SEO Terms You Should Know

A 301 redirect is a perfect way to point people and search engines from an old URL to a new one. It's like having your mail forwarded to a new address. Everyone who tries to go to the old page will automatically end up at the new location instead.

Using a 301 means any SEO power from links pointing to the original URL will transfer over. The new page will soak up all that juicy link equity. That's crucial for keeping your rankings intact when you need to move or rename a page.

Whenever someone lands on a page that's been 301'd, their browser gets a message saying, "This page has moved permanently. We're sending you to the new spot." The visitor's browser makes a quick pit stop, picks up the new address, and zips off to the right destination.

You can use a 301 to combine pages, swap domains, or clean up messy URLs. It's a slick trick for sprucing up your site structure without losing any precious SEO momentum. 301 redirects are a seamless way to reroute traffic when you need to switch things around.

So, if you've renamed a page or are merging websites, break out that 301 redirect. It'll make sure your visitors and friendly neighborhood search engines always wind up in the right place—no muss, no fuss, no lost link juice. You gotta love that 301 redirect!

 

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National-level data looks at search results from all across the country instead of just one area. This helps you see how your website ranks everywhere without being thrown off by what happens in specific cities or states.

Search engines often show different results based on where someone searches from. A person in Miami might see totally different rankings than someone in Seattle for the same search. National-level data ignores these local differences to give you the big picture.

This matters a lot if you run a business that serves customers nationwide. You need to know how you stack up against competitors everywhere, not just in your hometown. Looking at national-level data lets you spot where you're doing great and where you need work on a much bigger scale.

Companies use this information to make smarter choices about their websites. If your national rankings lag behind your local ones, you might need better content that appeals to people in different parts of the country. National Level Data gives you that broader view most businesses miss if they only check their rankings from their office computers.

 

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Negative keywords help you save money with Google Ads. These special words tell Google when NOT to show your ads. For example, if you sell luxury watches but don't want your ads appearing when people search for "cheap watches," you'd add "cheap" as a negative keyword.

You can set up negative keywords just like regular keywords - with exact match, phrase match, or broad match settings. This gives you lots of control over where your ads won't show up. Smart advertisers use negative keywords to make sure their ads only reach people who might actually buy something.

This strategy stops you from wasting cash on clicks that won't lead to sales. If someone searches using your negative keywords, they simply won't see your ad at all. Many businesses discover they need negative keywords after looking at their search terms report and finding weird searches that triggered their ads but brought no customers.

Adding the right negative keywords means your budget goes further and your ads perform better. Your money stays focused on searches from people who really want what you sell. This boosts how much you earn from every dollar spent on advertising.

 

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Robots need clear instructions about which web pages they should skip. The noindex command helps website owners tell search engines to pass over certain pages or links. You can put this command in two main spots: either at the top of your webpage in the HEAD section or directly inside individual link codes. This simple tag works as a "do not read" sign for search engine robots. Many site owners use this feature to keep private or less important pages from showing up in search results. Adding this command gives you better control over what parts of your site appear online for everyone to see.

 

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Google Analytics shows "Not-provided" instead of telling you which search words bring visitors to your website. This happens in the Keywords report - hiding all those important search terms people use to find you. If you want to see these hidden words, you must go elsewhere. You can try tools such as Semrush or check Google Search Console directly. Google made this change back in 2011. They did it mainly to keep searchers safe - making sure nobody could see exactly what other people searched for online. This helps protect everyone's privacy but makes life harder for website owners who want clear data about their traffic sources.

 

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The search engine shows a number for each search someone does. This number tells us how many results exist for that specific term or phrase. Every time you ask a search engine something, it counts all pages matching your search and displays this total. The number appears on your results page, usually near the top. It helps users understand if their topic has lots of information available or just a little. Search engines might find millions of pages for broad subjects but fewer results for specific questions. Many people notice this number but pay more attention to the first few actual results since those matter most for finding answers.

 

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Online Directories work as websites that gather business details for easy searching. Users find companies they need through these sites, which hold basic facts about each business. Most directories include business names, street addresses, phone numbers, website links, and open hours. Many also add customer reviews, service lists, and pictures of the business. If you search through Google Business Profile, Yellow Pages, or TripAdvisor, you'll see examples of these helpful directories. They help people discover businesses around them and connect with services they might want. These platforms serve both customers looking for services and businesses trying to reach more people online.

 

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Online Review Management means watching what people say about your business across many websites. You need to pay attention to these comments, answer feedback properly, flag fake reviews, and fix problems customers mention. This helps keep your business looking good online. Companies must check places where customers leave opinions regularly. They should thank happy customers and help unhappy ones feel better. Smart businesses respond fast to bad reviews by solving issues quickly. They also report any false reviews they find. Managing reviews takes time but pays off because people trust businesses with positive feedback more. Good managers know how to handle all kinds of comments without getting upset. They turn negative situations into chances to show great customer service. The best approach includes staying alert, being honest, and always trying to make things right for customers who have had bad experiences.

