The words in websites, search, AI search, and ads, in plain English.
Updated
- Agentic AI
AI systems that plan and take a series of steps toward a goal, using tools like a calendar, CRM, or phone system. Good setups keep a person in control: clear limits on what the system may do alone, a log of actions, and a way to pause it.
SeeAI agents
- AI agent
Software that uses an AI model to carry out tasks, not just answer questions. For a small business that can mean answering calls or texts, collecting job details, following up with leads, or booking an appointment, within rules a person sets.
SeeAI agents
- AI Mode
A Google Search mode where the main result is a conversational AI answer instead of a list of links. People can ask follow-up questions. Sources are linked inside the answer, so being a cited source matters.
- AI Overviews
AI-written summaries that appear at the top of some Google results. They answer the question directly and link to a few sources. Google decides when to show one. A business cannot buy or request a place in them.
- Answer engine
A tool that replies to a question with a written answer instead of a page of links. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews all work this way. They often name businesses and cite the pages they drew from.
- Bing Places
Microsoft's free business listing service, similar to Google Business Profile. A listing there feeds Bing Maps and Bing search results. Keeping it accurate matters because some AI assistants draw on Bing's index.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Call tracking
Using separate phone numbers for different sources, such as an ad campaign or a Google profile, so you can see which one made the phone ring. The calls still reach your business as normal.
SeeAds
- Canonical URL
The one address a page declares as its main version. When the same content can be reached at several URLs, the canonical tag tells search engines which one to index and show.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Citation (local)
A mention of a business's name, address, and phone number on another site, such as a directory, map app, or chamber listing. Consistent citations help search engines trust that the business details are correct.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Click-through rate (CTR)
The share of people who click a result or ad after seeing it. It is clicks divided by impressions. A clear title and description usually help. CTR on regular results tends to drop when an AI answer appears above them.
- Conversion tracking
Recording the actions that matter, like a call, a form, or a booking, and tying them back to the page, search, or ad that led there. Without it, ad and SEO decisions rest on guesses.
SeeAds
- Core Web Vitals
Google's measures of how a page feels to use: how fast the main content loads, how quickly it responds to a tap, and how much the layout jumps while loading. They are measured from real visits in Chrome.
SeeWebsites
- Crawlability
How easily search engine and AI crawlers can reach and read a site's pages. Blocked pages, broken links, content that only appears after scripts run, and missing internal links all hurt it.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It comes from Google's guidelines for the people who rate search quality. It is not a single ranking score, but it describes what helpful, credible content looks like.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Entity
A distinct thing a search engine or AI system can identify, such as a business, person, or place. A business becomes a clear entity when its name, services, location, and contact details are stated the same way everywhere.
- FAQ schema (FAQPage)
Structured data that marks up questions and answers on a page. It should only describe questions that are visible on that page. Google now shows FAQ rich results for very few sites, but the markup still states the answers clearly.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Work that makes a business easy for AI assistants to understand, trust, and cite. It covers consistent business facts, clear answer-style pages, structured data, and mentions on other credible sites. It overlaps heavily with SEO, and no one can guarantee placement.
- Google Business Profile (GBP)
The free listing that shows a business on Google Maps and in local results. It holds hours, services, photos, reviews, and posts. For most local businesses it is one of the first things customers see.
- Google Local Services Ads (LSA)
Ads that appear at the top of some local searches, mainly for home and professional services. You pay per lead rather than per click. Many categories require checks such as licensing and background screening before ads can run.
SeeAds
- Indexing
When a search engine stores a page in its database so it can appear in results. A page can be crawled but not indexed, for example if it looks like a duplicate or is marked noindex.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- IndexNow
An open protocol that lets a site tell search engines right away when pages are added or changed. Bing, Yandex, and some other engines support it. Google does not use it.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- JSON-LD
The format Google recommends for adding structured data to a page. It is a small block of code in the page that states facts, like business name, address, or services, in a form machines read reliably.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Keyword
The words people type or say when they search, such as "water heater repair near me". Good pages are built around the real wording customers use, not around stuffing the same phrase into every sentence.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Landing page
The page a visitor reaches after clicking an ad or a result. A good one matches what they searched for, makes the next step obvious, and loads fast on a phone.
- llms.txt
A proposed convention: a plain text file at the root of a site that summarizes it for AI tools. It is optional. Google has said its Search and AI features do not need it. Crawlable pages and structured data matter more.
- Local pack
The map and short list of nearby businesses that Google shows for searches with local intent, like "plumber near me". Ranking there depends mostly on relevance, distance, and prominence, including reviews.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- NAP consistency
Keeping a business name, address, and phone number exactly the same on the website, Google profile, directories, and social profiles. Mismatches make it harder for search engines and AI tools to trust the details.
- Organic search
The unpaid results on a search page, as opposed to ads. Showing up there takes useful pages, a sound technical base, and trust signals built over time.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Performance Max
A Google Ads campaign type that runs across Search, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and Display from one budget, with Google choosing placements automatically. It needs good conversion tracking to work well.
SeeAds
- Retrieval (RAG)
Retrieval-augmented generation: an AI system looks up relevant documents first, then writes its answer from them. Many AI search tools work this way, which is why clear, crawlable pages about your business matter.
- Review velocity
How steadily a business receives new reviews over time. A regular flow of recent reviews tends to read as more trustworthy to customers than a large batch from years ago.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Schema markup
Code that labels the content of a page using the shared vocabulary from schema.org, such as Organization, Service, or FAQPage. It helps search engines and AI tools read facts correctly. It should match what is visible on the page.
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
Work that helps a site show up in unpaid search results: a sound technical base, clear pages for each service and area, a well-kept Google profile, reviews, and useful content. No one can guarantee rankings.
- Service-area business
A business that goes to its customers, like a plumber or mobile detailer, instead of serving them at a storefront. On Google Business Profile it can hide its street address and list the areas it serves.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- sitemap.xml
A file that lists a site's pages, often with the date each one last changed, so search engines can find them. It helps discovery but does not guarantee indexing.
SeeSearch (SEO)
- Structured data
Information on a page organized in a standard format so machines can read it without guessing, usually written as JSON-LD with schema.org types. It can make a page eligible for rich results in Google.
- Zero-click search
A search that ends without a click to any website, because the answer is already on the results page, in a map listing, or in an AI summary. It is why your Google profile and the facts AI tools repeat about you matter.