Glossary
SEO and GEO glossary:
key terms from A to Z
More than 30 terms from search engine optimization, generative engine optimization and AI marketing, explained in plain English. Written by our team in Zurich for businesses in Switzerland that want to be found on Google and in AI answers.
New to the topic? Start with our guides What is SEO? and What is GEO?, or read how LLMO differs from SEO.
A
- A2A (Agent2Agent)
- Open protocol for communication between AI agents. Initiated by Google, handed over to the Linux Foundation and based on JSON-RPC. Definition: A2A
- Agent readiness (AAO)
- Measures that let autonomous AI agents find, understand and hire a business through open standards such as A2A and MCP. Definition: agent readiness
- Agentic web
- The shift in which autonomous AI agents use the web alongside people to research, compare and act. Definition: agentic web
- AI Overviews
- AI-generated summaries that Google shows above the classic search results. Part of the Search Generative Experience (SGE). Definition: AI Overviews
- Alt text
- Descriptive text for images in the HTML code. It helps search engines understand what an image shows and improves accessibility. Definition: alt text
B
- Backlink
- A link from an external website to your page. Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors for Google. Definition: backlink
- Bounce rate
- The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page. Definition: bounce rate
C
- Canonical URL
- The preferred URL of a page that Google should index. It prevents problems caused by duplicate content. Definition: canonical URL
- Core Web Vitals
- Google's user experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Definition: Core Web Vitals
- Crawling
- The process in which search engine bots (crawlers) systematically visit web pages and record their content. Definition: crawling
D
- Domain Authority
- A score (0–100) from Moz that measures the strength and authority of a domain compared with its competitors. Definition: Domain Authority
E
- E-E-A-T
- Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness: Google's quality criteria for assessing web content and its authors. Definition: E-E-A-T
G
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
- Optimizing web content for AI search engines so that it is cited as a source in AI-generated answers. Definition: GEO
- Google Business Profile
- Free business profile on Google, essential for local SEO and visibility in Google Maps. Definition: Google Business Profile
H
- HTTPS
- The secure version of the HTTP protocol. Google favors encrypted websites as a ranking signal. Definition: HTTPS
I
- Indexing
- The process in which Google adds a web page to its search index, which makes it findable in search results. Definition: indexing
- Internal linking
- Links between pages within your own website. They help search engines understand the site structure. Definition: internal linking
K
- Keyword
- A search term or phrase that a web page is optimized for. The basis of every SEO strategy. Definition: keyword
- Keyword cannibalization
- When several pages of one website rank for the same keyword and compete with each other. Definition: keyword cannibalization
L
- Link building
- Building backlinks strategically to strengthen domain authority and rankings. Definition: link building
- LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)
- Optimizing content specifically for large language models such as GPT-4, Claude or Gemini. Definition: LLMO
- Local SEO
- Search engine optimization focused on local searches (for example "SEO agency Zurich"). Definition: local SEO
M
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- Open standard from Anthropic that AI agents use to work with the tools and data of an application. The most widely used standard for connecting agents to tools. Definition: MCP
- Meta description
- The short description below the page title in Google's search results. It influences the click-through rate (CTR). Definition: meta description
- Mobile-first indexing
- Google primarily evaluates and indexes the mobile version of a website. Definition: mobile-first indexing
O
- Off-page SEO
- SEO work outside your own website: backlinks, mentions, social signals and online reputation. Definition: off-page SEO
- On-page SEO
- All SEO work on the website itself: technology, content, meta tags, structure and internal linking. Definition: on-page SEO
P
- PageSpeed
- How fast a website loads. An important ranking factor that directly affects the user experience. Definition: PageSpeed
R
- RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
- A technique in which AI systems first retrieve relevant sources and then generate an answer from them. Definition: RAG
- Robots.txt
- A text file in the root directory of a website that tells search engine crawlers which pages they may crawl. Definition: robots.txt
S
- Schema markup
- Structured data, usually in JSON-LD format, that helps search engines understand page content better. Definition: schema markup
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
- The results page a search engine shows after a search. Definition: SERP
- Sitemap
- An XML file that lists all important URLs of a website and helps search engines crawl it. Definition: sitemap
T
- Technical SEO
- Technical optimization of a website for search engines: crawlability, indexing, page speed, security and structure. Definition: technical SEO
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) aims for top positions in the classic results on Google and Bing. GEO (generative engine optimization) aims to have your content cited as a source in AI-generated answers, for example in ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews. See the GEO definition.
What does LLMO mean?
LLMO stands for large language model optimization: optimizing content specifically for large language models such as GPT-4, Claude or Gemini. See the LLMO definition.
What is a SERP?
SERP stands for search engine results page, the page a search engine shows after a search. See the SERP definition.
Where do I find definitions of AI search terms?
In this glossary, for example under AI Overviews, RAG, MCP and agentic web. For more depth, read our blog.