301 redirect
A permanent forwarding from one address to another. Use a relevant replacement when a page moves. Redirecting every removed service to a general homepage can leave visitors unable to find what they expected.
SEO Proceed
Web design & SEO glossary
Plain-language explanations for website owners. Follow a term from a service page, search below or browse the index. Each definition explains what the term means when discussing a website project.
All terms are available below.
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Average position
An average over recorded search appearances. It is not a fixed rank seen identically by every searcher.
Booking engine
A system that handles reservation steps such as dates, availability and confirmation. Its exact functions vary. Agree which system confirms the booking and how the website connects to it; a general contact form is not the same service.
Call to action
A clear invitation to take the next step, such as requesting a quote or viewing a menu. Use wording that matches what actually happens. “Enquire about dates” should not imply that sending a message confirms a booking.
Canonical URL
The preferred address indicated for duplicate or very similar content. It is a signal, not a guaranteed selection. Internal links and the sitemap should consistently use the intended address.
Channel manager
A service used to exchange accommodation availability or rates across supported sales channels. Connections and timing vary by provider. Confirm the actual supported systems and responsibilities instead of assuming every channel updates instantly.
CMS
A content management system lets authorised editors update content. WordPress is one example. Ask which changes you can make, what training is included and who maintains the system, rather than assume every feature is editable.
Conversion
A defined desired action, such as a completed enquiry. State exactly what is counted: a button click, server-accepted form and qualified customer request are different events. A conversion rate needs a clear numerator and denominator.
Core Web Vitals
Metrics describing loading, responsiveness and layout stability: LCP, INP and CLS. They support experience checks, not a complete assessment of website quality.
Crawling
The process by which a search engine fetches pages and resources. Being accessible to a crawler is different from being indexed or ranking for a query. When a page is missing, establish which stage actually has a problem.
CRM
A system for managing customer or business records. In property projects it may also supply listings. Confirm the specific product and available connection; the label “CRM integration” alone does not define the development required.
CTR
Click-through rate: clicks divided by impressions. For example, 5 clicks from 500 impressions equals 1%.
DNS
The records that connect a domain to services such as the website and email. A website move should identify the existing records first. Replacing them without checking can affect services unrelated to the new design.
Domain
The recognisable address name of a website. Registration, website hosting and email are related but separate services. Keep a record of the registered holder, renewal details and account access so a redesign does not cause loss of control.
Google Search Console
Google’s website-owner tool for search performance and indexing information. It helps connect queries to pages. It is not a sales ledger: the business still needs to track whether an enquiry was relevant and what happened afterwards.
Hosting
The service that makes website files or an application available online. Check what the fee includes: backups, support, updates and recovery are separate questions. Domain registration and email may be provided by different companies.
Hreflang
A way to identify equivalent language or regional versions of a page. It does not translate content. The linked alternatives should be genuine equivalents and refer back to one another.
HTTPS
An encrypted connection between the browser and the website, normally supported by a certificate. It helps protect data in transit, but does not by itself prove the business is trustworthy or that every part of its systems is secure.
Impressions
Recorded appearances in search results, counted under the reporting system’s rules. They are not website visits.
Indexing
Processing a page for inclusion in a search engine’s index. An indexed page is not guaranteed to appear for a particular search. A discovery problem, an exclusion instruction and unsuitable content need different checks.
Keyword
A word or phrase used to describe a search topic. Similar phrases may belong on one useful page; not every variation needs a separate URL. Choose terms that reflect what the business really offers and what customers mean.
KPI
A key performance indicator chosen to assess a goal. For a service business, relevant enquiries may matter more than total visits. Define the source, period and counting method so reports compare the same thing.
Landing page
A destination designed around a particular offer or audience. It should explain the promise made by the link or advertisement that brought the visitor. A focused page can still need detailed answers before someone is ready to contact you.
Local SEO
Search optimisation for a business’s genuine service area or location. Useful work can involve service information, business details and a relevant Google Business Profile. A business should explain where it actually operates instead of implying an office in every town.
Meta description
A short page summary that may be used in a search snippet. Explain the offer rather than repeat a string of keywords. Search engines may choose a different excerpt when it better fits the query.
Noindex
An instruction not to include a page in search results. A crawler must be able to access the instruction to process it. Use it deliberately; accidentally applying it to a service page can remove that page from search.
On-page SEO
Work on the content and elements of an individual page: headings, title, explanations, images and internal links. A useful check is whether a new visitor can understand the service and find the next step without guessing.
Page title
The title element describes a page’s topic and may contribute to its search-result title. Make it specific and readable. The title shown by a search engine can differ, so check actual results as well as the source code.
Project brief
A description of the business goal, audience, scope and constraints. It does not need to begin as a technical specification. Clear services, required languages, content responsibilities and essential integrations make a first proposal much more useful.
Property feed
A structured supply of listing data to another system. Check fields, images, rights, update frequency and withdrawn-property rules. A feed is not automatically a complete ready-to-use catalogue; mapping and display may still need development.
Responsive design
A layout that adapts to different screen sizes. It should preserve readable content and usable actions, not merely shrink a desktop view. Test real tasks such as reading a menu or sending an enquiry on a phone.
Robots.txt
A file giving cooperating crawlers instructions about which paths to fetch. It is not a reliable way to hide private information or guarantee removal from results. Access protection and indexing controls have different purposes.
Search clicks
Recorded clicks from search results to the website. They do not establish that someone became a customer.
Search intent
The task behind a search: learning, comparing, finding a place or contacting a provider. A price-comparison query needs different information from a business-name search. Match the page to that task before deciding its title and content.
SEO
Search engine optimisation improves how a website can be discovered and understood in organic search. It combines content, structure and technical work. The practical question is which customer need each page answers, rather than how often a keyword appears.
Technical SEO
Work on the technical conditions that help search engines access and interpret pages. It includes response codes, redirects, canonical links and rendering. It complements useful content; repairing a technical issue does not guarantee a specific ranking.
XML sitemap
A file listing selected website addresses to support discovery. It does not guarantee indexing. Include the final intended URLs rather than redirected aliases, and update it when the public page structure changes.
Using the glossary
Do I need to know these terms before asking for a quote?
No. Describe the business problem in your own words. The glossary helps you understand proposals and reports, but a provider should still explain the actual work and its purpose.
Is a technical term a deliverable?
Not by itself. For example, “technical SEO” describes an area of work. A proposal should identify the pages or templates involved, the changes planned and how completion will be checked.
Why do reports sometimes show different numbers?
Tools may use different periods, locations, devices and counting rules. Compare matching definitions and settings before treating a difference as a failure. A ranking snapshot and Search Console average are not the same measurement.
Which terms matter most for generating enquiries?
Start with search intent, landing page, call to action and conversion. They connect the reason someone visits with what the page explains and what happens after contact. Technical conditions matter too, but none of these terms guarantees a customer.