Local Search & SEO Glossary

The process of searching for information (e.g., text, images, video) from a large database and then presenting the most relevant information to an end user.

The online version of a traditional Yellow Pages directory. The local search engines frequently crawl these pages to find business information, then use it to form clusters or associate citations with a business. See also: citation, structured citation, directory, cluster, data provider

The database search engines use to store and retrieve information gathered during the crawling process.

An Internet Protocol Address. IP addresses can be: Shared: Numerous websites share an address within one server or a group of servers (a.k.a., virtual hosting). Dedicated: A website has its own address. Neither will help you rank better; however, a dedicated IP address can increase site speed.

Internet Protocol Version 6 is the recent version of Internet Protocol address. The address size of IPV6 is 128 bit number. In this Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) with respect to network security is mandatory starting on September 29th, 2022

The systematic process by which information is searched and extracted from the search engine's index.

One of four primary data sources of local business data for all major search engines. See also: Acxiom, Localeze, Factual

Anchor text on a link from a page on your own website to another page on your site. See also: anchor text, link juice, on-page, site architecture, outbound link

A link via code from another website into your own website. Inbound links are a major component of the search engines' organic ranking algorithms and are considered to be influential in Google's local ranking algorithm as well. See also: anchor text, link juice

How a website is organized and where various content and navigational elements are located on webpages.

A link from a page on your own website to another page on your own website. See also: anchor text, link juice, on-page, site architecture, outbound link

An extra snippet of text that Google displays in the local pack, local finder, and in Google Maps to signal to searchers that a feature of the business specifically matches their perceived intent.

JavaScript is a well-known computer language that can be embedded into documents such as html to provide enhanced page functionality. Previously, search engines didn't index content presented to a web page via JavaScript, but Google is now actively reading JS content.

Keywords are ideas and topics that define what your content is about. In terms of SEO, they're the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also called "search queries." If you boil everything on your page -- all the images, video, copy, etc. -- down to simple words and phrases, those are your primary keywords.As a website owner and content creator, you want the keywords on your page to be relevant to what people are searching for so they have a better chance of finding your content among the results.

A type of self-competition that occurs when multiple pages from one website rank for the same query on a SERP. This can result in a lower CTR, diminished authority, and lower conversion rates than from having one consolidated webpage that ranks well.

When a keyword is placed as high as possible on a web page to influence ranking for a search term. Using a keyword inserted at the beginning of a page, for example in the first paragraph, does send a strong signal to Google about the page. Keyword prominence does work as a ranking signal if the theme of the page is aligned with the keyword.

Adding irrelevant keywords, or repeating keywords beyond what is natural, to a webpage in the hopes of increasing search rankings. This spam tactic is against Google�s Webmaster Guidelines and can result in a manual action.

In language and grammar, words are constructed around a variation upon a root or stem. For example, shopping, shopped, shops are all variations of the stem 'shop'. When trying to rank for a term such as 'shop', using variations of the word on the page (shopping, shopped) will all be considered the same stem keyword by Google. This also applies to plurals such as bikes/bikes or fly/flies. Keyword stemming is Google's ability to understand the variations of a keyword and is part of its algorithm.

Standardized geographic formatting of an address with corresponding latitude and longitude information. A KML file refers to a set of one or more locations coded in this format. See also: Webmaster Central

The process of discovering any relevant topics, subjects, and terms searchers enter into search engines, as well as the volume and competition level of those terms. This practice is made possible by a variety of free and paid tools.

How often a word or phrase appears within the content of a webpage. At best, this unproven concept is outdated, if ever really mattered to search engines. There is no ideal percentage that will help a webpage rank better.

Stands for key performance indicator. A measurement method businesses use to gauge whether marketing and business objectives, targets, and goals are being reached.

When people search for a business on Google, they may see information about that business in a box that appears to the right of their search results. The information in the box, called the Knowledge Panel, can help customers discover and contact your business.Update for 2018: The Google Knowledge Panel is rapidly evolving. Google continues to add new interactive elements. The panel now contains:

• Name, Address, Descriptions of the Business
• Daily Hours, Special Hours, Holiday Hours and Closed Dates
• Marketing Posts
• Images & Videos
• Categories
• Service Offerings & Menus

A landing page is the page that one first sees when they click on an advertisement or search result. One's choice of landing page has a huge impact on their overall conversion rate. This is the primary page that'll grab the users attention.

