You’re looking to improve the visibility of your website, generate new business, and beat out the competition. Looking up the “how-to” guides on optimizing your website can be confusing and overwhelming, especially when it comes to understanding the technical terms associated with SEO. A lot of time when writing guides, it’s easy to forget that industry jargon isn’t common knowledge. In this installment of our SEO guides for shredding companies, we’re going to give you a simple and easy guide to SEO terms.
Basic SEO Terms
Before diving into the more complex terms, let’s start with some basic ones. These are the foundations of SEO and understanding them will help you build a strong strategy for your website.
Search Results
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – The practice of optimizing website content and structure to improve visibility and rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) – A form of online advertising where website owners pay for their ads to appear in search engine results pages.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) – The page that displays the results of a user’s search query. This can include both organic and paid results.
Featured Snippet – A summary of information shown at the top of a search engine results page (SERP) that is pulled from a relevant website. This can greatly increase visibility and traffic to your site.
Keyword – Specific words or phrases that people use to search for information on search engines like Google. For example, if someone is looking for a paper shredding service in their area, they might type in “paper shredding near me” or “secure document destruction”. By incorporating these keywords into your website’s content and meta tags, you increase the chances of your website appearing in relevant search results.
Query – A search term or phrase entered by a user into a search engine.
URL – The web address of a webpage, typically beginning with “http” or “https”. URLs are important for search engines to crawl and index webpages.
User Intent – The goal or intention behind a user’s search query. Search engines strive to provide the most relevant results based on user intent.
Visibility – Refers to how easily a website can be found in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is influenced by factors such as SEO, content quality, and backlinks.
Zero-click Searches – Search results that are displayed directly on the search engine results page, without requiring the user to click through
Measurement
Bounce Rate – The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that a website’s content is not engaging or relevant enough for visitors.
CTR (Click-Through Rate) – The percentage of clicks a link receives is divided by the number of times it was shown. CTR is an important metric in online advertising and can also be used to analyze the effectiveness of organic search results.
Conversion – The act of turning a website visitor into a paying customer or taking a desired action on the site.
Conversion Rate – This metric measures the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form. Improving your conversion rate can lead to increased sales and business growth.
CPC (Cost Per Click) – The amount paid for each click on an online advertisement. This is commonly used in pay-per-click advertising models.
Engagement Rate – This metric measures the level of interaction between users and your content. It can include actions such as likes, shares, comments, and clicks.
Impressions – The number of times your content has been displayed on a search engine results page (SERP). Impressions can give you an idea of how visible your content is to users.
Pageviews – The total number of times a webpage has been viewed by users.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) – An online advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. This is commonly used in search engines and social media advertising.
Position – Refers to the ranking of a webpage in search engine results pages for a specific keyword or query.
Ranking – The position in which a website appears in search engine results for a specific keyword or query.
Links
Backlink – A backlink, or inbound link, is a hyperlink from another website that leads to your site. Backlinks are an important factor in search engine rankings, as they indicate that other websites trust and value your content.
External Link – A hyperlink that directs users to a different website. Including external links on your site can improve its credibility and provide additional resources for users.
Hyperlink – A clickable link that directs users to another page or website. Hyperlinks are important for SEO as they allow search engines to crawl and index your content more easily.
Internal Link – A hyperlink that directs users to another page within the same website. Including internal links can improve navigation and encourage users to explore more of your site.
Traffic
Direct Traffic – Visitors that come to your website by directly typing the URL into their browser or using a bookmark. This type of traffic is not influenced by search engines or external sources.
Organic Traffic – Website traffic that comes from unpaid sources such as search engines. This means visitors found your website through their own online research and did not click on any paid advertisements.
Paid Traffic – Refers to website visitors that come from paid sources, such as PPC ads or sponsored social media posts.
Referral Traffic – Website traffic that comes from external sources such as social media, backlinks, or other websites. This means visitors found your website through links on other webpages rather than directly searching for it.
Technical SEO Terms
Now that we’ve explored the basic terms, we’ll explore some of the more technical terms in SEO. These terms can be helpful to know or reference when they are brought up.
Alt Text – A descriptive text used for images that helps search engines understand the content and context of an image. This is also important for accessibility purposes, as screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to visually impaired users.
Alt Attribute – Similar to alt text, this is a code used to provide alternative information for images that cannot be displayed.
Anchor Text – The clickable text in a hyperlink. It’s important to use relevant anchor text that accurately describes the linked page for better SEO.
Breadcrumb – A navigation feature that shows the user’s path through a website, typically appearing at the top of a page. Breadcrumbs can improve user experience and help search engines understand the structure of a website.
Broken Link – A hyperlink on a website that leads to an error page or does not work properly. Broken links can negatively impact user experience and hurt a website’s search engine rankings.
Cache – A saved version of a webpage that allows for quicker loading time when revisited. It’s important for websites to regularly clear their cache in order to make sure users are seeing the most up-to-date version of a webpage.
Canonical URL – The preferred version of a webpage that should be indexed by search engines. This is important for avoiding duplicate content issues.
Cookie – A small piece of data that is stored in a user’s browser by a website. Cookies are often used for tracking user behavior and personalization.
Crawling – The process of a search engine’s automated bots, also known as crawlers or spiders, scanning and indexing web pages.
Heading Tags – HTML tags used to designate headings within content. These tags are important for organizing and structuring your content as well as improving its SEO by signaling key topics to search engines.
Indexing – The process by which search engines crawl and store information from websites in their databases. Indexing allows search engines to quickly retrieve relevant information when a user makes a query.
