SEO & AI search terms, explained plainly
If you’ve received an SEO audit full of unfamiliar terms, this is your reference. Clear, jargon-free definitions of the issues and concepts that come up most.
Technical audit terms
Missing Viewport Meta Tag
A missing HTML tag that tells browsers how to scale a page on mobile devices, often causing a site to display incorrectly or fail mobile-friendliness checks.
Missing XML Sitemap
The absence of a file listing a website’s key pages for search engines, which can slow down how quickly new or updated pages are discovered and indexed.
Broken Internal Link
A link within a website that points to a page that no longer exists, disrupting user navigation and diluting a site’s internal SEO structure.
Slow Page Speed / Poor Core Web Vitals
Pages that load slowly or shift content unexpectedly, which harms user experience and is a confirmed ranking factor for Google.
On-page audit terms
No H1 Tag
A page missing its main heading tag, making it harder for both users and search engines to quickly understand what the page is about.
Duplicate Title Tag
When two or more pages share the same page title, making it harder for search engines to know which page to rank for a given search.
Missing Meta Description
The absence of the short summary shown under a page’s title in search results, which can reduce click-through rates from search listings.
Missing Alt Text
Images without a written description, which harms accessibility for screen-reader users and removes an opportunity for image search visibility.
Thin Content
Pages with very little substantive content, which search engines are less likely to rank as they provide limited value to users.
Schema & indexing terms
Missing Schema Markup
The absence of structured data code that helps search engines and AI systems understand exactly what a page represents, such as a service, an FAQ, or a business.
Noindex Tag
An instruction telling search engines not to include a specific page in search results — sometimes left on pages by mistake after a website migration.
Canonical Tag
A tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the “master” copy when similar or duplicate content exists at multiple URLs.
Duplicate Content
Substantially similar content appearing on more than one URL, which can confuse search engines about which page to rank.
Local & Google Business Profile terms
NAP Consistency
Ensuring a business’s Name, Address and Phone number are identical everywhere they appear online, which is a key trust signal for local search.
Incomplete Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile missing key details — such as categories, service areas, hours or photos — that reduces its visibility in local and map results.
AEO & GEO terms
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)
The practice of structuring content so it can be directly extracted and used as an answer by AI tools and answer engines.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
The practice of helping generative AI systems understand a business as a credible entity, increasing the likelihood of being recommended in AI-generated answers.
AI Overview
A written summary Google generates at the top of some search results, produced by combining information from multiple sources into a single answer.
Entity Clarity
How clearly and consistently a business’s identity, services and location are described across the web, helping search engines and AI systems understand who it is.
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