Slang for the organic ranking potential passed from one page to another via a link.

A person who may or may not be interested in your product(s) and/or service(s). A lead willingly shares their email address (and usually other personal or contact information) in exchange for something they deem of value from the website.

Intentionally provocative content that is meant to grab people's attention and attract links from other websites.

A link is a clickable reference to another document on the internet. Search engines use links to help establish a website's authority and popularity.

Generic term for a page on a search engine, IYP, or directory containing basic and enhanced business information for a local business. Google's version of a local business listing is now known as a Google Business Profile listing. See also: Google+ Local, IYP (Internet Yellow Pages), directory

Colloquially referred to with the term "link juice," is a search engine ranking factor based on the idea that certain links pass value and authority from one page to another. This value is dependent on a number of factors, such as the linking page's authority, topical relevance, HTTP status, and more. Links that pass equity are one of many signals that Google and other search engines use to determine a page's rankings in the SERPs.

When a group of websites link to each other, usually using automated programs, in the hopes of artificially increasing search rankings. A spam tactic. Also known as: Link Network, Blog Network, Private Blog Network

A form of geotagging that facilitates or is facilitated by social interaction. The key action of a location-based service is a check-in. Popular location-based services are offered by Twitter, Foursquare, and Yelp.

An information retrieval method designed to help search engines identify the correct context of a word. LSI doesn't play a useful role in SEO today.

An outdated term once used as the branding of Google's Local product. The Google LBC was rebranded as Google Places in April 2010 and then rebranded again as Google+ Local in May 2012. Google+ was shutdown in on April 2017, due to low user engagement metrics.

The online marketing practice of acquiring inbound links to a given web page. Google's organic algorithm relies heavily on links as an indication of relevance. Quantity, quality, and velocity of links are thought to have some influence on local search rankings.

Schema (or structured data) is a standardized format for providing information about a web page to help search engines display relevant results. Local business schema includes business hours, department sections, reviews, reservation or ordering systems, payment areas, and other actions.

Also known as the 3-pack, Local 3-pack, Google 3-pack or Google map pack, the local pack is a Google feature that displays a map and details of an area's top three local businesses. For instance, if a user searched 'restaurants near me', it would display three restaurants near to the user's current location. Earning a rank in the local pack can drive a lot of local traffic and brand visibility to a business.

The process of exploring the data contained in a log file to identify trends, administer the site, track user�s movement around the site, gather demographic information, and understand how search bots are crawling the website.

Also known as Google Local Guides.  Local Guides are members of a local community and themselves local consumers, who go out and rate local businesses, take photos, share their experiences, leave reviews, answer questions based on their direct knowledge of those businesses, add places not listed on Maps, and check facts.

Participation is rewarded with points, badges, and perks.

‍

A file that records user's information, such as IP addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks.

A landing page is the page a user first visits when arriving on your website. In local SEO, a local landing page is one which offers details about a specific store location or branch, and which may be optimized for that specific location. Local landing pages are particularly important for multi-location business websites, who may have a separate local landing page for every business location.

Refers to the specific formula and the results returned by that formula used by search engines for ranking business listings' relevance for a particular geographic area. This algorithm is distinct from the search engines' traditional organic algorithm. See also: algorithm, organic algorithm / organic results

A link from another local website to your own website, which will boost your domain's authority in the eyes of search engines. Local SEOs can earn local backlinks from a variety of sources, this includes submitting to local business directories, newspapers, and blogs.

An extended listing of local businesses which appears when clicking on the 'More Places' link at the bottom of Google's Local Pack

How quickly (or slowly) a website accumulates links. A sudden increase in link velocity could potentially be a sign of spamming, or could be due to viral marketing or doing something newsworthy (either intentionally or unintentionally).

