Introduction
Understanding search engine optimisation terms has never been more important — or more confusing. In 2026, the language of SEO has expanded significantly. Alongside established concepts like backlinks, crawl budget and meta descriptions, entirely new terminology has emerged from AI search engines, large language models and generative search experiences.
Whether you are a UK business owner trying to make sense of what your SEO agency is telling you, a marketing manager building your knowledge, or a complete beginner just starting out, this glossary exists to cut through the jargon.
Every definition here is written in plain English. Each one explains what the term means, why it matters for your website and how it connects to the broader search landscape. This is your reference point — return to it whenever you need clarity.
What Are Search Engine Optimisation Terms?
Search engine optimisation terms are the specific vocabulary used by SEO professionals, digital marketers and search engine developers to describe techniques, metrics, concepts and strategies that influence how websites appear in search results.
This language spans everything from the deeply technical — crawl budget, robots.txt, hreflang — to the strategic, such as topical authority and keyword intent, and now extends into AI-specific territory like generative engine optimisation and retrieval-augmented generation.
For anyone working with an SEO agency, commissioning content, running Google Ads or managing a website, having a working understanding of this vocabulary is genuinely valuable. You do not need to become an SEO expert to run your business effectively, but knowing what these terms mean helps you ask better questions, evaluate advice more critically and make smarter decisions.
Why SEO Terminology Matters
When you understand the language, you understand the decisions being made on your behalf. An agency recommending improvements to your Core Web Vitals or suggesting you address keyword cannibalisation is offering meaningful, specific guidance — but only if you know what those phrases actually mean.
Beyond working with external partners, SEO literacy is increasingly useful when evaluating tools, reading analytics reports and understanding why your search visibility changes from one month to the next. The importance of SEO has grown in line with how central search has become to almost every UK business's customer acquisition strategy.
How SEO Vocabulary Has Changed Since AI Search
Until fairly recently, the core SEO glossary was relatively stable. Technical terms evolved slowly, and while Google's algorithm updates introduced new concepts periodically, the fundamental vocabulary remained consistent.
That changed with the widespread adoption of AI-powered search. Tools like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude have introduced an entirely new layer of terminology. Concepts like generative engine optimisation (GEO), AI citation, retrieval-augmented generation and LLM optimisation are no longer niche — they are central to how forward-thinking SEO professionals approach visibility in 2026.
For a deeper look at how this shift is affecting UK businesses, our guide on AI search and SEO covers the practical implications in detail.
Search Engine Optimisation Terms Explained (A–Z Glossary)
This glossary covers the most important search engine optimization terms you are likely to encounter. Each entry includes a plain-English definition, a note on why it matters and, where useful, a practical example.
Algorithm
Definition: A set of rules and calculations used by search engines like Google to determine which pages appear in search results and in what order.
Why it matters: Google's algorithm considers hundreds of ranking factors simultaneously. Updates to the algorithm — like Helpful Content or Core Updates — can change your rankings overnight, even if you have not changed anything on your website.
Example: If Google releases a core algorithm update that prioritises EEAT signals, websites with stronger author credentials and transparent editorial policies may rise in rankings, while thin, anonymous content may fall.
Alt Text
Definition: A short description added to an image in HTML that tells search engines — and screen readers — what the image shows.
Why it matters: Search engines cannot see images the way humans do. Alt text helps Google understand your visual content, contributes to image search visibility and improves accessibility for users with visual impairments.
Example: An image of a plumber fixing a pipe in a London kitchen should have alt text reading something like: "Emergency plumber repairing kitchen pipe in London."
Anchor Text
Definition: The clickable, visible text of a hyperlink.
Why it matters: Anchor text signals to search engines what the linked page is about. Over-optimised or spammy anchor text can trigger algorithmic penalties, while natural, varied anchor text supports healthy link building.
Example: Linking to a page about SEO keywords with the anchor text "SEO keywords explained" is both informative and contextually relevant.
