Alvin John Ferias

SEO & Web Design Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the SEO, web design, hosting, and digital marketing terms that come up most often when growing a business online — written for owners and managers, not just developers.

Last updated September 10, 2026 · Compiled by Alvin John P. Ferias, SEO Specialist, Philippines

A

Above the FoldWeb Design
The part of a webpage a visitor sees before scrolling, on the screen size they're using. Because it's the first thing people notice, it's prime space for your headline, key offer, and a clear next step.
Alt TextSEO
A short written description added to an image's HTML code. Screen readers use it to describe images to visually impaired visitors, and search engines use it to understand what an image shows since they can't "see" it.
Anchor TextSEO
The clickable, usually underlined words in a hyperlink. Search engines read anchor text as a clue about what the linked page is about, so descriptive anchor text works better than generic text like "click here."
APITechnical
A set of rules that lets two different software systems exchange data automatically — for example, a booking widget checking a calendar app for available appointment slots.

B

BacklinkSEO
A link from another website pointing to yours. Search engines treat backlinks from reputable, relevant sites as a vote of confidence, which can help your pages rank higher.
BandwidthHosting
The amount of data your website is allowed to transfer to visitors over a given period, usually measured monthly. Running out can slow a site down or take it offline until the next billing cycle.
Bounce RateMarketing
The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate isn't always bad — it depends on the page's purpose — but a sudden spike often signals a mismatch between expectation and content.
BreadcrumbWeb Design
A row of links, usually near the top of a page, showing the path back to the homepage (e.g., Home > Services > Web Design). Breadcrumbs help visitors orient themselves and can appear in Google's results as extra context.

C

Call to Action (CTA)Marketing
The instruction that tells a visitor what to do next, such as "Get a Free Quote" or "Book a Consultation." A clear, specific CTA usually converts better than a vague one like "Submit."
Canonical URLSEO
A tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the "official" one when the same or similar content is reachable through more than one web address, preventing duplicates from competing against each other.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)Hosting
A network of servers spread across different locations that deliver your website's files from whichever server is physically closest to the visitor, shortening load times.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)Marketing
The percentage of people who click a link after seeing it, whether in a search result, an ad, or an email — calculated as clicks divided by impressions.
Content Management System (CMS)Web Design
Software that lets you create, edit, and publish website content without writing code. WordPress, used for much of this site, is the most widely used CMS in the world.
Conversion RateMarketing
The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as filling out a contact form, calling your number, or making a purchase — one of the clearest measures of whether a website is working for your business.
Core Web VitalsSEO
Three specific measurements Google uses to judge a page's user experience: how fast the main content loads, how quickly the page responds to input, and how much the layout shifts around while loading.
CrawlingSEO
The process by which search engines send automated bots to visit and read pages across the web. A page has to be crawled before it can be indexed or shown in search results.

D

Domain AuthoritySEO
A third-party score, popularized by the SEO tool Moz, that estimates how likely a website is to rank well based largely on the quality and quantity of its backlinks. It's a useful benchmark, not an official Google metric.
Domain NameHosting
The address people type to reach your website, such as alvinjohnferias.com. You lease a domain name annually through a registrar; you don't own it outright.
Duplicate ContentSEO
Blocks of text that appear, word for word or very close to it, on more than one page or website. Search engines may struggle to decide which version to rank, which can hurt visibility for both.

E

E-E-A-TSEO
Short for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — the framework Google's quality raters use to judge whether content deserves to rank, especially for topics that affect a reader's health, finances, or safety.
Engagement RateMarketing
A measure of how actively people interact with your content — likes, comments, shares, clicks — relative to how many people saw it. Often a better signal of real interest than raw view counts.

F

Featured SnippetSEO
A short answer box that Google sometimes displays at the very top of search results, pulled from a page that ranks well and clearly answers the searcher's question. Also called "position zero."
FirewallHosting
A security barrier, hardware or software, that monitors incoming traffic to a server and blocks requests that look malicious. Most hosting plans include a basic firewall as standard protection.

G

Google AnalyticsMarketing
A free tool from Google that tracks and reports website traffic: where visitors come from, what pages they view, how long they stay, and whether they take action.
Google Business ProfileSEO
A free listing that controls how your business appears in Google Search and Google Maps, including your address, hours, phone number, and reviews — a core part of local SEO.
Google Search ConsoleSEO
A free Google tool that shows how your site performs in search results, flags technical errors, and lets you submit sitemaps directly to Google.

H

Header Tags (H1–H6)SEO
HTML tags that mark headings and subheadings on a page, from H1 (main heading) down to H6, creating an outline that helps both readers and search engines understand how content is organized.
Hosting (Web Hosting)Hosting
A service that stores your website's files on a server and makes them accessible over the internet. Without hosting, a domain name has nowhere to point.
HTTPS / SSL CertificateHosting
HTTPS is the secure version of the protocol browsers use to load websites, made possible by installing an SSL certificate on the server. It encrypts data between visitor and site and is required for the padlock icon instead of a "Not Secure" warning.

I

Index (Indexing)SEO
The process of a search engine storing a crawled page in its database so it can be shown in search results. A page can be crawled but still excluded from the index if it's low-quality, blocked, or duplicate.
Internal LinkingSEO
Links that connect one page on your website to another page on the same website, helping visitors find related content and helping search engines understand which pages matter most.

