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Web, brand and SEO terms in plain English
The jargon you'll hear when building a website or brand, explained simply.
- AI Overview
- A summary Google shows above some search results, written by AI from pages in Google's index. Pages need to be indexed and well ranked to be used as sources. What is AI search optimisation?
- AI search optimisation (AIO)
- Making a business easy for AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Google AI Overviews to understand, trust and recommend, through clear pages, structured data, consistent details and genuine reviews. Also called GEO or LLMO. SEO and AI search
- Brand guidelines
- A document that explains how to use a brand consistently: logo versions, colours, typography, tone of voice and examples. Branding
- Brand identity
- The visual and verbal system that makes a business recognisable: logo, colours, typography, imagery and tone of voice.
- Breadcrumbs
- A trail of links showing where a page sits on a website, such as Home / Services / Website design. They help visitors and search engines understand structure.
- Canonical tag
- A line of code telling search engines which version of a page is the main one, to avoid duplicate content.
- CMS
- Content management system: the part of a website platform you use to edit pages, blog posts and images without code.
- Core Web Vitals
- Google's measurements of page experience: how fast the main content loads (LCP), how quickly the page responds (INP) and how much it jumps around while loading (CLS).
- Conversion
- When a visitor does what you want them to, such as calling, booking or sending an enquiry.
- Domain
- Your website's address, like cl42ity.co.uk. It should always be registered in the business owner's name.
- Drone photography
- Aerial photos and video taken with a drone, used to show buildings, grounds, sites and fleets. Drone photography
- E-commerce
- Selling products online through a website with a shopping cart and payments. E-commerce websites
- Favicon
- The small icon shown in browser tabs and bookmarks.
- Hosting
- Where a website lives online. Good hosting keeps a site fast, secure, backed up and always available. Website hosting and care
- Google Business Profile
- A free listing that shows a business on Google Maps and local search, with hours, photos, reviews and contact details. Google Business Profile
- Google Search Console
- A free Google tool that shows which searches bring visitors to your site, which pages are indexed and any problems Google finds.
- Heading structure
- The order of headings on a page (one H1, then H2s and H3s). It helps readers scan and helps search engines understand the topic.
- Indexing
- When a search engine stores a page so it can appear in results. Pages that aren't indexed can't rank.
- Local SEO
- Improving visibility in searches with local intent, like 'electrician near me' or 'web design Leicester', including the map results. Local SEO for tradespeople
- Logo
- The mark or wordmark that identifies a business. A good logo is simple, distinctive and works at any size.
- Map pack
- The group of local businesses shown on a map near the top of Google results for local searches.
- Meta description
- A short summary of a page that search engines may show under the title in results.
- Mobile first
- Designing and building a website for phones first, then larger screens, because most visitors use a phone.
- NAP
- Name, address and phone number. Keeping these identical everywhere online helps search engines and AI tools trust a business.
- Page title
- The clickable headline shown in search results and browser tabs. Every page should have a unique, descriptive title.
- Redirect (301)
- A permanent instruction that sends visitors and search engines from an old web address to a new one, keeping rankings when pages move. Website redesign
- Responsive design
- A website layout that adapts to any screen size.
- Schema markup (structured data)
- Code that describes a page in a standard vocabulary, such as a business's name, services, location and reviews, so search engines and AI tools understand it precisely.
- SEO
- Search engine optimisation: improving a website and its presence online so it appears higher in search results for the searches that matter. SEO and AI search
- Sitemap
- A list of a website's pages. An XML sitemap is read by search engines; an HTML sitemap helps visitors. Our sitemap
- Van wrap
- Printed vinyl applied to a vehicle, from simple decals to a full wrap, turning it into a moving advert. Van wraps and signage