Authority
Definition: A broad concept referring to how much trust and credibility a website or individual page has earned in the eyes of search engines.
Why it matters: Authority is built through a combination of quality backlinks, consistent content production, EEAT signals and user engagement. Higher authority generally correlates with stronger rankings.
Backlinks
Definition: Links from one website pointing to another. Also called inbound links or external links.
Why it matters: Backlinks remain one of Google's most significant ranking factors. A link from a reputable, relevant website signals that your content is trustworthy and worth referencing. Not all backlinks are equal — quality consistently outweighs quantity.
Example: A mention and link from a national UK news outlet to your business's research study carries far more authority than fifty links from low-quality directories.
Canonical URL
Definition: An HTML tag (<link rel="canonical">) that tells search engines which version of a page is the primary, preferred version, particularly when duplicate or near-duplicate content exists.
Why it matters: Without canonical tags, search engines may split ranking signals across multiple versions of the same page, diluting your overall authority.
Citation
Definition: In local SEO, a citation is any online mention of your business name, address and phone number (NAP), typically in directories, listing sites or local publications.
Why it matters: Consistent, accurate citations across platforms like Google Business Profile, Yell, Thomson Local and Yelp help search engines verify your business's legitimacy and improve local search rankings.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Definition: The percentage of users who click on your search result after seeing it in the SERP.
Why it matters: A higher CTR indicates that your title and meta description are compelling and relevant. While CTR is not a confirmed direct ranking factor, poor CTR can suggest your listing is not connecting with search intent.
Formula: CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100
Conversion Rate
Definition: The percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action — purchasing, enquiring, signing up or calling.
Why it matters: SEO drives traffic, but conversion rate determines whether that traffic is commercially valuable. Even excellent rankings are undermined by poor landing page experiences.
Core Web Vitals
Definition: A set of measurable performance metrics defined by Google that assess the speed, interactivity and visual stability of a web page.
The three metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How quickly the main content loads.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How responsive the page is to user input.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How much the page layout shifts unexpectedly during loading.
Why it matters: Core Web Vitals are a confirmed Google ranking signal and directly affect user experience. Poor scores can suppress rankings and increase bounce rates.
Crawl Budget
Definition: The number of pages Googlebot will crawl on your website within a given timeframe.
Why it matters: For large websites, crawl budget determines which pages get indexed regularly. Wasting crawl budget on low-value pages — such as filtered URLs, session parameters or duplicate content — can delay the indexing of your most important pages.
Crawlability
Definition: How easily search engine bots can access and navigate the pages of your website.
Why it matters: A page that cannot be crawled cannot be indexed or ranked, regardless of how good the content is. Common crawlability issues include blocked URLs in robots.txt, broken internal links and orphan pages with no inbound links.
Domain Authority (DA)
Definition: A third-party metric developed by Moz — not Google — that attempts to predict how well a website will rank based on its backlink profile. Other tools offer similar metrics, such as Ahrefs' Domain Rating (DR).
Important clarification: Domain Authority is not used by Google as a ranking factor. It is a useful comparative benchmark but should not be treated as an official measure of search performance.
EEAT
Definition: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Google's quality evaluator framework for assessing the credibility of web content.
Why it matters: EEAT signals are increasingly central to how Google evaluates content, particularly in health, finance, legal and other YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) sectors. Demonstrating genuine credentials, transparent authorship and reliable sourcing supports stronger rankings.
Example: A medical advice article written by a named NHS doctor with referenced sources demonstrates stronger EEAT than an anonymous article with no credentials.
Entity SEO
Definition: An approach to SEO that focuses on establishing your brand, products, people or topics as distinct, recognised entities within Google's Knowledge Graph.
Why it matters: Search engines increasingly understand the web through entities — specific things with defined relationships — rather than through keyword matching alone. Being recognised as an entity improves how Google surfaces your brand across search features.
