Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the web, SEO and AI search terms we use, from structured data to generative engine optimisation.
16 terms
AI Search
- AI AnswerThe written response an AI engine builds at the top of the results instead of just listing links.AI Search
- AI CitationWhen an AI answer names or quotes your site as the source it used to build the reply.AI Search
- AI ModeGoogle's AI-powered search interface that answers questions in a conversational panel instead of only listing links.AI Search
- AI OverviewsGoogle's AI-generated answer box that sits above the normal blue links and answers the question directly.AI Search
- Answer Engine OptimisationWriting your pages so a search engine can lift your words straight into the answer box at the top, without the reader needing to click through.AI Search
- Generative Engine OptimisationGetting your business named inside the AI-written answer at the top of search, rather than just ranking in the blue links below it.AI Search
- llms.txtA plain-text file at /llms.txt that tells AI crawlers what your site is and which pages matter most.AI Search
- Query Fan-outWhen an AI search expands one question into several related sub-queries before stitching the answer together.AI Search
- robots.txt for AI botsRules in robots.txt that say which AI crawlers may read your site and which paths they should skip.AI Search
Structured Data
- JSON SchemaA way of describing the structure of JSON data so machines can understand and validate it.Structured Data
- SchemaHidden code on a page that labels what each part means, so machines can read it accurately.Structured Data
- Schema MarkupCode added to a website that labels its content so search engines and AI assistants know what each part means.Structured Data
- Structured DataInformation on a web page organised in a standard format so search engines and AI can read it accurately.Structured Data
SEO
- Featured snippetThe short, direct answer Google lifts from a single page and shows in a box at the very top of the results, also called position zero.SEO
- IndexedStored in a search engine's library of pages, so it's eligible to be shown or quoted in results.SEO
- Search Engine OptimisationThe older craft of getting a page to rank in the ten blue links, as opposed to inside the AI answer.SEO