Below are a list of common terms used in the world of Search Engine Marketing and Optimization.

  • SEO: Search engine optimization. Usually refers to ways of building your website to make it search engine “friendly,” or relevant to a keyword search.
  • SEM: Search engine marketing. Any type of advertising or marketing campaign involving search engines as a major marketing tool; usually includes substantial pay-per-click or banner ad advertising.
  • Keyword: NOT a word, but a phrase that a searcher uses to find a solution, i.e. “Minnesota lakefront vacation home.” Statistics show that less than 20% of searches are done with one word; most searches contain three or more words.
  • Meta Tag: an HTML code that provides information about your website to the search engines. This code is invisible to your site visitors.
  • Search Portal: A website that provides search services but does not run it’s own search engine, usually buying search results from a third party. Examples would be MSN and AOL.
  • Link popularity: This describes how many other relevant websites link to you. This is used by some search engines to determine whether your website is relevant for certain search terms.
  • Search bot / Spiders: Short for “robot.” An automated program search engines use to visit websites and index their content. Sometimes called “spiders” because they “crawl the web.”
  • CPC: Cost per click. Used by paid placement services—your placement in the search results is determined by your CPC bid.
  • PPC: Pay per click. A fee based advertising service like Google AdWords or Overture; you pay a certain fee for every person who clicks through on your ad.
  • CPM: Cost per thousand. Used as a billing measurement in web advertising campaigns.
  • Web directory: A collection of website links broken down into categories for easy searching. Examples: the Open Directory Project and the Yahoo Directory
  • Paid inclusion: A service guaranteeing that your website will be listed in a search index; these services usually do not guarantee placement. Overture is probably the best know paid inclusion service. Some directories, like Yahoo, also charge a fee for a business listing.