Ahrefs
An SEO analysis platform covering backlinks, keywords and website audits. Its metrics are provider estimates rather than scores assigned by Google.
Definition and sourcesKNOWLEDGE / FROM A TO Z
Glossary
Technology, explained clearly. Find a term, choose a letter or narrow the topic. Definitions include sources and their review date.
Terms 94 / 685
Clear filtersAI Overviews
AI-generated summaries in Google results that may include source links. Availability depends on the query and market; website inclusion is not guaranteed.
Definition and sourcesALT attribute
An HTML attribute providing a text alternative for an image. It supports people using screen readers. The text depends on the image's purpose; purely decorative images normally use an empty alt. It is not a keyword list.
Definition and sourcesAnchor text
The visible text of a clickable link. It should describe the destination clearly and fit the context rather than mechanically repeat keywords.
Definition and sourcesBacklink
A link from another website to your page. It can help people discover content and provide a search signal. Context matters: buying links to manipulate rankings can breach a search engine's policies.
Definition and sourcesBacklink gap
A backlink comparison finding sites linking to competitors but not the analysed site. It identifies opportunities to assess, not links to copy automatically.
Definition and sourcesBacklink profile
A website's incoming links and their characteristics. Analysis considers sources, context and quality; referring-domain counts alone are insufficient.
Definition and sourcesBlack-hat SEO
SEO practices violating search-engine policies, such as manipulative links or cloaking. They can lead to ignored signals, reduced visibility or removal from results.
Definition and sourcesCanonical URL
The preferred address for duplicate or closely similar content. HTML usually expresses it with a link element using rel="canonical". Search engines treat it as a signal rather than an unconditional indexing instruction.
Definition and sourcesCitation Flow
Majestic's proprietary metric estimating link-profile influence from link relationships. It is neither a Google metric nor independent proof of website quality.
Definition and sourcesCloaking
Showing search crawlers different content from users to manipulate results. Not all legitimate personalisation is cloaking; purpose and implementation matter.
Definition and sourcesCopywriting
Writing that supports a communication goal, such as explaining an offer or encouraging contact. Effective copy connects the reader's needs with concrete information. Persuasion does not justify unsupported promises.
Definition and sourcesDisavow links tool
Google's tool for submitting links a site owner wants discounted. Google advises caution; most websites do not need it.
Definition and sourcesDofollow link
A colloquial name for an ordinary link without nofollow qualification. Dofollow is not a standard HTML attribute; its absence does not guarantee ranking benefits.
Definition and sourcesDomain Authority
Moz's proprietary metric modelling a domain's comparative ranking potential. It is not a Google score; similarly named third-party metrics use different calculations.
Definition and sourcesDomain Rating
Ahrefs' metric describing the relative strength of a domain's backlink profile. It does not directly measure traffic, overall quality or a Google-assigned score.
Definition and sourcesDuplicate content
Identical or very similar content under different URLs. It can split signals and complicate canonical selection; it does not imply an automatic penalty.
Definition and sourcesDwell time
A colloquial term for time between visiting a search result and returning to results. It differs from session duration and is not a confirmed simple Google factor.
Definition and sourcesExact-match anchor text
Link text exactly matching a target keyword phrase. It can be natural in context; large-scale artificial use does not guarantee benefits.
Definition and sourcesExternal linking
Links between different websites. Cite reliable sources and qualify paid relationships correctly; an external link is not automatically harmful.
Definition and sourcesFaceted navigation
Filtering lists by multiple attributes, such as price and colour. Combinations can generate huge URL spaces requiring crawling and canonicalisation planning.
Definition and sourcesFeatured snippets
Highlighted answer excerpts in Google results. They are selected automatically; suitable text structure does not guarantee inclusion.
Definition and sourcesFresh-site bonus
An informal claim that new websites receive a ranking bonus. Google documents no universal new-site bonus; temporary ranking movement does not establish such a mechanism.
Definition and sourcesGoogle knowledge panel
An information panel about an entity shown by Google using available sources. It is not an ordinary ad or an automatic result of adding markup.
Definition and sources