SEO Glossary of Terms
Here are some definitions for the way Lamark talks about SEO.
In this Page:
- Campaign Organization
- On-page Optimization
- Content Optimization
- Technical Optimization
- Local Optimization
- Backlink Profile Optimization
- Data Analysis & Reporting
Campaign Organization
SEO strategy: sometimes also referred to as an SEO marketing strategy is 1a category of activities that contribute to the overall campaign design. Analyzing data, auditing, and creating or updating the roadmap are all activities that fall into this category. 2the overall campaign design. Smaller subsections of an SEO strategy can include local SEO strategy, international SEO strategy, and ecommerce SEO strategy.
SERP: acronym for Search Engine Results Page, the phrase used to define a page of results shown after typing a query in a search engine such as Google or Bing.
On-Page Optimization
Keyword or search query: interchangeable terms describing the phrase that is typed into a search engine.
Keyword research: the process of researching ranking phrases(search queries) and potential phrases for each piece of content and assigning targets per page, making sure there is no keyword cannibalization and that the user intent(audience intent) for the phrase matches the content or planned content.
Keyword cannibalization: the result of 2 pages from the same website competing for the same keyword phrase, wherein the lack of clear signals on which page is meant for that keyword results in the search engine serving neither page, and competitors win the visibility for that query.
Title tag: sometimes referred to as the “page title,” is a short snippet of code summarizing the content of a page, which is the text shown in a browser tab for the page and shown as the blue link when the page is served in a search engine. This tag is the primary place for keyword usage.
Title tag optimization: the process of re-writing title tags based on keyword targeting and SERP research.
Meta description: a short description placed in the code of a page to describe the content with the page’s keyword target in mind. This snippet of code is designed to be used in the result shown in a search engine when the page is served.
Meta description optimization: the process of analyzing top ranking webpages for target keywords in order to create a clickable, relevant description designed to increase Click-Thru Rate.
Metadata: 1the title tag and meta description. 2the collection of code snippets on a page that are characterized as meta tags, including the title tag, meta description, canonical tag, open graph tags, Twitter cards, robots tags, viewport, charset, language, and the deprecated keywords tag.
Heading tags: the lines on a page coded using <h1> through <h6>. Think of these as the outline of the page content.
Heading structure: how headings are organized on a page. Clear and well-organized structure is important to user experience, and therefore, SEO.
Heading structure optimization: executing code changes to correct heading structure, as well as analyzing opportunities to add relevant headings. Can be an independent activity or a function of page optimization. Common SEO
Image optimization: improving the quality or description of an image. Actions associated with image optimization include compressing filesizes; utilizing descriptive, keyword-targeted filenames; and adding descriptive, keyword-targeted alt text.
Alt text: a textual description of an image used in code. It is used by screen readers to assist visually impaired users, when images fail to load in the browser, and for relevance for image search.
Internal linking optimization: 1reviewing post inventory and scanning each post’s contents for opportunities to cross-link relevant content. 2optimizing the anchor text of links between pages on the same website.
Page optimization: the action of optimizing the entirety of a webpage, which often includes revisions to metadata, headings, heading structure, body content, image alt text, and internal links.
Striking distance keyword optimization: analyzing pages or blog posts that are ranking for keywords in position 5-15 in a search engine to determine how they can improve ranking for those keywords, and executing Content Optimization action items
Content Optimization
Content strategy: the document outlining the content to be produced for the upcoming quarter.
Content brief: a portion of the content strategy document detailing the recommendations and requirements for a single piece of content.
Content writing: copywriting; the process of producing the content outlined in the strategy.
Content optimization: the review of a piece of content by an SEO Specialist and optimization of the text and other elements within.
Content publishing: the process of uploading content to a CMS, tagging, publishing to a website, checking for quality assurance, and submitting to search engines.
Content buildout: additional content recommended to include on a page based on analyzing its ranking keywords and competing pages, with the goal of creating a better resource for users.
Technical Optimization
Information architecture: the framework of information flow on a website. This takes into consideration user journey, click depth, and user intent alignment with user experience.
