SEO glossary · Updated
What does SEO stand for?
SEO stands for search engine optimization: improving a website so search engines can find, understand and show its pages for relevant searches.
Founder, SEO·AEO·GEO
Builds SEO·AEO·GEO and writes the crawler, schema, and citation research published here.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It means improving a website so that search engines such as Google and Bing can find its pages, understand them and show them to people searching for related things, in the unpaid (organic) results.
Google's own definition is that SEO is about helping search engines understand your content, and helping users find your site and decide whether to visit it.
SEO in digital marketing
In digital marketing, SEO is the organic search channel, alongside paid search (SEM or PPC), social media, email and content. It brings visitors who are actively looking for something, and it doesn't charge per click.
The three parts of SEO
| Part | Covers |
|---|---|
| Technical SEO | Crawling, indexing, speed, mobile, structured data. See technical SEO. |
| On-page SEO | Content, titles, headings, links on each page. See on-page SEO. |
| Off-page SEO | Links, mentions, reviews and listings elsewhere. See off-page SEO. |
Related terms
- AEO, answer engine optimization: being the answer search and AI systems quote. See what is AEO.
- GEO, generative engine optimization: being cited in AI-generated answers. See SEO vs AEO vs GEO.
- SEM, search engine marketing: usually paid search ads. See SEM.
The full beginner's explanation, with how Google works and a checklist, is in what is SEO.
FAQ
What is the full form of SEO?+
Search Engine Optimization (or Optimisation in British English).
What does an SEO do?+
Improves a website's visibility in search: fixing technical problems, improving content and pages, researching keywords and earning links and mentions.
Sources
- SEO Starter Guide — Google Search Central (2025-12-10)
- In-depth guide to how Google Search works — Google Search Central (2025-12-18)
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