Adapted from the newspaper term for the front-page area above the paper’s fold, this refers to the upper area of a website that appears on screen before the user has to scroll. It’s important to put the necessary introductory information above the fold so new visitors don’t have to scroll to figure out how to navigate the site. However, putting too much content above the fold can be distracting—the eye doesn’t know what to look at first.

A process, set of rules, or program for the purpose of calculating various operations. In the context of SEO, the algorithms used by search engines determine which pages to suggest for a given search query.

Google is known for continually perfecting its search engine algorithm in order to deliver the most fitting, relevant results to the searcher. The more Google learns about natural language, searcher intent, and trends in content and web development, the more it fine-tunes its algorithm. If you keep up with digital marketing news, you may have heard of Google’s recent major algorithm updates, such as “Hummingbird,” “Panda,” “Pigeon,” etc.

Text applied to images on a website, within the image’s HTML code, to explain what a picture/image placed on your site is about. This allows Google to index it, and it also helps blind users know what photos are on your site, via screen readers.

The combination of cues search engines use to determine websites and webpages’ credibility, which affects ranking.

A link to a webpage or website that originates from an external website.

Risky SEO techniques that go against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Most black hat methods were in attempt to “cheat the system” of Google’s algorithms, so Google made updates to penalize this type of activity that impeded user experience.

A website or page that is consistently updated with new information about a chosen topic. Often run by a single person or a small group of people, the writing tends to be less formal and more like a conversation.

Percentage of visitors who leave without visiting another page on that website.

This could refer to two types of software that create and manage digital content, often in a collaborative environment: web content management (WCM) and enterprise content management (ECM). WCM can refer to a web development platform such as WordPress, Joomla, Wix, Drupal, AdventistChurchConnect, Squarespace, etc.; ECM means a system of managing content alone, separate from the web development platform, but used in conjunction, and with extended content-focuses features such as content scheduling and collaborative editing.

Any information you place on your website. Content can be anything from written information, to infographics, to charts, to photos.

Is the practice of creating content that is intended for a specific audience and optimizing that content to make it more easily found in search engines.

Is the primary “ask” on a webpage—the action you want your reader to do after reading the convincing content on your page.

Content, primarily headlines, created to attract people to click. Often overly dramatic, playing on emotions, oversimplifying, communicating urgency, and suspected of overpromising for the sake of getting more traffic, more reads, more sales, more sign-ups, etc. Google’s most recent update further scrutinizes clickbait headlines to protect against misleading content. However, clickbait content done carefully and correctly can still make a big impact.

An internet “bot” that systematically categorizes and indexes websites and webpages to make sure they are categorized and listed appropriately.

When a googlebot is blocked from crawling your website or web page. A page that is not crawled by googlebots will not be indexed and therefore cannot be found on the web.

Phonebooks of the internet. A directory lists the location of your organization, hours of operation, brief description, phone number, and photos. This helps significantly with local SEO, as each directory listing can show up as a separate search result. (It is extremely important that all information in your directory listings match exactly. See entry for “NAP.”)

he part of a website’s URL that directs your browser to the web server where a particular website is stored. In “analytics.google.com,” the domain name is “google.com.”

Blocks of content on a webpage that match content that exists elsewhere on the same website or a different website. It is possible for duplicate content to cause one page to rank in search results while the other will not, as Google indexes it as covering the same content. Quoting or referencing content is safe, but copied content is not. (Beware of tactics to “spin” content to make it only slightly different.)

Is the interaction between a visitor and your website. Did they click on a link, does it seem like they have read whole pages of your website all of these actions are used together to determine your websites engagement. A website with high engagement will do better than one with low or no engagement.

External LinK

A link on your site that leads the user to another site. Best used for reference, citing sources, referrals to trusted sources, or as a way of avoiding reinventing the wheel if another site has information you’d like to include in your content progression. (Note: set external links to open in a new browser tab, so users don’t have to leave your page to view it)

Found at the top of search results pages for certain topics, these are short captions that answers a commonly-asked question. Each snippet is extracted from a webpage the googlebot thinks best addresses the topic in a concise way. (example: google a topic like “how to tie a slip knot” and note the featured box on the top of the page)

How easily the content on a website can be found, both by users and search engines.

The footer is the information found at the bottom of a web page. Here you should place information such as your privacy policy, contact information, copyright, site map, Terms of use, Social Media Icons, email signup, Login information etc.

Is the information placed inside the footer, such as Navigation.

Google’s guidelines on acceptable website optimization practices, as well as improper practices that can result in manual action.

A free web analytics program that can be used to contain performance, track audience behavior, traffic, content performance, and loads more.

According to Google’s Search Console, it is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor and maintain your site's presence in Google Search results.

The top of a webpage that typically displays a page title, navigation menu, hero image, or other introductory content.

In web development and in word processing, headings can refer to styles such as H1, H2, H3…, which indicate the content hierarchy. There should only be one H1 per page, and best practices recommend they include the webpage’s keyword and entice the visitor to read the page.

The default, or introductory web page, of a website.

Is a large image at the top of the page that takes up much of the screen when you enter a website. Sometimes they have text overlay, sometimes they don't.

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language used by web developers and is the standardized system that tags files so your site has the font, colors, graphics, and hyperlink effects you want. CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets, or files dedicated to telling browsers how a page should be displayed, including various HTML elements. It is considered more efficient than using HTML alone, which can be repetitive.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol is how data is transferred from a computer server to a web browser.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure uses a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt data transferred between a website and web browser. Google prefers to rank secure websites, so those that display https instead of http may perform better in search results.

A link coming from another site to your own website. Also referred to as a backlink. When these are legitimate, they can demonstrate authority and credibility, which are ranking factors. If they are purchased or coerced, Google can penalize your site for having them.

A hyperlink from one page of your site to another page on your site. If your site is about cooking and you mention egg substitutes on one page, instead of explaining it on that page while you already have a page all about egg substitutes, you make the words “egg substitutes” into a hyperlink to the “All About Egg Substitutes” page on your site.

The database search engines use to store and fetch information gathered during the “crawling” process.

The words, phrases, topics, ideas, or questions that describe what your content is all about. This also refers to the words or phrases your target audience typically uses in Google searches. The goal is to match your audience’s language as much as possible, so Google sees your content as a good fit for their related searches.

The process of discovering any relevant terms, topics, or subjects people enter into search engines. This can also include the rate of competition and the amount of searches conducted for each term or topic.

Repeating keywords beyond what is natural, in the hopes of increasing search rankings. This is now considered a spam tactic goes against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and can result in a ranking penalty.

A stand-alone web page designed to capture leads or generate conversions, usually with persuasive content built around a single, clear, concise call to action (sign up, download, subscribe, register, enter contest, etc.)