Glossary | Explanation of Search Engine and Internet Terminology
 
Call-to-Action
Domain Name
Flash
Frames
Indexing
Keywords
Landing Page
Link Building
Mompreneur
Natural (Search Results)
Optimization
On-page Optimization
Pay-per-click Advertising (PPC)
Qualified (Web site visitor)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SERPS
Text Links

URL
User name vs. screen name
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Call-to-Action
A call-to-action prompts people to make the next move. Examples of popular call-to-action directives include:
   Call 555-123-4567 to qualify for this special offer!
   Buy Now!
   Click here to receive your free gift.


Domain Name
A domain name forms part of a URL.
EngineHounds' domain name is
www.enginehounds.com.

This example illustrates the difference between a URL and a domain name:
The URL of this glossary page is:
http://www.enginehounds.com/glossary.htm
Our domain name is:
www.enginehounds.com 
The domain name we registered is:
enginehounds.com

Think of a URL as a 'web page address' and a domain name as a 'web site name', and you've got a pretty good idea of what they are.
For an accurate but brain-numbing Wikipedia definition, click here: Domain name.
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Flash

Some Web sites are built in a program called Flash. Flash sites are normally quite impressive with movement going on and cool things fading in and out, but they are not conducive to search engine optimization. To tell if your site is built in Flash, right click on different parts of the site and see if something like this pops up:

As with frames (see graphic below) the text in the URL field of a Flash usually stays the same as you click through the pages of your site. If in doubt, ask your Web master. If you want movement on your site, rather build a regular non-Flash site and embed Flash elements into it.
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Frames

Some Web sites are built in 'frames'. This means that the whole site actually exists on one single Web page, even though it gives the impression of being a multi-page Web site. Click from one page of your site to another and check if the text in the URL field changes (see graphic below). If it doesn't, chances are you site may be built in frames. If in doubt, ask your Web master.

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Indexing
This refers to the action of the search engines visiting your Web site for a look-see and then committing some or all of your pages to memory.
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Keywords
These are the words people might use to search for your Web site. For example, if you are a veterinarian in Hackensack, New Jersey, your keywords might include Vet Hackensack NJ and Hackensack animal doctor.
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Landing Page
The first Web page you land on when you enter a Web site is known as the landing page or entry page. It is not necessarily the home page. If you search for bird feeder, you may enter a garden accessories Web site via a page that features a selection of bird feeders rather than the home page. When referred to in context with online advertising campaigns landing pages are slightly different. They are frequently not accessible from the actual Web site—only from the ad—and are designed with strong call-to-action features with the purpose of converting the Web visitor from a browser to a customer.
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Link Building
The practice of getting other Web sites to link to your site. The more sites that link to you, the more important the search engines will consider your site to be. In Google, your Page Rank may increase when a lot of sites start linking to you. The best way to get other sites to link to you is to offer great information, tools, products, or resources. This way, people will automatically want to link to you. You can also embark on a "link building campaign". This involves asking other sites to link to you. While some reciprocal linking is ok, avoid getting involved in link exchanges, link farms, or people offering to provide you with a lot of links very fast. Link quality is as important as link quantity, if not more so.
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Mompreneur
A term for entrepreneurial women who establish businesses at home while also acting as the full time parent of their children.
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Natural Search Results

The graphic below shows natural search results in the green area and sponsored links (also known as Pay-Per-Click Advertisements) in the pink areas. The results in the green area are are referred to as natural because they show up there on all on their own thanks to good optimization techniques. The ones in the pink area paid to be there. Optimization can get you great positions in the green area for some of your keywords.

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Optimization
When applied to a Web site's capacity to be found on the results pages of search engines like Google and Yahoo, optimization refers to a broad variety of things you can do to increase its chances.
When applied to a Web site's usability, optimization refers to improvements one can make to improve the site's user-friendliness.
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On-page Optimization
Adjustments and additions applied to individual pages of a Web site to improve its
capacity to get good positions on the results pages of search engines - like Google and Yahoo - and to provide an easier, more professional user-experience for Web visitors.
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Pay-per-click Advertising (PPC)
Also known as "sponsored links", PPC ads are links on the SERPS that are present because someone has paid for them to be there. The costs are based on a bidding system.
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Qualified (Web site visitor)

A qualified Web visitor is one that meets the description of your target demographics and is therefore more likely to convert from visitor status to customer status.
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO involves enhancing a Web site to improve it's position in the SERPS and to ensure Web visitors enjoy a better user-experience. This means making sure it's packed with excellent content, valuable keywords, and HTML text. It also involves off-page activity like link building and blogging.
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SERPS
Search Engine Results Pages - the list of non-sponsored web pages returned by the search engines in response to a search or query.
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Text Links
A text link is a hyperlink made up of text, on its own or within a paragraph, that will take Web visitors to another web location when they click on it. It often looks like this, but not always. If you want to direct your visitors to another Web site, but don't want them to navigate away from the page they're on, you can instruct your link to open the new information in a "new window" - that way they can close it afterwards and remain on the original page.
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URL
Uniform Resource Locator - Simply put, the 'address' of a Web site, or a page of a Web site.
This example illustrates the difference between a URL and a domain name:
The URL of this glossary page is:
http://www.enginehounds.com/glossary.htm
Our domain name is:
www.enginehounds.com 
If you think of a URL as a 'web page address' and a domain name as a 'web site name', you'd get a pretty good idea of what they are.
For the geeky but undeniably impressive Wikipedia definition, click here: URL.
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User Name vs, Screen Name
In the world of online privacy paranoia, joining forums and other social media sites that require registration can make one feel vulnerable. First check to see how registered users' names appear. Chances are they are using fictitious names as 'screen' names.
User name: The name you use to log in to a site. Unless specified, it does not have to be a name at all, though you may be required to use your email address. If not, think of it more as a 'user word'.
Screen name: This is the name that you want people to see on the Web site. Most people use a fictitious name for privacy purposes.
There's a good chance however that you will be required to provide your real name during the registration process, but this generally does not show up to the public.


Please feel free to contact us for more info on search engine optimization.

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