The speed at which any web page loads onto a user's browser. It is speculated that load time may have a meaningful influence on organic search engine rankings and, to some extent, on local search engine rankings. The speculation was confirmed by the Google Webmaster Central Blog post on Wednesday, January 17, 2018-----Using page speed in mobile search ranking. People want to be able to find answers to their questions as fast as possible (studies show that people really care about the speed of a page). Although speed has been used in ranking for some time, that signal was focused on desktop searches. Today we're announcing that starting in July 2018, page speed will be a ranking factor for mobile searches. The "Speed Update", as we're calling it, will only affect pages that deliver the slowest experience to users and will only affect a small percentage of queries. It applies the same standard to all pages, regardless of the technology used to build the page. The intent of the search query is still a very strong signal, so a slow page may still rank highly if it has great, relevant content .We encourage developers to think broadly about how performance affects a user's experience of their page and to consider a variety of user experience metrics. Although there is no tool that directly indicates whether a page is affected by this new ranking factor, here are some resources that can be used to evaluate a page's performance. Chrome User Experience Report, a public dataset of key user experience metrics for popular destinations on the web, as experienced by Chrome users under real-world conditions. Lighthouse, an automated tool and a part of Chrome Developer Tools for auditing the quality (performance, accessibility, and more) of web pages. Page Speed Insights, a tool that indicates how well a page performs on the Chrome UX Report and suggests performance optimizations

Where a link remains on a page consistently for a period of time without being changed or updated.Google did apply for a patent that referred to link churn and how often the links on a page were changed, but there is no evidence that link stability has any influence on ranking.

Every type of link that points to a particular website. The quality of a website's link profile can vary widely, depending on how they were acquired and the anchor text used.

Any keywords that contain location-specific terms with the intent of generating results related to a geographic area. A continuous cycle of local keyword ddeation and validation is needed for effective local SEO.

A local search engine index follows the same principle as a country index, just at a regional or city level. Local indexes are mainly important for searches for local services or places, as they make it possible to return information specific to the location of the user. The most obvious example is for search queries containing "near me" or something like "phone number taxi", where users in Miami would clearly expect very different answers to users in Portland.

A local search marketing seminar with events in numerous U.S. cities. Speakers include recognized experts in the field of local SEO. Description from https://localu.org/about/"Local U brings together some of the top minds in the local search space: David Mihm, Mike Blumenthal, Mary Bowling, Matt McGee, Ed Reese, Aaron Weiche, Mike Ramsey and Will Scott. Representatives from Google Places and Bing Local frequently attend our events and walk business owners through the features of their business listing programs and answer questions from attendees."

The components that contribute to the rankings of a local business. These can change over time but tend to focus on Google Business Profile, on-site SEO, reviews and links.

Search results returned for a specific location, dependent on local search intent, the physical location of the user, etc.

Any query in which a search engine assumes the user is looking for a local result.

Local SEO is a strategy and process to optimize a site or pages on your site to show for organic queries in the search engines where the intent of the searcher is to find local information. In the past few years, local SEO has become more prominent because of the rise of smartphone usage and better connectivity to the web while people are on the go. In fact, mobile digital media time in the U.S. is now higher than any other source. According to Google, 95 percent of mobile users search for local information with their phones with the primary goal of calling or visiting a business. Since Google and other search engines want to give their users the most relevant information, local SEO will continue to grow in importance.

Technical term used by Google in its local search patent to identify some of the criteria behind its local algorithm. Location prominence is analogous to PageRank in organic search. See also: PageRank, local algorithm / local results

Launched by Google in 2017, the ability for local businesses to advertise directly within the local map pack.

An assessment of existing and potential search engine optimization activities, with the goal of improving search visibility for a geo-specific target audience. This will typically (but not exhaustively) include an analysis of internal and external backlinks, on-page SEO, Google Business Profile signals, citation and review profiles, and social engagement. Multi-location businesses, or enterprise businesses with larger websites, will face different challenges when it comes to auditing their local SEO.

The Ludocid, sometimes referred to as the CID, is a unique ID that Google assigns to a specific business location in order to identify it within its systems. It can be used within Google search URLs to return the Knowledge Panel for that specific business. It can also be used within Google Maps to view a specific business.

Low-volume, highly targeted, less competitive phrases used by searchers to find businesses or websites at a search engine. Examples include "portland oregon dentists for root canal infection" or "cheapest teenage driver car insurance waco tx."

Pay-per-lead ads that appear at the top of local search results, above organic results and traditional Google Ads. To run Local Service Ads, businesses must first pass a screening process that involves background checks, license checks, and insurance checks.

