We wanted to write this blog post as a way to help contractors understand the standard terminology used when discussing SEO. After learning a few key terms below, we know you'll have a far better understanding of the services we provide.
1. Keywords - These are the words people use when performing searches online. You are not limited to a single word though since most targeted searched are performed using long-tail keywords. These are keyword phrases strung together so a search can become more targeted. Long-tail keyword phrases are generally 3-4 keywords in length and in a lot of cases they will be geo-targeted.
Examples:
Broad Keyword "Landscaper"
Geo-targeted Long-Tail Phrase "Landscaping Company in Dallas, TX"
Before starting any SEO project, the first step performed is keyword research. This process requires analyzing data from 100's of potential keywords to make sure and choose keywords that have high search volume, low-mid competition, and are achievable for the current state of the website. When selecting the best keywords, you want to put your time and investment towards the words that will move the fastest.
2. Backlinks - Another phrase that is frequently used is "backlinks" this is the process of acquiring a link back to your website from a relevant non-competing source of content. Examples of these sources could be editorials, press releases, guest blogs, sidebar links, etc. It is essential to understand where your backlinks are coming from and never fall victim to an agency promising to deliver a mass amount of backlinks in a short period. Google is looking for natural backlink profiles that are established with quality content that is published on high domain authority sites. The wrong backlinks can kill your SEO campaign so make sure to use an SEO provider you can trust!
3. Domain Authority - DA is a score given to a website based on its trust and citation flow. Domain authority is established by linking to and from quality publications that themselves also have a high domain authority. Think of it like a credit score; new websites will not have any authority but overtime by creating a quality link profile your score will increase. The higher your DA, the more weight it holds with Google meaning your sites rankings improve and keywords that were once to competitive become more achievable.
4. Meta-Data - You'll often hear SEO managers discuss meta-data adjustments on the backend. This information is written within the code of each page of the website and is very crucial for ranking in the search engines. When you perform a search and Google returns a list of websites you'll notice a title, description, and highlighted keywords. These bits of information are pulled from your site's meta and describe to search engines the content of the website page. It is also essential for this information to include the keywords that were researched at the start of the campaign.
5. Local Pack - When performing a search for a local service Google typically returns a list of map listings. These listings are shown below the paid advertisements but above the organic search results. We call these listings the local pack, and as of late, it is becoming more crucial for any local business to not only have a listing but to update it frequently and push for customer reviews. Your websites organic results also play a part in how Google improves your listings within the local pack. Sites with better organic results tend to rank their local map listing higher and for more keywords.
Although this list is far from all the terms used we hope you now have a better understanding of the general phrases being used by your SEO contractor.