SEO Glossary

Terms and Definitions

Algorithms - The method that search engines and directories use to determine the relevancy of a given web page for a particular search query. These algorithms vary for each engine, are constantly in flux and are not made public.

ALT Text - Text which can be added to an image to give the search engines a description of what that image represents. This tag is also a tool to make your site accessible to disabled visitors using text-to-speech readers. Avoid stuffing this tag with keywords.

HTML code - Hyper Text Markup Language is the hidden code on each page of your site. This code provides the Internet browser with instructions on how to format and present the page's content and graphics. For search engine positioning to be successful it is very important to have clean html code.

Keywords, Keyword phrases - important terms and phrases that search engines and directories will use to classify you and searchers will use to locate you. Successful search engine marketing campaigns first identify keywords that their customers use and then get the best visibility possible for those terms.

Link popularity - Link popularity refers to the number of outside links pointing to your site. The majority of major search engines now figure link popularity into the ranking algorithms so it is prudent to seek outside links to your site. You can check your site's link popularity on three engines at: www.linkpopularity.com

Meta Tags - A part of your webpage header that is "invisible" to your viewers. Popular meta tags include keywords and descriptions. These tags are widely used by SEOs but are generally ignored by the search engines.

Optimization - Changes made to a web page to improve the positioning of that page with one or more search engines. A means of helping potential customers or visitors to find a web site. Optimization may involve design/layout changes, content changes and more.

Paid Placement Buying position in a search engine or other website. For instance you can pay for submission to some popular web directories. You can purchase keywords as sponsored listings in the major search engines.

Pay Per Click (PPC) - Advertising your website for specific keywords in the major search engines. Advertisers bid on keywords and have control over their budget, ad copy, target market and destination pages. Advertisers pay a set price for each click the ad delivers to their website.

Search Directory - A server or a collection of servers dedicated to indexing Internet web pages and returning lists of pages which match particular queries. Directories (also known as Indexes) are normally compiled manually, by user submission, and often involve an editorial selection and/or categorization process (such as at LookSmart and Yahoo!).

Search Engine - The software that searches an index of spidered web pages and returns matches. Also used to describe web sites which allow users to search the Internet for keywords. See our list of top search engines

Spamdexing, Spamming - The alteration or creation of a document with intent to deceive an electronic catalog or filing system. Any technique that increases the potential position of a web site at the expense of the quality of the search engine's database can also be regarded as spamdexing - also known as spamming or spoofing. When discovered, these techniques can cause the search engine to ban the offending domain.

Spider - The software that scans documents and adds them to an index by following links. Spider is often used as a synonym for search engine.