Web and SEO terms made simple

Clear definitions. Related terms. Reliable resources. Updated as I learn.

Technical SEO – Glossary

Technical SEO focuses on crawlability, indexation, performance, and structured data, practical fixes that help search engines parse and rank your site.

Start with discovery and control, then locale, targeting, structure, enhancements, and trust signals.

32 terms in this category

Crawl and index control (11)

Guide discovery and indexation with sitemaps, robots, canonicals, and clean URLs.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft’s dashboard for discovery, indexing, and visibility in Bing. Use it to verify owner...

Canonical URL

Canonical tags indicate the preferred URL for duplicate or near duplicate pages. Use absolute URLs, keep one canonica...

Crawl hygiene

Optimizing how search engines crawl your site so they focus on important, indexable pages instead of wasting requests...

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is Google’s dashboard for discovery, indexing, and visibility. Google Search Console is a free ...

Indexing

Indexing is how search engines discover, select, and store your pages so they can appear in results. Ensure correct d...

Noindex and Nofollow

Use noindex to keep a page out of search results after crawlers fetch it. Use nofollow on links to avoid passing link...

Pagination

Choose sensible canonical patterns, use alternatives to old prev/next, keep crawls efficient.

Parameter handling

Handle filters and tracking params without creating duplicate content, prefer clean canonical URLs.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt tells crawlers which paths they can request. Use it to manage crawl access, protect staging with appropria...

Sitemap

An XML sitemap lists important URLs, use an index for large sites, and auto generate it to stay fresh.

Soft 404

A Soft 404 is a page that looks like an error or offers negligible value, but returns 200 O` instead of 404, so searc...

Internationalization and context (1)

Signal language and region correctly so the right locale version appears.

Hreflang

Language and region signals that help search engines serve the right locale version.

Metadata and queries (6)

Write clear titles and descriptions, align to intent, measure CTR and query patterns.

Branded keywords

Queries that include your brand or product names, protect and optimize these results.

Google Organic CTR

The percentage of searchers who click your organic result. Calculated as clicks divided by impressions.

Meta tags

Titles and descriptions should be unique, clear, and within practical length limits for good click‑through. See also ...

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Improve visibility in search through content quality, technical health, and links.

Search intent

The reason behind a query, match content to informational, navigational, or transactional needs. See also Reviews and...

Search queries

The exact words people type, analyze them to shape topics, titles, and navigation.

Site architecture and linking (5)

Structure topics and link internally with descriptive anchors to build relevance.

Anchor Text

The clickable words in a link that describe the destination page. Clear, descriptive anchors help users understand wh...

Backlink equity

How the value from backlinks passes into a page and flows through your site via internal links.

Internal linking

Connecting pages on your site with clear, descriptive anchor text that guides users, builds topic hubs, and keeps cra...

Topic clusters

A pillar page that covers a broad topic, supported by related subpages. Each subpage links back to the pillar, and re...

Topical depth

Write task‑focused pages that cover a single topic well. Use clear steps, helpful details, and plain language. Make i...

Structured data and enhancement (4)

Add schema and media best practices to unlock rich results and clarity for bots.

Image SEO

Use descriptive filenames and alt text, correct dimensions, and lazy loading for performance.

Reviews and Q&A

User generated proof and common questions that surface in Packs and AI answers.

Schema

Schema is structured markup that helps search engines understand your pages, which can unlock rich results. For small...

Structured data

Schema markup, often Organization, LocalBusiness, and FAQPage, that helps machines parse content.

Signals and trust (5)

Strengthen authority and brand signals with E‑E‑A‑T, entities, and consistent profiles.

Authority (SEO)

Authority is a concept describing how likely a domain or page is to rank well in search results. It is inferred from:...

Brand signals

Brand signals are consistent, recognizable cues that confirm your brand’s identity across the web. They help search a...

E-E-A-T

E‑E‑A‑T describes signals of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness that help search engines a...

Entities

Entities are clearly defined people, places, brands, or services that search engines recognize in their knowledge gra...

Knowledge Graph

The Knowledge Graph is a structured database search engines use to represent entities and their relationships. Why it...

About this glossary

I’m building this glossary to become a better developer and website strategist, in my ongoing quest to build clearer, better websites. It maps how terms relate, adds practical examples, and highlights best practices so I can communicate more clearly with clients. If it helps others too, great.

It’s a living resource, I aim to cite sources clearly. If you spot errors or omissions, please contact me so I can update it. Drafts may be assisted by AI, I review and fact check before publishing. For details on how I use AI, see AI Use at Webmarks.