Glossary

The portion of a web page that is visible to a user without scrolling down. It refers to the content that is immediately visible when the page loads, typically located at the top of the screen. Important information, key elements, and calls-to-action are often placed above the fold to grab the user’s attention.

A framework designed to create fast-loading mobile web pages. AMP optimizes content and improves the overall user experience on mobile devices by reducing page load times.

Alt text, short for alternative text, is a descriptive text attribute added to an HTML image tag. It provides a brief description of the image content, which is displayed in case the image fails to load or for visually impaired users relying on screen readers. Alt text is important for accessibility and SEO purposes.

Analytics refers to the collection, measurement, and analysis of data related to a website’s performance. Web analytics tools provide insights into various metrics like website traffic, user behavior, conversion rates, and more. By understanding analytics, website owners can make informed decisions and improve their online strategies.

The clickable text in a hyperlink. It provides users and search engines with information about the content of the linked page. Using relevant and descriptive anchor text can improve SEO and user experience.

Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are links from other websites that point to your website. They play a crucial role in SEO as search engines consider backlinks as votes of confidence and authority, which can positively impact your website’s rankings.

The portion of a web page that is not immediately visible when the page loads and requires scrolling down to access. It refers to the content that is located below the initial visible area. While important content can still be placed below the fold, it is generally recommended to prioritize crucial information above the fold for better user engagement.

Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page without taking any further action. A high bounce rate often indicates that visitors did not find what they were looking for or experienced usability issues, highlighting areas that require improvement.

A hyperlink that points to a non-existent or inaccessible web page. Broken links can negatively impact user experience and SEO. Regularly checking and fixing broken links is important for maintaining a healthy website.

A stored version of a web page that is saved by a search engine or web browser. Caching helps improve website performance by serving the cached version instead of requesting the page from the server every time a user visits.

A call to action refers to a specific instruction or prompt designed to encourage visitors to take a particular action on a website, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. CTAs are typically presented as buttons or links and play a vital role in converting website visitors into customers or leads.

A piece of HTML code that informs search engines about the preferred version of a webpage when multiple versions of the same content exist. The canonical tag helps prevent duplicate content issues and consolidates ranking signals to the preferred URL.

The preferred URL of a webpage that is designated by the canonical tag. It is the version of the URL that search engines should index and display in search results.

A CMS is a software application used to create, manage, and modify digital content on a website without requiring extensive coding knowledge. Popular CMS platforms include WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. A CMS enables users to easily publish and update content, manage media files, and customize the appearance of their website.

A geographically distributed network of servers that helps deliver web content to users more efficiently. CDNs store and distribute website files, reducing latency and improving website performance.

Small text files that are stored on a user’s device by a website. Cookies are used to store user preferences, track user behavior, and enable personalized experiences. They can remember login information, shopping cart contents, language preferences, and other settings to enhance the user’s browsing experience.

A set of essential metrics introduced by Google to assess and measure user experience on websites. Core Web Vitals include loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability, and they play a crucial role in SEO and user satisfaction.

Also known as a spider or bot, a crawler is a program used by search engines to discover, index, and analyze web pages. Crawlers systematically navigate through websites, following links and gathering information to include in search engine databases.

CSS is a style sheet language that is used to describe the presentation and formatting of a document written in HTML. It controls aspects like colors, fonts, layout, and overall visual appearance of a website.

Short for Domain Name System, DNS is a system that translates domain names (such as example.com) into IP addresses. It acts as a directory or phonebook of the internet, allowing users to access websites by typing domain names instead of numerical IP addresses. DNS servers help route requests and resolve domain names to the correct IP addresses.

A domain name is the unique web address that users type into their browser to access a website (e.g., www.example.com). It serves as the website’s online identity and can be registered through domain name registrars.

Short for electronic commerce, eCommerce refers to the buying and selling of products or services over the internet. It involves online transactions, secure payment processing, shopping carts, inventory management, and other features to facilitate online commercial activities.

A hyperlink that points to a different website domain or web page. External links are used to provide additional information, reference sources, or direct users to related content on other websites. They play a significant role in SEO by indicating a website’s authority and relevance.

