SEO and AEO glossary
Content StrategySEOAEOPublishing on Your SitePerformance Reports
GLOSSARY
The words that come up when you run a blog
Plain definitions of the SEO and AEO terms we use with clients. No jargon for its own sake, just what each one means and why it matters for your blog.
- SEO
- Search engine optimization: the work of getting your pages to rank in results like Google.
- AEO
- Answer engine optimization: making your content the source AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity cite in their answers.
- BOFU
- Bottom of the funnel: content for people close to buying, such as comparisons and pricing questions.
- TOFU
- Top of the funnel: content for people just starting to research a problem, before they know your company.
- Featured snippet
- The boxed answer Google shows above the normal results. Direct, well-structured answers win it.
- Structured data
- Markup that tells search engines and AI plainly what a page contains, for example an FAQ or a review.
- Topical authority
- The trust a site earns by covering one subject thoroughly, which lifts its ranking across related searches.
- Search intent
- The reason behind a search. Matching intent, not just the keyword, is what turns a reader into a customer.
- Content refresh
- Updating an existing post with current data and structure so it climbs back up the rankings.
- Internal linking
- Links between your own pages that help readers and search engines move through your content.
- SERP
- Search engine results page: everything Google shows for a query, including snippets, ads and links.
- Long tail
- Specific, lower-volume searches that add up to real traffic and usually carry higher buying intent.
RISK-FREE START
Start with a free 30-day content plan
A short call, an audit and a month of your blog mapped out: topics, keywords and publishing order. Free and with no strings attached, before you spend anything.