Glossary of SEO & Web Marketing Terminology
A - F | G - L | M - R | S - Z
Algorithm: Website ranking criteria that search engines use to determine website ranking in a search. Note: Alogrithms change frequently.
Alt tag: HTML tag that describes an image or graphic on your web site for visually impaired users, or users who surf with graphics turned off. Alt tags also provide additional information for search engines.
Architecture: Organization of navigational directions and links inside of a website that help users and search engines find their way around your content.
Brand: The identifying and differentiating characteristics of a business, organization, or individual, as perceived by customers and potential customers.
Browser: What web users utilize to view web pages.
Cache: Browser cache. An area used by a web browser to store recently opened pages; the cache makes it easy for users to quickly reload recently viewed pages. For example, to see what is stored in Google™'s cache, click "cached" on the SERP.
Content (see Research content): Engaging, informational copy available on your website for people to read, and for search engines to use for indexing.
Crawl (web crawler): A program used by search engines that searches for information on the web, i.e., "crawling" a web page for information and links.
Digital Arts: The application of both technical skill and creative artistry as an art and/or design medium.
Digital brochure: A brochure in PDF format contained on a standard 4.5" CD or on a CD the size of a business card (!).
Email reader: A program (such as Microsoft Outlook or MAC OS X Tiger Mail 2) for reading email.
eNewsletter: A newsletter sent to recipients via email.
Entry page: The pages in your website that are bringing in the most web traffic.
Exit page: The pages in your website where the most visitors are leaving.
Graphic design: The art/business of creating intelligent, cohesive visual communication.
Graphics: Images used to enhance the text of a visual communication piece.
Greylisting: A method used to reduce spam and junk email by temporarily rejecting mail from unrecognized addresses and then allowing only those which are resent to be delivered. (Most spam and junk emailers send their messages just once.)
HTML: The language used to define an element on a web page, i.e., the title tag of this web page looks like this: <title> Website Design, SEO, and Search Engine Marketing Strategy -- a glossary of terms.</title>.
Image (website): Graphics (see above) used on a website.
Interface (user): The experience a person has when using a computer, programs, applications, website, etc.
Keywords (keyword phrases): Words and/or terms specific to your business that are used when searching for information online.
Layout: The art of where text, graphics, and other elements are placed on a page, either print or web.
Lead conversion: The process within the sales cycle of the qualified lead deciding to make a purchase or use your services.
Lead generation: The process within the sales cycle of implementing strategic outreach to your identified intended audience.
Link building strategy (internal): Increasing a website's navigability by organizing internal text links from one area of a web site to another in a way that is intuitive to the user.
Link building strategy (reciprocal): Increasing a web site's visibility utilizing reciprocal links from related web sites.
Link farm: A website that does nothing except post hundreds, maybe thousands, of unrelated links, making it useless for reciprocal linking.
Logo: A unique symbol or name that is used to easily identify an organization, product, service, etc. Famous example: the "swoosh."
Meta data: Descriptive HTML tags that tell search engines what is contained on the page so that the page can be indexed for use in online searches (75 - 250 characters).
Natural (organic) search results: Unpaid search results, i.e., SERPs that appear as a result of your specific search terms, not as a result pf paid placement or paid keyword advertising.
Navigable: The degree to which a website is easy or difficult to navigate, based on the user experience.
Navigation bar: A graphical container (of sorts) that may be used to hold the links to the pages and/or topics covered in a website.
Offline marketing: The channels used to communicate a business' products or services that are not Internet-generated, i.e., print media, follow up phone calls, mail campaigns.
Online marketing: Internet-generated channels used to communicate a business' products or services, i.e., eNewsletter, website, newsgroups, blogs.
Optimize (website): The art or science of building a web site or page that will be discovered, indexed, and ranked among the leading search engines so that people searching for a particular product or service can easily find exactly what they are looking for
Print media: Brochures, postcards, labels, flyers, posters, newsletters, letterhead, envelopes, announcement cards, holiday cards, etc. that present a clear and cohesive picture of your business to your intended audience.
Project Management: “Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project." From A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), - Third Edition
Rankings: Where a website is positioned based on a search engine's indexing activity, i.e. #4 is higher (on the first page of a search) than #268.
Research content: Think of visitors to you website as students writing a research paper on a topic available on your website. With that in mind, we define research content as "engaging, informational copy available on your website for people to read, for search engine indexing - and suitable for topical research inclusion."
Sales cycle: The time during which a buying decision is made, usually in the following order: Lead generation, awareness of product or service, lead qualification, lead conversion, sale.
Search engine: A dynamic, interactive, indexed database which helps users retrieve information online using keywords or keyword phrases.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM): An Internet or eCommerce strategy that includes building a web site that will be discovered, indexed, and ranked among the leading search engines so that people searching for a particular product or service can easily find exactly what they are looking for (optimization). A search engine marketing plan usually includes paid online advertising, such as pay-per-click exposure.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The art or science of building a web site that will be discovered, indexed, and ranked organically among the leading search engines so that people searching for a particular product or service can easily find exactly what they are looking for. Also called web positioning or search engine positioning. A component of Search Engine Marketing (see above).
SERP: Search Engine Results Page
Spam: Unsolicited and unwanted bulk email.
Spiders: Software programs utilized by search engines to index sites and create the pages you see when you look for information online.
Title tag: HTML tag that exactly describes what is on the web page (up to 75 characters).
Web hosting: A service that "rents space" to websites.
Web-based email: Email that is accessible from any computer via a defined login page.