Confused by SEO jargon? Our cheat sheet demystifies key terms, from SERP to ** backlinks**. Get clear, concise explanations to boost your small business’s online presence and confidently navigate the world of SEO!
Plain English definitions for every SEO term a beginner needs to know
Download the Cheat Sheet as a Printable PDF
- Googlebot
The robot (or crawler) that Google uses to visit your site and collect information. Like a scout gathering intel. - Crawling
Googlebot exploring the internet and finding your website. - Indexing
Google storing and organizing your site so it can show up in search results. - Ranking
Google deciding which page should show up first when someone searches. - Sitemap
A file that lists all the pages on your site that you want Google to know about. Like a table of contents for your website. - Robots.txt
A file that tells search engines what they should and shouldn’t crawl on your site. - Meta Title (Title Tag)
The title shown in Google search results. It should be clear, clickable, and include keywords. - Meta Description
The short description under the title in search results. Doesn’t affect rankings directly, but helps people decide to click. - Alt Text
Text that describes images — used for accessibility and also helps Google understand your images. - Keywords
The words and phrases people type into Google. Your job is to include them naturally in your content. - Long-Tail Keywords
Longer, more specific searches like “best tax accountant for freelancers in Melbourne.” Easier to rank for. - Backlinks
Links from other websites to yours. These are like votes of confidence in Google’s eyes. - Internal Links
Links from one page on your website to another. Helps Google and users navigate your site. - Domain Authority
An unofficial score that estimates how strong your website is based on links. Not used by Google, but helpful to understand competitiveness. - Search Intent
What the person really wants when they search. Could be informational, navigational, transactional, or local. - Duplicate Content
Content that’s exactly (or very closely) the same as content found elsewhere. Google doesn’t like it. - Mobile-Friendly
Your site works well on phones. Google gives this a big thumbs-up. - Page Speed
How fast your page loads. Faster is better — for users and rankings. - EEAT
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust. Google’s way of judging if your content is reliable. - Schema Markup
Code that helps Google understand what your page is about (e.g., reviews, events, products). Can lead to rich results.
