— GLOSSARY · PLAIN-ENGLISH DEFINITIONS

The terms behind getting found.

Plain-English definitions of the SEO, AEO, schema, local-search, and website terms that come up when you build and rank a site. No jargon for its own sake.

AEO & AI search

AEO: Answer Engine Optimization is the practice of structuring a website so AI-powered answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews) cite it as a source when they generate an answer. It differs from SEO in its goal: a citation inside an AI-generated answer, not a high-CTR position on a search results page.
AI Overview: An AI Overview is the AI-generated summary Google places at the top of some search results, answering the query directly and listing source links beneath it. It is produced by Google's generative models and can reduce clicks to the websites it summarizes.
GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing content to be cited by generative AI engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The term was coined in a 2023 research paper and popularized in 2025; in practice it overlaps almost entirely with AEO.
Large language model: A large language model (LLM) is an AI system trained on vast amounts of text to predict and generate language. LLMs such as GPT, Claude, and Gemini power chatbots and AI search tools, and they are the engines that Answer Engine Optimization aims to influence.
llms.txt: An llms.txt file is a plain-text file placed at a website root that gives large language models a curated, markdown-formatted map of the site's most important content. Proposed by Jeremy Howard in September 2024, it is conceptually similar to robots.txt, but aimed at AI systems rather than search crawlers.
Speakable: Speakable is a schema.org property (SpeakableSpecification) that marks the sections of a page best suited to be read aloud by voice assistants and text-to-speech. It points at concise, answer-like passages using CSS selectors, helping machines find the most quotable part of a page.

Search engine optimization

Backlink: A backlink is a link from one website to another. Search engines treat backlinks from reputable sites as votes of confidence, which makes them a long-standing signal of a page's authority and trustworthiness.
Canonical URL: A canonical URL is the version of a page you tell search engines to treat as primary when duplicate or similar pages exist. Set with a rel="canonical" tag, it consolidates ranking signals onto one address and prevents duplicate-content dilution.
E-E-A-T: E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, the qualities Google's search-quality rater guidelines use to judge content. It is not a direct ranking factor, but it describes the signals that strong, credible pages tend to show.
Featured snippet: A featured snippet is a short answer Google pulls from a page and shows at the top of results, above the regular links. Pages win them by answering a question clearly and concisely in the first sentences right after a heading.
Keyword: A keyword is the word or phrase a person types into a search engine, and the term SEOs use for the queries a page targets. Matching content to the keywords real users search is the starting point of search optimization.
Local SEO: Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business to appear in location-based search results, especially the Google Map Pack and Google Maps. Google ranks local results on three factors it states openly: relevance, distance, and prominence. It is how nearby customers find a business when they search for a service "near me."
Meta description: A meta description is an HTML tag that summarizes a page's content. Search engines often show it as the snippet beneath the title in results. It does not directly affect ranking, but a compelling description can lift click-through.
Organic traffic: Organic traffic is the visitors who reach a site through unpaid search results, as opposed to paid ads. It is the traffic SEO and AEO work to grow, and it tends to compound over time as a site earns authority.
Ranking: Ranking is the position a page holds in search results for a given query. Search engines order pages by relevance, quality, and authority, and the top few positions earn a large majority of the clicks.
Rich results: Rich results are search listings enhanced with extra visual detail, such as review stars, FAQs, or breadcrumbs, generated from structured data on the page. They stand out on the results page and can lift click-through, though Google does not guarantee them.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving a website so it ranks higher in search results for relevant queries. It spans technical setup, content, and links, with the goal of earning more visibility and clicks from organic (unpaid) search.
SERP: A SERP (search engine results page) is the page a search engine returns for a query. It can mix organic links, ads, the local Map Pack, featured snippets, and AI Overviews, all competing for the searcher's attention.
Title tag: A title tag is the HTML element that sets a page's title, shown as the clickable headline in search results and on the browser tab. A clear, specific title is one of the most direct on-page signals of what a page is about.

Local search

Citation: A citation is any online mention of a business's name, address, and phone number, such as in a directory or listing. Consistent citations across reputable sites reinforce a local business's legitimacy and support its local search ranking.
Google Business Profile: A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free listing that controls how a local business appears in Google Search and Google Maps, including its name, hours, location, photos, and reviews. It is the single most important controllable factor in local search rankings.
Map Pack: The Map Pack (or Local Pack) is the block of three business listings shown with a map at the top of Google's local search results. It captures a large share of local clicks, and ranking in it depends on a complete Google Business Profile, reviews, and proximity.
NAP: NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number, the core contact details a local business publishes online. Google uses consistent NAP across directories and a business's own site as a trust signal that feeds local ranking.
Online reviews: Online reviews are customer ratings and comments left on platforms like Google, where they shape both reputation and local ranking. Review volume, rating, and recency feed Google's prominence signal, and most consumers read reviews before choosing a local business.
Prominence: Prominence is one of Google's three local ranking factors, reflecting how well-known and trusted a business is. It is built from reviews, links, citations, and overall web presence, and it helps decide which businesses appear in the Map Pack.