Mobile-friendly – A website that is optimized for viewing on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. This includes features like responsive design, easy navigation, and fast loading times.
Page Speed – The time it takes for a web page to fully load. A fast loading speed is crucial for user experience and can also impact search engine rankings.
Redirection – A technique used to forward one URL to another, usually to redirect old or broken links to a new webpage.
Responsive design – A website design approach that ensures a website looks good and functions well on all screen sizes, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Title Tag – An HTML element that specifies the title of a webpage. This is displayed in the browser tab and is also used as the main heading for a search result.
Content Marketing Terms
Copy is one of the most vital pieces of SEO, but what exactly do we mean when we say that? Let’s dive into the words we have for creating and optimizing the writing on your website.
Blog – A regularly updated website or online journal where articles, reviews, and other content are published. Blogs can be a great way to engage with your audience and provide fresh, relevant content for search engines.
Clickbait – Sensational or exaggerated headlines designed to attract clicks from users. While clickbait may initially drive traffic to a website, it can also harm credibility and lead to high bounce rates.
Content – The information, images, and videos presented on a webpage or website.
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Want to know how to write persuasive and engaging content for the shredding industry? Check out our resource: SEO Content Tips for Your Document Shredding Business.
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Content Marketing – A marketing strategy that involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to boost their impact online.
Copywriting – The art of writing persuasive and engaging copy for advertisements, websites, or other marketing materials.
Duplicate Content – When similar content appears on multiple web pages or websites, it can negatively impact search rankings and user experience. It is important to create unique and original content for each page on your website.
Generative AI – A type of artificial intelligence that uses machine learning algorithms to generate new content, images, and videos. This technology has the potential to revolutionize digital marketing by allowing businesses to create personalized and engaging content at scale.
Keyword Density – The percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears within a piece of content compared to the total number of words. It is important to have a balanced keyword density, as too many keywords can be seen as spammy by search engines.
Local SEO Terms
For shredding companies, Local SEO is your bread and butter. This is because most consumers looking for shredding services will likely be searching for companies in their immediate area. Let’s explore some of the words that go along with more local SEO needs.
Google Ads (formerly known as Adwords )– Google’s advertising platform where businesses can bid on keywords to appear in the top results of search engine pages.
Google My Business (GMB) – A free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. It helps businesses appear in local search results and provides important information such as opening hours, reviews, and contact details.
Landing Page – Specific web pages that are designed to capture a visitor’s information and convert them into customers. They often have a clear call-to-action, such as filling out a contact form or making a purchase.
Local SEO – A type of search engine optimization strategy that targets local customers by optimizing a business’s online presence for specific geographic locations.
Location Page – A web page specifically created to target a specific geographic location, typically used for local SEO purposes.
Long-Tail Keywords – Longer, more specific keyword phrases that are less competitive but often have higher conversion rates. For example, “best pizza restaurant in New York City” would be considered a long-tail keyword compared to just “pizza restaurant”. Incorporating long-tail keywords into your website’s content can attract highly targeted traffic, creating quality content, improving site speed, and more.
Local Pack – Also known as the “map pack”, this is a section of Google search results that displays local businesses and their information, including reviews and contact details. Often, it is the first thing users see when searching for local services or products.
Advanced SEO Terms
While these terms might not come up as often as all of the ones above, they are great to reference if you find yourself in a position where someone is talking to you about these.
Above the Fold – The portion of a webpage that is visible without scrolling. It’s important to have your most important content and call-to-action above the fold, as this is what visitors will see first.
Authority – A measure of how trustworthy and credible a website is based on its content, backlinks, and other factors. Search engines give higher rankings to authoritative websites.
Core Web Vitals – A set of metrics developed by Google to measure website speed, responsiveness, and visual stability. These factors have become increasingly important in search engine rankings.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – loading performance.
- First Input Delay (FID) – interactivity.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – visual stability.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – page’s overall responsiveness
Domain Authority – A search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). A higher domain authority typically means the website has more quality backlinks and is seen as more authoritative by search engines.
Content Management System (CMS) – A software platform used to create, manage, and publish digital content on websites. The most commonly used CMS is WordPress.
Crawling – The process of a search engine’s automated bots, also known as crawlers or spiders, scanning and indexing web pages.
Meta-Data – Information about a webpage that is not visible to users but helps search engines understand the content and context of the page. This includes title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text for images.
No-index – A meta tag that instructs search engine crawlers to not index a web page. This is useful for pages that do not need to be included in search results, such as login or payment pages.
Rich Snippet – A fragment of information that appears in search engine results under the webpage title. It provides a preview of what users can expect to find on the webpage.
Robots.txt – A text file that contains instructions for search engine robots on how to crawl and index a website. This can include instructions to disallow certain pages from being crawled or indexed.
SERP Features – Special features on a SERP that provide additional information to the user, such as featured snippets, knowledge panels, and local packs.
Sitemap – A list or directory of all the pages on a website. Sitemaps are used by search engines to index and crawl web pages more efficiently.
Structured Data – A standardized format for providing information about a webpage to search engines. This can help improve the display of search results and increase click-through rates.
SEO For Shredding Companies
As shredding company owners, you might not find yourself managing your own SEO, but by knowing a little bit about what we do, you can gain a deeper understanding of how we help your business succeed online. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can return any time you need to quickly reference a term.
With years of experience with the shredding industry under our belt, we can handle all aspects of your SEO so you can focus on running your business with confidence, knowing that we are working hard to bring in new customers and improve your overall online presence.
Contact our team today to learn more about our SEO services and how we can improve your digital presence.