Algorithm
A set of rules a search engine uses to decide which websites to show and in what order.
Alt Text
A written description of an image so search engines and screen readers can understand it.
Analytics
Data about how people use your website — where they come from, what they click, how long they stay.
Anchoring
When the first number or piece of information you see influences how you judge everything that follows.
Backlink
A link from another website that points to your website. Signals trust to search engines.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave a site after viewing only one page. Lower is better for SEO.
Brand Consistency
Using the same colours, fonts, voice, and style across all platforms and materials.
Brand Equity
The value and strength a brand has built over time through reputation and customer loyalty.
Brand Identity
The visual and verbal elements a company creates to represent itself: logo, colours, font, tone of voice.
Brand Image
How customers actually perceive and feel about a brand based on their real experiences.
Brand Voice
The personality a brand shows through its language and written communication.
Branding
The process of creating a unique identity for a product, company, or person.
Colour Psychology
The study of how different colours affect human behaviour and emotions.
Consumer Psychology
The study of how people think, feel, and make decisions when buying things.
Content Marketing
Creating useful content that attracts an audience over time without directly promoting a product.
Conversion
When a visitor takes the action you want — buying, signing up, or contacting you.
Crawler / Bot
An automated programme used by search engines to discover and scan web pages.
Crawling
The process of a bot travelling across the internet to find and read pages.
Differentiation
What makes your brand stand out from competitors, even when the product is similar.
Domain Authority
A score (0 to 100) that predicts how well a website will rank. Higher is better.
Email Marketing
Sending targeted messages directly to a list of subscribers who chose to hear from you.
FOMO
Fear of Missing Out. The anxiety of being excluded from something others are experiencing.
Index
A massive database where search engines store information about all the web pages they have found.
Indexing
The process of storing a web page's content in the search engine's index.
Internal Link
A link from one page on your website to another page on the same website.
Keyword
A word or phrase people type into a search engine. E.g. "what is branding".
Keyword Stuffing
Repeating a keyword unnaturally many times. Google penalises this.
Logo
A visual symbol or wordmark that identifies a brand. Must be simple and scalable.
Long-tailed Keyword
A specific phrase of 3 or more words. Lower competition and more targeted than short keywords.
LSI Keywords
Related words used alongside your main keyword to show Google your content is thorough.
Meta Description
A short summary (under 160 characters) shown under your link in search results.
On-Page SEO
Changes made directly on your website to improve ranking: titles, headings, content, images.
Off-Page SEO
Actions outside your website that improve ranking, mainly getting other sites to link to yours.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who arrive at your website through unpaid search results.
PPC
Pay Per Click. A form of paid advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
Price Premium
The ability to charge more because of strong branding — customers perceive it as worth more.
Ranking
The position of a website in search results. Position 1 is the top result.
Reciprocity
The human instinct to give back when someone gives you something. Used in free trials and content.
Sans-Serif Font
A font without decorative strokes at the ends of letters. Feels clean and modern.
Scarcity
The perception that something is limited or running out, which increases how much people want it.
SEO
Search Engine Optimisation. Improving a website to rank higher in search results without paying for ads.
Serif Font
A font with small decorative strokes at the ends of letters. Feels traditional and formal.
SERP
Search Engine Results Page. The page Google or Bing shows after you search for something.
Short-tailed Keyword
A broad 1 to 2 word keyword. High search volume but very competitive.
Social Proof
The influence of other people's behaviour on our own decisions — reviews, follower counts, endorsements.
Tagline
A short memorable phrase that captures a brand's promise. E.g. "Just Do It".
Title Tag
The clickable headline shown in search results. Every page needs a unique one under 60 characters.
Urgency
A time-based pressure to act now — "Sale ends tonight".