Our article on Entity SEO vs keyword SEO explores this in detail.
Featured Snippet
Definition: A special search result displayed at the top of the SERP, above the standard organic listings, that provides a direct answer to a search query — typically extracted from a web page.
Why it matters: Appearing in a featured snippet can dramatically increase click-through rate and brand visibility. Featured snippets are also frequently used by AI Overviews as source material.
Types include: Paragraph snippets, list snippets, table snippets and definition snippets.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
Definition: The practice of optimising content and digital presence so that it is selected and cited by AI-powered generative search engines such as Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity and Gemini.
Why it matters: As generative AI answers increasingly replace traditional search clicks, appearing within AI-generated responses becomes a critical visibility goal for businesses in 2026.
Google AI Overviews
Definition: A feature in Google Search that uses AI to generate a summarised answer at the top of the results page, drawing from multiple web sources.
Why it matters: AI Overviews can appear above all organic results, significantly affecting click-through rates to individual websites. Being cited within an AI Overview requires high-quality, authoritative, clearly structured content.
Google Business Profile
Definition: Google's free tool for managing how your business appears in Google Search and Google Maps.
Why it matters: An optimised Google Business Profile is essential for local SEO. It influences your visibility in the Local Pack — the map-based results that appear for location-specific searches — and provides customers with key business information.
Google Search Console
Definition: A free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor search performance, identify indexing issues, view search queries and manage how Google crawls their site.
Why it matters: Google Search Console is one of the most valuable tools available for understanding your organic search performance. It shows exactly which pages are indexed, which keywords drive impressions and where technical issues are occurring.
Hreflang
Definition: An HTML attribute used to indicate to search engines which language and regional version of a page should be shown to users in specific countries or language settings.
Why it matters: For businesses operating in multiple countries or languages, hreflang prevents the wrong language version of a page from appearing in search results and avoids duplication issues.
Indexing
Definition: The process by which search engines store and organise web page content in their database (the index) so it can be retrieved and displayed in search results.
Why it matters: A page that is not indexed cannot rank. Indexing issues can arise from noindex tags, crawl errors, thin content, slow servers or manual actions.
Information Gain
Definition: The degree to which a piece of content adds new, original value beyond what already exists on the topic across the web.
Why it matters: Google's systems increasingly favour content that provides genuine information gain — original research, unique perspectives, first-hand experience — over content that simply rephrases what is already published.
Internal Links
Definition: Hyperlinks that connect one page on your website to another page on the same website.
Why it matters: Internal links distribute link equity across your site, help search engines understand your content hierarchy and guide users to related, relevant content. A well-structured internal linking strategy is a cornerstone of both technical and content SEO.
Keyword Cannibalisation
Definition: When two or more pages on the same website compete for the same search keyword or intent, causing confusion for search engines and diluting ranking potential.
Why it matters: Cannibalisation can result in neither page ranking as well as a single, consolidated page would. It is a common problem on larger websites and content-heavy blogs.
Keyword Difficulty
Definition: A metric (typically scored 0–100) that estimates how competitive it will be to rank for a given keyword, based on the strength of pages currently ranking for it.
Why it matters: Keyword difficulty helps you prioritise which keywords are realistic targets given your website's current authority.
Keyword Intent
Definition: The underlying purpose or goal behind a search query. Also referred to as search intent.
The four main types:
- Informational: The user wants to learn something.
- Navigational: The user wants to find a specific website or page.
- Commercial: The user is researching before making a purchase decision.
- Transactional: The user is ready to buy or take action.
Link Equity
Definition: Also known as "link juice," link equity refers to the authority and ranking power passed from one page to another through hyperlinks.
Why it matters: External backlinks pass equity to your site, and internal links distribute it across your pages. Pages with more equity generally rank more easily.
Local SEO
Definition: The practice of optimising a website and online presence to appear in search results for location-specific queries.
