Every AI SEO term. Plain English.

AI Overview GEO

An AI-generated summary that appears at the top of certain Google search results, above the traditional blue links. Google's AI reads multiple web pages, synthesises an answer, and cites the sources it used. Appears most often on informational queries. Getting cited as a source in an AI Overview is a GEO goal. See also: AI Overviews and SEO.

Algorithm SEO

The system Google uses to decide which pages to rank for a given search query and in what order. Made up of hundreds of ranking factors. Google updates its algorithm continuously — some updates are minor, some are significant "core updates" that can move rankings dramatically.

Alt Text SEO

Descriptive text added to an image in HTML. Tells search engines (and screen readers) what an image shows. Google can't truly "see" images, so alt text is how image content gets indexed. Keep it descriptive and accurate — not keyword-stuffed.

Anchor Text SEO

The visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. When a page links to yours with the anchor text "Cape Town accountant", Google treats that as a signal that your page is about Cape Town accountants. Anchor text from external backlinks is a significant ranking signal.

Answer Engine GEO

A search tool that provides direct answers to queries rather than a list of links. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google with AI Overviews enabled all function as answer engines for some queries. GEO is specifically about optimising for these systems. Perplexity explicitly markets itself as an answer engine.

Authority SEO

How trustworthy and credible Google considers a website or page. Built through backlinks from respected sources, consistent quality content, topical depth, and EEAT signals. Domain authority (DA) and domain rating (DR) are third-party scores attempting to quantify this — Google doesn't use these specific metrics but the underlying signals matter.

Backlink SEO

A link from another website pointing to yours. One of the most powerful ranking signals in traditional SEO. Not all backlinks are equal — a link from a respected news publication is worth far more than a link from a directory farm. Quality over quantity, always.

Brand Entity GEO

How AI systems understand and categorise your business. AI builds a model of your brand from consistent signals across the web — your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, press mentions, directory listings. A clear, consistent brand entity is fundamental to GEO — if AI systems can't confidently identify what you do and where you do it, they won't cite you.

Bounce Rate SEO

Historically, the percentage of sessions where a user visited one page and left without interacting. In GA4, this concept is replaced by "engagement rate" — the inverse. A high bounce rate is not always bad; someone finding an exact answer on a single page and leaving is a successful session, not a failed one.

Canonical Tag Technical

An HTML tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the "official" one when multiple URLs display the same or similar content. Prevents duplicate content issues. Example: if your site has both /products/ and /products/?sort=price, a canonical tag tells Google which to index.

Chatbot GEO

A conversational AI interface — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity. Relevant to GEO because these systems are increasingly used for research before purchase decisions. Being cited in chatbot responses for industry-relevant questions is a growing visibility objective.

Citations (Local SEO) SEO

Mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on third-party websites — directories, review sites, local news. Consistency of NAP across all citations is a local ranking signal. In South Africa: Yellow Pages SA, Brabys, SAPages, Hotfrog, and your industry's professional body directory are the priority citations.

Claude GEO

Anthropic's AI assistant. One of the major LLMs alongside ChatGPT and Gemini. Used for content creation, research, and SEO work. Claude's responses are primarily training-data based — content widely published on authoritative indexed sites influences how Claude characterises businesses and industries.

Clickthrough Rate (CTR) SEO

The percentage of people who see your page in search results and click on it. CTR is influenced primarily by your title tag and meta description. A page ranking position 1 with a poor title can have worse CTR than a page at position 3 with a compelling one. Improving CTR is often a faster win than improving ranking position.

Content Cluster SEO

A group of related pages organised around a central topic. A hub page (pillar page) covers the topic broadly; cluster pages cover specific subtopics in depth, all linking back to the hub. Topical clusters build authority signals and help Google understand your site's expertise in a subject area.

Copilot GEO

Microsoft's AI assistant, powered by OpenAI's models and integrated into Bing Search and Microsoft 365. Part of the AI search ecosystem alongside ChatGPT and Gemini. Bing's market share in South Africa is small but growing, and Copilot's integration into Windows and Office products is expanding its reach.

