On-page SEO covers all the optimizations made directly on your site's pages — titles, headings, content, meta descriptions and URL structure.
The meta description is a 150-160 character text placed in the HTML code that appears under the page title in Google results and influences the click-through rate (CTR).
A featured snippet is the box that appears above Google's organic results — "Position 0" — showing a direct answer to a question, extracted from one of the indexed pages.
The meta description is a 150-160 character text placed in the HTML code that appears under the page title in Google results and influences the click-through rate (CTR).
The title tag is the most important on-page SEO element. It is the text in the <title> tag in the <head> that appears as the browser tab title and in the SERP.
The H1 heading is the most important heading on the page, used once to name the page's main topic. It is different from the title tag and crucial for SEO.
Heading structure is the correct H1 → H2 → H3 hierarchy that helps Google and users understand how content is organized.
Keyword density is the percentage of target keywords out of a page's total words. Too low = weak optimization; too high = penalized keyword stuffing.
LSI keywords are synonyms and related words to the target keyword. Google uses them to understand context and determine whether a page is truly about the topic.
Readability is how easily readers can understand the text. Well-structured content with short paragraphs, lists and headings ranks better and attracts more traffic.
Internal linking is the practice of linking from one of your pages to other pages on your site. It distributes authority between pages and helps crawlability.
A backlink is a hyperlink placed on an external site that points to a page on your site, signalling authority and relevance to Google.
Domain Authority is a score from 0 to 100, created by Moz, that estimates how well a domain can rank on Google results pages.
Link building is the active process of acquiring backlinks from external sites in order to increase your domain's authority and improve your Google ranking.
Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink that tells Google and users what the page the link points to is about.
The dofollow attribute (default) lets Google follow a link and pass authority, while nofollow (rel="nofollow") signals that the link should not be followed and passes no PageRank.
Guest posting is the practice of writing articles published on external sites in your niche, earning in return dofollow backlinks that increase your domain's authority.
Page Authority is a Moz score from 0 to 100 that estimates how well an individual page can rank on Google, based on the backlinks pointing specifically to that page.
Off-page SEO covers all the actions taken outside your site to increase its authority and ranking — mainly link building and brand signals.
Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink that tells Google and users what the page the link points to is about.
The dofollow attribute (default) lets Google follow a link and pass authority, while nofollow (rel="nofollow") signals that the link should not be followed and passes no PageRank.
Technical SEO covers the optimizations of your site's infrastructure — crawlability, indexing, loading speed, HTTPS and data structure — that let Google find and understand your pages.
Core Web Vitals are 3 technical Google metrics — LCP, INP and CLS — that measure page user experience and have been official ranking factors since 2021.
Schema markup is structured data in JSON-LD format added to a page's HTML that helps Google and LLMs understand the context and type of the content.
The canonical tag (rel="canonical") tells Google which is the main version of a page when similar or duplicate URLs exist, preventing duplicate-content penalties.
Robots.txt is a text file placed at the root of a site that tells crawlers (Google, Bing, GPTBot) which pages they may or may not access and index.
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important URLs of your site, helping Google discover and index them faster and more completely.
Crawlability is the ability of Google's robots to access, navigate and read your site's pages — an essential prerequisite for indexing and ranking.
Duplicate content occurs when the same or very similar text exists on multiple URLs — either on the same site or on different sites — confusing Google about which version to rank.
Google indexing is the process by which Google adds web pages to its database (the Google index) after crawling them, making them eligible to appear in search results.
Crawlability is the ability of Google's robots to access, navigate and read your site's pages — an essential prerequisite for indexing and ranking.
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important URLs of your site, helping Google discover and index them faster and more completely.
Robots.txt is a text file placed at the root of a site that tells crawlers (Google, Bing, GPTBot) which pages they may or may not access and index.
A canonical URL is the rel="canonical" attribute that tells Google which is the "true" version of a page when duplicate versions exist (e.g. with and without www, with and without a trailing slash).
URL structure is how your site's page URLs are organized. Shorter, cleaner and more descriptive URLs rank better and are easier to share.
Hreflang is an HTML tag that tells Google which versions of a page exist in other languages or regions, avoiding duplicate-content penalties for multilingual content.
Core Web Vitals are 3 technical Google metrics — LCP, INP and CLS — that measure page user experience and have been official ranking factors since 2021.