 

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Online Visibility means how much people can find a business or brand anywhere on the internet. If more people see your business online, you can reach more customers and make more money. Companies improve how many people see them through many different ways. They might use digital marketing campaigns to spread the word. Search engine work helps people find their websites. Paid ads put businesses at the top of search results. Public relations builds good stories about the company. Social media marketing reaches people scrolling through their feeds. Writing helpful blog posts attracts readers looking for answers. Reaching out directly brings new connections. All these ways help businesses show up in more places online where customers might look. The better your visibility, the easier it becomes for new customers to discover what you offer.

 

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Open Graph lets you add special code to your webpage that makes it look great on social media. You put this markup inside your page's hidden parts, and it transforms simple links into rich displays with pictures, videos, or sound files. Thanks to this system, sharing your website on places like Twitter shows much more than just plain text. Your users see attractive previews that grab attention as they scroll through their feeds. The code works behind the scenes to tell social networks exactly what should appear - which image to display, what text to show, and how everything should look. Many website owners miss this opportunity to make their content stand out. With Open Graph tags in place, your links become mini-advertisements that people notice and click on more often. It's an easy fix that makes a big difference in how your brand appears across the internet. Next time you share something important, properly tagged content will shine compared to basic links.

 

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Organic Search Results show up without anyone paying for them. Search engines put these results on your screen based on what matters most. They look at how closely something matches what you searched for. They check how popular websites are with other people. They also notice which words people use a lot. These free results appear differently from paid ads. The search engine figures out which pages deserve spots near the top all by itself. Nobody can buy their way into these positions - they must earn them through having good content and following proper website rules. Most people trust these natural results more than ads because they come from the search engine's honest opinion about what best answers your question. If you want your website to rank well in these spots, you need strong content that truly helps people find what they're looking for.

 

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Orphaned Pages exist on websites without any connecting links from other pages. Think about these pages as islands - nobody can reach them by clicking around your site. Search engines have trouble finding these lonely pages because they crawl websites by following links. If no paths lead to a page, search engines might miss it completely. This hurts your SEO efforts badly. Users face the same problem - they simply can't discover these pages during normal browsing. Every page should connect to your website through at least one internal link. Check your site regularly for these forgotten pages. You need to build bridges by adding links from related content. The best websites create clear paths between all their pages. This helps both search engines understand your site structure and helps visitors find everything you offer. Fix these orphaned pages fast - they waste good content that nobody sees.

 

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Outreach helps you gain backlinks through direct contact with other site owners. You must reach out yourself instead of waiting for links to happen naturally. Many SEO experts consider this one of the best ways to build quality links. The process involves finding websites related to your field, creating a list of good prospects, and sending personalized messages asking them to link to your content. Most successful outreach focuses on offering value - perhaps you wrote an amazing article that would benefit their readers or fixed outdated information they published. You need to explain why linking to your page helps both parties. Personalized messages work better than mass emails. Keep your requests short, friendly, and specific about which page deserves the link. Building relationships matters more than just asking for links. Smart outreach targets sites with good authority that match your topic area.

 

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Page Title works as an HTML tag that names your webpage. You add this tag inside the header part of your HTML code. Whatever words you put here will show up as the blue clickable text on search engine results. Because this text helps people decide whether to visit your site, it really matters for SEO. This tag plays a huge role in telling search engines what your page covers. Search engines look at this title to figure out what topics your page talks about. The tag follows a simple format - it starts with <title> and ends with </title>, with your chosen words between these markers. Smart website owners make sure each page has a clear, descriptive title that includes important keywords without stuffing them unnaturally. A good page title grabs attention and tells both search engines and real people exactly what they'll find if they click. Every single page on your website should have its very own unique title that matches what that specific page contains.

 

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A page view happens every time someone looks at a web page. This counts as one visit per page. If I go back later or click refresh, this gets marked as another page view. Most websites track page views because they help measure how popular different parts of the site are. You might hear people talk about "hits," but that's not the same thing - hits count every file loaded during a visit. Page views give us better information about actual user behavior. Sites use this data to figure out which content attracts visitors. They also help businesses decide where to place ads or make improvements. The more page views a site gets, the more valuable it becomes for advertising. Many analytics programs automatically collect this information to show site owners what pages people visit most often. Each time you browse a website, you create page views that help shape future content decisions.