The local conversion rate is a KPI to measure the efficiency of local search result returns (maps and knowledge panels).One measurement is total actions recorded in the Google Business Profile for the location (phone calls, driving directions, and website click-throughs) divided by the number of local search results in which the business (or location) return.

Google's machine learning system, "RankBrain" is designed to help process its search results. That makes understanding how RankBrain works essential for SEO success.The terms artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are often used interchangeably but they are two different things: Artificial intelligence can be described as the way machines operate intelligently. It's the broader of the two concepts, encompassing machine learning and other "smart" tasks or operations. Machine learning is a subset of AI that refers to how machines process data and learn on their own. As technology has changed, AI has changed as well. Where the field used to focus on programming machines to complete complex tasks and calculations, the rise of the internet changed things. Now, with access to massive amounts of data, machines can be constructed to think like humans and make decisions on their own, as opposed to following instructions that told them what to do. This affects search by allowing algorithms to try and understand the content they come across to deliver better results to search users. AI is one reason the "old hat" ways of optimizing sites no longer work.Google is putting AI and ML to good use. RankBrain is the machine learning process by which the Hummingbird algorithm works. RankBrain allows Hummingbird to sort through multitudes of data to find content that most accurately reflects the search query. It is particularly effective on long-tail queries and unique queries because it is designed to recognize patterns and connect them with seemingly unconnected search queries. It alleviates situations where computers would typically get stuck on queries they were not familiar with or did not understand. RankBrain works in conjunction with other factors or signals like links, content, and mobile-friendliness to help Hummingbird rank websites based on search queries. It refines search queries by identifying synonyms and related searches to return more appropriate results for users.For example, if you searched for "shoes", RankBrain would know to also include websites that contained the words "sneakers" or "flats". As queries are conducted, the information goes into Google's database of indexed pages, and RankBrain is able to learn which content is similar and which is not. It then uses that information to deliver more appropriate results as other queries come up.In this way, RankBrain makes it less important for SEOs to use the exact right keyword to reach their intended audience and more important for SEOs to provide context around the keyword using the appropriate content.

A local business directory with an international presence. Business owners can create free profiles at Manta.com. See also: citation

See local algorithm / local results.

A local business directory where business owners can create free business profiles. See also: citation

The number of clicks on your menu per day.

A mapping platform with significant early adoption due to its early online rollout. Local business owners can create a business listing in the MapQuest Local Business Center.

A list of keywords included in a tag near the top of the code for each web page. Because of susceptibility to spam, major search engines don't use the meta keywords tag to evaluate the relevance of a page, and these tags don't influence ranking. Title tags and meta descriptions remain very important, however.

On April 21, 2015, Google released a significant new mobile-friendly ranking algorithm that's designed to give a boost to mobile-friendly pages in Google's mobile search results. The change is so significant that the date it happened is being referred to by a variety of names. Sometimes referred to as mobilepocalyse, mopocalypse or mobocalypse. Researchers have tracked over 20,000 URLs since the update, and is reporting a 21% decrease in non mobile-friendly URLs on the first 3 pages of search results.

This term refers to a way of designing your website so that it responds correctly to the type of device your customer uses to find you. The majority of Internet searches conducted today are done via mobile devices (typically a smartphone or tablet).

The number of unique conversations started through messages. Message response rate and Average response time metrics were launched in March 2022. Message response rate measures the percentage of messages you responded to, and Average response rate measures how quickly you responded and are calculated on a monthly basis.

A special kind of code that allows search engines to more easily parse the content inside the code. Popular microformats include schema and hCard for address and contact information, and hReview for rating and sentiment information. See also: schema, hCard, hReview

Abbreviated as MULO, it is used to describe Food,Grocery, Drug, and Mass Merchandisers such as Walmart, Club Stores (BJs and Sam's), Dollar Stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar, Fred's Dollar), and even Military DECA (commissaries)

The term Google uses to describe sites and pages that meet its criteria of mobile optimization. "mobile friendliness" became a ranking factor in April 2015.According to Google"Mobile is changing the world. Today, everyone has smartphones with them, constantly communicating and looking for information. In many countries, the number of smartphones has surpassed the number of personal computers; having a mobile-friendly website has become a critical part of having an online presence."

