A clearer vocabulary
Know the term.
Understand the work.
Plain-language starting points for the concepts used across the learning paths. Product-specific details still need current documentation.
- Search intent
- The task or information need behind a search. Intent is a useful planning interpretation, not a complete profile of the person.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Query
- The words or other input a person submits to a search experience. A query can be ambiguous and can differ from an advertiser’s chosen keyword.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Keyword
- A research label for a topic or phrase; in advertising, a chosen targeting input. Its meaning depends on the context, so distinguish it from an actual search term.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Crawling
- Requesting and fetching a resource. Discovery of an address, crawling the content and indexing it are different states.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Indexing
- Processing content and deciding what to retain for a search system. A successful page request does not guarantee inclusion.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Canonical URL
- The representative URL selected for duplicate or very similar content. A site can signal a preferred version; the annotation is not a guaranteed search result.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Redirect
- A response or mechanism that takes a request from one URL to another. Appropriate behavior depends on the move and the intended destination.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - robots.txt
- A file communicating crawler-access instructions to supporting crawlers. It is not a replacement for privacy controls or a dependable way to hide every known URL.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - noindex
- An indexing instruction for supporting search systems. The crawler must be able to see the instruction in the relevant page or response.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Sitemap
- A list of intended URLs and optional related information that can aid discovery. It does not replace useful site navigation or guarantee indexing.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Internal link
- A link connecting pages within the same site scope. Navigation, related-content modules and editorial links have different roles and should be counted separately when appropriate.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Backlink
- A link from another site. Its usefulness depends on context and authenticity; a raw count alone is not a complete judgment of quality.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Structured data
- Machine-readable information describing content. It should match visible, supported facts and meet the current requirements of the intended consumer.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Core Web Vitals
- Metrics for loading, responsiveness and visual stability: LCP, INP and CLS. Separate controlled lab observations from real-user field data.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - GEO
- Generative engine optimization: a term used for work related to discovery and use of information in AI answers. It is not one universal documented ranking formula.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - AI citation
- A source reference associated with an AI answer. The presence of a link is not proof that every associated claim is supported.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Hallucination
- A plausible-looking AI output that is inaccurate or unsupported. Verify important claims and references against appropriate sources.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Prompt
- The task instructions and relevant input provided to an AI system. Clear boundaries and review criteria help make the result easier to evaluate.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Context window
- The amount of input and generated material a model can handle within its supported context. Exact limits and counting behavior depend on the product and model.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - PPC
- Pay-per-click: a common advertising cost concept in which clicks are a paid interaction. A click is not itself a sale or qualified enquiry.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - CPC
- Cost per click. Distinguish an assumed CPC in a planning model from an observed average in a real report.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Conversion
- A defined action considered important for the task or business. Its meaning depends on the implementation; a recorded event does not automatically establish lead quality.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Attribution
- Assigning credit to marketing interactions using a stated model or method. Attribution is not automatically a causal explanation.
Explore it in a learning path ↗ - Negative keyword
- An advertising control intended to exclude matching searches. Negative matching has its own behavior; check current platform documentation before applying rules.
Explore it in a learning path ↗