 

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Pagination splits up big chunks of content into smaller, numbered pages. This helps people find their way around websites with lots of information. You'll see those page numbers at the bottom that let you jump between different sections. Each page usually has its web address with special numbers or letters that tell the system which part to show you. This makes it easier for users to share specific pages or bookmark them for later. Website designers use pagination to avoid endless scrolling that might slow down your browsing experience. It works really well for search results, product listings, blog posts, forum discussions, and other places with many items. Good pagination helps visitors navigate through large amounts of information without feeling lost or overwhelmed. The page numbers let you move forward, backward, or skip directly to any section you want. Many websites also include "previous" and "next" buttons to make moving between pages simple and fast. When done right, pagination improves how people use and enjoy websites with lots of content.

 

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Position on a SERP means where your webpage shows up in Google search results when someone looks for something. This number tells you exactly which spot your page holds at the time someone checks. If your page sits at position 1, it appears first in the results after any ads. A position 10 page shows at the bottom of page one. Sites want higher positions because most people click links near the top. Pages ranked lower often go unseen since users rarely check beyond the first few results. Search position matters a lot for websites trying to attract visitors. Moving up just a few spots can bring many more people to your site. Position numbers help track how changes to your website affect where you rank. They also show if competitors push you down or if algorithm updates change your standing. Website owners regularly monitor these positions for important search terms. They use this data to figure out if their efforts to improve search visibility actually work. Search positions change all the time as Google updates its system, competitors make changes, or new content appears online.

 

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PPA stands for Pay Per Action. It's an Internet ad model that works differently from regular pay-per-click. With PPA, website owners earn money only when visitors actually do something important after clicking an ad. This might include buying products, signing up for newsletters, filling out forms, or downloading files. The advertiser sets specific goals they want users to complete. Website publishers display these ads but receive payment just for real results, not simply clicks. This system creates less risk for advertisers since they pay exclusively for genuine customer actions. Many businesses prefer this approach because it directly connects marketing costs with actual sales or leads. For website owners, PPA offers less guaranteed income than other methods because fewer visitors finish the desired tasks compared to those who just click. However, each successful conversion typically pays more than a single click would. PPA works best for companies that can clearly track which clicks lead to sales. The entire process depends on special tracking systems that follow visitors from the initial ad click through the final action. Both advertisers and publishers need good analytics to make sure everything gets counted correctly and everyone receives fair payment.

 

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PPC means Pay Per Click. It's an online ad system where you pay money each time someone clicks your ad. Companies use this to bring more people to their websites. Google Ads runs most PPC campaigns today. The way it works feels simple - you create an ad, pick some search words, and your ad shows up when people look for those terms. Every time someone clicks your ad, you pay a small fee. This differs from other types of ads because you don't pay just to display your message - you only pay when someone actually clicks through to visit your site. Many businesses love PPC because they can target very specific groups of people who already care about what they sell. You can set daily budgets and decide exactly how much a click is worth to you. The price changes based on how many other companies want those same search words. Popular search terms cost more per click than less common ones. Smart advertisers track which clicks actually turn into sales and adjust their campaigns to focus on the most profitable keywords. This helps them spend money wisely and bring in visitors who might become customers.

 

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Public Relations helps manage how people see a person or brand. PR experts handle what the public thinks and hears about companies or famous individuals. They write press releases that share news about their clients with reporters and news outlets. They reach out to newspapers, TV stations, radio shows, websites, and magazines to spread positive stories. PR teams build partnerships with other groups to make both sides look better. They create plans for talking to the public during good times and bad times. PR differs from advertising because it tries to earn free media coverage instead of paying for it. Many PR pros work hard to build strong relationships with journalists and influencers who might talk about their clients. They track what people say online and respond quickly if negative stories appear. Good PR makes brands seem trustworthy and likable without obvious selling. It builds real connections between companies and customers through honest communication. PR specialists must understand both their clients and the audience they want to reach. They craft messages that appeal to specific groups of people and pick the right channels to share those messages. The best PR campaigns make headlines and change how the public feels about an organization.

 

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Purchase Conversion measures how many website visits probably led to sales. This number comes from studying user paths across the web. The system spots visits that reached pages showing success signals - like "thank you" screens or checkout pages. These special pages indicate a person likely bought something or signed up. Marketing teams use this data to figure out which traffic sources bring in buyers rather than just browsers. They can see if social media links lead to more purchases than email campaigns. It helps businesses understand their customer journey better by showing which paths take shoppers all the way through buying. The metric gives a solid picture of which marketing efforts actually make money. Companies value this information because it connects website traffic directly with business results. Purchase Conversion differs from other metrics because it focuses on valuable actions instead of just counting visitors. Website owners watch these numbers closely to spot trends and fix problems in their sales process. A drop in Purchase Conversion might mean something broke on the checkout page. A rise could show that recent design changes helped more shoppers finish buying. This data appears in Market Explorer and Traffic Analytics reports as a key performance indicator.