Structured data & schema

FAQPage: FAQPage is a schema.org type that marks a list of questions and answers on a page. It helps search engines and AI engines identify and extract Q&A content, though Google now limits FAQ rich results to government and health sites.
JSON-LD: JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is the format Google recommends for adding structured data to a page. It places machine-readable schema in a single script block, separate from the visible HTML, which makes it easy to generate, validate, and maintain.
LocalBusiness: LocalBusiness is a schema.org type that describes a physical, place-based business, including its name, address, hours, and geo coordinates. It is the core structured-data entity for local SEO and shapes how search engines understand a business.
Open Graph: Open Graph is a metadata protocol, originally from Facebook, that controls how a page looks when shared on social platforms by setting the title, description, and preview image. It uses og: meta tags placed in the page head.
Schema graph: A schema graph is a set of structured-data nodes on a page connected by @id references, so search engines and AI read the page as one linked entity instead of scattered snippets. It is how a site ties its organization, pages, articles, and people together.
Structured data: Structured data is code added to a web page, most often in the JSON-LD format, that describes the page's content to search engines and AI systems using a shared vocabulary (schema.org). It powers rich results like review stars and FAQ drop-downs, and helps machines understand what a page is actually about.

Websites & hosting

404 page: A 404 page is what a site shows when a requested URL does not exist. A helpful 404 keeps visitors oriented with navigation and search instead of a dead end, and the 404 status code tells search engines the page is gone.
Above the fold: Above the fold is the part of a web page visible without scrolling. It is the most valuable space on a page, where the clearest message and the primary call to action usually belong.
Alt text: Alt text is the written description of an image in a page's HTML, read aloud by screen readers and shown when an image fails to load. It improves accessibility and helps search engines understand what an image depicts.
CMS: A CMS (content management system) is software that lets people create and edit website content without coding, such as WordPress or Decap. It separates content from code so non-developers can publish updates on their own.
Core Web Vitals: Core Web Vitals are a set of Google metrics that measure real-world page experience: loading (LCP), interactivity (INP), and visual stability (CLS). They are a confirmed, if lightweight, search ranking signal.
DNS: DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet's directory that translates domain names like example.com into the numeric IP addresses servers use. It is what lets people reach websites with memorable names instead of numbers.
Domain name: A domain name is the human-readable address of a website, like example.com, that maps to a server's IP address. Visitors type it to reach a site. It is registered through a registrar and renewed, usually once a year.
Favicon: A favicon is the small icon that represents a website in browser tabs, bookmarks, and sometimes search results. It is a minor but visible piece of branding that helps users recognize a site at a glance.
Landing page: A landing page is a focused web page built around a single goal, usually the page a visitor arrives on from an ad, email, or search result. It strips away distractions to drive one action, such as a call or a form submission.
Page speed: Page speed is how quickly a web page loads and becomes usable. It affects both user experience and search ranking, and slow pages lose visitors and conversions. Google measures key aspects of it through Core Web Vitals.
Redirect: A redirect automatically sends a visitor and search engines from one URL to another. A permanent 301 redirect passes ranking signals to the new address and is the correct way to move or retire a page without losing its value.
Responsive design: Responsive design is an approach that makes a website adapt its layout to any screen size, from phone to desktop. With most web traffic now mobile, a responsive site is expected, and Google indexes the mobile version of pages.
robots.txt: robots.txt is a text file at a site's root that tells crawlers which parts of the site they may or may not request. It manages crawler traffic, but it is not a security or privacy control, since only well-behaved bots obey it.
Sitemap: A sitemap is a file, usually XML, that lists a site's important pages so search engines can find and crawl them efficiently. It does not guarantee indexing, but it helps engines discover content, especially on larger sites.
SSL / HTTPS: SSL/TLS is the encryption that secures the connection between a browser and a website, shown by the padlock and the https prefix in the address bar. It protects data in transit, and search engines treat HTTPS as a ranking and trust signal.
Web hosting: Web hosting is the service that stores a website's files on a server so they are reachable on the internet. If a domain is the address, hosting is the building the site lives in, and the host's reliability and speed affect the site directly.

Measurement & marketing

Bounce rate: Bounce rate is the share of visitors who leave a site after viewing only one page without interacting further. A high bounce rate can signal a mismatch between what visitors expected and what the page actually delivered.
Call to action: A call to action (CTA) is the prompt that tells a visitor what to do next, such as "Call now" or "Get a free quote." A clear, single CTA is one of the strongest levers on a page's conversion rate.
Conversion: A conversion is when a visitor completes a goal that matters to the business, such as submitting a form, calling, or making a purchase. Defining and tracking conversions is how you tell whether a site is actually working.
Conversion rate: Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a goal, calculated as conversions divided by total visitors. It is a core measure of how effectively a page turns traffic into leads or sales.
Google Analytics: Google Analytics (currently GA4) is Google's free tool for measuring website traffic and behavior, including where visitors come from and what they do on the site. It is the standard way small businesses track whether their site performs.
Lead: A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest by taking an action like calling, filling out a form, or requesting a quote. For most service businesses, generating leads is the main job of the website.
PPC: PPC (pay-per-click) is online advertising where the advertiser pays each time someone clicks an ad, as with Google Ads. It buys immediate visibility, in contrast to the earned, compounding visibility of SEO and AEO.
ROI: ROI (return on investment) measures the profit from an investment relative to its cost, shown as a percentage or ratio. For a website, it frames spending in terms of the leads, sales, or value the site produces.
Uptime: Uptime is the percentage of time a website is available and reachable. Hosts often target 99.9% or higher, because downtime means lost visitors, lost sales, and a hit to both search visibility and customer trust.

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