J

JavaScript SEOTechnical
The practice of making sure content built with JavaScript — interactive elements, dynamically loaded text, single-page apps — can still be properly crawled and indexed, since it can sometimes hide content from search bots.

K

KeywordSEO
A word or phrase that people type into a search engine. Choosing the right keywords to target is the starting point for almost every SEO decision.
Keyword DensitySEO
The frequency a keyword appears on a page relative to the total word count. Modern SEO cares far more about natural, useful writing than hitting a specific percentage.
Keyword ResearchSEO
The process of finding out which words and phrases your potential customers actually search for, and how much competition exists for each one.

L

Landing PageMarketing
A standalone page designed around a single goal, such as capturing leads for a specific promotion. Unlike a homepage, it usually has one clear message and one clear call to action.
Link BuildingSEO
The ongoing work of earning backlinks from other websites, whether through outreach, guest posts, partnerships, or content worth linking to. Still one of the strongest ranking factors in Google's algorithm.
Local SEOSEO
Optimization work focused on ranking for searches tied to a specific location, such as "SEO specialist in Oriental Mindoro." Relies heavily on a Google Business Profile, local citations, and location-specific content.
Long-Tail KeywordSEO
A longer, more specific search phrase, such as "affordable SEO consultant for small business Manila" instead of just "SEO." Usually less competitive and attracts visitors further along in deciding to buy.

M

Meta DescriptionSEO
A short summary of a page's content, written in HTML, that often appears beneath the title in search results. It doesn't directly affect rankings, but a well-written one can improve click-through rate.
Meta TagsSEO
HTML snippets in a page's code that describe the page to browsers and search engines but aren't visible on the page itself — title tags, meta descriptions, and robots directives are all types of meta tags.
Mobile-First IndexingSEO
Google's practice of primarily using the mobile version of a website's content to decide how it ranks, since most searches now happen on phones.

N

NameserverHosting
A server that translates a domain name into the numerical address computers use to locate it, and directs traffic to the correct hosting account.
NicheMarketing
A specific, well-defined segment of a market, such as "logistics companies in Mindoro" rather than "businesses in the Philippines." Targeting a niche sharpens marketing messages and keyword choices.

O

Off-Page SEOSEO
Ranking factors that happen away from your own website, primarily backlinks, brand mentions, and social signals.
On-Page SEOSEO
Optimization work done directly on a page: titles, headings, content quality, internal links, image alt text, and page speed — the part of SEO a business has the most direct control over.
Organic TrafficSEO
Visitors who arrive at your website through unpaid search engine results, as opposed to paid ads or social media referrals.

P

Page SpeedTechnical
How quickly a webpage's content loads and becomes usable. Slow pages lose visitors before they see the content and are also a factor in Google's ranking algorithm.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)Marketing
An advertising model where you pay only when someone clicks your ad, commonly used on Google Ads and social media. It delivers traffic faster than SEO but stops the moment you stop paying.
PluginWeb Design
An add-on piece of software that extends what a CMS like WordPress can do, such as adding a contact form or SEO tools, without needing custom code for each feature.

Q

Quality ScoreMarketing
A rating Google Ads assigns to your ads and keywords, based on expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. A higher score generally means lower cost per click.

R

RankingSEO
A page's position in a search engine's results for a particular search term — ranking #1 for a highly searched, relevant keyword is usually the primary goal of an SEO strategy.
Responsive DesignWeb Design
A design approach where layout, images, and text automatically adjust to fit whatever screen size is viewing it, from a large desktop monitor down to a small phone.
Robots.txtTechnical
A small text file at the root of a website that gives instructions to search engine crawlers about which pages or sections they should or shouldn't access.

S

Schema Markup (Structured Data)SEO
Extra code added to a page that labels its content in a standardized way search engines can read directly — it's what makes rich results like star ratings or FAQ dropdowns possible in search listings.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)SEO
The practice of improving a website so it ranks higher in unpaid search engine results, covering everything from technical setup and content quality to backlinks and user experience.
ServerHosting
A computer, usually housed in a data center, that stores website files and delivers them to visitors' browsers whenever the site is requested.
Sitemap (XML Sitemap)SEO
A file listing every important page on a website, submitted to search engines so they can discover and crawl content more efficiently.
Social Media Marketing (SMM)Marketing
Using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to build brand awareness, engage an audience, and drive traffic back to a business's website.

T

Title TagSEO
The HTML element that defines a page's title, shown as the clickable headline in search results and in the browser tab. One of the strongest on-page signals search engines use.
TrafficMarketing
The general term for visitors arriving at a website, often broken down by source: organic, direct, referral, social, and paid.

U

UI/UXWeb Design
UI (User Interface) refers to the visual elements a person interacts with — buttons, menus, layout. UX (User Experience) refers to the overall experience and how easily someone accomplishes what they came to do.
URLTechnical
The full web address of a specific page, such as https://alvinjohnferias.com/glossary/. It tells a browser exactly which protocol, domain, and page to load.

W

WordPressWeb Design
An open-source content management system that powers a large share of websites worldwide, including this one. Popular for being free to use, customizable through themes and plugins, and manageable without a developer.

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