says what the term means and why it matters.
- Terms
- A to Z
- Author
- Dmytro Verzhykovskyi
- Cost
- Free to read
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How to use it
How to use this SEO glossary.
Skim this SEO glossary once to see the shape of the field. Keep the SEO glossary open in a tab. Then come back when you need a single term.
It is most useful when you read an agency proposal. If a term in the contract is one you cannot define, look it up in the SEO glossary and ask the agency to explain it. A good SEO glossary should answer in seconds.
Search keeps changing, so this SEO glossary includes AI search terms as well as classic ones.
SEO glossary: A to C
SEO glossary terms A to C.
Entries in this part of the SEO glossary, in alphabetical order.
AI Crawlers
Bots run by AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. They read web pages to train language models or to feed AI search answers. Clear, well-structured pages are easier for them to use.
Algorithm
The rules a search engine uses to decide which pages appear for a search and in what order. Google looks at many factors, such as relevance, links and page experience. Updates can move rankings quickly.
Backlink
A link from one website to another. Links remain a strong signal in SEO. One link from a respected industry site can count for more than many links from weak directories. See my off-page SEO service.
Brand Mentions in AI
The times an AI tool such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity names your business in an answer. They depend on how clearly and widely your business is described across the web.
Canonical URL
The preferred version of a page when several web addresses show the same content. The rel="canonical" tag tells search engines which one to index, so your ranking signals are not split.
Citation in AI Search
When an AI tool names a source for part of its answer. Perplexity and Google AI Overviews do this. Clear facts, structured data and real expertise make a source easier to cite.
Content Authority Signal
A sign that your content is trustworthy and expert. Examples are named authors, citations from other trusted sources, full coverage of a topic and steady accuracy. These matter for GEO too.
Core Web Vitals
Google's measures of real user experience: Largest Contentful Paint (loading speed), Interaction to Next Paint (response to taps and clicks) and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). Poor scores can hurt rankings, especially on mobile.
Crawl Budget
The number of pages a search engine will crawl on your site in a set time. It matters most for large sites (10,000+ pages), where Google may spend its time on low-value pages.
SEO glossary: D to I
SEO glossary terms D to I.
Entries in this part of the SEO glossary, in alphabetical order.
Digital Footprint (for GEO)
Everything about your business online: your website, social profiles, directories, forums, news mentions and review sites. A clear, consistent footprint makes it easier for AI tools to recognize your business.
Domain Authority
A score from 1 to 100 made by Moz. Ahrefs and Semrush have similar ones. It predicts how well a site may rank, based mostly on links. It is useful for comparing sites, but it is not a Google ranking factor.
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. This is Google's framework for judging content quality. It matters most for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics such as health, finance and law.
Entity Recognition
The ability of search engines and AI tools to identify people, businesses, places and ideas, and how they connect. If they recognize your business as an entity, they can describe it more accurately.
Featured Snippet
A highlighted answer above the normal results, often called position zero. It pulls a paragraph, list or table straight from a web page and can bring more visibility and clicks.
Generative Search
Search that writes an answer instead of, or next to, a list of links. Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT search and Perplexity are examples. It changes how people find businesses.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
Making your business easy for AI search tools, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, to find and recommend. It builds on SEO. See my GEO optimization service and the GEO vs SEO guide.
Google AI Overviews
AI-written summaries at the top of some Google results. They combine information from several sources and can reduce clicks to the results below. Clear structure and strong expertise signals help.
Google Business Profile
A free Google listing that shows in local results and Google Maps. It controls your name, address, phone, hours, photos, reviews and categories. It is a key part of local SEO.
Hreflang
An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language or regional version of a page to show. It matters for international SEO, for example English for the US and English for the UK.
Indexation
How search engines find your pages and store them. A page that is not indexed cannot appear in results. Common causes are noindex tags, crawl errors, thin content and canonical problems.
Internal Linking
Links from one page of your site to another. They help search engines understand your site, pass strength between pages and guide visitors to related content.
SEO glossary: K to O
SEO glossary terms K to O.
Entries in this part of the SEO glossary, in alphabetical order.
Keyword Cannibalization
When several pages on one site compete for the same search, so none ranks well. The fix is usually to merge the pages or give each one a different target.
Keyword Research
Finding the words your customers use when they look for what you sell. Good research looks at buyer intent, competition and your real chance to rank, not only search volume.
Knowledge Graph
Google's database of people, places, businesses and ideas, and how they connect.
LLM (Large Language Model)
The AI system, such as GPT, Gemini or Claude, behind AI assistants and generative search. It learns patterns from large amounts of text and uses them to write answers.
LLM Training Data
The text used to train a language model. Content in that data is more likely to be reflected in answers. That is why trusted sources beyond your own website matter for GEO.
