The Scantra Website Glossary

Algorithm

A set of rules search engines use to decide which websites appear first in search results. It considers hundreds of factors like relevance, quality, and trustworthiness.

Alt Text

A short written description of an image on a webpage. It helps search engines understand what the image shows, and it helps blind users who use screen readers.

Anchor Text

The clickable words in a hyperlink. For example, in 'click here to learn more,' those words are the anchor text. Good anchor text describes where the link goes.

Backlink

A link from another website that points to yours. Backlinks act like votes of confidence — the more quality sites link to you, the more trustworthy your site appears to search engines.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page without clicking anything. A high bounce rate may signal your content isn't meeting visitors' expectations.

Canonical Tag

A line of code that tells search engines which version of a webpage is the 'official' one when similar content appears on multiple URLs. It prevents confusion and duplicate content penalties.

Core Web Vitals

Three measurements Google uses to judge how good the user experience is on a webpage: how fast it loads, how quickly it responds to clicks, and how stable the layout is while loading.

Crawlability

How easily a search engine robot (called a 'crawler' or 'spider') can move through and read your website. If pages are hard to reach, they won't show up in search results.

Domain Authority (DA)

A score (1–100) that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results. A higher score means more credibility. It's based on the quality and quantity of links pointing to your site.

Duplicate Content

When the same or very similar content appears on more than one webpage or website. Search engines may penalize sites with duplicate content because it makes it hard to know which page to show.

E-E-A-T

Stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses these qualities to judge how credible and reliable a website or piece of content is.

Featured Snippet

A highlighted box at the top of Google search results that directly answers a user's question. Getting your content in a featured snippet puts you above all other results.

Google Business Profile

A free listing on Google that shows your business name, address, phone number, hours, and reviews when people search for you. It's essential for local businesses.

Header Tags (H1–H6)

HTML codes that organize content on a webpage like headings in a document. H1 is the main title, H2s are section headers, and so on. They help both readers and search engines understand the page structure.

Hreflang

A code tag that tells search engines which language and country a page is made for. Used when a website has versions in multiple languages or for different regions.

Indexability

Whether a search engine can store and display a page in its search results. A page that isn't indexable won't appear when people search for it.

Internal Linking

Links that connect one page of your website to another page on the same website. They help visitors navigate and help search engines understand which pages are most important.

Keyword

A word or phrase that people type into search engines. Optimizing your content around the right keywords helps the right audience find your website.

Keyword Density

How often a keyword appears on a page compared to the total word count. Overusing a keyword (keyword stuffing) can hurt your rankings; natural usage is best.

Link Juice

An informal term for the value or authority that passes from one webpage to another through a hyperlink. High-quality sites passing links to yours boosts your rankings.

Local SEO

The practice of optimizing a website to appear in search results for a specific geographic area. Especially important for businesses with physical locations.

Long-Tail Keyword

A longer, more specific search phrase (e.g., 'best pizza delivery in downtown Chicago'). These phrases get less traffic but attract more targeted visitors who are ready to act.

Meta Description

A short summary (about 150–160 characters) of a webpage that appears under the page title in search results. It doesn't directly affect rankings but influences whether people click your link.

Mobile-First Indexing

Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for ranking. If your site doesn't work well on phones, it can hurt your search rankings.

NAP Consistency

Making sure your business Name, Address, and Phone number are the same everywhere online (website, Google, directories, social media). Inconsistencies confuse search engines and users.

Nofollow Link

A type of hyperlink that tells search engines not to pass authority to the linked page. Used for paid links, sponsored content, or untrusted sources.

Organic Traffic

Visitors who find your website through unpaid search results, not advertisements. Organic traffic is highly valuable because it's free and often highly targeted.

Page Speed

How fast a webpage loads for a visitor. Faster pages provide better user experience and are favored by Google in search rankings.

Pillar Page

A comprehensive, in-depth page on a broad topic that links to more detailed 'cluster' pages. It helps establish your site as an authority on a subject.

Robots.txt

A text file on your website that tells search engine crawlers which pages they're allowed to visit and which ones to skip.

