The SEO glossary, in plain English.
Every term your agency puts in a report and never explains. One page per term, defined in a sentence, then explained properly — including whether it actually matters to your revenue or just fills a slide.
ai Search9
- AI OverviewsAI Overviews are Google's AI answers above the results. Here's what they did to click-through rates, which queries are safe, and what gets cited.
- AI visibilityAI visibility is how often assistants mention or cite your brand. A free manual method: 25 fixed buyer prompts, run monthly, logged in a sheet.
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)Answer engine optimization is structuring content so answer engines quote it. Here's how AEO differs from GEO and which formats get lifted verbatim.
- Brand mentionsA brand mention is your name appearing without a link. Why unlinked mentions now matter more, and where Indian brands earn them without PR spend.
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)Generative engine optimization means getting cited inside AI answers. Most of it is the SEO you should already be doing — here are the three new parts.
- Google AI ModeGoogle AI Mode answers in prose instead of listing links. How query fan-out picks sources, and why deep sub-topic coverage beats one giant page.
- Knowledge GraphThe Knowledge Graph is Google's database of entities and how they connect. What an Indian SME actually needs before Google will build a panel.
- llms.txtllms.txt lists your key pages for AI models. Google says it has no ranking effect. Here's the honest case for one, a sample file, and when to skip it.
- Zero-click searchA zero-click search ends without anyone visiting a website, and most now do. Triage your Search Console queries before the exposed half evaporates.
Analytics10
- Average positionAverage position is the mean rank of your page across every impression. It's the most misread number in Search Console — here's how to use it properly.
- Bounce rateBounce rate is the share of sessions with no engagement. GA4 redefined it, Google doesn't rank on it, and it only means anything read by page type.
- Click-through rate (CTR)Click-through rate is clicks divided by impressions. What a normal organic CTR looks like by position, and why AI Overviews have pushed the old curve down.
- Conversion rateConversion rate is conversions divided by sessions. Most Indian sites under-report it badly, because calls and WhatsApp chats never get tracked at all.
- Google Analytics 4Google Analytics 4 records events, not pageviews. Here's what broke in the forced migration and the six events an Indian lead-gen site must fire.
- Google core updateA Google core update is a broad ranking change, not a penalty. Here's how to confirm one hit you, and the two-week protocol before you change a thing.
- Google Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console is the free tool showing how Google sees your site. Here are the five reports worth opening weekly and the 16-month data trap.
- ImpressionsAn impression means your page appeared in results for a query. How Google counts them, and why rising impressions with flat clicks is normal at first.
- Organic trafficOrganic traffic is visits from unpaid search. Branded queries, dark traffic and AI referrals all distort the number — here's how to read it honestly.
- SERPSERP means search engine results page. The features now sitting above the ten blue links, and what each one does to your realistic share of the clicks.
Content12
- Content decayContent decay is traffic quietly draining from pages that used to rank. Here's how to spot it in Search Console and choose between refresh, merge and cut.
- Content gap analysisA content gap analysis finds the queries competitors rank for and you don't. Here's the free Search Console method, and how to prioritise what it turns up.
- E-E-A-TE-E-A-T means experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. It isn't a score. Here's what raters look for and a 20-minute fix for any page.
- EntityAn entity is a thing Google recognises: a person, brand, product or place. Here's how entities differ from keywords, and the four signals you control.
- Featured snippetA featured snippet is the answer box above the results. Here's the 40-60 word format that wins one, and what AI Overviews changed about the prize.
- Keyword researchKeyword research is finding the queries your buyers actually type. Here's a free method using Search Console, autocomplete and the SERP — no paid tool.
- Long-tail keywordsA long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific query with less competition. How to find them in India, and why they convert better than head terms do.
- Pillar pageA pillar page is the hub that routes readers to every deep page on a topic. Here's the right length, the linking pattern, and when not to build one.
- Search intentSearch intent is what someone actually wants when they type a query. The four types, how to read intent straight off the SERP, and why it beats volume.
- Thin contentThin content is a page that adds nothing a reader couldn't get elsewhere. Word count isn't the test. Here's the real test, and how to fix pages at scale.
- Topic clusterA topic cluster is one pillar page plus the pages that link to it. Here's how to plan a 12-page cluster where no two pages fight for the same query.