Local Pack
The map with three local business listings that Google shows for searches with local intent. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity.
Long-tail Keywords
Longer, more specific searches, usually three or more words. "SEO agency" is a head term. "SEO agency for law firms in Los Angeles" is long-tail. They have lower volume but are often easier to win and closer to a purchase.
Meta Description
A short summary of a page in its HTML. It is not a direct ranking factor, but it can affect clicks from search results. Google sometimes rewrites it.
Multi-model Optimization
Working on your visibility across several AI tools at once, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot. Each tool picks and weighs sources differently.
NAP Consistency
Your name, address and phone number, written the same way in every listing, directory and citation. Mismatches confuse search engines and can hurt local rankings.
SEO glossary: P to S
SEO glossary terms P to S.
Entries in this part of the SEO glossary, in alphabetical order.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who arrive from unpaid search results. Unlike ads, a page that ranks well can keep bringing visitors without ongoing ad spend.
PageRank
Google's original link-based formula, named after co-founder Larry Page. Google no longer shows scores publicly, but the idea that links act as votes of confidence still matters.
Perplexity AI
An AI search engine that gives direct answers with cited sources. Being cited there takes strong content and clear coverage of your topic.
Prompt Optimization
For GEO, learning how people phrase questions to AI assistants and writing your content to answer those questions in natural language.
Query Intent
The goal behind a search: informational (learning), navigational (finding a site), commercial (comparing options) or transactional (ready to buy). A page that fits the wrong intent will not rank well.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
A method where an AI tool looks up documents from outside sources before it writes an answer, instead of using only what it learned in training. Content that is easy to retrieve and well structured benefits.
Rich Results
Search results with extras beyond the blue link, such as star ratings, images, FAQ dropdowns or product prices. Structured data on your page can make them possible.
Schema Markup
Structured data code, using the Schema.org vocabulary, that helps search engines understand a page. It supports rich results and gives clear facts about your business to search engines and AI tools. See my schema markup service.
SERP
Search Engine Results Page, the page you see after a search. It can include organic results, ads, featured snippets, the Local Pack, People Also Ask and AI Overviews.
Site Migration
A major change to a site: a new domain, platform or URL structure, or a move from HTTP to HTTPS. Poorly handled moves are a common cause of traffic loss, so redirects and testing matter.
SEO glossary: T to Z
SEO glossary terms T to Z.
Entries in this part of the SEO glossary, in alphabetical order.
Structured Data for AI
Schema.org markup used to help AI tools understand and describe your business correctly, with clear entities, service descriptions and facts.
Technical SEO
Making sure search engines can crawl, index and rank your site. It covers speed, mobile use, crawlability, indexation, schema, Core Web Vitals, site structure and HTTPS. See my technical SEO service.
Title Tag
The HTML title of a page. It shows as the clickable headline in search results and in the browser tab. A common guideline is 50 to 60 characters with your main keyword used naturally.
Topical Authority
How fully and expertly a site covers one subject. Several linked, high-quality pages on a topic usually beat a single article.
User Intent
The need that drives a person to search. It goes beyond the query to include where they are in the buying journey and what kind of content helps them most.
Voice Search
Searches spoken to an assistant such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant. They tend to be longer and more like questions, which overlaps with GEO.
XML Sitemap
A file that lists your important pages so search engines can find them. It helps large sites, new sites and complex sites. Submit it in Google Search Console and keep it current.
Zero-click Search
A search where people get the answer on the results page and never click a site. Featured snippets, Knowledge Panels and AI Overviews cause many of them. They can still build awareness.
Put it to work
From the SEO glossary to real results.
After the SEO glossary explains a term, see it in practice. Read the SEO case study for named client work, or the does SEO work page for screenshots. To see how ready your business is for AI search, try the GEO readiness check.
Bookmark this SEO glossary and share it with your team. A shared SEO glossary means shared words, and shared words make for better decisions. Related reading: GEO vs SEO, SEO services, GEO optimization and the blog.
About this page
Questions about this SEO glossary.
What is an SEO glossary?
An SEO glossary is a list of search words with plain definitions. This SEO glossary also covers AI search words, so you can follow both Google and ChatGPT conversations.
Which SEO glossary terms should an owner learn first?
Start with these entries in the SEO glossary: backlink, title tag, Google Business Profile, query intent and schema markup. They come up in almost every proposal and report.
Does this SEO glossary cover AI search?
Yes. The SEO glossary includes GEO, LLM, RAG, AI Overviews and brand mentions in AI. AI search work is included in every SEO plan I offer.
Does the SEO glossary cover new terms?
It includes AI search terms such as GEO, LLM and RAG next to classic SEO terms. Both are in this SEO glossary.
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