Core Web Vitals Technical

Google's set of page experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP — how fast the main content loads), Interaction to Next Paint (INP — how responsive the page is to user input), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS — how much the page layout jumps while loading). Poor Core Web Vitals can suppress rankings. Measured in Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights.

Crawling Technical

The process by which search engines (and AI retrieval systems) send automated bots to discover and read web pages. If Google can't crawl your page, it can't index it. If it can't index it, it can't rank it — and AI systems that do live retrieval can't cite it either. Robots.txt and noindex tags control what gets crawled and indexed.

Domain Authority (DA) SEO

A third-party score (0–100) developed by Moz, estimating how well a domain is likely to rank based on its backlink profile. Google doesn't use DA as a ranking factor — it uses its own internal authority signals. DA is a useful proxy for comparing sites but should not be confused with Google's assessment of your site.

EEAT GEOSEO

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google's framework for evaluating content quality — the extra E for Experience was added in 2022. Content demonstrating first-hand experience (not just researched knowledge), genuine expertise, third-party recognition of authority, and verifiable trust signals ranks better. AI systems have internalised similar signals — EEAT matters for GEO as much as SEO.

Entity GEOSEO

Any well-defined thing that Google or AI systems can recognise and understand — a business, person, place, product, concept. Google's Knowledge Graph is built around entities. For GEO, having a clear entity definition for your business (consistent NAP, clear category, recognised by multiple sources) helps AI systems accurately represent and cite you.

GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation GEO

The practice of optimising your content and online presence so that AI systems — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot — include your business in the answers they generate. GEO builds on traditional SEO but requires additional focus on entity clarity, topical authority, direct answer formatting, and cross-source brand mentions. See: What is GEO?

Gemini GEO

Google's AI model, integrated into Google Search (as AI Overviews), Google Workspace, and the Gemini standalone app. Because it's Google's own system, it is deeply integrated with Google's search index. Strong traditional SEO signals carry over directly to Gemini/AI Overview visibility.

Google Business Profile (GBP) SEO

The free Google listing that controls what appears in Google Maps and the local pack (the three business results that appear before organic results for local queries). For SA service businesses, a fully optimised GBP with genuine reviews is often the highest-ROI SEO action available. Formerly called Google My Business.

Google Search Console (GSC) SEO

Google's free tool for website owners showing how your site appears in search — which queries generate impressions and clicks, which pages are indexed or excluded, crawl errors, Core Web Vitals, and mobile usability issues. Essential for any SEO work. Every site owner should have it set up and check it monthly.

Hallucination GEO

When an AI system generates plausible-sounding but factually incorrect information. LLMs hallucinate because they predict likely text rather than look up verified facts. Relevant to SEO because AI systems can misrepresent businesses, invent capabilities, or cite wrong information. Strong, consistent brand signals across multiple trusted sources reduce the chance of hallucination about your business.

Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3) SEO

HTML elements that structure page content hierarchically. H1 is the main heading (there should be exactly one per page). H2s are major sections. H3s are subsections. Heading structure tells search engines and AI systems how content is organised and what topics a page covers. Headings that mirror search queries help both SEO and GEO.

Indexing Technical

The process of Google adding a page to its database after crawling it. Only indexed pages can appear in search results. Pages can be excluded from the index for many reasons: noindex tag, crawl errors, thin content, duplicate content, or Google choosing not to index them despite being able to. Check your indexed page count in Google Search Console → Index → Pages.

Internal Links SEO

Links between pages on the same website. Internal linking distributes page authority across your site, helps search engines understand your site structure, and guides users to related content. Every new page should link to at least two other relevant pages and be linked to from at least two existing pages.

Keyword SEO

A word or phrase that someone types into a search engine. In SEO, keywords are the bridge between what people search for and the content you create. "Keyword" in practice usually means a phrase of 2–5 words. Single-word keywords are rarely useful because they're too broad and too competitive.