Why it matters: For UK businesses serving specific geographic areas, local SEO determines whether you appear when potential customers search for services near them. It encompasses Google Business Profile optimisation, local citations, reviews and location-relevant content.
Meta Description
Definition: A short HTML attribute — typically 145–160 characters — that summarises a page's content. It appears beneath the page title in search results.
Why it matters: While meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, a well-written meta description improves click-through rates by clearly communicating the value of the page to users scanning search results.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Definition: A branch of artificial intelligence that enables computers to understand, interpret and generate human language.
Why it matters: Google uses NLP to interpret the meaning of queries and content, moving beyond simple keyword matching to understand context, sentiment and intent. Writing naturally and clearly — rather than stuffing keywords — aligns with how NLP-powered search works.
Noindex
Definition: An instruction placed in a page's HTML or HTTP header telling search engines not to include that page in their index.
Why it matters: Noindex is useful for pages that exist for functional purposes — login pages, thank-you pages, internal search results — but that should not appear in public search results. Applied incorrectly, it can accidentally hide important pages from Google.
Off-Page SEO
Definition: All SEO activity that occurs outside your own website, focused on building authority and trust through external signals.
Why it matters: Off-page SEO includes backlink building, brand mentions, PR, social signals and digital partnerships. It tells search engines that other credible sources vouch for your content.
On-Page SEO
Definition: All optimisation carried out within the pages of your website, including content, HTML elements, internal linking and keyword usage.
Why it matters: On-page SEO is the foundation of visibility. It ensures search engines can understand what each page is about and match it to relevant queries.
Organic Traffic
Definition: Visitors who arrive at your website by clicking on unpaid search results — as opposed to paid advertising, social media or direct visits.
Why it matters: Organic traffic is often the most cost-effective and sustainable source of qualified visitors. Unlike paid traffic, it continues to deliver results without ongoing spend — provided rankings are maintained.
Page Experience
Definition: Google's umbrella term for signals related to how users experience interacting with a web page, encompassing Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS security and absence of intrusive interstitials.
Ranking Factors
Definition: The criteria used by search engines to evaluate and rank web pages in search results.
Why it matters: Google has confirmed hundreds of ranking factors, though their individual weights are not publicly disclosed. Key confirmed factors include content relevance, backlink quality, Core Web Vitals, EEAT signals and mobile-friendliness.
Robots.txt
Definition: A text file hosted at the root of your website (e.g., example.com/robots.txt) that instructs search engine bots which pages or sections of your site they are allowed to crawl.
Why it matters: Incorrectly configured robots.txt files are one of the most common — and most damaging — technical SEO errors. Blocking important pages from Googlebot prevents them from being indexed.
Schema Markup
Definition: Structured data code (typically using Schema.org vocabulary) added to a web page's HTML to help search engines understand the content and context of that page more precisely.
Why it matters: Schema markup enables rich results in the SERP — including star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event listings, product prices and more. It also enhances how AI systems interpret and use your content.
Search Intent
Definition: The primary goal or purpose behind a user's search query. See also: Keyword Intent.
Why it matters: Matching your content precisely to search intent is one of the most important on-page SEO principles. A page written for informational intent will not perform well for transactional queries, regardless of how well it is technically optimised.
Semantic SEO
Definition: An approach to SEO that focuses on the meaning and context of content, rather than individual keyword frequency.
Why it matters: Modern search engines understand language semantically — they interpret related concepts, synonyms and contextual signals. Semantic SEO involves writing comprehensively about a topic, covering related entities and answering the questions users actually have.
SERP
Definition: Search Engine Results Page. The page displayed by a search engine in response to a user's query.
Why it matters: The SERP has become increasingly complex. In 2026, a typical Google SERP may include AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, the Local Pack, image carousels, video results and organic listings — all competing for user attention.
Sitemap
Definition: An XML file that lists the pages of your website, helping search engines discover and crawl your content more efficiently.
