SEO Glossary - Jargons, Terminology and Definitions

301
A server response code, meaning "page has been permanently moved to x" A 301 redirect is commonly used to redirect sites or individual pages in cases where a domain or page name is changed and is usually the preferred method of redirection by search engines.

302
A server response code meaning "page has temporarily moved". 302 redirects are a touchy subject with many people involved with SEO as they can be also used against a site through a process called 302 hijacking or pagejacking.

404 error page
The 404 or Not Found error message is an HTTP standard response code indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server, but the server either could not find the file that was requested, or it was configured not to fulfill the request and not reveal the reason why. The 404 error page will be displayed when this error occurs.
We usually use a custom 404 error page to retain the visitor who got a 404 error on your server.

Anchor Text
The visible text component of a hyperlink. Seen in between the <> and tags.

Algorithm
A mathematical formula used in calculating search engine ranking. The goal of any SEOP is to understand the algorithm as best as possible. Algorithms of course are very closely guarded secrets and I have never met anyone who has "cracked" an algorithm. Search engine algorithms change regularly to prevent anyone from gaming the system.

Alt Image Tag
engines aren't able to read images as such, so the alt tag or text attribute describes what the image represents.

Blog/Blogging
A weblog or a blog is a journal or newsletter that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption

Black Hat
A person engaged in or tactic used to increase search engine rankings using methods frowned upon by search engine companies.

Directory
A compilation of websites reviewed and organized by human editors into useful categories and topics, similar to the organization of the Yellow Pages. Examples of directories are Yahoo!, About.com, and the Open Directory Project.

Doorway pages
a page used for driving traffic to another page and usually focusing on specific keywords. Generally, doorway pages are designed for search engines only, human visitors never see them - consequently, they are frowned upon. Doorway pages should not be confused with landing pages, a legitimate strategy.

Dupe/Duplicate Content
usually used in reference to a penalty applied by a search engine for the same content appearing on different pages/sites. In theory, the site/page that was added to the search engine last should be the one that is penalized.

Grey Bar
A Google toolbar score that can indicate a ban in place on the page currently being viewed; i.e. the page does not appear in Google search results.

Grey Hat
Optimization strategies that are in a unknown area of reputability/validity.

IBL
Inbound Link. Links pointing from another site into your own.

KDA
Keyword Density Analyzer or Analysis. The ratio of keywords or keyphrases in relation to other text on a page.

Keyword/KW
A word or words that strongly relate to a page/site topic or search engine query.

Keyword Stuffing
Where a keyword or phrase is used excessively in page content or alt tags in an attempt to gain higher rankings. Can result in page penalties or bans.

Landing Page
An active web page where Internet users will "land" when they click your online ad. Your landing page doesn't need to be your home page.

Link Farm
A page that consists of little else but links to other sites and usually the sites listed have links back to the farm page. The goal of a link farm is to artificially boost rankings through link popularity and is consequently at risk of penalty or ban.

Link Popularity
A gauge of a site's popularity based on the number of inbound links. Link popularity is a factor in search engine ranking and has greater strength (in theory) where inbound links are from other quality sites.

Meta Tags
These mainly refer to the title, keywords and description tags. They are basically a summary of the content that is on the page in different formats. Metatag content does play a role in rankings for many search engines.

Mirror Site
A copy of a site with some content differences to target particular keywords. Not a recommended strategy as it can trigger a penalty or ban.


OBL
Outbound Link. A link pointing from your site to another site.

Off Page Factors
Issues such as inbound links and the popularity of sites with links pointing into your site that you have little control over, but that still play a role in your rankings.

On Page Factors
A reference to the elements on your site and their role in your rankings, for example, keyword density, title tag relevance etc.

OOP
Over Optimization Penalty. Where a search engine algorithm detects that changes you are making to a page or the way the page is constructed is to influence rankings over being useful to a site visitor.

Portal
A web page that works as a starting point for a user's session on the Internet. Portals typically include a directory of websites, access to web services and shopping sites, and search functionality powered by a search engine provider. Example of portals are AOL, Netscape, CompuServe, and EarthLink.

PFI
Pay For Inclusion. Payment paid to a search engine company for inclusion in results

PPC
Pay Per Click

PR/Page Rank
A ranking used by Google that is meant to act as indication of the quality of a site and its authority status.

Reciprocal Link
An agreement between two sites to exchange links. Sites exchanging links can risk a penalty or ban if they are not of a related topic.

ROI
Return on Investment. The measure of effective of expenditure vs. the number of visitors received or sales.

SE
Search engine

SEM
Search Engine Marketing

SEO
Search Engine Optimization

SEP
Search Engine Placement (or Positioning/Promotion)

SERPs
Search Engine Results Pages. The pages that display after a query is submitted.

Spam
Unethical techniques such as cloaking, mirror sites and doorway pages to trick the search engine spiders into giving the Web page a higher ranking. Search engines will often penalize or remove an offending site from its index.

Spider
A software application used by search engine companies to visit web sites and return information about pages.

URL
Uniform Resource Locator. The web address of a site or page.


White hat
legitimate optimization techniques employed that are agreeable to search engine companies, such as the proper use of meta-tags, an adequate keyword saturation and spider friendly page design.