# Glossary - SEO & AI Search Terms

Definitions of key terms used throughout LLM Relevance Directory.

Last updated: 2026-02-09

## AI Search Terms

### AI Search Visibility
The measure of how often and how prominently a brand appears in AI-powered search engine responses (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini). Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on Google rankings, AI search visibility tracks citations, mentions, and recommendations in AI-generated responses.

### LLM (Large Language Model)
A type of artificial intelligence model trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text. Examples include GPT-4 (ChatGPT), Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), and Perplexity's models.

### SLM (Small Language Model)
A smaller, more efficient language model designed for specific tasks or edge computing. SLMs require less computational power but may have more limited capabilities than LLMs.

### AI Citation
When an AI search engine (like ChatGPT or Perplexity) references a specific brand, website, or source in its response. Citations are the primary way brands appear in AI search results.

### E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness - signals that both Google and AI search engines use to evaluate content quality and credibility. Strong E-E-A-T signals improve visibility in both traditional and AI search.

### AI Search Engine
A search platform powered by large language models that generates conversational responses rather than just listing links. Examples include ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, and Claude.

### LLM Visibility Tracking
The practice of monitoring how often and in what context a brand appears in responses from various LLMs. This includes tracking rankings for specific queries, citation frequency, and sentiment.

## SEO Terms

### SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
The practice of optimizing websites and content to improve visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), primarily Google. SEO includes technical optimization, content creation, and link building.

### Keyword Research
The process of identifying and analyzing search terms that users enter into search engines. Keyword research helps identify content opportunities and understand search intent.

### Backlink
A link from another website pointing to your site. Backlinks are a key ranking factor in Google's algorithm and signal authority to AI search engines.

### Domain Authority
A metric (typically 0-100) that predicts how well a website will rank in search results. Higher domain authority generally correlates with better rankings and more AI citations.

### Schema Markup
Structured data added to web pages to help search engines understand the content. Schema markup helps both Google and AI models understand business information, products, services, and relationships.

### Local SEO
SEO strategies focused on improving visibility in local search results, particularly for "near me" searches and Google Maps. Includes Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, and local content.

### Technical SEO
The practice of optimizing a website's technical foundation for search engines, including site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, and indexability.

### Content Optimization
The process of improving content quality, relevance, and structure to better match search intent and improve rankings. Includes keyword optimization, readability improvements, and content structure.

### Rank Tracking
Monitoring where a website ranks in search results for specific keywords over time. Traditional rank tracking focuses on Google positions, while AI visibility tracking monitors LLM citations.

### SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query. SERPs include organic results, paid ads, featured snippets, and increasingly, AI-generated answers.

## Marketing Terms

### Brand Monitoring
Tracking mentions of your brand, competitors, or keywords across the web, social media, news sites, blogs, and forums. Also called brand listening or social listening.

### Reputation Management
The practice of monitoring and influencing how your brand is perceived online, particularly through review management, review response, and reputation scoring.

### Content Marketing
Creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and engage a target audience, with the goal of driving profitable customer action.

### Link Building
The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. Quality link building improves domain authority and search rankings.

### Citation
In local SEO, a citation is a mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on another website. Consistent citations improve local search visibility.

### NAP Consistency
Ensuring your business Name, Address, and Phone number appear identically across all online listings and directories. NAP consistency is critical for local SEO.

## Technical Terms

### JSON-LD
JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data - a method of encoding structured data using JSON. JSON-LD is commonly used for schema markup on websites.

### Structured Data
Data organized in a standardized format that machines can easily parse. Schema markup is a form of structured data that helps search engines understand content.

### API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of protocols and tools for building software applications. APIs allow different software systems to communicate and share data.

### Crawlability
The ease with which search engine bots can discover and access pages on a website. Good crawlability ensures all important pages are indexed.

### Indexability
Whether a page can be included in a search engine's index. Pages must be crawlable and meet certain quality standards to be indexed.

### Mobile-First Indexing
Google's practice of primarily using the mobile version of content for indexing and ranking. Websites must be mobile-friendly to rank well.

## Business Terms

### Small Business
Typically defined as businesses with 1-50 employees. LLM Relevance Directory focuses specifically on tools and strategies for small business owners.

### Freemium
A pricing model where basic features are free, but advanced features require a paid subscription. Many SEO and marketing tools use freemium models.

### Affiliate Marketing
A performance-based marketing strategy where businesses earn commissions for referring customers to other companies' products or services.

### Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (e.g., making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter). Higher conversion rates indicate more effective marketing.

### Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
The total revenue a business can expect from a single customer over the entire relationship. LTV helps businesses understand the long-term value of acquiring customers.

## Additional Resources

For more detailed explanations, see:
- /faqs.md - Frequently asked questions
- /llms.txt - Platform overview
- /llms-full.txt - Comprehensive documentation
- /learn - Educational articles and guides