Glossary

On-Page SEO Terms

48 essential terms for optimizing individual web pages, from HTML elements to content structure and user experience factors.

HTML Elements Content Optimization Images & Media URL Structure Internal Linking User Experience Signals

9HTML Elements

Title Tag: An HTML element (<title>) that specifies the title of a webpage. It appears in browser tabs, search results, and social shares. Ideal length is 50-60 characters including your primary keyword.
Meta Description: An HTML meta tag providing a brief summary of a page's content. While not a direct ranking factor, it influences click-through rates. Optimal length is 150-160 characters.
Header Tags (H1-H6): HTML heading elements that create a hierarchical structure for content. H1 is the main heading (one per page), H2-H6 for subheadings. Proper hierarchy helps both users and search engines understand content organization.
Meta Robots Tag: An HTML tag that instructs search engines how to crawl and index a page. Common values include 'index', 'noindex', 'follow', and 'nofollow'.
Viewport Meta Tag: An HTML meta tag that controls how a webpage is displayed on mobile devices. Essential for mobile-first indexing and responsive design.
Open Graph Tags: Meta tags that control how content appears when shared on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Includes og:title, og:description, og:image, and og:url.
Twitter Cards: Meta tags specific to Twitter that define how content appears when shared. Types include summary, summary_large_image, app, and player cards.
Canonical Tag: An HTML element that tells search engines which URL is the 'master' version of a page, preventing duplicate content issues. Critical for e-commerce and sites with URL parameters.
Hreflang Tag: An HTML attribute that tells search engines which language and regional targeting a page uses. Essential for international SEO with multiple language versions.

10Content Optimization

Keyword Density: The percentage of times a keyword appears on a page relative to the total word count. Modern SEO focuses on natural usage rather than specific percentages. Overuse leads to keyword stuffing penalties.
Keyword Placement: Strategic positioning of keywords in important page elements: title tag, H1, first 100 words, subheadings, and throughout the body content naturally.
Keyword Prominence: How close to the beginning of important elements (title, headings, paragraphs) a keyword appears. Earlier placement typically signals higher relevance.
LSI Keywords: Latent Semantic Indexing keywords are terms conceptually related to your main keyword. They help search engines understand context and topic depth (e.g., 'apple' with 'iPhone' vs 'fruit').
Semantic Keywords: Words and phrases that are semantically related to your target keyword, helping establish topical relevance and comprehensive coverage of a subject.
Content Depth: The comprehensiveness and thoroughness of content covering a topic. Deeper content typically performs better for informational queries by satisfying user intent more completely.
Content Freshness: How recently content was published or updated. Fresh content can rank better for time-sensitive queries. Regularly updating existing content signals relevance.
Thin Content: Pages with little or no valuable content that provide minimal value to users. Can result in ranking penalties. Common on doorway pages, auto-generated content, or affiliate sites.
Duplicate Content: Substantially similar content appearing on multiple URLs within or across domains. Can dilute ranking signals and cause indexing issues. Resolved with canonicalization or redirects.
Content Siloing: Organizing website content into distinct categories or themes with strong internal linking within each silo. Helps establish topical authority and improves site architecture.

8Images & Media

Alt Text (Alt Attribute): Descriptive text added to images that helps search engines understand image content and provides accessibility for screen readers. Should be descriptive and include keywords naturally.
Image Title Attribute: Optional HTML attribute providing additional information about an image. Less important for SEO than alt text but can provide context and improve accessibility.
Image File Name: The name of an image file. Using descriptive, keyword-rich file names (blue-running-shoes.jpg vs IMG_001.jpg) helps search engines understand image content.
Image Compression: Reducing image file size without significantly impacting quality. Essential for page speed optimization. Tools include TinyPNG, ImageOptim, and WebP format.
Lazy Loading: A technique that delays loading images until they're about to enter the viewport. Improves initial page load time and Core Web Vitals scores.
Image Sitemap: An XML sitemap specifically for images, helping search engines discover and index images on your site. Important for image-heavy sites and Google Image search visibility.
WebP Format: A modern image format developed by Google that provides superior compression for both lossy and lossless images. Typically 25-35% smaller than JPEG/PNG at equivalent quality.
Responsive Images: Images that adapt to different screen sizes using srcset and sizes attributes. Ensures optimal image delivery for each device, improving UX and Core Web Vitals.

6URL Structure

URL Slug: The part of a URL that identifies a specific page in human-readable format. Best practices: use hyphens, keep it short, include keywords, avoid parameters when possible.
URL Parameters: Query strings added to URLs (after '?') that modify page content or tracking. Can cause duplicate content issues if not properly managed with canonical tags.
URL Depth: How many clicks/subdirectories deep a page is from the homepage. Shallower URLs (fewer levels) typically receive more link equity and are easier to crawl.
Static URL: A URL that remains constant and doesn't include dynamic parameters. Generally preferred for SEO as they're more readable and shareable.
Pretty URLs: Clean, human-readable URLs without complex parameters or file extensions. Example: /products/blue-shoes/ vs /product.php?id=123&cat=4
Trailing Slash: The forward slash at the end of a URL. Consistency is key - pick one format and use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content from both versions.

8Internal Linking

Internal Link: A hyperlink that points to another page on the same website. Distributes page authority, helps users navigate, and assists search engines in discovering and understanding site structure.
Anchor Text: The clickable text of a hyperlink. For internal links, use descriptive, keyword-relevant anchor text to help search engines understand the linked page's topic.
Contextual Link: A link placed within the main body content of a page, as opposed to navigation or footer links. Contextual links typically carry more weight for SEO.
Link Equity Flow: The distribution of ranking power through internal links. Strategic internal linking ensures important pages receive adequate link equity from the site's overall authority.
Orphan Page: A page with no internal links pointing to it, making it difficult for users and crawlers to discover. Should be avoided or linked from relevant pages.
Breadcrumb Navigation: A secondary navigation showing the user's location within the site hierarchy. Improves UX, creates internal links, and can appear in search results as structured data.
Navigation Links: Links in the main navigation menu, footer, or sidebar. While valuable for user experience, they carry less weight than contextual body links.
Link Depth: The number of clicks required to reach a page from the homepage. Important pages should be accessible within 3-4 clicks for optimal crawling and user experience.

7User Experience Signals

Above the Fold: Content visible without scrolling when a page first loads. Important content and CTAs should appear above the fold to engage users immediately.
Content Layout: How content is structured and presented on a page. Proper use of whitespace, headings, bullet points, and visual hierarchy improves readability and engagement.
Mobile-First Design: Designing for mobile devices first, then scaling up for larger screens. Essential since Google uses mobile-first indexing for all websites.
Page Experience: Google's umbrella term for user experience signals including Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, and absence of intrusive interstitials.
Intrusive Interstitials: Pop-ups or overlays that block main content, particularly on mobile. Google may penalize pages with intrusive interstitials that harm user experience.
Readability Score: A measure of how easy content is to read, often calculated using formulas like Flesch-Kincaid. Lower reading levels generally improve engagement for most audiences.
Font Size & Line Height: Typography settings affecting readability. Google recommends minimum 16px font size for body text and 1.5-2x line height for comfortable reading.