Reference
The shorthand that actually comes up in AI visibility, search, websites and growth, defined in plain business language. Search it, filter it, or send it to whoever on your team keeps nodding along in meetings.
Showing all 145 terms
AEO Answer Engine Optimization
Making a business easy for AI systems to understand, verify and recommend, so it gets named in the answer.
AI Overviews Google AI Overviews
Google's AI-generated summary above the classic results. Being cited there matters more than ranking below it.
Backlink Backlink
An inbound link from another site. Still one of the strongest authority signals for both search and AI.
CLS Cumulative Layout Shift
How much the page visually jumps while loading. A Core Web Vital.
CTR Click-Through Rate
The share of people who see a listing and click it.
CWV Core Web Vitals
Google's page-experience metrics covering loading, responsiveness and visual stability.
DA / DR Domain Authority / Domain Rating
Third-party scores estimating a domain's ranking strength. Useful for comparison, not a Google metric.
E-E-A-T Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
Google's framework for judging content credibility. The same signals shape whether AI will cite you.
FID First Input Delay
Legacy responsiveness metric, retired and replaced by INP.
GBP Google Business Profile
The free local listing that drives map results, local search and a large share of AI local answers.
GEO Generative Engine Optimization
Optimizing content to be surfaced and quoted by generative AI search. Used interchangeably with AEO.
INP Interaction to Next Paint
How quickly a page responds to input. Replaced FID as a Core Web Vital.
JSON-LD JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data
The preferred format for adding structured data to a page.
KG Knowledge Graph
The entity database engines use to understand people, places and brands. Presence here is a trust shortcut.
LCP Largest Contentful Paint
How fast the main content loads. A Core Web Vital.
llms.txt llms.txt
A proposed root file that tells AI crawlers what a site contains and how to use it. Emerging, not yet a standard.
LSI Latent Semantic Indexing
A widely repeated SEO myth. Google has confirmed it does not use LSI. Treat claims built on it with suspicion.
NAP Name, Address, Phone
Core business details that must match everywhere. Inconsistency actively damages local and AI visibility.
PPC Pay-Per-Click
Advertising where you pay per click rather than per impression.
Rich Results Rich Results / SERP Features
Enhanced listings such as FAQs, reviews, ratings and snippets, earned through structured data.
Schema Schema Markup
Structured data code that tells machines what your content and business actually are.
SEM Search Engine Marketing
Paid search plus SEO, taken together as one demand-capture channel.
SEO Search Engine Optimization
Improving visibility and discoverability in search results.
SERP Search Engine Results Page
The page of results returned for a query.
SGE Search Generative Experience
Google's original name for its AI answer layer, now folded into AI Overviews.
SoA Share of Answer
How often you get named in AI answers for your category, versus competitors. The AEO equivalent of share of voice.
Sitemap XML Sitemap
A file listing your pages so engines and crawlers can find them all.
AGI Artificial General Intelligence
Hypothetical AI matching human ability across all tasks. Not what any current product is.
AI Artificial Intelligence
Software that performs tasks normally requiring human intelligence.
ASR Automatic Speech Recognition
Converting spoken audio into text.
BERT Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers
A Google language model that changed how search understands query intent.
CNN Convolutional Neural Network
A neural network specialized for images and spatial data.
CV Computer Vision
AI that interprets images and video.
DL Deep Learning
Machine learning using multi-layered neural networks. Powers most modern AI.
GAN Generative Adversarial Network
Two networks competing to produce realistic images or data.
GenAI Generative AI
AI that creates new content: text, images, audio, code, video.
GPT Generative Pre-trained Transformer
The transformer-based model architecture behind many chat assistants.
LLM Large Language Model
A model trained on huge text corpora to understand and generate language.
ML Machine Learning
Systems that learn patterns from data instead of being explicitly programmed.
MLLM Multimodal Large Language Model
A model that handles text plus images, audio or video together.
MoE Mixture of Experts
An architecture that routes each input to specialized sub-models for speed and cost efficiency.