Page speed is how fast a page loads. Faster pages rank better and have a lower bounce rate.
Mobile optimization is adapting a site for mobile. Google ranks "mobile-first" — pages not optimized for mobile rank poorly.
Responsive design is a web design method that makes a site automatically adapt to any screen size (desktop, tablet, mobile).
Duplicate content = the same (or very similar) content on multiple URLs. Google penalizes pages with internal and external duplicate content.
Structured data is HTML code (JSON-LD, microdata) that tells Google information about the content (article, event, recipe, product) for featured snippets and rich results.
Schema.org is a collaborative standard for structured-data markup. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Yandex support it. Used to encode web content in a structured format.
Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business's online presence to appear in geographic search results — "dentist near me" or "restaurant London".
Local SEO optimizes your site and business profile to appear in Google Maps and local search results for location keywords ("hair salon London").
Google Business Profile is a free Google tool where you manage how your business appears in Google Maps and local search results. Essential for companies with a physical location.
NAP = Name, Address, Phone. NAP consistency means a business's Name, Address and Phone are identical across the whole web (site, GBP, directories). Inconsistency = poor local ranking.
Citations are mentions of your business's NAP (Name, Address, Phone) on other websites, directories or review platforms. Without a link. Citations signal local authority.
Google reviews are ratings and comments left by customers on a Google Business Profile. Positive reviews = higher trust, more local traffic. Negative reviews = a problem.
Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases your target audience searches for on Google, so you can create content that answers exactly those searches.
Search intent is the purpose behind a Google search — why the user is searching that term: to learn, to compare, to buy or to navigate to a specific site.
Long-tail keywords are longer, specific search phrases (3+ words) that have lower volume but clearer intent and less competition than short, generic terms.
The SERP is the results page Google displays after a search, which includes organic results, paid ads, featured snippets, the Local Pack and other special formats.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is the framework Google uses to assess the credibility and quality of a site's content.
Content marketing is the strategy of creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract, engage and convert a target audience — without direct advertising.
Long-tail keywords are longer, specific search phrases (3+ words) that have lower volume but clearer intent and less competition than short, generic terms.
Search intent is the purpose behind a Google search — why the user is searching that term: to learn, to compare, to buy or to navigate to a specific site.
A word stem is the root of a word from which other forms derive. Google treats variations with the same stem (article, articles, the article) as synonyms for ranking purposes.
SEO tools are software or websites that help with SEO auditing, analysis and monitoring. Examples: Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, SE Ranking. Essential for data-driven SEO strategy.
LLM SEO (or GEO — Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content to be cited or recommended by AI models like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews.
RankBrain is a Google AI algorithm that understands the meaning of search queries and pages, even with new words. It is the 3rd ranking factor after links and content.
Engagement metrics (dwell time, bounce rate, pages per session) measure how engaged users are on your page. High engagement = a positive ranking signal.
AI SEO = optimizing content to be cited by AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and to appear in AI-generated answers. Different from traditional Google SEO.
Organic CTR is the percentage of users who click your Google result out of all who see it — an important indicator of how effective your titles and meta descriptions are.
Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on a page and leave without interacting with other pages of the site, indicating the relevance and quality of the page experience.
Google Search Console is Google's free tool that shows how your site appears in search: which keywords bring traffic, which pages are indexed and which technical errors exist.
An SEO audit is a systematic evaluation of a site that identifies the technical, content and link issues limiting Google performance, with prioritized remediation recommendations.
The conversion rate is the percentage of site visitors who complete a desired action — a purchase, booking, form submission or phone call.
CTR is the percentage of clicks on your SERP link out of the total impressions. Higher CTRs = more traffic from the same position.
The SERP is the results page Google displays after a search, which includes organic results, paid ads, featured snippets, the Local Pack and other special formats.
A featured snippet is the box that appears above Google's organic results — "Position 0" — showing a direct answer to a question, extracted from one of the indexed pages.
Google Search Console is Google's free tool that shows how your site appears in search: which keywords bring traffic, which pages are indexed and which technical errors exist.
Search analytics (from GSC) shows your SEO data: ranked keywords, their positions, CTR and impressions. It is the basis for data-driven SEO optimization.
The ranking position is where a page appears in Google's results pages for a keyword. Position 1 = the best; 10 = page 1; 11+ = page 2 and beyond.
Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on a page and leave without interacting with other pages of the site, indicating the relevance and quality of the page experience.