Keyword Cannibalism SEO

When multiple pages on your site compete for the same keyword. Confuses search engines about which page should rank, often resulting in neither ranking well. Fix by consolidating similar pages or using canonical tags to point to the preferred version.

Keyword Difficulty (KD) SEO

A metric (typically 0–100) estimating how hard it would be to rank on page one for a keyword. Higher KD = more established, high-authority sites already ranking for it. For most SA small businesses, targeting keywords below KD 40 is realistic. See also: Keyword Research with AI.

Knowledge Graph GEO

Google's database of entities and the relationships between them — people, places, organisations, concepts. Powers the information panels that appear on the right side of Google search results. Having your business well-represented in the Knowledge Graph improves both traditional SEO and AI search visibility.

LLM — Large Language Model GEO

The AI systems that power ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Trained on vast amounts of text, they predict the most likely continuation of a prompt. They don't "know" things the way a database does — they generate plausible text based on patterns in training data. Understanding this helps explain both their capabilities and limitations for SEO purposes. See: LLM SEO.

LLM Visibility GEO

How often and how prominently your brand appears in AI-generated responses from large language models. An emerging category of brand measurement alongside traditional share of voice. Tools are being developed to track this — how often ChatGPT recommends your business for relevant queries, whether Perplexity cites your content.

Local Pack SEO

The block of three business listings (with a map) that appears in Google search results for local queries like "plumber near me" or "accountant Cape Town". Driven primarily by Google Business Profile signals. Appearing in the local pack often generates more calls and leads than a high organic ranking for the same query.

Long-Tail Keyword SEO

A specific, multi-word keyword phrase with lower search volume but higher conversion potential. "accountant" is a head term; "small business accountant Cape Town Northern Suburbs" is a long-tail keyword. Long-tail keywords have lower competition, clearer intent, and are often worth more per click than high-volume generics.

Meta Description SEO

The short description that appears below your page title in Google search results. Not a direct ranking factor but significantly affects clickthrough rate. Google rewrites meta descriptions about 70% of the time — write them anyway, as they're displayed when Google doesn't rewrite. Keep under 155 characters. Should include a clear value proposition and a reason to click.

Meta Title (Title Tag) SEO

The clickable headline shown in search results and the browser tab. One of the most important on-page SEO elements. Should include your primary keyword, be under 60 characters, and give a compelling reason to click. Every page needs a unique, relevant title tag — duplicate title tags are a common issue on SA business websites.

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) SEO

The three pieces of business information that must appear consistently across your website and all directory listings for local SEO purposes. Even minor inconsistencies — "St" vs "Street", different phone formats — dilute local ranking signals. Audit your NAP across all platforms annually.

Noindex Technical

An HTML meta tag or HTTP header instruction telling search engines not to add a page to their index. Used correctly: privacy pages, thank-you pages, staging sites, paginated archive pages. Used incorrectly: accidentally applied to important content pages, causing them to disappear from search results.

On-Page SEO SEO

Optimisation of elements within the page itself — title tags, headings, content quality, keyword usage, internal links, image alt text, page speed, schema markup. Distinguished from off-page SEO (backlinks, external signals) and technical SEO (site architecture, crawlability). Most DIY SEO starts here.

Organic Traffic SEO

Visitors who arrive at your site via unpaid search results. Distinguished from paid traffic (Google Ads), social traffic, direct traffic, and referral traffic. Organic traffic is the primary goal of SEO and, unlike paid traffic, continues when you stop actively spending money on it.

Perplexity GEO

An AI-powered answer engine that retrieves current web content for every query and cites sources explicitly. Growing rapidly as a research tool. Because Perplexity does live web retrieval, traditional SEO signals (indexability, content quality, ranking) directly influence Perplexity citation. Being indexed and ranking for your key queries helps Perplexity visibility.