NLG Natural Language Generation
Producing readable text from data or structured input.
NLP Natural Language Processing
AI that reads, interprets and generates human language.
NLU Natural Language Understanding
The comprehension side of NLP: extracting meaning and intent.
NN Neural Network
A model loosely inspired by the brain. The core of deep learning.
OCR Optical Character Recognition
Extracting text from images or scanned documents.
RL Reinforcement Learning
Training through rewards and penalties from trial and error.
RLHF Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback
Aligning a model's behaviour using human ratings of its outputs.
SLM Small Language Model
A compact model optimized for speed, cost or on-device use.
TTS Text-to-Speech
Converting text into spoken audio.
XAI Explainable AI
Methods that make AI decisions understandable to humans.
A2A Agent-to-Agent
Protocols that let AI agents communicate and delegate work to each other.
Agent AI Agent
An LLM-driven system that plans and takes actions using tools, rather than only chatting.
API Application Programming Interface
A defined way for software systems to talk to each other.
CoT Chain of Thought
Prompting a model to reason step by step, which improves accuracy on harder tasks.
Context Context Window
How much text a model can hold in view at once. A hard limit on what it can consider.
Embedding Vector Embedding
A numeric representation of meaning, used for semantic search and retrieval.
Fine-tuning Fine-tuning
Further training a model on your own data for a specific task or voice.
Guardrails Guardrails
Rules and filters that constrain what an AI system will do or say.
Hallucination Hallucination
When an AI states something false with full confidence. The core reason verification matters.
MCP Model Context Protocol
An open standard that lets AI models connect to tools, data and applications.
Prompt Prompt Engineering
Crafting inputs to steer an AI toward the output you actually want.
RAG Retrieval-Augmented Generation
Feeding a model your documents at query time so answers are grounded and current.
ReAct Reason + Act
An agent pattern that interleaves reasoning steps with tool actions.
SDK Software Development Kit
A toolkit of code and documentation for building on a platform.
Temperature Temperature
The setting controlling how random or creative a model's output is.
Token Token
A chunk of text a model processes. Pricing and limits are counted in tokens.
Tool calling Function / Tool Calling
When a model outputs a structured request to run an external function.
Vector DB Vector Database
A database that stores embeddings so you can search by meaning, not keywords.
AOV Average Order Value
Average dollar amount per transaction.
ARR Annual Recurring Revenue
Predictable subscription revenue per year.
B2B Business to Business
Selling to other businesses.
B2C Business to Consumer
Selling directly to consumers.
CAC Customer Acquisition Cost
The total cost to win one new customer, across all channels.
Churn Churn Rate
The rate at which customers cancel or stop buying.
CPA Cost Per Acquisition
What it costs to acquire one paying customer.
CPC Cost Per Click
What you pay for each ad click.
CPL Cost Per Lead
What it costs to generate one lead.
CPM Cost Per Mille
Cost per 1,000 ad impressions.
CR Conversion Rate
The share of visitors who complete the action you want.
CRM Customer Relationship Management
The system holding your leads, contacts, conversations and pipeline.
CRO Conversion Rate Optimization
Improving the share of visitors who take action, rather than buying more traffic.
CTA Call to Action
The prompt telling a visitor exactly what to do next.
DTC Direct to Consumer
Selling straight to customers without a middleman.
ESP Email Service Provider
The platform that sends and manages your email campaigns.
ICP Ideal Customer Profile
The precise type of customer your offer is built to serve.
LTV Lifetime Value
Total revenue expected from a customer over the whole relationship.
MQL Marketing Qualified Lead
A lead judged ready for marketing follow-up but not yet for sales.
MRR Monthly Recurring Revenue
Predictable subscription revenue per month.
NPS Net Promoter Score
A loyalty metric based on how likely customers are to recommend you.
ROAS Return on Ad Spend
Revenue generated per dollar of advertising spend.
ROI Return on Investment
Profit relative to what was spent.
