This is the first lesson of the SEO guide, in which I will address a group of the most important and popular terms used in SEO.
Each term will be addressed in English, translated in Arabic, and defined in a simple and easy to understand manner.
Understanding terminology is a very important element when learning anything new. Knowing the terms used in search engine optimization and understanding their meanings, will help you understand the components of SEO, and will make it easier for you to understand in the upcoming lessons.
The most important and famous SEO terms
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
This is the main topic we talk about in the entire guide. This term means search engine optimization, or website optimization and optimization for search engines.
SEO includes every change made by the website owner or those in charge of it, to help search engines crawl, understand and index the site, and the ultimate purpose of SEO is to get a better ranking in search results.
Also Read : Top 10 Free Traffic Sources (Targeted and Engaged Traffic)
Search Engines
It stands for search engines, which are computer programs owned by private companies such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. These companies provide a search service on the Internet. Through special programs, it collects data on all web pages on the Internet, and then provides the visitor with results from these sites when they type any search word.
Also Read : Secrets of Google Search (How to Get Exactly What You Want Easily and Quickly)
Content
refers to everything contained on any web page for the purpose of providing information to the user. Content can be textual content, including any written word or sentence that is visible to the user.
Content can also be audible as an audio file, or visual as images and videos. It is worth noting here that content is one of the most important factors in ranking results in search engines.
The higher the quality of a web page's content, the higher the chance of that page appearing in the first results.
Also Read : How to Write an Article for a Website (A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners)
Crawler
it is a specialized program used by search engines. This program constantly visits web pages to collect data, for the purpose of indexing these pages.
It monitors every new web page on the Internet, and it also monitors updates to web pages. In order to add it to the indexing database of the search engine. Also called Bot or Spider.
Crawl
it is the process by which web pages around the Internet are visited. To access new pages and updated pages, for the purpose of indexing them. Crawling is done by following links in the first place.
Index
it is the database of the search engine, which contains data for each web page that has been indexed by the search engine. It is the source for showing search results in every search.
Algorithms
a set of operations carried out through a computer program, for the purpose of displaying search results and arranging them in the best and most appropriate way for the user.
When you type any keyword into the Google search engine, for example, the program starts performing algorithms according to pre-defined factors, to show the results to the user in a specific order.
Ranking Factors
a set of criteria that search engines use in evaluating each web page. The search engine Google once announced that it uses more than 200 factors, to determine which pages appear first in search results.
Search engine algorithms rely on these ranking factors in their operations, in order to produce and rank search results for each keyword.
Keyword
words or phrase (Keyphrase) that the SEO specialist targets on a web page, in order to appear in the search results for this word.
Keywords are extracted based on the frequency of their use by users.
Also Read : How to make money from blogging online in 11 practical steps
Query
it is the word, words, or sentence that a search engine user types in to perform a search. Whether a query is a question or not, it is Query for the search engine whose job it is to provide answers.
It is worth noting here that query and keyword are two sides of the same coin. As a site owner, you must know the search word that the user uses, and then target it as a keyword on one of your site's pages, in order to appear in the search results for this search word (keyword).
White Hat
it is a term that is used, to express legitimate strategies in search engine optimization.
White hat owners respect the rules and laws of search engines, and try to reach the first results without circumventing these laws.
There is also a related term called Black Hat, which means black hat and is the exact opposite of the white hat. Another term is called Gray Hat, which means the gray hat, and its companions use a strategy that combines legal and illegal practices together.
Backlink
a link on a website that points to your site or to one of your site's pages.
Your site gets a backlink when a site owner places a link to one of your site's pages, as a reference, for example, to important content on your site. Backlink is an important factor that shows the importance of your site.
Internal Link
a link on one of your site's pages that points to another page within your site as well. Internal links are a very important component of every website, they are used to link pages that talk about related topics.
There is another similar term called External Link, which means an external link. It is a link on your site that points to a page on another site.
Also Read : 7 free ways to get thousands of visitors to your blog
Anchor Text
is the text used as a link on any web page. You can convert any text on your site into a link, by adding a specific code or by inserting a link in WordPress.
On-Page SEO
It means internal SEO, and it represents every change within web pages, for the purpose of obtaining better results in search engines, such as improving the quality of web page content.
There is another related term called Off-Page SEO, which means external SEO, and it represents all activity outside web pages, with the aim of obtaining better results in search engines, such as posting site links on social networks.
Responsive Website
It means a responsive website, a term given to websites that have a design that is responsive to all devices. Responsive website, works well on all screen sizes for computers, mobiles and tablets as well.
Sitemap
means sitemap. It is a file written in a language called XML, which is added in the main path of your site. This file contains links to all pages of your site. The purpose of this file is to help search engines find your site well and index it.
User Experience
It stands for Visitor Experience, abbreviated to UX. A term to express the visitor's experience with the site, which gives him a sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the site. It is worth noting that search engines give the visitor's experience a special importance when evaluating the site.
Above the Fold
Refers to the visible part of the page. A term for the portion of a web page that is visible to the user immediately after it has been loaded. That is, before the visitor scrolls the content.
It is very important to check this part well on your site, on all screen sizes, because it constitutes a large part of the visitor's experience on your site.
HTML
Short for Hypertext Markup Language, it is an essential programming language for every website. This language is used to indicate important elements of your site by means of special HTML tags, which help improve your site for search engines.
Alt Attribute
HTML code used to provide information about images, by writing descriptive text. This text helps search engines and blind people understand the images on your site.
Google Analytics
It is a website analysis tool, this tool belongs to Google and it is completely free for every website owner. This tool enables you to know a lot of analytical and graphic information about your site, such as the number of daily visitors, the source of these visitors, the geographical location and the type of device used. There is a lot of other data provided by this wonderful tool.
Bounce Rate
Means the bounce rate, a term used to express the percentage of visitors to your site who leave the site, without moving to another page within the site.
Here are the links to all the SEO guide tutorials:
SEO (Your Guide to Getting the First Result)
List of the most important seo terms and their meanings
How do people use search engines?
All you need to know about keywords
The Essential Guide to On-Page SEO
The Essential Guide to off-Page SEO