Crawl budget: the amount of resources that search engines allocate to crawling a website within a given timeframe. It determines how many pages of a website a search engine will crawl and index.
Crawl budget optimization: the process of improving search engine crawling through index sculpting.
Server and crawl error cleanup: crawling a website to detect and eliminate broken webpages and unnecessary redirects (which impact server load and site speed), and managing redirects for webpages detected by Google to be missing.
Schema optimization: addition of relevant snippets of code that provide tactical data to search engines about the structure of a website, your business as a non-digital entity, products and services.
Local Optimization
Local search optimization: the process of optimizing your local presence to attract more customers from relevant local-intent search queries. This includes both onsite optimization techniques, and offsite techniques such as optimization of Map listings.
Google Business Profile: Google’s platform for managing your business listings in Google Maps. Abbreviated as GBP.
GBP post: a post made on GBP which allows a business to share an update, offer, event, or other relevant content. The posts appear in the business’s Knowledge Panel when a branded search is performed in Google.
GBP optimization: the process of optimizing all aspects of a GBP listing. This is often an opportunity to edge out competitors by adopting new feature rollouts early.
NAP: an acronym for Name, Address, Phone number. Consistent usage of your NAP across business directories (like YellowPages.com) helps to validate your local business.
Citation: an instance of your NAP on a business directory. Maximizing the number of citations on relevant directories is a form of backlink acquisition for your Map listings.
Backlink Profile Optimization
Linkless mentions: mentions of your brand on other websites that do not link to your website.
Linkless mention outreach: locating positive linkless mentions, and calling or emailing the publisher to request that they include a link to your website.
Competitor backlink analysis: the process of evaluating your competitors’ backlink profile to uncover the strongest backlinks with potential for your website, and the strategies with which your competitors have earned valuable backlinks.
Competitor link acquisition: the pursuit of backlinks found among your competitors through strategies identified during competitor backlink analysis.
Resource page link building: a tactic designed to acquire backlinks from pages that list resources, such as tools or references, for a particular niche. This is well-suited for rich, detailed webpages on a focused topic. It involves performing intensive research, evaluating potential outreach targets, obtaining contact information, and performing outreach and follow-up. As with many backlink acquisition tactics, the success rate is low, but backlinks acquired are highly valuable.
Hyperlocal link building: a strategy focused on acquiring backlinks from online entities that are geographically close to a business’s location. These backlinks have high relevance and can often exemplify real-world relationships, helping to validate the offline aspects of a business entity.
Link pruning: analysis of existing backlinks and determining whether any are “toxic” or causing negative impact on the site’s search equity, and subsequent efforts to have those backlinks removed or disavowed. This process has become less necessary as Google’s algorithm has become more adept at detecting the source of negative backlinks. This should only be performed if there is a clear correlation to negative backlinks (often intentionally built by humans) and poor performance results.
Video syndication: utilizing existing video assets to distribute across multiple channels, including video engines, within website content, or within offsite properties such as articles and forums.
Content syndication: utilizing existing content to distribute across multiple channels, including GBP, 3rd-party publishing platforms and social media; may require additional supporting content such as snippets, infographics, slideshows, etc.
Influencer/publisher outreach: locating active users of a product, or offering a sample to relevant bloggers/publishers, to request they review the product or service on their website.
Data Analysis & Reporting
Auditing: the process of evaluating a website and its performance in search engines to identify weak points or opportunities to strengthen and capitalize on positive momentum. During an SEO website audit, content topics are added to the content research or action items are added to the roadmap, which may include deeper analysis projects, hands-on optimization, or offsite optimization.
Performance monitoring: the act of reviewing performance data to ensure there are no drastic changes in search engine indexing or impressions. Diligent monitoring can allow for more agile changes to strategy if issues are detected early.
Algorithm update monitoring: staying up-to-date with algorithm behavior in relation to website performance and search equity.
Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools analysis: review of search engine-provided data to identify actions to inform the roadmap and SEO strategy.
Competitor analysis: the process of evaluating your competitors’ strategies, strengths and weaknesses to identify opportunities. This can include a competitors keywords, content, and backlink profile.