SMB Small and Medium Business
The small-business market segment.
SMM Social Media Marketing
Marketing through social platforms.
SQL Sales Qualified Lead
A lead vetted and handed to sales as ready to talk.
TOFU / MOFU / BOFU Top / Middle / Bottom of Funnel
The stages of the buyer's journey from first awareness to purchase.
UGC User-Generated Content
Content created by customers rather than the brand.
USP Unique Selling Proposition
The clear reason to choose you over the alternative.
A/B A/B Testing
Running two versions against each other to see which performs better.
BI Business Intelligence
Tools and practices for turning data into decisions.
CDP Customer Data Platform
Unifies customer data from every source into one profile.
GA4 Google Analytics 4
Google's current web and app analytics platform.
GTM Google Tag Manager
Manages tracking tags without editing site code.
KPI Key Performance Indicator
A metric that actually measures progress toward a goal.
PII Personally Identifiable Information
Data that can identify a specific person. Handle with care and disclosure.
SQL Structured Query Language
The standard language for querying databases.
UTM Urchin Tracking Module
URL tags that reveal where traffic and conversions came from.
a11y Accessibility
Designing so people with disabilities can use your site. Also a legal exposure issue.
CDN Content Delivery Network
Distributed servers that deliver your site quickly worldwide.
CMS Content Management System
The software you use to build and manage site content, such as WordPress.
CSS Cascading Style Sheets
Controls the visual styling of a web page.
DNS Domain Name System
Translates domain names into the server addresses behind them.
HTML HyperText Markup Language
The structural code of every web page.
HTTPS HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure
Encrypted web traffic. Required for trust, conversions and search.
JS JavaScript
The language that makes web pages interactive. Overuse of it can hide content from crawlers.
JSON JavaScript Object Notation
A lightweight format for exchanging data between systems.
PWA Progressive Web App
A website that behaves like an installable native app.
SPA Single-Page Application
An app that loads once and updates content dynamically. Needs care to stay crawlable.
SSG Static Site Generation
Pre-building pages as static files for speed and security.
SSL / TLS Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security
The encryption behind HTTPS and the padlock icon.
SSR Server-Side Rendering
Rendering pages on the server so crawlers and AI see full content immediately.
UI User Interface
The visual and interactive surface a user sees.
URL Uniform Resource Locator
A web address.
UX User Experience
The overall quality of someone's interaction with your site or product.
WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The standards defining accessible web content.
WP WordPress
The most widely used website CMS.
2FA Two-Factor Authentication
A second verification step beyond a password.
CCPA California Consumer Privacy Act
California's consumer data-privacy law.
DDoS Distributed Denial of Service
An attack that floods a site with traffic to take it offline.
E2EE End-to-End Encryption
Only the sender and recipient can read the data.
GDPR General Data Protection Regulation
EU data-privacy law with global reach. Applies to anyone handling EU residents' data.
MFA Multi-Factor Authentication
Requiring two or more proofs of identity to log in.
OAuth Open Authorization
A standard for granting apps limited access without sharing your password.
PCI DSS Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
The rules for handling card payments securely.
SSO Single Sign-On
One login granting access to multiple applications.
WAF Web Application Firewall
Filters malicious traffic before it reaches your site.
AR Augmented Reality
Digital overlays on the real world.
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
A system unifying finance, operations and supply chain.
IoT Internet of Things
Everyday devices connected to the internet.
MVP Minimum Viable Product
The smallest version that delivers real value and tests demand.
POC Proof of Concept
A prototype built to prove an idea can work before you invest.
QR Quick Response Code
A scannable code linking the physical world to a digital destination.
SaaS Software as a Service
Software delivered by subscription over the web.
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
A documented, repeatable process. The basis of anything you want to delegate.
VR Virtual Reality
Fully immersive digital environments.
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Related answers: what is AEO, AEO vs SEO, why you are not showing up in AI search, and how to show up in Google AI Overviews.