Pillar Page SEO

A comprehensive hub page covering a broad topic, designed to rank for a main keyword and link out to cluster pages covering subtopics. Example: an "AI SEO guide" pillar page linking to specific guides on keyword research, content writing, and site auditing. Pillar pages demonstrate topical authority and drive internal linking.

Prompt Engineering GEO

The practice of crafting AI prompts to get better outputs. Relevant to SEO because the quality of AI-assisted keyword research, content briefs, and meta tags depends heavily on prompt quality. Vague prompts produce generic outputs; specific, well-briefed prompts produce useful, actionable outputs. See: AI SEO Prompt Library.

RAG — Retrieval-Augmented Generation GEO

A technique where an AI system retrieves relevant information from an external source (like the web) before generating a response. Perplexity uses RAG for every query. ChatGPT uses it when web browsing is enabled. RAG-based systems cite sources directly, making them more transparent and making traditional SEO signals more relevant to AI citation.

Redirect (301) Technical

A permanent redirect from one URL to another. Tells search engines (and browsers) that a page has moved, passing most of the original page's authority to the new URL. Essential when changing URLs, migrating platforms, or consolidating content. Getting 301 redirects wrong during a site migration is one of the most common causes of sudden ranking drops.

Robots.txt Technical

A text file at the root of your website (yourdomain.com/robots.txt) that tells search engine crawlers which pages they are allowed to visit. Can be used to block crawlers from admin areas, staging environments, or low-value pages. Incorrectly blocking important pages in robots.txt is a common technical SEO mistake.

Schema Markup GEOSEO

Structured data code (typically JSON-LD format) added to a page's HTML that tells search engines and AI systems exactly what the content is about — is this a FAQ? An article? A local business? A product? Schema is essential for GEO: FAQ schema tells AI systems which questions your page answers. Article schema with author information helps establish EEAT. LocalBusiness schema clarifies entity signals.

Search Intent SEO

The underlying purpose behind a search query — what the person actually wants to accomplish. Four main types: informational (I want to learn), navigational (I want to find a specific site), commercial (I want to compare options before buying), transactional (I want to take an action now). Matching content to search intent is more important than keyword placement. A page targeting "best accountant Cape Town" needs to help someone compare and choose — not just describe your services.

Sitemap (XML) Technical

A file listing all the pages on your website that you want search engines to crawl and index. Submit to Google Search Console to ensure important pages are discovered quickly. Rank Math and Yoast generate XML sitemaps automatically on WordPress sites.

Structured Data GEOTechnical

Machine-readable code added to web pages to help search engines and AI systems understand content meaning. Schema markup is the most common form of structured data on the web. Enables rich results in Google (FAQ dropdowns, review stars, recipe information) and improves AI citation accuracy.

Technical SEO Technical

The discipline of ensuring a website is built and configured in a way that search engines can efficiently crawl, index, and rank it. Covers site speed, mobile-friendliness, URL structure, crawlability, structured data, canonicals, redirects, and Core Web Vitals. The foundation all other SEO work sits on — without it, good content doesn't rank.

Topical Authority GEOSEO

How comprehensively and consistently a website covers a specific subject area. Google rewards sites that go deep on a topic, not sites with one page about it. AI systems cite topical authorities more frequently. Building topical authority means creating a cluster of quality content around your core subject — not just a homepage.

Training Data GEO

The text corpus used to train an LLM. LLMs like GPT-4 and Claude were trained on billions of text samples from the web, books, and other sources. Content published on well-indexed, authoritative sites before a model's training cutoff can influence how that model represents topics and businesses. Post-cutoff content influences only retrieval-augmented systems like Perplexity.

Web Crawlers / Spiders / Bots Technical

Automated programs that systematically browse the web, following links and reading content to build a searchable index. Google's crawlers (Googlebot) are the most important for SEO purposes. AI retrieval systems also use crawlers. Controlling which parts of your site get crawled via robots.txt and noindex tags is a basic technical SEO task.