Short for “favorite icon,” a favicon is a small icon associated with a website that is displayed in the browser’s tab, bookmark bar, and other browser interfaces. It helps users visually identify and distinguish websites when multiple tabs or bookmarks are open. Favicons are typically square-shaped and can be in various formats such as .ico, .png, or .svg. When a user visits a website, the browser retrieves the favicon specified by the website and displays it alongside the page title in the tab and bookmark area. Favicons serve as a branding element for websites and contribute to a more recognizable and cohesive browsing experience.

Content that is hidden or restricted behind a form or login screen. Users must provide their information, such as name and email address, to access the content. Gated content is often used as a lead generation strategy to collect user data and build email lists.

HTML tags (h1, h2, h3, etc.) used to structure and organize the content hierarchy on a web page. Header tags help search engines understand the importance and context of different sections within the content. Proper use of header tags improves readability and SEO.

Hosting refers to the service that allows a website to be accessible on the internet. Web hosting companies provide servers where website files and data are stored, allowing visitors to access the site via their web browsers.

HTML is the standard markup language used to create the structure and content of web pages. It uses tags to define elements such as headings, paragraphs, images, links, and more.

HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a secure version of HTTP, the protocol used for transmitting data between a website and a user’s browser. HTTPS encrypts the communication, ensuring that data exchanged between the user and the website is secure.

The process by which search engines crawl and analyze web pages to add them to their database, making them available for retrieval in search results. Indexing allows search engines to understand the content and relevance of web pages.

JavaScript is a programming language commonly used in web development to create interactive and dynamic features on websites. It allows developers to add functionality, perform actions, manipulate and update web page elements, and interact with users in real-time. JavaScript is supported by most web browsers and is a fundamental component of modern web development.

Words or phrases that represent the main topics or themes of a web page’s content. Keywords are used in SEO to optimize web pages for specific search queries and improve their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing the specific words and phrases that people use when searching for information online. It helps website owners understand their target audience’s search behavior and optimize their content accordingly.

A landing page is a standalone web page specifically designed to capture visitor attention and encourage a particular action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading an ebook, or making a purchase. Landing pages are often created as part of marketing campaigns and are optimized for high conversion rates.

The process of acquiring external links from other websites to your own. Link building is an important aspect of off-page SEO and helps increase the authority, visibility, and organic rankings of a website.

Structured data markup that provides additional information about a local business to search engines. Local Business Schema helps search engines understand and display relevant details such as address, phone number, business hours, and reviews in local search results.

Search engine optimization techniques focused on improving the visibility and rankings of a website in local search results. Local SEO aims to increase a business’s online presence for location-based searches and attract local customers.

An attribute used in HTML to instruct search engines not to follow a specific link on a web page. Nofollow links do not pass on link equity or influence search engine rankings, but they can still drive traffic to the linked page.

A rel attribute used in HTML to prevent newly opened tabs or windows from accessing the window.opener object and potentially manipulating the original page. It is a security measure used to protect against cross-site scripting attacks.

A rel attribute used in HTML to prevent the referrer information from being passed to the linked page when a user clicks on a link. It is often used as a privacy measure to prevent the linked page from knowing the exact source of the referral.

SEO techniques focused on optimizing the elements within a web page to improve its visibility and relevance in search engine results. On-page SEO involves optimizing content, meta tags, headings, URLs, and internal linking structure.

SEO activities that take place outside of a website itself, aimed at improving its visibility and authority. Off-page SEO includes link building, social media marketing, online reputation management, and other external factors that influence search engine rankings.

OpenGraph is a protocol developed by Facebook that allows websites to control how their content is displayed when shared on social media platforms, particularly Facebook. By implementing OpenGraph meta tags in the HTML code of web pages, website owners can define specific attributes such as the title, description, and image that should be shown when their content is shared on social media. OpenGraph helps ensure that shared content appears visually appealing and accurately represents the website or webpage being shared, enhancing click-through rates and engagement on social platforms.

Meta tags that provide structured data to social media platforms when a webpage is shared. Open Graph meta tags define elements such as title, description, image, and URL to ensure the correct display of shared content.

The website visitors that come from search engine results, specifically from organic (unpaid) listings. Organic traffic is driven by users clicking on search results and is an important metric to measure the effectiveness of SEO efforts.

The unpaid, natural search results that appear in search engine result pages (SERPs) based on their relevance to the search query. Organic search results are determined by search engine algorithms, and websites can improve their organic rankings through SEO efforts.