Why it matters: While Google can discover pages through crawling, submitting a sitemap via Google Search Console ensures your most important pages are known to search engines promptly — particularly useful for new sites and large websites with frequent content updates.
Technical SEO
Definition: The practice of optimising the technical infrastructure of a website to help search engines crawl, index and rank it effectively.
Why it matters: Even exceptional content is undermined by poor technical foundations. Technical SEO encompasses site speed, mobile optimisation, HTTPS, crawlability, indexing, structured data, canonical tags and Core Web Vitals.
Topic Cluster
Definition: A content strategy model in which a central "pillar" page comprehensively covers a broad topic, supported by multiple related "cluster" pages that explore subtopics in depth — all interlinked.
Why it matters: Topic clusters support topical authority by demonstrating comprehensive coverage of a subject area to both users and search engines.
Topical Authority
Definition: The degree to which a website is recognised as a credible, comprehensive source on a specific subject area.
Why it matters: Establishing topical authority signals to search engines that your website is a trusted resource on a given topic — which can improve rankings across an entire subject area, not just individual pages. Our guide on topical authority explores the strategic approach in detail.
URL Slug
Definition: The part of a URL that identifies a specific page, typically appearing after the domain name.
Why it matters: A clean, descriptive URL slug helps search engines and users understand what a page is about before visiting it. Best practice recommends using lowercase letters, hyphens instead of underscores and relevant keywords where natural.
Example: dubseo.co.uk/insights/seo-glossary-terms-2026 is preferable to dubseo.co.uk/page?id=2347
User Experience (UX)
Definition: The overall quality of a visitor's interaction with your website, encompassing design, navigation, speed, accessibility and content usability.
Why it matters: Google increasingly incorporates user experience signals into its ranking systems. Poor UX — slow loading, confusing navigation, intrusive pop-ups — drives users away and damages rankings over time.
Vector Search
Definition: A search methodology that uses mathematical representations (vectors) of meaning to match queries with content based on semantic similarity, rather than exact keyword matching.
Why it matters: Vector search underpins how many modern AI search engines retrieve and rank content. It means that pages covering a topic thoroughly and naturally — even without exact keyword repetition — can match a wider range of related queries.
Zero-Click Search
Definition: A search query that is resolved directly on the SERP without the user clicking through to any website — typically because a featured snippet, AI Overview, Knowledge Panel or calculator provides the answer immediately.
Why it matters: Zero-click searches are increasing as AI-powered search becomes more prevalent. For informational queries, this can reduce organic traffic even when rankings remain strong. Understanding this dynamic helps businesses prioritise commercial and navigational queries alongside informational content.
Modern AI Search Terms Every Business Should Know
The vocabulary of AI search is evolving rapidly. These terms are becoming essential knowledge for any business serious about maintaining and growing its digital visibility in 2026.
AI Search
AI search refers to search engines and tools that use artificial intelligence — particularly large language models — to interpret queries and generate responses. Examples include Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity and Gemini. Unlike traditional search, which returns a list of links, AI search often synthesises information from multiple sources into a single narrative answer.
LLM Optimisation
Large Language Model (LLM) optimisation refers to the practice of structuring and presenting content so that it is effectively understood, retrieved and cited by AI language models when they generate responses to user queries. It involves clear definitions, entity-rich writing, factual accuracy and strong source credibility signals.
AI Citation
An AI citation occurs when a generative AI system — such as Google AI Overviews, Perplexity or ChatGPT — references your website as a source within its generated response. Being cited by AI systems is becoming an important dimension of brand visibility, distinct from traditional organic rankings.
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
GEO is the emerging discipline of optimising content and digital presence to appear within AI-generated search responses. It extends traditional SEO principles into the generative AI environment, emphasising authoritative sourcing, structured data, comprehensive topic coverage and clear entity signals.
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
RAG is the technical process by which AI systems retrieve relevant information from external sources — including the web — before generating a response. Understanding RAG helps explain why content quality, authority and clear structure directly affect whether your content is selected by AI search tools.