- Topical authorityTopical authority is how completely your site covers a subject. Here's how to turn it into a countable map, a coverage score and a publishing order.
Off Page13
- BacklinkA backlink is a link from another site to yours. Here is how links pass authority, what makes one worth having, and what a real link costs in India.
- Backlink profileYour backlink profile is every link pointing at your domain, taken together. Here are six columns to check and the pattern that means links were bought.
- Domain Authority (DA)Domain Authority is Moz's 1-100 prediction of ranking strength, and Google does not use it. Here is the one legitimate use and where founders misread it.
- Domain Rating (DR)Domain Rating is Ahrefs' 0-100 score built purely on backlinks. It ignores traffic entirely, which is exactly what makes it cheap for a vendor to inflate.
- Google Business ProfileA Google Business Profile is your free listing in Maps and the local pack. Primary category decides more of your ranking than anything else you control.
- Guest postingGuest posting means writing for another site for a link and an audience. Here is the six-point test that separates a real publication from a link farm.
- Link buildingLink building is earning links from other sites on purpose. Here are the tactics that still work in India, the rupee ranges, and the ones that backfire.
- Link equityLink equity is the ranking value a link passes. Follow one homepage backlink through a bloated footer and you can see where most sites waste theirs.
- Local citationsA local citation is any online mention of your name, address and phone. Here's which Indian directories are worth claiming and what NAP mismatches cost.
- Nofollow linkA nofollow link tells Google not to pass ranking credit. Since 2019 it is a hint, not a rule, and rel=sponsored and rel=ugc changed how paid posts work.
- Off-page SEOOff-page SEO is everything that builds authority away from your site. Here are the four activities that still register, and the six that stopped in 2012.
- Referring domainA referring domain is one unique website linking to you, however many links it sends. Here's the one-minute ratio check that exposes an inflated report.
- Toxic backlinksToxic backlinks are spammy links said to drag a site down. Most are harmless and Google ignores them. Here is when a disavow is genuinely warranted.
on Page11
- Alt textAlt text describes an image for screen readers and search engines. Learn how long it should be, when to leave it empty, and why product photos need it.
- Anchor textAnchor text is the clickable wording in a link, and it tells Google what the target page covers. Learn the five types, exact-match risk and audit steps.
- Breadcrumb navigationBreadcrumb navigation shows where a page sits inside your site. It helps users, internal linking and search results. Here is the markup and common errors.
- H1 tagThe H1 is the main heading on a page. Learn how many you need, how it should differ from your title tag, and how headings map to page structure.
- Internal linkingInternal linking connects your own pages and moves ranking signals between them. Aim for 3-8 contextual links per 1,000 words. Here's how to pick them.
- Keyword cannibalizationKeyword cannibalization is two of your pages fighting for one query. It splits signals. Here's how to spot it in Search Console and merge pages correctly.
- Keyword stuffingKeyword stuffing is repeating a phrase unnaturally to force a ranking. There is no correct keyword density. Here is what it looks like and what to write.
- Meta descriptionA meta description is the summary under your search result. Google often replaces it. Here's when yours survives, and how to write one that gets used.
- On-page SEOOn-page SEO is everything you control on the page itself: content, headings, links and markup. Here's the 12-point checklist we run before writing a word.
- Title tagThe title tag is the clickable headline Google shows in results. Learn the pixel width that matters more than character count, and how to earn more clicks.
- URL slugA URL slug is the readable part of a web address after the domain. Short, lowercase, hyphenated. Here is when renaming one is worth the redirect risk.
Paid8
- Cost per click (CPC)Cost per click is what you actually pay, not what you bid. The formula, Indian CPC bands by category in rupees, and the levers that lower yours.
- Keyword match typesKeyword match types decide how loosely Google matches your ad to a search. Broad, phrase and exact in 2026 — and exactly where each one wastes budget.
- Negative keywordsNegative keywords stop ads showing for queries you don't want. A ready starter list for Indian advertisers and the weekly routine that grows it.
- PPC (pay-per-click)PPC means you pay only when someone clicks. The auction arithmetic that lets a rival outrank you on a lower bid, plus realistic Indian CPC bands.
- Quality ScoreQuality Score is Google Ads' 1-10 relevance rating. What a 4 versus an 8 does to a ₹1,00,000 budget, and why the landing page beats the ad copy.