Schema Markup

Special code added to a webpage that helps search engines understand the content better — like whether it's a recipe, product, event, or FAQ. It can unlock rich visual results in Google.

Search Intent

The reason behind a search query. Are users looking to buy something, learn something, or find a specific website? Matching your content to search intent improves rankings.

SERP

Stands for Search Engine Results Page — the page you see after typing something into a search engine. Your goal is to appear as high as possible on this page.

Sitemap (XML)

A file that lists all the pages on your website and helps search engines find and index them efficiently. Think of it as a map handed directly to Google.

SSL Certificate / HTTPS

A security technology that encrypts data between a visitor's browser and your website. Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal, and browsers warn users when a site isn't secure.

Title Tag

The clickable headline shown in search results. It's one of the most important on-page SEO elements and should clearly describe the page content while including target keywords.

Toxic Links

Low-quality or spammy backlinks from untrustworthy sites that can hurt your search rankings. These can be removed through a Google Disavow file.

XML Sitemap

A structured file that lists all your website's URLs and helps search engines discover and index every page, especially useful for large or complex websites.

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ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

A U.S. civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Courts have extended this law to websites, meaning many businesses must make their sites accessible.

Accessibility Audit

A review of a website to identify barriers that prevent people with disabilities from using it. Audits can be done manually by humans or automatically by software — ideally both.

Accessibility Statement

A public page on your website explaining your commitment to accessibility, what standards you follow, known issues, and how users can request help or report problems.

ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report)

A formal document that describes how well a product or website meets accessibility standards. Often required by government agencies and enterprises when purchasing digital tools.

Alt Text

A written description of an image embedded in the code. Screen readers read alt text aloud so blind users understand what an image shows. Example: 'A smiling woman holding a laptop.'

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)

A set of code attributes that make complex website features — like menus, sliders, and pop-ups — understandable to screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Assistive Technology

Hardware or software that helps people with disabilities use computers and websites. Examples include screen readers, voice control software, braille displays, and switch access devices.

Caption

Text displayed on screen that shows the spoken words in a video or audio file. Essential for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Different from subtitles, which are typically for language translation.

Color Contrast Ratio

A measure of how different the foreground color (like text) is from the background color. WCAG requires at least a 4.5:1 ratio for normal text so it's readable by people with low vision.

EN 301 549

The European standard for digital accessibility, similar to WCAG. Required for public sector websites and apps in European Union countries.

Focus Indicator

A visible outline or highlight that shows which element on a page is currently selected when using keyboard navigation. Without it, keyboard-only users can't tell where they are on the page.

Form Labels

Text that clearly identifies each field in a form (like 'First Name' or 'Email Address'). Proper labels help screen reader users understand what information to enter.

Keyboard Navigation

The ability to use a website using only a keyboard (Tab, Enter, Arrow keys) without a mouse. Essential for people with motor disabilities who cannot use a mouse.

Overlay Tool

A third-party script added to a website that claims to automatically fix accessibility issues. Accessibility experts generally warn these tools are insufficient and don't replace proper accessibility fixes.

Reflow

The ability of a webpage to reorganize its layout when zoomed in or viewed on a small screen without requiring horizontal scrolling. Required by WCAG 1.4.10.

Remediation

The process of fixing accessibility barriers found during an audit. This could mean adding alt text, improving color contrast, fixing keyboard navigation, and more.

Screen Reader

Software that converts text and other on-screen content into speech or braille output. Used primarily by blind or visually impaired users. Examples include JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver.

Section 508

A U.S. federal law requiring all federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. It applies to government websites and vendors who sell to the government.

Skip Navigation Link

A hidden link at the top of a webpage that allows keyboard users to skip past repetitive navigation menus and jump straight to the main content.

Tab Order

The sequence in which elements on a webpage receive focus when a user presses the Tab key. A logical tab order follows the visual layout of the page to prevent confusion.

Transcript

A written version of all spoken and non-spoken audio content in a video or podcast. Transcripts help deaf users and are also good for SEO.

VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)

A standardized document where software or website vendors document how their product meets accessibility standards. Commonly requested by government and enterprise buyers.

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

The internationally recognized standard for web accessibility, created by the W3C. It's organized into three levels: A (basic), AA (standard), and AAA (enhanced). Most organizations aim for Level AA.

WCAG 2.1 / WCAG 2.2

Updated versions of the web accessibility guidelines. Version 2.1 added mobile accessibility and cognitive guidelines. Version 2.2 added more criteria for keyboard users and people with cognitive disabilities.

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)

The international organization that creates and maintains web standards, including WCAG. Think of them as the rule-makers for how the internet should work.

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AI Citation

When an AI tool references or quotes your website as a source in its generated answer. Getting cited by AI is the GEO equivalent of ranking #1 on Google.

AI Overview

A feature in Google Search that uses artificial intelligence to generate a summary answer at the top of results. Formerly called SGE (Search Generative Experience). Your content can be featured in these summaries.

Answer Engine

A search engine or AI tool that directly answers questions instead of just listing links. Examples include Perplexity AI, ChatGPT Search, and Google's AI Overview.

Bing Copilot

Microsoft's AI-powered assistant integrated into Bing search. It generates answers using live web data, meaning your website can be cited in real-time responses.

ChatGPT Search

A feature in ChatGPT that allows it to search the web for current information and cite sources. Websites with clear, authoritative content are more likely to be referenced.

Conversational Query

A search phrased as a natural question, like 'What is the best way to improve my website's accessibility?' AI search tools are built to handle these kinds of questions.

Entity-Based SEO

Optimizing content around clearly defined 'entities' — people, places, things, or concepts — rather than just keywords. Search engines and AI tools use entities to understand context and meaning.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

The practice of optimizing website content so that AI-powered search tools and chatbots will discover, understand, and cite it when answering user questions. It's an evolution of traditional SEO.

Google Knowledge Graph

A massive database Google uses to store facts about real-world entities and their relationships. Getting your brand or content into the Knowledge Graph increases your visibility in AI-generated answers.

Knowledge Panel

The information box that appears on the right side of Google search results for well-known entities like businesses, people, or places. It pulls data from the Knowledge Graph.

Large Language Model (LLM)

A type of artificial intelligence trained on massive amounts of text that can understand and generate human language. Examples include GPT-4 (ChatGPT), Claude (Anthropic), and Gemini (Google).

LLM Training Data

The text and information that an AI model was trained on. Content from websites is often included in training data, which is why authoritative, well-structured content increases your chance of being referenced.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

The branch of AI that allows computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language. It's what powers search engines and chatbots to understand questions phrased in everyday language.

Passage Indexing

Google's ability to index and rank specific passages within a long webpage, not just the page as a whole. Well-structured content with clear answers to specific questions is more likely to be surfaced.

Perplexity AI

An AI-powered search engine that generates cited answers from live web sources. Websites with clear, factual, well-structured content are frequently cited in Perplexity responses.

Prompt-Friendly Content

Content written in a way that directly answers questions clearly and concisely — the way someone might phrase a question to an AI. This format increases the chance of your content being used in AI responses.

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)

A technique where an AI tool searches for relevant information from external sources (like websites) before generating an answer. Websites with strong authority are more likely to be retrieved.

Semantic Search

Search that understands the meaning and intent behind a query, not just the exact words used. Optimizing for semantic search means writing content that fully covers a topic, not just targeting keywords.

SGE (Search Generative Experience)

Google's earlier name for its AI-powered search summaries, now called AI Overviews. It represented the shift from showing links to generating direct answers.

Topical Authority

Being recognized as a trusted expert on a specific subject, based on the depth and breadth of content on your website. AI tools prefer to cite sources with high topical authority.

Zero-Click Search

When a user gets their answer directly from the search results page without clicking any link — often from a featured snippet or AI Overview. GEO focuses on getting your content featured in these results.

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CAN-SPAM Act

A U.S. law that sets rules for commercial email, including requirements to identify emails as ads, include a physical address, and provide an easy way to unsubscribe.

CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)

A California law giving residents the right to know what personal data businesses collect about them, the right to delete it, and the right to opt out of its sale.

CMP (Consent Management Platform)

A tool that manages how a website collects and records user consent for cookies and data processing. It powers the cookie banners you see on most websites.

COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act)

A U.S. law that requires websites to get parental consent before collecting personal data from children under 13. It applies to any site likely to attract children.

Content Security Policy (CSP)

A security measure that controls which external resources (scripts, images, fonts) a browser is allowed to load on your website. It helps prevent hackers from injecting malicious code.

Cookie Banner

A pop-up or bar on a website asking visitors for permission to use cookies (small data files). Required under GDPR and similar privacy laws in many countries.

Cookie Policy

A document explaining what cookies your website uses, why you use them, and how visitors can control or delete them. Often linked from cookie banners and privacy policies.

CPRA (California Privacy Rights Act)

An expansion of the CCPA that strengthened California privacy rights, created a new privacy enforcement agency, and added protections for sensitive personal information.

Data Controller

The person or organization that decides why and how personal data is collected and used. If you run a website that collects user emails, you are the data controller.

Data Processor

A third party that handles personal data on behalf of a data controller. For example, an email marketing service that stores your subscribers' information is a data processor.

DSAR (Data Subject Access Request)

A formal request from an individual asking a company to provide information about the personal data it holds about them. GDPR gives all EU residents this right.

FTC Disclosure

A requirement from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that websites must clearly disclose paid partnerships, sponsored content, and affiliate links so users aren't misled.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

A comprehensive EU privacy law that requires websites to get clear consent before collecting personal data, protect user data, and allow users to access or delete their information.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

A U.S. law that protects the privacy and security of patients' medical information. Websites that handle health data must meet strict HIPAA requirements.

HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)

A security feature that forces browsers to only connect to a website over a secure HTTPS connection, protecting users from certain types of cyberattacks.

HTTPS

The secure version of HTTP, the protocol used to transfer data between browsers and websites. HTTPS encrypts this data, protecting it from interception. Google favors HTTPS sites in rankings.

ISO 27001

An international standard for information security management. Companies certified under ISO 27001 have demonstrated they follow best practices for protecting digital information.

LGPD (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados)

Brazil's national data protection law, modeled after GDPR. It governs how companies collect, store, and use personal data of Brazilian residents.

PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

A set of security requirements for any website or business that accepts, processes, or stores credit card payments. Non-compliance can result in fines and loss of payment processing privileges.

PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act)

A data privacy law used in countries like Thailand and Singapore that governs how organizations collect and use personal data of residents.

Penetration Testing

A simulated cyberattack on a website or system to find security vulnerabilities before real hackers do. Also called a 'pen test,' it's a proactive approach to cybersecurity.

PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act)

Canada's federal privacy law governing how private-sector organizations collect, use, and share personal information in commercial activities.

Privacy by Design

A principle that privacy protections should be built into a website or system from the beginning — not added later as an afterthought.

Privacy Policy

A legal document on your website that explains what personal information you collect, how you use it, who you share it with, and how users can control their data. Required by most privacy laws.

Reasonable Accommodation

Under ADA, the obligation of businesses to make adjustments so people with disabilities can access their services — including digital services like websites and apps.

Right to be Forgotten

A privacy right, established under GDPR, that allows individuals to request a company delete their personal data. Also called the 'Right to Erasure.'

SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)

An auditing framework that certifies a company properly handles customer data based on five principles: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

SSL Certificate

A digital certificate that authenticates a website's identity and enables encrypted HTTPS connections. Without one, browsers warn users that a site is 'Not Secure.'

Terms of Service

A legal agreement between your website and its users outlining the rules for using your site, your rights, user responsibilities, and what happens if the rules are broken.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

A security process requiring users to verify their identity in two ways — typically a password plus a code sent to their phone. It significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized account access.

Vulnerability Scanning

An automated process that checks a website or system for known security weaknesses. Unlike penetration testing, it doesn't attempt to exploit vulnerabilities — it just identifies them.

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