S - Search Engine Optimization Glossary...

S - Search Engine Optimization Glossary for SEO terms that begin with the letter ' S ' including definitions.

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S

SEO (vb/n): Search Engine Optimization, the process that edits web site content and code to improve visibility in one or more search engines.  As a noun describing an individual, SEO becomes “Search Engine Optimizer”. 

SERP: Acronym for Search Engine Results Page, the page that appears to a user following a search query displaying results of ranked listings in response to search queries submitted.

SSP Feed: Search Submit Pro – is a Yahoo! paid inclusion product using a “feed” tactic. Using this instrument Yahoo! sends crawlers through your web site, along with optimized XML feeds that represent the content there. Yahoo! applies algorithms to the actual web site pages as well as the XML feed for the determination of listings most appropriate to organic search results for users searching for relevant terms. For this product/service Yahoo! charges category-determined CPCs, each time an SSP established listing receives a click.

Saturation: Search Engine Saturation. The traffic density of URLs in a search engine. The greater the level of saturation or amount of pages that are indexed into a search engine, the greater would be potential traffic levels with possible positive effects on rankings.

Search Directory: Not to be confused with a search engine though a search directory does share a similarity with it, the compilation of web site databases. However, directories do not employ crawlers to obtain entries for their search databases. Instead, they rely on user interactions and submissions to gather the content they contain. These are then topic categorized alphabetically (usually), and the search results will begin with site descriptions beginning with a number or symbol, then they proceed alphabetically.

Search Engines: The database of an accumulation of web pages. Search engines, usually, display how many web pages they are holding at any one time in their database. It “ranks” or orders results in accordance with set parameters or algorithms. These vary in sophistication among search engines; but are always improving to identify spam and fine filter relevance. See also Algorithm, SERP refs.

Search Funnel: The action of searchers, attempting to reach a buying decision who browse around with words to fine tune the search for the product or service they require, moving from broad, open keyword descriptions to narrow, tight keywords or keyphrases in the specification. Advertisers utilising search funnels in anticipation of customer intent, develop keywords targeted at different stages. Another aspect of the search funnel is the recognition of the potential for switching from a searched brand, say, to another brand once category information has been gathered. Some advertisers may offer suggestions for similar products/services.
 
Search Query: Word(s) or phrase(s) that searchers type into search fields, thereby initiating search engine results of PPC ad serves and page listings. Knowledge and understanding of search queries is important to PPC advertisers when their goal is to bid on keywords closely matching those of the advertiser’s target.

Secondary Links: Indirectly acquired links, possibly through media coverage of a product launch.

Semantic Clustering: A ‘linguistics’ technique of interest to PPC Ad Groups for developing greater relevance among and between keywords/keyphrases so they are more associative and related more closely to each other. Focused keyword groups that appear in an advertiser’s ad text and content of the click-through landing page, would be more likely meet a searcher’s expectation and thus elicit better conversion rates and support more effective advertising.

Server-side Tracking: An analysis process of web server log files. The server-side analytics tools interpret raw data for the generation of meaningful reports and trend analysis.

Session ID: A temporary identity for a user when visiting a site that necessitates visits to several web pages, before returning to a checkout page for example, that is time sensitive, (a session) and cookie-generated for each individual visitor. A Session ID causes search engines to see a different URL for each page every time they return and re-crawl web sites.

Share of Voice: How loud a ‘noise’ a brand or group makes, relative to its size in the market, based on budget spent, exposure, and ratings etc. at a given time. A big noise probably has a big voice and carries weight in the advertising world.

Siloing: Site architecture technique where the site focus is split into multiple themes thereby attracting visitors that give rankings for both its popular and commonly used keywords and more focused keywords, (taking advantage of semantics). Also referred to as Theming.
 
Site-Targeted Ads: Ads displayed for content/contextual ad serves on handpicked sites (in a search engine’s content network), by advertisers and usually billed along the same lines as traditional display ads, by CPM rather than CPC.

Social Media or Social Search: Sites where users’ active participation determines popularity.

SPAM: Originally referred to unsolicited bulk e-mail but now refers to any unwanted intrusion upon a recipient of information in much the same way junk-mail is regarded, including search engines if it is deemed to be a detriment to their standards of search result delivery. In an effort to minimise it, some search engines uphold their written guidelines that define and penalise SPAM, though there are differing standards and conflicting responses between different search engines that make the subject a grey area for some. Some doorway landing pages, keyword stuffing, hidden text and link loading strategies are regarded as SPAM. What is permissible for one listing, organic, may not be applicable to another, paid inclusion, which can be abused through ‘spamdexing’. The listing source too is a factor that affects search engine responses.

Spamming: The placing or traffic of SPAM, whereby a range of strategies and tactics are used for ‘cheating’ or ‘tricking’ search engines. Link Farming and Content Duplication are among the techniques used (see above) that constitute spamming.

Spider: Crawler. A behind the scenes automated program in search engines for gathering web site listings utilising automatic web crawling. The search engine's crawler, ‘spider’ or ‘robot’ can “read” web page coding and page text contents, and can follow links to other hyperlinked pages on the web pages over which it crawls. It duplicates and stores any web pages found for the search engine's database or index.

Splash Page: The all-singing, all-dancing main page or entry page of a web site that makes a ‘splash’ and invites you to dive right in through its interactive elements and/or graphical intensity. Unsurprisingly, plenty of today’s splash pages are ‘flash’ having been designed using Flash software to make them ‘flashy’.

Sponsored Listing: Paid Sponsors or Paid Listings are also terms used as titles or column heads on SERPs identifying paid advertisers and distinguishing between organic and paid listings. By separating the paid listings and organic results, searchers can make their own uninfluenced purchases and independent site trust decisions. The labeling resulted from an FTC complaint filed by Commercial Alert in 2001 alleging the confusion caused amongst consumers seeing mixed paid and unpaid results together without identification constituted advertising fraud.

Statistical Validity: An expression of reliability. The degree to which (or range within) observed results, such as the difference between two measurements, might be relied upon without being attributed to (naturally occurring) random error in either sampling or measurements. Statistical Validity is essential to test results reliability, especially Multivariate Testing methods.

Stop Word: A simple word often appearing in copy or content with no significance on its own, regardless of context. Stop words examples are: determiners; the, a, an, this, that, these, those, connectives; and, or, but, and prepositions; furthermore, which, since etc.

Submission: To make a submission is to submit a web site to a search engine or search directory for inclusion in its database and index by typing in the absolute homepage URL of the web site you wish to submit or providing a description for approval, depending on the engine.

Super Verbs: Powerful, evocative verbs that trigger compelling responses through visual images and emotional responses.

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