We all need a refresher once in while. Below is a list of commonly used terms.
Crawling
A term for a search engine that's actively searching the Web for more content.
Search engine
An automated program that indexes the content of Web sites on the World Wide Web. Search engines are also known as spiders, crawlers, robots, or bots. Once search engine programs are written, they can run and compile detailed indexes of Web sites without any human intervention at all.
Googlebot
The name given to Google's crawling bot.
Directory
A categorical listing of sites available on the World Wide Web. Humans, not search engines, compile directories. At a directory, you typically click a category such as health or business and economy and wind your way through sub-categories until you find what you're looking for.
Internet
A worldwide network of computer networks, sometimes referred to as "the Net."
www (World Wide Web)
All users and systems on the Internet that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which is what http stands for. (Basically, HTTP is a standardized way for a browser and a server to talk to each other.) The World Wide Web is the most commonly used application of the Internet.
Primary Search Results
The results initially displayed after you perform a search at a search engine or a directory.
Organic Search Results
The results obtained as a result of page optimization. These results are not paid for.
Paid search results
Search results that are paid for by an advertiser. Paid search results are usually displayed initially along with the primary search results.
Secondary search results
Search results that are displayed in addition to primary search results. These search results may be paid for or they may be organically derived from a secondary source.
DNS
Short for Domain Name Server (or Service or System), an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic (like SWISSLOGIC.com), they're easier to remember. The Internet however, is really based on IP addresses. Every time you use a domain name, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address.
PPC
Pay-Per-Click Listings. These are listings paid for by advertisers on a per-click basis; they can be effective, but they can also be extremely expensive.
Search Engine Share Ranking
The percentage of annual searches completed by any given search engine, as compared to the total number of annual searches on the World Wide Web. (An SESR of 50%, for instance, indicates that half of all searches completed on the Web are initiated from the search engine in question.)
SERP
Search Engine Results Page. This is the page that appears after you initiate a search within a search engine. Our goal is to obtain a high SERP listing.
Google Sitemaps
XML pages you can submit to help Google to correctly index the pages within your site. (We'll talk about XML later on.)
Google Web Master Tools
A compilation of tools and tutorials that can help you optimize your site.
Google Analytics
A comprehensive traffic analysis tool available free of charge from Google.
Algorithm
A series of steps performed by a search engine in order to complete a search.
Hash table
A way of organizing data by associating keys with values. (For a non-technical example, think of a library's Dewey Decimal System, in which keys—in this case, Dewey Decimal numbers—are associated with categories of books.)
Keyphrase
A phrase that helps a search engine determine the general content of a Web page.
Meta-search engine
A search engine that displays results from multiple search engines, directories, or both.
Paid-inclusion
A specific type of Web listing that's bought and paid for.
Spamdexing
The process of including information or false information within a Web site that creates a satisfying result for the spamdexer, but not for the users of the search engine.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator; a Web address such as www.swisslogic.com.
Keyword list
A list of keywords that are used to describe a Web page.
Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI)
A numerical value given to a keyword or keyphrase.
Base URL
A Web address that doesn't include a filename at the end of the address.
Gateway page
A page that's optimized for a specific search engine or keyword. This page acts as an index page that leads into the rest of your Web site. Gateway pages are also called doorway pages.
Domain name
The portion of a Web address that usually follows the www. and ends with a two- or three-letter extension, such as .com, .net, or .gov.
Filename
The portion of a Web address that typically ends with .htm or .html. Filenames can also end with other extensions (.pdf, for example). The filename may not always be visible in a Web address.
Whois database
The only authorized database of domain names and domain name registration information.
