Local Search & SEO Glossary

An error message signaling that Google lacks data about a local business or is choosing not to display it. There have been ongoing issues with this error message appearing due to technical issues on Google's part, but this message can also stem from violations of the Google Local Business Information Quality Guidelines.

See citation.

When a website is created, a structure is put into place which helps the end user find what they are looking for. For example, your homepage will likely have links to subpages that cover particular topics. This is especially important to search engine crawlers as they have an easier time with well-structured web pages. Ensure that your homepage is the landing page that has links to your most important subpages. Your sitemap.xml and robots.txt will help a crawler better understand your page, so don't forget to make sure those are well laid out.

A web directory is a curated online list of websites organized into categories by humans, resembling the internet's Yellow Pages. Unlike search engines, which use automated indexing, web directories offer a more selective compilation of sites. To appear in a web directory, you must submit your site or be added by the directory owner.

A system of interlinked web pages and resources accessed via the internet. It uses browsers to navigate websites through URLs and hyperlinks, enabling users to view and share information globally. Created in 1989, it's a key part of how we access and interact with online content.

Before search engines made it much easier to find websites than when the internet was still in its infancy, web catalogs were the go-to answer for finding a website. A web catalog is a collection of linked web pages which are generally sorted by specific criteria e.g. art. This was how individuals found web pages before search engines came about, and can still be useful for getting your website some additional traffic. Web catalog entry not only gives you additional eyes on your website, but it gives you a powerful additional backlink.

The old name of the free service offered by Google for users with a Google account to claim ownership of a particular website. Bing's and Yahoo's versions are called Webmaster Center and Site Explorer, respectively. Allows users to submit verified sitemaps for that domain.As of May 20, 2015, Google rebranded Google Webmaster Tools as Google Search Console. In January 2018, Google introduced a new version of the Search Console, with a refreshed user interface and improvements.

Websites and web pages are different. A website is a collection of web pages that are connected to a central unique domain name. The central domain name often called the "home page", is the first page a user sees when they type in a web address. From there, clickable links, generally single words or phrases like "About Us" take users to subpages, or web pages, that will have a unique domain name (domain.com/aboutus) and are not directly accessed when typing in a website's name.A website can also be a single page, though, if it has no subpages or links to other pages under the same domain, called single-page websites.

Any methods that exist solely to deceive or manipulate search engine algorithms and/or users. Also known as: Black Hat SEO, Spam, Spamdexing, and Search Spam.

An element of a graphical rather than a textual user interface that prompts users to act or displays information. It is usually a stand-alone element that can be embedded in a web page as an advertisement or interactive experience.

Commonly believed to imply following only practices which are deemed acceptable under the published webmaster guidelines.

The contact information kept on file by a domain registrar for the official owner of a domain name. Can be made private, but public WHOIS information may be viewed by the local search engines as a particularly trusted citation. See also: domain name, citation, URL (uniform resource locator)

Originally released as a blogging platform, WordPress has become a popular platform for the development of whole websites

These are guidelines are published by search engines, describing behaviors and practices which the search engine considers to be acceptable. Failing to comply with those guidelines can result in a loss of rankings or punitive action.

Refer to the number of times users click on a link, button, or element within a website. They are a key metric for measuring user engagement, interest, and the effectiveness of online content, ads, or calls to action.

Stands for "What You See Is What You Get." Usually refers to interfaces in content management systems that allow someone who doesn't know computer code to create and edit webpage information. See also: HTML (HyperText Markup Language), CMS (content management system)

Connects webpages to help visitors find information. It includes main navigation (major topics), secondary navigation (related topics), footer navigation (informational resources), related links (e.g., "Most Popular"), content links (within articles), and breadcrumb navigation (page trails). This structure, also known as internal linking or site architecture, facilitates user exploration.

Bare-bones computer code that is very easy for search engines to read. XML is similar to HTML but is not really intended to be read by humans. Sitemaps are usually uploaded to Google Webmaster Tools and are in XML format.

An XML sitemap is the list of pages and resources in an .xml file that you submit to Google.

The X-Robots-Tag allows you to control how individual pages are indexed in Google. Using the HTTP header you can define these settings, as needed when you create individual pages in HTML.

eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language. A language which reformulates HTML 4.0 in XML syntax.

Founded in 2004, Yelp has become a dominant player in the world of local business reviews. Most local business owners will wish to create a Yelp profile. Yelp has earned both considerable popularity and a measure of criticism for marketing practices which have resulted in legal settlements.

Yandex is a technology and Internet services company in Russia. It is the most popular website and search engine in Russia, with traffic close to or surpassing Google.Yandex started as a Russian search program for MS-DOS called Arkadia, written by Arkady Volozh and Arkady Borkovsky. In 1997, they launched the search engine Yandex.ru and today offer search and other services.

The local business listing center of Yahoo.com. As of 2020, it is being managed through a Yext.com partnership.

Stands for "Your Money or Your Life" and is a term used by Google to categorize certain types of web content. These are pages that, if inaccurate, could significantly impact a person's happiness, health, financial stability, or safety. Google holds YMYL sites to a higher standard because of the potential for harm from misinformation.

Founded in 2005, Yodle offers a paid lead generation and advertising service to local businesses.

A video sharing platform owned by Google and cited as the second largest search engine in the world. Local business owners may invest in the development of video content which can be published via YouTube as a social media tactic and form of advertising.

An Internet Yellow Pages website to which local business listings can be added.

Zomato, an Indian restaurant search and discovery service founded in 2008, was a major source of international reviews. As of November 2021, Zomato ceased most international operations, including in the US, UK, Singapore, and Lebanon, focusing on three segments: India, UAE, and Rest of the World.

A business rating service purchased by Google in 2011. Zagat ratings on a 30-point scale are currently displayed as a component of local listing data in Google's search results. In March of 2018, Google sold Zagat to Infatuation, the restaurant recommendation website, for an undisclosed amount.

The capability of an AI model to correctly perform tasks it has never explicitly been trained on. This is particularly relevant to models like GPT, which can generate responses to prompts they have never seen before based solely on patterns learned during their initial pre-training.

This refers to search engine queries where users find the information they need directly on the search engine results page (SERP) without clicking through to a website. Search engines like Google now provide AI-generated answers to many queries within the search results, eliminating the need to click on any links.

Headless BI is an architectural model that separates the back-end (modeling and semantic layers) from the front-end (visualization layer), lacking a presentation layer. This setup allows the back-end to be accessed by various front-ends through an API, ensuring consistent and reliable data across different business applications