- RetargetingRetargeting shows ads to people who already visited you. Audience windows, frequency caps, cookie loss — and the traffic floor below which it can't work.
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)ROAS is revenue divided by ad spend. A worked Indian D2C example showing why 3x loses money once GST, COGS, shipping and COD returns come out.
- UTM parametersUTM parameters are tags added to a link so analytics knows where a visit came from. The five fields, a naming convention, and the classic mistakes.
Social7
- Content calendarA content calendar is the plan for what you publish, where and when. A monthly format that survives a two-person team and an Indian festival season.
- Engagement rateEngagement rate measures interactions against reach or followers. The two formulas, which one your agency should report, and how the number gets inflated.
- HashtagsA hashtag turns a word into a searchable link. How many to use per platform in 2026, and why hashtag SEO is no longer the reach lever it used to be.
- Influencer marketingInfluencer marketing is paying creators to reach their audience. The nano-to-mega tiers, typical Indian rate ranges, and how to brief so a campaign lands.
- Instagram SEOInstagram SEO makes your profile and posts findable in search. Where keywords go, what the algorithm reads, and why Google now indexes public posts.
- Social listeningSocial listening tracks what people say about your brand and category online. What to monitor, free ways to do it, and how to act on what you find.
- User-generated content (UGC)User-generated content is content your customers make about you. How to collect it legally, where it converts hardest, and the rights you need first.
Technical Seo20
- 301 redirectA 301 redirect permanently sends one URL to another and passes its ranking signals. Here's the migration map, the chain trap, and how long to keep them.
- 404 errorA 404 error means the URL doesn't exist, and it isn't a penalty. Here's how to decide which 404s to redirect, which to restore, and which to simply leave.
- Broken linksBroken links point at URLs that return an error. Here's how to find them, which ones to fix first, and how to reclaim value from dead backlinks.
- Canonical tagA canonical tag tells Google which URL is the original. Here's the exact syntax, the three ways it breaks on Indian stores, and how to check your own.
- CanonicalizationCanonicalization is how Google picks one URL when several serve the same page. Here are the four duplicate patterns that split rankings, and the fix order.
- Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are Google's three page-experience metrics: LCP, INP and CLS. Here are the thresholds and what they mean on an Indian mobile network.
- Crawl budgetCrawl budget is how many URLs Googlebot will fetch from your site. Most sites under 10,000 pages don't have a problem — here's how to tell if yours does.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)Cumulative Layout Shift scores how much your page jumps while loading. Keep it under 0.1. Ads, late fonts and sticky offer bars cause most of it.
- HreflangHreflang tells Google which language and country version of a page to show. Use en-IN, not en-india, and keep every tag reciprocal or it fails silently.
- IndexingIndexing is Google storing your page so it can rank. Here's the crawl-render-index path, and what each Page Indexing status means you should do this week.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP)Interaction to Next Paint measures how fast your page answers a tap. Target is under 200ms. Third-party tags and chat widgets do most of the damage.
- JavaScript SEOJavaScript SEO makes sure Google can render and index content your code builds in the browser. Here's the render queue, CSR risks and Next.js specifics.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)Largest Contentful Paint measures how fast your main content appears. Google wants under 2.5 seconds. Here's what breaks it, and the order to fix it in.
- Log file analysisLog file analysis reads server logs to see what Googlebot actually crawled. It's the only fully accurate bot data. Here's how to run one, step by step.
- Mobile-first indexingMobile-first indexing means Google ranks your site using the mobile version. With most Indian traffic on phones, content parity isn't optional any more.
- NoindexNoindex tells Google to keep a page out of search results. It only works if the page stays crawlable, which is why a robots.txt block backfires badly.
- Orphan pageAn orphan page has no internal links pointing at it, so Google struggles to find it. Here's the crawl-plus-sitemap-plus-GSC method that surfaces them.
- Robots.txtRobots.txt tells crawlers where they may go. It controls crawling, not indexing — and that one distinction breaks a surprising number of live sites.
- Schema markupSchema markup is code that tells search engines what your content is. Here are the JSON-LD types that still earn rich results, and the ones Google retired.
- XML sitemapAn XML sitemap lists the URLs you want Google to find. Learn the 50,000-URL limit, honest lastmod dates, and how to turn a sitemap into a diagnostic.
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