Archives: Glossary Terms

10 Blue Links

10 Blue LinksphraseThis refers to the standard way in which web search engines first began displaying search results, especially Google. Most of the popular engines would list 10 results for a given query and the links to the website would be colored blue. Google continues to display the...

AI SEO

AI SEO nounDefinition: The application of artificial intelligence technologies to enhance and automate search engine optimization processes. AI SEO leverages machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics to identify ranking opportunities, generate or optimize content, uncover algorithm patterns, and adapt strategies in real-time based on search engine...

Answer Engine Optimization

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) nounDefinition: The practice of crafting content specifically to appear in direct answers from search engines and AI systems, such as featured snippets, voice assistants, or generative overviews. AEO emphasizes structured content, FAQs, schema markup, and high semantic clarity to influence visibility in zero-click or...

Black Hat

Black Hatnoun plural noun: black hatsA marketer who uses their skills and knowledge in nefarious ways either for themselves or clients. Derived from the term to describe hackers with malicious intent.“The black hat SEO built multiple fake blogs and used them to rank for lucrative terms in Google.”“The black...

Canonical Representation

Canonical Representation nounDefinition: The idealized and consistent version of an entity or concept as recognized by AI systems and search engines, shaped by repeated reinforcement across trusted sources. Achieving a canonical representation ensures that generative models describe the entity in a predictable and favorable manner.Usage: “They worked across...

Canonical Tag

canonical tag nounDefinition: An HTML tag () that indicates the preferred or authoritative version of a webpage when multiple pages have similar or duplicate content. It helps consolidate link equity and avoid duplicate content issues.Usage: “The canonical tag on each product variant points to the main product page...

Canonicalization

Canonicalization nounDefinition: The process of identifying and declaring the preferred version of a web page when multiple URLs contain identical or similar content. Canonicalization helps consolidate ranking signals and avoid duplicate content issues by using canonical tags or redirects.Usage: “They used canonicalization to ensure all product variants pointed...

Citation Building

Citation Building nounDefinition: The practice of submitting and maintaining consistent business listings—typically including NAP information—across local directories, aggregators, and niche websites to improve local SEO rankings and authority.Usage: “They started a citation building campaign across Yelp, Foursquare, and industry-specific directories.”Compare: backlink building, local SEO, NAP consistency

Citation Capture

Citation Capture nounDefinition: The intentional design and distribution of content to increase the likelihood that it is cited by generative AI systems in their outputs. This involves authoritative tone, clear factual language, and placement on sites or formats favored by LLM training or retrieval models.Usage: “The agency built...