What is the most important SEO term to know?

Search intent. Everything else supports the goal of matching what the searcher wants. A page that misreads intent will not rank regardless of its other optimisations, so start there.

What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO optimises to rank in search results; GEO optimises to be cited in AI answers. They share most fundamentals, so strong SEO is the foundation for both. See the GEO versus SEO guide for detail.

Do I need to know every SEO term?

No. Understanding keyword difficulty, search intent, backlinks, internal links, and indexing covers most decisions. Learn the rest as specific questions come up during your work.

SEO glossary

A plain-English glossary of the SEO and ranking terms used across this site, from keyword difficulty and backlinks to search intent and GEO.

Core ranking terms

These are the foundational terms behind whether a page can rank. Each definition is self-contained so you can use it on its own.

Keyword difficulty: an estimate, often scored 0 to 100, of how hard it is to reach the first page for a keyword, based on how strong the current top results are. See keyword difficulty explained.
SERP: the search engine results page, the list of results and features shown for a query.
Search intent: the reason behind a query, whether to learn, navigate, compare, or buy. Matching it is essential to rank.
Ranking factor: any signal a search engine uses to order results, such as content relevance, links, and page experience.

Content and keyword terms

Terms that describe the words you target and the content you build around them.

Long-tail keyword: a longer, specific phrase with lower volume and lower difficulty, usually easier to rank for. See long-tail versus head keywords.
Head keyword: a short, broad, high-volume term with high difficulty.
Topic cluster: a pillar page plus focused supporting pages that link together to build topical authority.
Title tag: the HTML title of a page, shown as the clickable headline in results and a strong on-page signal.

Links and authority terms

Terms about the signals that come from links, both within your site and from others.

Backlink: a link from another website to yours, treated as a vote of confidence. See how backlinks affect rankings.
Internal link: a link between two pages on the same site, used to spread authority and aid crawling.
Authority: a general sense of how trusted and credible a site or page is, built from content, links, and track record.
Anchor text: the clickable words of a link, which describe the destination to search engines.

Technical and AI terms

Terms covering the technical basics and the newer AI search surfaces.

Indexing: the process of a search engine storing a page so it can appear in results. An unindexed page cannot rank.
Core Web Vitals: Google's metrics for loading, responsiveness, and visual stability. See page speed and rankings.
GEO: generative engine optimisation, shaping content to be cited by AI assistants. See GEO versus SEO.
AI Overview: an AI-generated summary shown above search results that cites source pages.

Want to see these factors scored for a real page? Try the free keyword difficulty checker on any page and keyword.

Put the terms into practice

Check any page against a keyword to see these factors scored, then let Sorank apply them across your whole site automatically.

Start your 3-day trial

Sorank runs SEO and GEO on autopilot from $99/mo. A card is required to start.