At 9Sail, our staff has a firm understanding of all things related to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and PPC (Pay Per Click Advertising). However, we know that not all of our clients come to 9Sail with the same marketing background.

Because of this, we have created this glossary page that contains definitions to the terms and phrases we most consistently reference. If you have any additional questions or you would like further explanation of a specific term, please don’t hesitate in giving us a call!

Digital Visibility

Digital visibility refers to how easily your business can be found online. It’s a broad term that includes your presence in search engine results, on social media, in business directories, and across other online platforms. The more visible you are in the digital space, the more likely potential clients are to discover and engage with your firm.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving your website’s content, structure, and technical setup so that it ranks higher in search engine results (like Google). The better your SEO, the more likely your site is to appear in front of users who are searching for services you offer. SEO helps bring in more qualified traffic to your website over time.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) focuses on improving how your content appears and is cited in AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience), or Perplexity. The goal is to structure and write content in a way that makes it more likely to be pulled into and featured by generative AI tools that summarize or generate answers from online sources.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is about tailoring your content so it directly answers specific questions people ask online. This improves your chances of being featured in answer boxes, voice search results, and AI-generated summaries. AEO helps your site become a trusted source for quick, authoritative answers.

AI Overview Optimization (AIO)

AI Overview Optimization (AIO) refers to strategies used to increase the likelihood that your content will be included in AI-generated overviews, such as those found in Google’s AI-powered search results. This includes clearly organizing your content, using trustworthy sources, and answering common user questions in a straightforward way.

SERP – Search Engine Results Page

The SERP is the webpage that loads whenever you type a query into Google. One of the goals of Search Engine Optimization is to get your site ranking as high up on the SERP as possible.

Impressions

An impression happens whenever your content, whether it be an ad, a webpage,a video, etc. shows up in the SERP. An impression does not necessarily mean that your content is being clicked on and viewed (that would refer to a “Click”), but by appearing on that SERP, you’re increasingly likely to convert that impression into a click!

Traffic Channels

Traffic Channels are the different ways people reach your website. Traffic refers to all users entering your site. With that in mind, think of your site as the destination and the channels as the specific roads they have to take to get to your site.

Direct

Direct traffic happens when a user types your specific web address into their browser. They are not using search engines or social media to get to your website; they are coming directly to your site. An example of Direct traffic would be someone typing 9Sail.com into their web browser.

Organic Search

Traffic through organic search accounts for all users who visit your website through a search engine. Anyone who clicks on a Google link and is directed to your site comes through organic search. An example of organic search traffic would be someone typing in “SEO in New Jersey” and clicking on 9Sail’s listing in the SERP.

Referral

Referral traffic is for viewers who come to your website after following a link posted on another website. Your site is being referred to through another site, and drawing users through the link. An example of referral traffic would be someone following a link to 9Sail’s site from another website.

Social

Social traffic is everyone who gets to your website through social media. This could be by following a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. You can include your website’s url in your social media bio in an attempt to boost your social traffic. You can also create posts that link back to specific web pages. An example of social traffic would be someone clicking on 9Sail’s LinkedIn page and being brought to 9Sail’s website.

Keywords

Keywords are one of the most fundamental elements of SEO. Keywords are the terms people type into their search engines, that you want your page to show up for. Optimizing your content, and your website as a whole, for these keywords is a fantastic strategy to appearing on the SERPs and getting more traffic.

Branded Keywords

Branded keywords contain the specific brand name, whether that be a brand your business offers, or if that brand is part of your business’s name. An example of a branded keyword would be if someone were to Google “9Sail SEO” if they were looking to reach 9Sail’s site. They mention the specific brand.

Discovery Keywords

Discovery keywords are used when a user searches for a product, service, or offering your specific website offers. An example of a discovery keyword would be someone Googling “Law Firm SEO in New Jersey.” It’s a service 9Sail offers, but the term 9Sail was not in the query.

Domain Authority

Your site’s Domain Authority is a ranking score from 0-100. This is a multifaceted score, that is distinguished by compiling multiple metrics, including your backlinks, page load speed, internal links, and traffic, among other metrics. A higher Domain Authority means your site is a more authoritative source of information, which is the goal!

Backlinks

A backlink refers to a link on another site that links back to your site. Backlinking can be done in a variety of ways, the most common of which are guest blogs and directories. Guest blogging is when you write a piece of content about your site, products, services, etc. and have it hosted on another website. The guest blog will internally hyperlink back to you, giving your site more authority.

Referring Domains

Referring domains are websites that link back to yours. One referring domain may contain multiple backlinks to your website. For example, if you have contributed three guest blogs to the same site, it would count as one referring domain with three backlinks.