# SEO & Link Building Glossary: 75+ Terms Defined Complete glossary of SEO and link building terminology. From anchor text to link velocity, understand every term used in backlink strategy. Canonical: https://backlinkgrid.com/glossary Understanding link building requires knowing the language. This glossary covers essential SEO and link building terms you'll encounter when building and analysing backlinks. --- ## A ### Anchor Text The visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. Anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked page is about. Types include exact match, partial match, branded, naked URL, and generic. [Full guide: Anchor Text →](/glossary/anchor-text) ### Authority A measure of a website's or page's power and trustworthiness in search engines. Higher authority typically means better ranking potential. Various tools measure this differently (DA, DR, etc.). ### Alt Text Links Links placed within image alt attributes. While technically functional, these provide less value than standard text links and are sometimes flagged as manipulative if overused. --- ## B ### Backlink An incoming hyperlink from one website to another. Backlinks are a fundamental ranking factor because they act as votes of confidence from other sites. Also called inbound links or incoming links. [Full guide: Backlink →](/glossary/backlink) ### Backlink Audit The process of analysing your site's backlink profile to identify quality links, toxic links, and opportunities. Regular audits help maintain link profile health. [Hub: Backlink Audit →](/backlink-audit) ### Backlink Gap The difference between your backlink profile and competitors'—specifically, domains linking to competitors but not to you. Identifying gaps reveals link building opportunities. ### Backlink Profile The complete collection of backlinks pointing to a website. A healthy profile has diverse, relevant, high-quality links from various sources and anchor texts. ### Black Hat SEO Aggressive SEO techniques that violate search engine guidelines. In link building, this includes buying links, PBNs, and automated link schemes. Risks penalties. [Full guide: Black Hat Link Building →](/link-building/avoid-black-hat) ### Blog Comment Links Links placed in blog comments. While once effective for SEO, most are now nofollow and provide minimal link value. Can still drive referral traffic. ### Branded Anchor Text Anchor text using a brand name (e.g., "Nike" or "Moz"). Important for natural link profiles as many organic links naturally use brand names. ### Broken Link A hyperlink that leads to a non-existent page (404 error). Broken link building involves finding these and offering your content as a replacement. [Tactic: Broken Link Building →](/link-building-tactics/broken-link-building) --- ## C ### Citation Flow A Majestic metric measuring link quantity (how many sites link to a URL). Works with Trust Flow to evaluate link quality. High CF with low TF may indicate spam. ### Co-Citation When two websites are mentioned together on a third site without being directly linked. Search engines may associate the two sites topically, even without direct links. ### Competitor Backlink Analysis Researching which sites link to competitors to find potential link opportunities for your own site. A foundational prospecting technique. [Full guide: Competitor Analysis →](/backlink-audit/competitor-analysis) ### Contextual Link A link placed within the main body content of a page, surrounded by relevant text. More valuable than sidebar, footer, or comment links. [Full guide: Contextual Links →](/glossary/contextual-link) ### Co-Occurrence When specific terms frequently appear near a link. