Your Guide to SEO & AI Terms

The practice of optimizing content to be featured in AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on ranking in search results, AEO focuses on being cited as a source in AI-generated answers.

Autonomous AI systems that handle SEO tasks like keyword research, content optimization, competitive analysis, and reporting. These agents use machine learning to continuously improve strategies based on performance data.

Links from other websites pointing to your site. High-quality backlinks from authoritative domains signal trust and relevance to search engines, improving your site's ranking potential.

A content strategy where a pillar page covers a broad topic comprehensively, with multiple cluster pages diving deep into related subtopics. All cluster pages link back to the pillar, creating topical authority.

The process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who complete desired actions (purchases, signups, form submissions). Uses A/B testing, user experience improvements, and persuasive design.

Optimization strategies specifically for generative AI engines (ChatGPT, Bard, Claude). Focuses on structured data, citation-worthy content, and signals that LLMs trust when generating responses.

SEO strategies tailored for visibility in large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Emphasizes authoritative content, structured data, and citation signals that AI models value.

Highly specific, lower-volume search phrases typically 3+ words long. While individually they have less traffic, collectively they account for the majority of searches and have higher conversion rates due to specificity.

The HTML snippet (150-160 characters) that summarizes a page's content. Appears in search results below the title tag. While not a direct ranking factor, compelling meta descriptions improve click-through rates.

Open-source workflow automation platform that connects apps and automates repetitive SEO tasks. Used for automated reporting, data syncing, content distribution, and monitoring workflows.

The practice of creating large numbers of landing pages automatically using templates, databases, and code. Common for marketplace sites, directories, and location-based businesses that need to scale content.

Structured data vocabulary (JSON-LD, Microdata) that helps search engines understand page content. Enables rich snippets, knowledge panels, and better AI interpretation of your content.

The underlying goal a user has when entering a search query. Four main types: Informational (learning), Navigational (finding a site), Transactional (buying), and Commercial Investigation (researching before buying).

The foundation of SEO focused on website infrastructure: site speed, mobile optimization, crawlability, indexation, structured data, Core Web Vitals, and server configuration.

Search results where users find their answer directly in the SERP (featured snippets, knowledge panels, AI overviews) without clicking through to a website. Requires optimization for featured content.