Short answer
SEO is the work of getting pages found in search. The terms below cover keywords and rankings, competitors, on-page issues, backlinks, and AI assistants, in the order you tend to meet them.
- SEO
- Search engine optimization. The work of making pages that search engines can find, understand, and show for the searches you care about.
- Keyword
- The words someone types into a search engine. A rank tracker checks where your site shows up for each keyword you add. Read the guide
- Search volume
- An estimate of how many times a keyword is searched per month in one country. Treat it as a range, not an exact count.
- Keyword difficulty
- A 0 to 100 estimate of how hard it is to reach the first page for a keyword, based mostly on the links pointing at the pages that rank now.
- Search intent
- What the searcher wants: to learn, to compare, to buy, or to reach a specific site. A page ranks best when it matches that intent.
- SERP
- Search engine results page. The page Google shows for a search, including ads, organic results, and features like maps or questions.
- Organic result
- A search result Google ranks on its own, as opposed to a paid ad. Rank trackers count organic positions.
- Ranking position
- Where the first page from your site sits among the organic results for a keyword. Position 1 is the top result.
- Top 20
- The first 20 organic results. RankMySEO reads this far and shows 20+ when your site is further down. Read the guide
- Ranking URL
- The page from your site that ranked for a keyword on a given check. When it changes, Google has picked a different page. Read the guide
- Keyword cannibalization
- Two or more of your pages competing for the same keyword, so Google swaps between them and neither holds a steady position. Read the guide
- Rank tracking
- Checking positions for the same keywords on a schedule and keeping each result, so you can see what moved and when. Read the guide
- Competitor
- In SEO, a site that ranks for your keywords. It may not be a business rival.
- Keyword gap
- Keywords a competitor ranks for where you rank lower or not at all. Often split into Missing and Losing. Read the guide
- On-page SEO
- Everything on the page itself that affects search: title, meta description, headings, content, links, and speed. Read the guide
- Title tag
- The page title in the HTML head. Google often uses it as the blue link in results, so keep it unique and specific.
- Meta description
- A short summary in the HTML head. Google may show it under the link. It does not change rankings directly but affects clicks.
- H1
- The main heading on the page. One per page, saying what the page is about.
- Canonical URL
- The version of a page you want indexed when several URLs show the same content, set with a rel=canonical link.
- XML sitemap
- A file listing the URLs you want search engines to find, usually at /sitemap.xml.
- Indexing
- Google storing a page so it can appear in results. A noindex tag or a robots block keeps a page out.
- 4xx error
- A status code saying the page was not found or not allowed, such as 404. Links to these pages waste a visit.
- 301 and 302 redirects
- A 301 says a page moved for good and passes its signals on. A 302 says the move is temporary, so use 301 for permanent moves.
- Thin content
- A page with too little text to answer the search it targets.
- Backlink
- A link from another site to yours. Google treats links from trusted sites as a sign your page is worth showing.
- Referring domain
- A site that links to you at least once. Fifty links from one blog count as one referring domain. Read the guide
- Anchor text
- The clickable words of a link. It tells readers and Google what the linked page is about.
- Disavow
- A file you upload in Google Search Console asking Google to ignore links from certain domains. Read the guide
- Google Search Console
- Google's free tool for site owners. It shows the queries you get clicks from, indexing problems, and manual actions.
- MCP
- Model Context Protocol. A standard way for AI assistants such as Claude or Cursor to call tools on a server, like reading your rank history. Read the guide
- AI visibility
- Whether assistants such as ChatGPT or Gemini name or cite your site when asked about your topic. Sometimes called GEO or AEO. Read the guide
