Search Engine Optimization Terms - Glossary
Find Important Seach Terms Definitions
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Backlink
A link that points to a web page normally from an external site. Backlinks are very important for good rankings in all search engines, especially Google. The more links you have pointing to your site the higher your search engine ranking. Best practice - request links from sites that are similar to your own site theme.
Backward Links
Links to your Web page from other pages. Google introduced the term.Bad Neighborhood
A single web site or a collection of web sites that either use spam techniques or material that is considered unethical by search engines. Links from bad neighborhood sites can result in downgrading in search engine rankings.
Banned
A site using any unethical tactics, aka “spam” in an attempt to rank high in the search engines. Search engines will remove the banned site and it will not appear on search listings. A site is said to be banned, blacklisted, or black flagged. This can be a permanent punishment for a website.
Banner Advertising
A web banner or banner ad is a horizontal or verical image ad that is contained in a web page.
Banner Ad
A graphic image, usually a GIF or JPEG, that can be placed anywhere on a web page. A standard horizontal banner ad is 468pixels wide by 60 pixels heigh.
Beacon
A line of code placed in an ad or on a web page that helps track the visitor actions, such as registrations or purchases. Typically, it is associated with an image and is very small.
Beta
A testing stage/testing version of a product - particularly software or website.
Beyond-the-Banner
Any advertisement that is not a banner, such as a pop-up ad.
Bid Management
Controlling bids, by limiting the amount of money you spend on sponsored listings. Find the best converting keywords and keyword phrases and bid on those keywords.
Bid Price
The amount of money you are prepared to pay for every time that a user clicks on your pay-per-click ad on a search engine. Also called “bid.’
Blacklisted
A domain that search engine(s) will not approve for listing, usually for ethics and/or specific rules violations. A blacklisted site will not appear during a keyword search - it literally does not exist in the search engine database.
Blind Traffic
Low quality traffic that is often the result of misleading advertising, spam, and non-targeted traffic.
Blog
weB LOG. a blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.”
Blogosphere
All the information available on blogs.
BODY Area
The Body tag identifies the beginning of the main section of a web page. The presentation area of a page is located between the opening and closing body tag (<BODY>...</BODY>). Includes all the images, links, text, headings and forms.
Boolean Search
A search formed by joining simple terms with AND, OR and NOT for limiting a search.
Bounce
An automated electronic mail reply from the receiver’s mail system informing the sender the message could not be delivered. Also called a bounce-back.
Bounce Rate
A ratio of email messages were not delivered divided by the number sent. Usually caused by bad email address or recipient email box is full.
Breadcrumbs
A sequence of text links showing the path by categories, from the root page to the current web page.
Broad Match
Occurs when keywords are listed in the query, in any order, and may include other words. For example, a broad match for the keyword “tennis shoes” would include “shoes” for “tennis” and “tennis dresses” and “shoes.” Broad matches are usually less targeted than exact matches.
Broken Link
A link that does not open destination page. Usually because the destination page was renamed or deleted from the site. Also called a “Dead Link.”
Browser Emulation
A program that queries search engines similar to human interaction. Search engines do not approve of automated web page browsing when checking ranking or moving between pages.
Browsing
Following hyperlinks from one website to another. Also called “Surfing.”
Button
A clickable graphic that takes the user to another web page or executes another web program.
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