Index
1: The database search engines use to store and retrieve information gathered during the crawling process.
About
In a world ruled by algorithms, SEJ brings timely, relevant information for SEOs, marketers, and entrepreneurs to optimize and grow their businesses — and careers.
Articles
Indexability
1: How easily a search engine bot can understand and add a webpage to its index.
Indexed Page
A webpage that has been discovered by a crawler, has been added to a search engine index, and is eligible to appear in search results...
Google Analytics
A free web analytics program that can be used to track audience behavior, traffic acquisition sources, content performance, and much more.
Google Bomb
A practice intended to make a website rank number one for a surprising or controversial search phrase. This was accomplished by having a large number...
Googlebot
The web crawling system Google uses to find and add new websites and webpages to its index.
Google Dance
A term used starting in 2002 for the volatile period of time during which Google updated its search index, roughly every month.
Google Hummingbird
A Google search algorithm that was officially announced in September 2013 after it had been in use for a month. The purpose of Hummingbird was...
Google Panda Algorithm
A major Google algorithm update that initially rolled out in February 2011, it was followed by numerous subsequent updates. The goal of Google Panda was...
Google Penguin Algorithm
A major Google algorithm that launched in April 2012, it was followed by a series of updates and refreshes. The goal of Penguin was to...
Google Pigeon Update
The name (given by the SEO industry, not Google) of a significant Google local search update launched July 24, 2014. The goal of Pigeon was...
Google RankBrain
A major Google algorithm change officially introduced in October 2015, although it had been in testing for months before this. With RankBrain, Google added machine...
Google Sandbox
A theorized and debated (but never confirmed by Google) “waiting period” that prevents new websites from seeing the full benefit of their optimization efforts. Typically,...
Google Search Console
Google’s Search Console offers several helpful features, including the ability to monitor sites for indexing errors and site speed. These pages are also used to...
Google Trends
A website where you can explore data visualizations on the latest search trends, stories, and topics.
Disavow
If your link profile includes a high number of spammy, artificial, or low-quality inbound links that may be harming your rankings – and don’t have...
DMOZ
The Open Directory Project. This human-edited directory of websites launched June 5, 1998 and closed March 17, 2017.
Do-follow
A link that doesn’t use the “follow” attribute. In other words, a link.
Domain
A website address – typically ending in an extension like .com, .org, or .net. For example, www.searchenginejournal.com is the domain of this website.
Domain Authority
The overall “strength” of a website, built up over time, which can help a new page rank well quickly, even before that content has earned...
Doorway Page
Webpages that are created to rank in search engines for specific keywords only for the purpose of redirecting users who click on that page to...
DuckDuckGo
A search engine that was founded September 28, 2008. It is often praised for its heavy focus on user privacy and a lack of filter...
Duplicate Content
When a significant amount of content contained on one webpage matches, or is incredibly similar to, content that exists elsewhere on the same website or...
Dwell Time
The amount of time that elapses between when a user clicks on a search result and then returns to the SERP from a website. Short...
Ecommerce
The buying and selling of products, all conducted online.
Editorial Link
A link that is given by one website to another without the recipient asking or paying for it. Also known as: Natural Link.
Engagement Metrics
Methods to measure how users are interact with webpages and content. Examples of engagement metrics include: Click-through rate. Conversion rate. Bounce rate. Time on page/site....
Entities
People, places, organizations, websites, events, groups, facts, and other things. Also see: Knowledge Graph
External Link
See: Outbound Link
Featured Snippet
For certain queries, usually questions (i.e., who/what/where/when/why/how), Google sometimes shows a special block above the organic search results. This box contains a summary (in the...