Browse 34 essential seo company terms and definitions used by professionals in Austin.
Term Index
Every term and its definition, all on this page.
301 Redirect is an HTTP status code that tells browsers and search engines a page has moved permanently to a new address. Search engines usually transfer most ranking signals to the new URL, making 301 redirects common during site changes, URL cleanup, and domain moves.
Algorithm Update is a change to the rules a search engine uses to rank, interpret, or filter content. Search results can shift after an update because pages are re-evaluated against new signals, technical rules, or spam controls.
Alt Text is short written text that describes an image on a web page. Search engines and screen readers use alt text to understand image content when the image cannot be seen.
Anchor Text is the clickable words in a hyperlink that tell readers and search engines what the linked page is about. Descriptive anchor text can improve clarity and help search engines understand page relevance, while vague text like “click here” gives less context.
Backlink is a link from one website to another website. Search engines use backlinks as a signal of reference and relevance, and links from trusted sites usually carry more value than links from low-quality sources.
Broken Link is a hyperlink that no longer works or points to the intended page. A broken link often returns an error, such as 404 Not Found, and can appear on a website when a page is removed, moved, or the address is typed incorrectly.
Canonical Tag is an HTML link element that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred copy. A canonical tag helps prevent duplicate content issues by consolidating ranking signals to one URL when similar pages exist.
Click-Through Rate is the percentage of people who click a link, ad, or search result after seeing it. Marketers use click-through rate to measure how well a message attracts attention and prompts action.
Crawl Budget is the amount of crawling a search engine allocates to a website during a given period. Pages that load slowly, return errors, or duplicate content can waste that budget and reduce how often important pages are discovered and refreshed.
Crawl Error is a failure that stops a search engine bot from reaching or reading a web page. Common causes include broken links, server problems, blocked pages, and incorrect redirects. Crawl errors can prevent pages from being indexed and can reduce search visibility.
Crawling is the process search engines use to discover web pages and follow links across a site. Crawlers scan page content, code, and site structure to find new or updated pages before search engines can index them.
Dofollow Link is a hyperlink that allows search engine crawlers to follow the link and pass ranking signals to the destination page. Marketers often use dofollow links in editorial content, internal navigation, and earned backlinks when they want search engines to treat the link as part of site authority.
Duplicate Content is content that appears on more than one URL or in more than one place with little or no meaningful change. Search engines may treat duplicate versions as separate pages, which can split ranking signals and make the preferred page harder to identify.
Google Business Profile is a free Google listing that displays a business name, address, phone number, hours, reviews, photos, and updates in Search and Maps. Local businesses use a profile to manage how they appear when people search for nearby products or services.
Googlebot is Google’s web crawler that discovers and scans pages for Google Search. Search engines use Googlebot to find new content, check updates, and read page links, code, and text so pages can appear in search results.
Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional version of a page should serve to users in different locations. It helps prevent duplicate-language confusion and is commonly used on multilingual websites with translated or country-specific pages.
Indexability is a website’s ability to be stored and listed in a search engine’s index. Search engines can only show indexed pages in results, so blocked pages, broken links, or server errors can limit visibility.
Indexing is the process search engines use to store and organize web pages after discovery. Indexed pages can appear in search results, but pages blocked by robots rules, noindex tags, or crawl errors may not be included.
Internal Link is a hyperlink that points from one page on a website to another page on the same domain. Search engines use internal links to find pages, understand site structure, and pass ranking signals between related pages.
Keyword Cannibalization is a search optimization problem where multiple pages on one site target the same keyword and compete for the same ranking signals. Search engines may split authority between those pages, which can weaken visibility and lower the chance that one page ranks well.
Keyword Intent is the reason a person types a search phrase into a search engine. Marketers use it to match pages to informational, commercial, or transactional goals so search results answer the searcher's need clearly.
Landing Page is a standalone web page built for one specific action, such as filling out a form, buying a product, or signing up for a service. A landing page usually removes extra navigation so visitors can focus on one clear goal.
Meta Description is a short HTML summary of a web page that search engines may show under the page title in search results. A strong meta description helps people understand the page topic before clicking and often reflects the page’s main purpose.
Mobile-First Indexing is a search engine method that uses the mobile version of a website as the main version for indexing and ranking. A page’s mobile content, structure, and data therefore affect visibility more than the desktop version.
Noindex Tag is a robots directive that tells search engines not to include a page in search results. Website owners use it for thin content, duplicate pages, private pages, or pages that should not rank.
Organic Traffic is website visits that come from unpaid search results, not from ads or paid placements. Organic traffic usually reflects how well a page matches search intent and how visible a site is in search engines.
Page Authority is a score used to estimate how well a single web page may rank in search results. Search teams use the measure to compare pages and track relative strength, but search engines do not publish it as an official ranking factor.
PageRank is Google’s link analysis system that estimates how important a web page is based on links from Other pages. Pages linked from many important pages tend to receive more PageRank, which has long influenced search ranking signals.
Robots.txt is a text file placed on a website’s server that gives web crawlers instructions about which pages or files they may access. Search engines read the file before crawling, and site owners use it to guide discovery and limit unwanted crawling.
Schema Markup is structured data added to a web page so search engines can better understand its content. Schema.org vocabulary labels details such as products, events, reviews, and business hours, which can improve how a page appears in search results.
Search Engine Results Page is the page a search engine shows after a user enters a query. It usually includes organic listings, ads, answer boxes, images, and Other search features that help users find relevant information fast.
Structured Data is a standardized format for adding machine-readable labels to web content. Search engines use those labels to understand page meaning, and the format often supports rich results such as product details, reviews, events, and business information.
XML Sitemap is a file that lists important pages on a website in an XML format for search engines to crawl. Search engines use an XML Sitemap to find content faster and to discover pages that may not be linked clearly within the site.
YMYL is a Google quality label for pages that can affect a person’s health, money, safety, or major life choices. Search engines hold these pages to higher standards because errors can cause real harm, so accuracy, expertise, and trust matter more than on ordinary pages.
