TERMINOLOGY

301 Redirect

A permanent move of a website, redirecting users to another site.

Affiliate

A related website linked to your own website forming a linking partnership.

Affiliate Linking

The provision of reciprocal links between affiliates.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of mathematical rules used by search engines, such as Google, to determine the ranking of websites in its index.

Bid Capping

The technique of setting a limit for maximum bid for use by a bid-listing monitoring service.

Black Hat SEO

Unethical methods of optimisation, which can result in severe penalties or even black listing.

Blog

A blog is short hand for Web Log and is a page on a website where information can be regularly updated. A blog is useful for Search Engine Optimisation because the more frequent content is added increases the likelihood is of regular crawling and indexing, resulting in higher placement in the search engine results pages.

Bookmarking

The action of marking a webpage in your browser, to make it easy to return to later.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Files that instruct browsers on how to format a document (which fonts to use, how links should behave etc.).

CMS

Content Management System, a secure web page where you can edit your website without having to use a specialist designer.

Content/Copywriting

Content, or copywriting, is the text that is placed on a web page. Good content is key to a successful SEO campaign.

CPC

Cost Per Click – the actual average cost incurred by the advertiser by the action of a potential customer following a link found on a search engine result page.

Directories

A directory is a website that details services categorised by industry. There are thousands of free and paid directories available, and some can be industry specific.

DMOZ – The Open Source Directory

DMOZ is an open source, human reviewed directory. Google uses the information from DMOZ to estimate the authority of a site. Entry to the directory is not guaranteed as each and every submission is review for quality by a human volunteer.

Domain

All devices connected to the internet are referenced by their IP address. To make using the internet easier, most will have IP addresses that have names associated with them – for instance .com.

E-Commerce

The processes of selling online using shopping carts or PayPal via a website.

Ethical SEO/White Hat SEO

Ethical SEO or White Hat SEO describes optimisation that does not use any underhand methods to improve rankings (as opposed to Black Hat SEO).

Feed

A file listing a large number of pages to be indexed or items for sale which spiders can download and read automatically from a website. Some feeds can be created easily using a spreadsheet.

Google Page Rank

Google's own system for ranking web pages.

HTML Coding

HyperText Markup Language is a coding language used to make hypertext documents for use on the web.

Indexed

Indexed or indexing is the action performed by the search engine to attain a position for a website in the listings. Not to be confused with crawling.

IP Address

A four-byte numeral (bytes have a value between 0 and 255), which represents an exact address of an internet location, eg. 255.0.192.47. There are almost 4,300 million unique IP addresses, however this is currently not enough for global use, and often users share IP addresses through a proxy server.

IP Delivery (Cloaking)

A technique whereby false content is presented to search engine spiders in an attempt to gain ranking points.

JavaScript

A web coding language, not recognised by Search Engine Spiders.

Keyword Search

A search made by keying in a keyword, or combination of words, into a search engine, directory or portal.

Keywords

Keywords are used on a website to tell a search engine which specific information you are targeting and to also help target users who may in turn search for those keywords within a search engine.

Keywords

The actual words used to describe the site in meta tags and to find the site using searches.

Key Phrases

Combinations of keywords, also called search terms.

Keyword Search Frequency

Number of search requests for particular keyword.

Links

An electronic connection between two web sites (also called hyper-link).

Link Farm

Web pages deliberately created to increase the number of links between sites and therefore link popularity. A dangerous technique, unpopular with the search engines.

Link Popularity

A method used by search engines to determine the importance of a listed site. Based on the idea that sites with many inbound links is more credible than one without.

Long Tail

The term given to non-generic search terms entered into a search engine. Long tail searches generally convert into sales/leads as the visitor has been very specific about what they want.

Message Boards

Websites that allow visitors to post messages, and for others to reply to them. Unlike email, all discussions take place in public, and anyone can join in. Usually, such discussions are themed by subject matter.

Meta Tag

HTML coding embedded in the site, to provide spiders with keyword information.

Natural/Organic

In relation to search engine results means that the listing has been gained over time and is seen as an authority site.

Page Rank

Page Rank is a visual representation of a websites authority. Ranging from unranked, for weak or new websites, to 10 for highly trusted and resourceful websites.

Paid Linking

The act of paying for another site to link to your own.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Pay Per Click is the practice of advertising on a search engine or other website. Website owners will pay the site hosting the advert based on the amount of clicks they receive through to their site.

Portals

Web sites which offer some or all of the following: search, email, news, weather, shopping.

Proxy Server

An internet server that allows several users to share one internet connection, reducing the number of IP addresses required. Users are assigned IP addresses from a limited range, as and when they are required.

Rank

The position attained on the search engines, directories and searchable portals.

Reciprocal Linking

The act of two sites linking to each other, for mutual benefit, and with no cost incurred by either site.

Robots

Programme which meta search engines send out to read the meta data and/or body html of a submitted site.

ROI

Return On Investment – a measure of the success of a marketing campaign in comparison to the money spent on that campaign.

Search Engine

A website that provides a list of useful links (SERPs) in response to a text query. Many search engines have gradually evolved from pure search engines, such as Google, into portals, such as Yahoo!.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

A crucial element of search engine marketing – the process of adapting web pages to maximise their effectiveness at matching (and occurring highly in the results pages for) common search phrases on search engines.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

The page on which search results are displayed in response to a query submitted by the user.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Is a form of internet marketing which has the goal of promoting web sites by being listed in search engines. There are various SEM methods, these include: search engine optimization, paid placement and paid inclusion.

Semantic Web

This refers to the goal to make the information in world-wide-web understandable to computers, using technology such as XML. Basically, web pages include information not only explaining how pages look, but what they actually mean. Search engines already make use of this in the form of information feeds, such as RSS and XML site maps.

Server-Side

Web coding that instructs a server to undertake a task. Opposite to client-side.

Social Networking

Is a buzzword at the moment on the internet. A social network is an online group of people who share similar interests or activities. Examples of social networks include Digg! Facebook and MySpace.

Spiders

See Robots

Submission

The act of making search engines aware of new web pages and sites. Each search engine will have its own individual process for doing this.

Top Listings

Listings which rank in the top 30 of results.

Targeted Traffic

The concept of directing traffic to a website based on the requirements of that traffic (i.e. matching user ‘wants’ with site provisions).

Title Tag

The title tag can be found within the tag of a HTML or xHTML document and can be used to display textual information to a user.

Traffic

Traffic is the term that is used to describe visitors to a site.

Unique User

One individual user to a site. This user may visit once or return often, but will still count as one unique user.

URL

Universal Resource Locator (address e.g. http://www.google.com).

W3C

W3C Stands for ‘World Wide Web Consortium’ and was foundered by Sir Tim Berners Lee. The consortium exists to ensure that compatibility between vendors agree on a foundation of standards when programming for the web.

XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is an easy way for a search engine to find out what type of content is hosted on your website and where to find it.