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Glossary
The words people use about websites, Google and AI search, explained the way you would explain them to a neighbour.
- AI Overview
- An AI Overview is a short summary, written by AI, that Google sometimes shows at the top of its search results above the usual links. It pulls together information from several web pages and links to some of them. Google says there is no special step a website must take to be included.
- AI search
- AI search is search where an AI tool writes a short answer to your question, often with links to the pages it used, instead of only showing a list of links. Examples include Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Gemini.
- AI visibility
- AI visibility is how accurately, and how often, AI tools describe or name your business when people ask about your trade and town. No one controls it and answers can change from one try to the next, so it is best checked by asking the same questions several times and noting what comes back.
- Alt text
- Alt text is a short written description of a picture on a web page. Screen readers read it aloud for people who cannot see the image, and search engines use it to understand what the picture shows.
- Answer engine
- An answer engine is a search tool that replies to a question with a written answer and the sources behind it, rather than a page of links to sort through. Perplexity and ChatGPT search are common examples.
- Backlink
- A backlink is a link to your website from another website. Google says links from other sites help show how well known a business is, which is one of the three things it weighs for local results. Buying links breaks Google's spam rules.
- Backup
- A backup is a saved copy of your website kept in a separate place. If the site is damaged, hacked or broken by a mistake, a backup lets you go back to a working version. A backup is only useful if someone has tested restoring it.
- Blog
- A blog is the section of a website where a business posts articles. For a local business, the useful ones answer real customer questions in plain words, so people and search tools can see what you know and what you do.
- Citation
- In AI search, a citation is a link or source name that an AI tool shows next to its answer to say where the information came from. In local search, a citation is a mention of your business name, address and phone number on another site, such as a directory, with or without a link.
- Domain name
- A domain name is your web address, such as yourbusiness.com. You rent it, usually one year at a time, through a company called a registrar, and it should be registered in your name or your business name so you can always move your site.
- Google Business Profile
- A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps, with your name, phone number, hours, photos, reviews and website link. You own it and can edit it yourself once it is claimed and verified.
- Hosting
- Hosting is the service, run by a hosting company, that stores your website's files on a computer connected to the internet and sends your pages to visitors. If hosting stops, your website goes offline.
- Keyword
- A keyword is a word or phrase that people type or say when they search, such as "water heater repair" or "plumber near me". It is useful for knowing what words customers use, but repeating a phrase over and over on a page does not help and can read badly.
- Landing page
- A landing page is a web page built for one purpose and one kind of visitor, such as people who want one service in one town. It says what you do there, how to reach you, and what to do next, without sending people elsewhere.
- Listing
- A listing is an entry for your business on a map, directory or review site, usually with your name, address, phone number and hours. Your Google Business Profile is the best known listing, and the same details should appear in every listing.
- Local SEO
- Local SEO is the work of helping nearby customers find a business that serves their area, through its Google Business Profile, accurate listings, reviews and a website that clearly states what it does and where. Google says it looks at how well a profile matches the search, how close the business is, and how well known it is.
- Map pack
- The map pack, also called the local pack, is the group of nearby businesses that Google shows with a small map for searches like "plumber near me". The businesses shown there are Google Maps listings, so a complete Google Business Profile is how you take part.
- Meta description
- A meta description is a one or two sentence summary of a page, written in the page's hidden code. Search engines may show it under the page title in results, though Google may write its own text instead.
- NAP
- NAP stands for name, address and phone number, the three basic facts about a local business. Keeping them exactly the same on your website, Google profile and other listings avoids confusing customers and search tools.
- Organic results
- Organic results are the ordinary, unpaid listings on a search results page. They are separate from ads and from the local map results.
- Review response
- A review response is your public reply to a customer's review on Google or another site. A good one is short, polite and free of private details or special offers, and every review, including a negative one, deserves a timely reply.
- Schema markup
- Schema markup, also called structured data, is extra code on a web page that labels facts such as your business name, hours or service so computers read them correctly. Google says no special markup is needed to appear in its AI features, so treat it as tidy housekeeping, not a magic switch.
- Search Console
- Google Search Console is a free Google tool that shows how your website appears in Google Search, including which searches brought visitors and whether Google found any problems. Google counts visits from its AI features in the same Web report as normal search visits.
- SEO
- SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the work of making a website easy for search engines to find, read and understand so the right people can reach it. It mostly means clear pages, useful content, a good experience on phones and accurate business details.
- SSL certificate
- An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that lets a website use HTTPS, the secure version of a web address, which scrambles information passed between a visitor and the site. It must be renewed on time, or visitors may see a warning, and it is usually part of good website care.
- Title tag
- A title tag is the title of a web page, shown on the browser tab and as the blue headline in search results. A good one says plainly what the page is about, such as the service and the town.
- Website care
- Website care is the regular upkeep that keeps a site online, safe and working, including hosting, backups, software updates, security checks and small changes. It is closer to maintaining a shop than printing a brochure.