Updated February 2026 · Reference

SEO Glossary: 50+ Terms Explained

A comprehensive reference of SEO, AEO, and GEO terminology. Each definition is written for clarity — no jargon-in-jargon. Bookmark this page and refer back as you build your AI SEO strategy.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Optimizing content to appear in Google AI Overviews, featured snippets, and voice search results. Focuses on clear direct answers, FAQ schema, and concise definitions.

Alt Text

Descriptive text for images that helps search engines understand image content and improves accessibility. Should include relevant keywords naturally.

Anchor Text

The clickable text of a hyperlink. Descriptive anchor text signals to Google what the linked page is about.

Backlink

A link from another website to yours. Backlinks are one of Google's strongest ranking signals — they indicate trust and authority.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page. High bounce rates may indicate content doesn't match search intent.

Breadcrumbs

Navigation showing the page's position in the site hierarchy (Home > Category > Page). Improves UX and enables BreadcrumbList schema for search results.

Canonical Tag

HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page is the 'master' copy. Prevents duplicate content issues from URL variations.

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

Core Web Vital measuring visual stability — how much page content shifts during loading. Target: < 0.1.

Content Cluster / Topic Cluster

A group of interlinked pages covering a topic comprehensively. Consists of a pillar page and supporting cluster pages connected via internal links.

Core Web Vitals

Google's page experience metrics: LCP (loading), INP (interactivity), CLS (visual stability). Confirmed ranking factors since 2021.

Crawlability

How easily search engine bots can discover and access your pages. Affected by robots.txt, internal linking, and site architecture.

Domain Authority (DA)

A third-party metric (Moz) predicting ranking potential on a 0-100 scale. Not a Google ranking factor, but correlates with ranking ability.

E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness — Google's content quality framework. Shows in author bios, citations, credentials, and original research.

Featured Snippet

A highlighted answer box at the top of Google results (position zero). To win: provide clear, concise answers in paragraph, list, or table format.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Optimizing content to be cited by AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude). Focuses on quotable statements, data, and being the definitive source on a topic.

Google AI Overview

AI-generated summary at the top of Google results that cites and links to source pages. The AEO optimization target for 2026.

H1 Tag

The main heading of a page. Should contain the primary keyword, be unique per page, and accurately describe the page's content.

Indexation

The process of Google adding a page to its search index. Only indexed pages can appear in search results.

Internal Link

A link from one page on your site to another. Distributes page authority and helps Google understand site structure and topical relationships.

JSON-LD

JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data — the recommended format for implementing schema markup. Added as a <script> tag in the page head.

Keyword Cannibalization

When multiple pages on the same site target the same keyword, competing against each other. Resolved by consolidating pages or differentiating target keywords.

Keyword Difficulty (KD)

A score (0-100) estimating how hard it is to rank in the top 10 for a keyword. Based on backlink profiles of current ranking pages.

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

Core Web Vital measuring loading speed — the time it takes for the largest visible element to render. Target: < 2.5 seconds.

Long-Tail Keyword

A specific, multi-word search query (3+ words). Lower volume but higher conversion rates and lower competition than broad keywords.

Meta Description

A 150-155 character summary in the HTML head that appears in search results. Doesn't directly affect rankings but strongly affects click-through rates.

Meta Title / Title Tag

The page title shown in search results and browser tabs. Keep under 60 characters with the primary keyword near the front.

Noindex

A directive telling search engines not to include a page in their index. Used for admin pages, staging content, and thin pages.

Organic Traffic

Visitors who arrive at your site from unpaid search results. The primary goal of SEO.

Pillar Page

The central, comprehensive page of a topic cluster that covers a broad topic and links to all supporting cluster pages.

Programmatic SEO

Using templates and data to generate large numbers of SEO-optimized pages automatically. Common for directories, product listings, and local pages.

Robots.txt

A file at the site root that tells crawlers which pages to access or avoid. Critical for managing crawl budget and allowing AI crawlers.

Schema Markup

Structured data that helps search engines understand content context. Enables rich results like star ratings, FAQs, and breadcrumbs in search results.

Search Intent

The purpose behind a search query: informational (learn), commercial (compare), transactional (buy), or navigational (find). Content must match intent to rank.

SERP

Search Engine Results Page — what appears when you search on Google. Includes organic results, ads, featured snippets, and AI Overviews.

Sitemap (XML)

A file listing all pages on your site for search engines to crawl. Submitted via Google Search Console for faster indexation.

Speakable Schema

Schema markup identifying content suitable for text-to-speech by voice assistants. Used on answer pages and direct response content for AEO.

Topical Authority

The depth of coverage a site has on a specific subject. Built by publishing comprehensive topic clusters. Sites with strong topical authority rank for all related keywords.

XML Sitemap

See Sitemap. The standard sitemap format for search engines.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Search intent. It determines what type of content Google expects for a query. Getting intent wrong means your page won't rank regardless of how well-optimized it is.
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It's Google's quality framework for evaluating content — especially important for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics.
SEO optimizes for traditional search rankings. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) optimizes for featured snippets and AI Overviews. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) optimizes for citations in AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

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