SEO Leaders Dictionary

Alt Tag
Alt tag refers to the text that is associated with an image. This originated from when web browsers were not universally available as "Graphical Browsers" so the "Alt text" was a description used to describe the image. Now adays it is also used in the "mouseover" text popup that appears when you move your mouse over a graphical image.

Backlink
A link to your site from another website.

Blog
Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

Conversion Rate
The key metric to evaluate the effectiveness of a conversion effort (accepting a free gift, setting an appointment), reflecting the percentage of people converted into buyers (or subscribers, or whatever action is desired) out of the total population exposed to the conversion effort. For Web sites, the conversion rate is the number of visitors who took the desired action divided by the total number of visitors in a given time period (typically, per month).

Cost-per-click
The amount an advertiser pays an ad host (such as a site owner, search engine or ad network) each time a visitor clicks on the advertiser's link.

Description Meta Tag
A meta tag describing the content of the web page. Used by some search engines for keyword density purposes.It is recommended that you use a couple of your targeted keywords in the description meta tag.

Keyword
The word(s) or phrase(s) a person types into a search box. Also refers to the word or phrase a site owner wants to be found under.

Keywords Meta Tag
An HTML tag that lists all of the main keywords and key phrases that are contained on that web page. Some search engines pay attention to this tag, some do not.

Link popularity
The number and quality of links on other sites pointed to a Web page. Search engines increasingly rely on this to determine their rankings.

Meta Tags
Special HTML tags containing instructions for spiders or a user's browser. Many tags are available, specifying everything from copyright information to page refresh dates. In search engine marketing and search engine optimization, the most widely used meta tags contain the description, keywords, redirection instructions and instructions for robots.

Natural Listings
Web page listings that appear in a search engine's results, based on the engine's own algorithm. The website/web page owner has not paid for these positions in the results. However, search engine results often include a mix of paid (paid inclusion) and unpaid listings. As long as a listing has achieved its position naturally (not paid for), it is a "natural" or "organic" listing.

One Way Link
One way link is a term used among webmasters for link building methods. It is a Hyperlink that points to a website without any reciprocal link; thus the link goes "one way" in direction.

Outbound Link
A link from your website to another site or page, regardless of whether the destination is at your same domain. (ant.) See backlink.

PageRank
As defined by Google "PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."

Paid Listings
Directory listings where the results display only advertisers who have paid for inclusion, and possibly for position.

Reciprocal Link
A situation where two sites link to and from each other, though not necessarily to the pages that contain these links, usually the result of an agreement between the sites.

Return On Investment
Return on Investment associate with a particular marketing activity. The immediate return is usually expressed as a percentage of the amount spent (the ROI of a successful investment is greater than 100%). Influencing factors include calculable returns, such as revenues from repeat buyers over the long term, future sales, enhancement of brand image, awareness and public relations value.

Site Map
A site map (or sitemap) is a web page that lists the pages on a web site, typically organized in hierarchical fashion. This helps visitors and search engine bots find pages on the site.

Submission
A request to be included in the database (index) of a search engine or directory. Submission does not guarantee inclusion, even if the submitter pays for consideration. In some cases, a description of the page or site is submitted, as well as other information. In other cases, only a URL is submitted.

Traffic
The load on a communications device or system. One of the principal jobs of a system administrator is to monitor traffic levels and take appropriate actions when traffic becomes heavy.

Website Promotion
Website promotion is the continuing process to promote a website to bring more visitors to the website. Many techniques such as web content development, search engine optimization (also known as SEO), and search engine submission, are used increase the traffic to a site.

XHTML Modules
XHTML modules provide means for subsetting and extending XHTML. They are used for creating new flavors of XHTML, such as XHTML Basic for mobile devices.

XML Feed
A paid inclusion method of submitting a site's pages to search engines, via an XML document that describes multiple pages. Search sites continue to introduce ever-broader arrays of content (such as images, audio, PDF documents, etc.) and more expeditious methods of submission, inclusion and indexing.