Alt text: Alt text is the description of images used in subpages or articles. Since search engines generally do not interpret images on their own, they rely on alt text to identify and rank them. Therefore, the alt text should describe the image using relevant keywords.
Backlink: A backlink is a link from another website to your website or one of your subpages. Obtaining relevant backlinks is an important factor in search engine optimization.
Canonical tag: When two or more pages on your website contain the same content, you must specify to Google which URL should be considered the primary one to avoid duplication. The canonical tag is an HTML tag, usually placed directly below the meta tags on the page, and looks like this:
<link rel=canonical href=”http://theduplicatecontentofthis.uk” />
H1 tag: A header tag used to structure the text on your subpages, playing an important role in search engine optimization. These tags function as headings, with the most important being the H1 tag—only one should be used per page—followed by H2, H3, and so on.
Anchor text: Anchor text is the clickable text on a web page that directs the browser to a URL when clicked. For example, in this case, the text Rackhost is the anchor text for www.rackhost.uk.
Indexing: The process by which search engine bots scan websites by following links, creating a database of new pages and updates to those already indexed.
Search engine: An internet search engine that displays the most relevant results based on certain criteria. The most popular is Google, but you may also have heard of Bing or Yahoo!
Search engine optimisation: The process of using various methods to help your website rank as high as possible on search engine results pages.
Search engine robots: Search engine robots are used by search engines to scan and index websites.
Keywords: Words or multi-word phrases (long-tail keywords) that, when used correctly and strategically placed on a website, play an important role in search engine optimization.
Meta description: Each subpage of a website should have a meta description, which briefly describes the content of the page and provides information to both visitors and search engines. In search results, the meta description may appear below the title tag of your website—if Google determines it is relevant.
Mobile-friendly: A website is considered mobile-friendly if it displays well and functions properly on smartphones and tablets.
Offsite SEO: Search engine optimization efforts that take place outside of our website, such as acquiring backlinks.
Onsite SEO: Search engine optimization carried out within our own website to make it more search-engine-friendly.
Organic results: Search engine results that are not marked as ads. They typically appear above or below paid advertisements.
Robots.txt: The robots.txt file is located in the root directory of a website and instructs search engine robots on which files and pages they are allowed or not allowed to crawl.
SERP: Search Engine Results Page.
Sitemap: A structured list of a website’s main URLs, which helps search engines crawl subpages more efficiently.
Title tag: A title tag is required for all subpages. It informs both readers and search engines about the page’s content. This is why it’s important to use relevant keywords and ensure that each title tag is unique!
URL: The web address where content is located. For example, the URL of this article is https://www.rackhost.uk/knowledge-base/seo/basic-seo-concepts, which is displayed in the browser’s address bar.