SEO can be highly complex and full of three-letter acronyms. If you are planning to do SEO on your own, knowing these is crucial. But even when working with a digital marketing firm, learning the basics of SEO can make a positive difference. Let’s take a closer look at why being fluent in the SEO lexicon really matters.
Benefits of Knowing These Terms
Knowing basic SEO terms helps you get more value from your digital marketing. That’s especially true if you partner with an outside firm and want to perform due diligence on their work. SEO knowledge is fundamental to all of today’s digital marketing. Although it is complex, the fundamental terms and ideas rarely change.
Because so much of SEO applies to every campaign you will do in the future, understanding it at a basic level will give you a tremendous amount of flexibility. You’ll be able to understand analytics, review reports, and ask the right questions to know if a campaign is performing. If not, you’ll see where to begin adjusting it.
Risk of Never Learning Them
If you don’t know any SEO basics at all, you’ll quickly find yourself at a dual disadvantage:
- You won’t be able to decipher current website performance trends or weigh in on SEO strategy
- You may find yourself at the mercy of a third party for SEO without the ability to check their work
Of course, a reputable digital marketing agency can do it all for you. However, that doesn’t mean you’re not a part of the strategy and goal-setting. On the contrary, your voice is crucial.
You’ll be able to grow your ROI from any partnership by knowing some SEO – and that includes switching agencies more easily if needed.
It is fair to say that your competitors are counting on you to make SEO a low priority. The less you know about it, the easier it is for rivals to build competitive advantages with SEO. Once enough time has passed, it becomes challenging to surmount another company’s lead in relevant search rankings.
The Top 20 SEO Terms in 2021
1. SEO
Search Engine Optimization, a collection of techniques for improving your site’s visibility in relevant searches.
2. Backlink
A link back to your site from another site. Relevant backlinks are one of the most essential parts of SEO.
3. Google My Business (GMB)
Google’s local business directory. Taking ownership of your listing raises your visibility for customers near you.
4. Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
The list of results Google serves for any given search term a user enters. Being on the first page is essential.
5. Ranking Factors
Google uses dozens of different metrics when rating a site’s quality and deciding its SERP rank.
6. PageRank (PR)
The formal name for the Google algorithm, the core, partly AI-driven system that ranks websites.
7. On-Page
On-page SEO is any SEO technique that you implement within the pages of your website.
8. Meta Description
A page’s meta description is the description that shows up under its header when it appears in SERPs.
9. Cross-Link
To cross-link content means linking to other relevant content on your website from within a page or blog post.
10. Knowledge Panel
The explanatory information that appears on the right of SERPs for notable people, places, and things.
11. Position Zero
The information Google offers at the very top of the search results for certain words and phrases.
12. Disavow
Disavow “eliminates” the effect of a backlink on your search rank. It is used if a low-quality site links to you.
13. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the free software many businesses use to track their positions in search results over time.
14. Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase an actual user interested in your products or services types into Google.
15. Anchor Term
An anchor term is the exact text used when creating a link. In many cases, it should be identical to a keyword.
16. Indexing
Indexing is the process by which Google adds new sites to its results and updates the position of old ones.
17. Headers
Headers include the title (H1) of any page and the subheaders and should usually incorporate keywords.
18. Traffic
Traffic is the collective term for all visitors to your website.
19. Bounce
A user bounces if they leave your website, usually within seconds, without interacting in any way.
20. Dwell Time
Dwell time is the length of time a user spends on one page or the site as a whole. The more, the better.
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