Google My Maps is a free service launched by Google in April 2007 that enables users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing. Users can add points, lines, and shapes on top of Google Maps, using a WYSIWYG editor.MyMaps are based on KML and being included in them may improve Local rankings.

1) The accidental merging of the details of two distinct business listings. 2) The intentional merging of duplicate business listings so that only a single listing exists on a given platform. See also: cluster, LBL (local business listing)

Typically refers to accessing the Internet through a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet computer. It is estimated that at least 50% of mobile queries have a local intent.

The meta description sums up the content of a webpage in 160 characters. Like a landing page, the meta description plays a major role if whether or not a person clicks on the website link.

In 2016, however, a Google webmaster blog post announced the plan to switch to mobile-first indexing. This will mean that the primary information for Google's index will come from crawling the mobile versions of websites, with the desktop index set to be an adaptation. By December 2018, half of all sites in Google's search results were from mobile-first indexing.

The generic term for hidden pieces of specially structured code near the top of each webpage that can provide more information to search engines about the content of the page. See also: title tag, meta description, meta keywords

A Google application that enables users to organize content such as maps, ratings, and check-ins that have unique importance to them. See also: KML (Keyhole Markup Language), local algorithm / local results

A term used in the internet marketing industry to denote a widely publicized, but faulty, assumption. For example, it is a common myth that stuffing a meta keywords tag with keywords improves search engine rankings.

Google's Mobile-Friendly Test allows you type in any URL and get a quick report on the mobile-friendliness of your page and advice on how to improve it. You can only test one URL/page at a time but it's a valuable feedback tool for mobile optimization basics.You can access the test at: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

If during a human review, a web page or site is determined to be in violation of the search engine's webmaster guidelines, a manual action may be implemented which will have a detrimental effect on rankings. These actions can affect a single page or may be applied across the entire domain.

The frameworks and guidelines established to oversee the development, deployment, and continuous monitoring of AI systems. In the context of AI organizations like OpenAI, model governance includes ethical considerations, compliance with regulations, and mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability.

See organic algorithm / organic results.

A meta tag that tells search engines not to follow one specific outbound link. This is done in cases when a website doesn't want to pass authority to another webpage or because it's a paid link. The nofollow attribute looks like this: Anchor text goes here

A meta tag that tells search engines not to store a cached copy of your page.

In a hyperlink, rel=nofollow is an attribute added to the link to show that you are not passing any credit or endorsement to the page you are linking to Nofollow was originally introduced by Google to limit comment spam and devalued all nofollow links, but they have since changed how the directive works. Nofollow is now considered a hint which means they may still use some information about linking patterns, but generally, still accept that no weight should be passed through the link.

See: Editorial Link

A rare but malicious practice where webspam techniques are used to harm the search rankings of another website, usually a competitor.

After search engines moved to secure search in 2011, keyword data was removed from Google Analytics, replaced with (not provided), thus making it impossible to know which queries were responsible for visitors finding a website.

Niche describes the primary topic that a website focuses on, whether it be sports, cars or anything else. However, a niche can usually be broken down into smaller sub-categories, including search marketing, privacy, legal issues and other things of the like.

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are the identifying numbers used by the federal government to identify and classify companies by industry. When you fill out a business tax return, the Schedule C form requests your company's NAICS code, and when you apply for small business loans, credit accounts, and other services, you may be asked to provide your NAICS code as well.

The "thumbprint" of a business online. Local search engines use NAP information found by crawling the web or received from data providers to judge the accuracy of the data in their own indexes. Consistent NAP information is essential to getting more citations and improving search engine rankings and is critical to local customer acquisition.

An alert in the Google Places for Business dashboard signaling that the business owner must take further steps to achieve active status on the business listing. Actions might include entering a verification PIN or resolving violations of the Google Local Business Information Quality Guidelines.

Name spam refers specifically to any manipulation of the business name in Google Business Profile, such as keyword stuffing.

This is the name Google gave to the new (at the time, in 2022) way of editing your Google Business Profile within the SERP rather than via a dedicated dashboard. The change included a number of popular features around data insights and photos being removed.

A meta tag that tells search engines not to index a specific webpage in its index.