Conversational Search
Conversational search refers to queries phrased as natural language questions or dialogue — the kind of language people use when speaking to AI assistants. Optimising for conversational search means anticipating the specific questions your audience asks and providing direct, well-structured answers.
Entity Understanding
Entity understanding refers to an AI system's ability to recognise and contextualise specific entities — brands, people, places, products — within content and queries. The more clearly your website establishes your brand as a distinct, trustworthy entity, the more effectively AI systems can reference and recommend it.
AI Visibility
AI visibility describes the degree to which your brand, content or website appears within AI-generated search responses across platforms including Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search and Gemini. It is increasingly tracked alongside traditional organic rankings as a measure of digital presence.
Most Common SEO Terms Businesses Misunderstand
Even experienced marketing professionals sometimes misapply SEO terminology. These are the concepts that most commonly lead to confusion or incorrect decisions.
Domain Authority is not a Google metric. Domain Authority (DA) is a metric created by the SEO tool provider Moz. Google does not use it, does not recognise it and has explicitly confirmed it has no bearing on rankings. It is useful as a relative comparison tool, but it should never be treated as an official measure of your website's standing with Google.
Organic rankings are not permanent. A common misconception among UK businesses is that once a page ranks well, it will continue to do so indefinitely. Rankings fluctuate constantly due to algorithm updates, competitor activity, content freshness and user behaviour changes. Ongoing SEO maintenance is essential.
More backlinks do not always mean better rankings. The quality, relevance and context of backlinks matters far more than volume. Ten links from highly authoritative, relevant websites in your sector will outperform hundreds of links from unrelated or low-quality sources.
Noindex does not mean no-crawl. Adding a noindex tag to a page tells Google not to include it in the index, but Googlebot may still crawl the page. If you want to prevent crawling entirely, that must be managed through robots.txt — though doing so correctly requires careful consideration.
Agency Insight: SEO Terms That Actually Impact Rankings
After working with UK businesses across diverse sectors, we have observed how certain terms — and the concepts behind them — have the most direct, measurable impact on search performance. Here are three observations from our work at DubSEO.
1. Information gain is underestimated but increasingly decisive. Many businesses invest in producing content that covers topics thoroughly in terms of word count, but fails to add anything new. Google's systems are sophisticated enough to recognise content that simply reorganises what already exists. The businesses we see gaining ground consistently are those producing genuinely original content — proprietary data, client case studies, firsthand commentary and tested analysis. Information gain is not a soft concept; it is a practical differentiator.
2. Cannibalisation silently suppresses performance across entire sites. We regularly encounter established UK business websites where dozens of pages are quietly competing for the same keywords or intent — often without the business's knowledge. Keyword cannibalisation is rarely dramatic; it tends to manifest as frustratingly static rankings despite strong content. Auditing for cannibalisation and consolidating competing pages frequently unlocks ranking improvements without any additional content creation.
3. Entity clarity is what separates AI-visible brands from invisible ones. As AI search becomes more central to how users find services and information, the businesses appearing in AI-generated responses share a common characteristic — they have clear, consistent entity signals across the web. Their brand name, location, services and credentials are consistently referenced in structured, authoritative contexts. Businesses that have invested in entity SEO — consistent NAP data, schema markup, Knowledge Panel presence, authoritative mentions — are gaining AI visibility that their competitors are not. This is one of the highest-leverage opportunities for UK businesses right now.
If you are working to understand how these concepts apply to your specific situation, our professional SEO services team is available to help assess your current position and identify the most impactful opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are SEO terms?
SEO terms are the specific vocabulary and concepts used in search engine optimisation. They include technical terms like crawl budget and schema markup, strategic concepts like topical authority and keyword intent, and newer AI search terminology like generative engine optimisation and AI citation.
Why is an SEO glossary useful?
An SEO glossary helps business owners, marketing managers and digital marketers understand the language used by SEO professionals, tools and reports. It enables more informed decision-making and more productive conversations with agencies and consultants.
