Answer engine optimization (AEO)
Work that helps a source provide a clear, supported answer that search and answer products can retrieve and present.
Generative engine optimization (GEO)
The practice of improving how a brand, entity, and its evidence can be understood and cited in generative search experiences.
Crawlability and indexation
Crawlability is whether a search system can access a URL. Indexation is whether the system chooses to store and consider it for retrieval.
Entity
A distinct person, organisation, product, place, or concept that a system can identify and connect with attributes and relationships.
Canonical URL
The preferred URL for a page when similar versions can be reached through more than one address. A canonical is a signal, not permission to leave conflicting links, redirects, and sitemap entries unresolved.
Search engine results page (SERP)
The page of organic results, ads, maps, videos, discussions, answer features, and other modules returned for a search. Reviewing the whole result set helps determine the intent and page type being rewarded.
Search intent
The job the searcher is trying to complete. Good page targeting starts with the job, not just a phrase.
Keyword cannibalisation
A situation in which multiple pages compete for the same search task without a useful difference. The fix may be clearer page ownership, better internal links, consolidation, or a genuinely distinct purpose.
Internal link
A normal HTML link from one page on a website to another. Useful internal links help people continue a task and show how services, topics, evidence, and entities relate.
Structured data
Machine-readable markup that describes visible page information using a vocabulary such as Schema.org. It can clarify a page and its relationships, but it cannot turn unsupported claims into trusted facts.
Search citation
A source linked or referenced by a search or AI answer. Citation visibility is strongest when the source contains a direct answer, supporting evidence, a clear author or organisation, and a stable URL.
Qualified lead
An enquiry that fits the business’s agreed criteria, such as service need, market, budget, authority, timing, or problem. A submitted form is not automatically a qualified lead.
Organic-assisted conversion
A conversion in which organic search contributed to the customer journey but was not necessarily the final recorded interaction. The attribution model and window should be stated before the number is used.
Core Web Vitals
Google’s user-experience measures for loading, responsiveness, and visual stability: Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift.
Hreflang
HTML or sitemap annotations that connect equivalent language or country versions of a page. They work best when each market page is accessible, canonical to itself, and reciprocally linked to its alternatives.
Content decay
A sustained loss of useful visibility or conversions from a page as demand, competitors, facts, products, or the result set changes. A refresh should respond to the cause rather than merely change the date.