Understand the Language of SEO: A Glossary of Key Terms
When diving into search engine optimization—especially with tools like Athena SEO AI—you’re bound to come across industry-specific terms. Understanding what these mean is essential for making informed decisions and maximizing your SEO strategy.
Here’s a clear, beginner-friendly glossary of the most common and important SEO terms.
Key SEO Terms You Should Know
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
The process of optimizing your website to improve its visibility in search engine results, like Google. The goal is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic.
2. SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page you see after searching on Google or Bing. It includes organic results, paid ads, snippets, and more.
3. Keyword / Keyphrase
Words or phrases people type into search engines. These are what you want your content to rank for in search results.
4. Meta Description
A brief description (around 150–160 characters) that summarizes a page’s content. It appears below the page title in search results.
5. Title Tag
The clickable headline that appears in search engine results. It’s also shown in your browser tab.
6. Alt Text (Alternative Text)
A description added to images on your website. It helps with accessibility and tells search engines what the image is about.
7. Backlink
A link from another website to yours. High-quality backlinks signal trust and authority to search engines.
8. Internal Link
Links that connect one page of your website to another. Great for improving navigation and SEO strength.
9. Crawling
When search engines send out “bots” or “spiders” to discover and analyze your website’s content.
10. Indexing
After crawling, a page is added to a search engine’s database. Only indexed pages can appear in search results.
Intermediate & Advanced SEO Terms
11. Canonical URL
A tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the “master” version to avoid duplicate content issues.
12. Sitemap
A file that lists all the important pages on your site. It helps search engines crawl and index your content efficiently.
13. Schema Markup
Code added to your website to help search engines better understand the content (e.g., reviews, FAQs, products).
14. Domain Authority (DA)
A score (0–100) predicting how likely a website is to rank in search results. The higher, the better.
15. Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could signal irrelevant or low-quality content.
16. CTR (Click-Through Rate)
The percentage of users who click on your website listing after seeing it in search results.
17. Organic Traffic
Visitors who land on your site through unpaid search results, not ads.
18. PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
A paid advertising model (like Google Ads) where you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
How This Glossary Supports Athena SEO AI Users
Athena SEO AI is built to be intuitive and powerful, but understanding these key SEO terms will help you:
- Choose better keywords for your content
- Write more effective meta titles and descriptions
- Structure your pages for better indexing and ranking
- Interpret the results of your SEO performance more effectively
Final Tip
Bookmark this glossary or print it out as a quick reference guide while using Athena SEO AI. The more familiar you are with SEO terms, the more confident you’ll feel in crafting and managing your content strategy.