The measure of how quickly a web page loads. Page speed is crucial for user experience, as faster-loading pages tend to have lower bounce rates and higher user engagement. It is also a ranking factor in search engine algorithms.

Website visitors that come from paid advertising campaigns, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or display ads. Paid traffic involves paying for ads to drive targeted traffic to a website, typically using platforms like Google Ads or social media advertising.

Pay-Per-Click advertising is a digital advertising model in which advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. Advertisers bid on keywords, and their ads are displayed in search engine results or on websites, targeting users based on their search queries or interests.

Responsive design refers to the practice of creating websites that adapt and display properly on various devices and screen sizes, such as desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones. A responsive website ensures optimal user experience and readability across different platforms.

Responsive images are images that adapt and scale dynamically based on the user’s device screen size and resolution. They ensure that images are appropriately sized and optimized for different devices, resulting in improved performance and user experience.

Rich snippets are enhanced search results that provide additional information beyond the page title and meta description. They can include review ratings, pricing, product availability, and more. Implementing structured data markup helps search engines understand and display rich snippets, which can increase click-through rates.

Robots.txt is a text file placed in the root directory of a website to instruct search engine crawlers on which pages should be crawled and indexed or which pages should be excluded. It helps website owners control the visibility and accessibility of specific parts of their website to search engines.

SEO is the process of improving a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves optimizing various aspects of a website, including content, keywords, meta tags, site structure, and backlinks, to increase organic (non-paid) traffic from search engines.

SERP refers to the page displayed by a search engine in response to a user’s query. It includes a list of organic and paid search results, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and other search engine features. Understanding SERPs is essential for SEO and optimizing website visibility.

A sitemap is a file or page that provides a hierarchical structure of all the pages on a website. It helps search engines understand the website’s organization and index its pages more effectively. Sitemaps can be submitted to search engines to facilitate crawling and indexing.

An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that encrypts data exchanged between a website and its visitors. It ensures secure connections, protects sensitive information, and adds credibility to the website.

Technical SEO refers to the optimization of a website’s technical aspects to improve its search engine visibility and performance. It focuses on optimizing the infrastructure and code of a website to make it more accessible, crawlable, and indexable by search engines. The goal of technical SEO is to ensure that search engine bots can efficiently and effectively understand the content and structure of a website.

Short for Uniform Resource Locator, a URL is the address that specifies the location of a specific web page or resource on the internet. It typically begins with “http://” or “https://” and includes the domain name, subdirectories, and the specific page or resource identifier.

The visual and interactive elements of a website or application that users interact with. It includes components such as buttons, menus, forms, sliders, and other graphical elements. The UI focuses on usability, aesthetics, and enhancing the user’s overall experience.

User experience focuses on how visitors interact with a website and aims to provide a positive, intuitive, and enjoyable experience. It involves elements such as easy navigation, clear layout, fast loading times, and engaging content to enhance user satisfaction and increase conversions.

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. WCAG 2.1 AA is a specific level of compliance within the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. WCAG provides a set of internationally recognized standards and guidelines for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

The “AA” conformance level signifies that a website or web application meets the requirements of Level A and Level AA accessibility standards outlined in WCAG 2.1. Meeting these standards ensures that a website is more accessible to individuals with various disabilities, including visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments.

A webclip refers to a small icon or image used to represent a website or web application on a mobile device’s home screen or app launcher. When a user adds a website to their home screen, a webclip is often generated to provide a visually appealing shortcut for quick access to the website. Webclips can be customized and may include the website’s favicon or a specific image designated by the site owner.

A web browser is a software application used to access and display websites on the internet. It interprets HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to render web pages, allowing users to navigate between different sites, view multimedia content, and interact with web-based applications.

A web server is a computer or software that stores and delivers web pages and other files to clients, typically web browsers, in response to their requests. Web servers host websites and handle incoming requests, processing them and sending back the requested files to the client’s browser over the internet.

A permanent redirect from one URL to another. It informs search engines and web browsers that a page has moved permanently, and it helps preserve search rankings and redirect users to the correct page.

A 404 error, also known as a “Page Not Found” error, occurs when a user tries to access a web page that doesn’t exist or has been moved or deleted. Website owners should customize their 404 error pages to provide helpful information, suggestions, or a search bar to guide users back to relevant content.