What are the most important SEO definitions to know?
The most immediately practical terms include backlinks, crawl budget, EEAT, keyword intent, Core Web Vitals, schema markup, search intent, topical authority and indexing. These concepts underpin the majority of SEO decisions affecting your website's visibility.
What is the difference between SEO terminology and SEO strategy?
SEO terminology refers to the language and definitions used within the discipline. SEO strategy refers to the practical plan for improving a website's search visibility. Understanding terminology helps you follow and evaluate strategy, but the two are distinct — knowing what a canonical tag is differs from knowing when and why to implement one.
Which SEO terms should beginners learn first?
Beginners benefit most from understanding: organic traffic, search intent, keyword, backlink, on-page SEO, meta description, indexing, SERP and Google Search Console. These form the conceptual foundation for understanding more advanced topics.
What are AI SEO terms?
AI SEO terms include generative engine optimisation (GEO), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), AI citation, LLM optimisation, AI Overviews, conversational search and AI visibility. These describe how AI-powered search engines retrieve, interpret and present content — and how businesses can optimise for them.
How often do SEO terms change?
The core vocabulary of SEO is relatively stable, but new terms emerge whenever significant technological or algorithmic shifts occur. The rise of AI search in 2024–2026 introduced a substantial body of new terminology. Staying current with reputable SEO publications and agency insights helps practitioners keep pace.
Is Domain Authority an official Google metric?
No. Domain Authority is a proprietary metric created by Moz, not by Google. It is useful for comparative benchmarking but has no official bearing on Google rankings. Google has confirmed it does not use Domain Authority or any equivalent third-party metric in its ranking systems.
What is the difference between on-page and off-page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to optimisations made within your own website — content, HTML elements, internal linking, page speed. Off-page SEO refers to external signals that build authority, primarily backlinks, brand mentions, PR and digital partnerships.
What does EEAT mean in SEO?
EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. It is the framework Google uses — through its quality evaluator guidelines — to assess the credibility and reliability of web content. Strong EEAT signals can positively influence how Google ranks and surfaces your content.
Final Thoughts
Search engine optimisation terms form the foundation of every conversation about digital visibility. Whether you are reviewing an agency proposal, interpreting analytics data or trying to understand why a competitor is outranking you, fluency in this vocabulary gives you the clarity to make better decisions.
In 2026, that vocabulary has expanded meaningfully. Understanding traditional search engine optimization terms — backlinks, crawl budget, canonical URLs, schema markup — remains essential. But so does familiarity with the newer language of AI search: GEO, RAG, AI citation and LLM optimisation are no longer specialist terms; they are the currency of modern SEO strategy.
This glossary is designed to be a reference you return to, not a document you read once. As search continues to evolve, so will the language used to describe it.
If you are ready to go deeper, explore our resources on how to learn SEO, or read about Entity SEO vs keyword SEO to understand how modern strategy has shifted beyond traditional keyword thinking.
Disclaimer
Want to Put These Concepts Into Practice?
Understanding the language of SEO is a valuable first step — but applying it effectively to your own website is where the real gains are made. If you found this glossary useful and want to explore how these concepts translate into a practical SEO strategy for your business, we would be happy to help.
Browse our related resources:
- SEO keywords explained — how to research, use and optimise keywords effectively
- Topical authority — building comprehensive authority in your sector
- AI search and SEO — what the AI search revolution means for UK businesses
Or if you would prefer to speak with an experienced SEO consultant about your specific situation, explore our professional SEO services at DubSEO.
Published by DubSEO — UK SEO Agency. dubseo.co.uk
“Information Disclaimer: Information in this article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Website risk assessments and security outcomes depend on numerous factors including infrastructure quality, technology choices, implementation standards, compliance requirements, and ongoing maintenance. Businesses are advised to seek qualified professional guidance for their specific circumstances.”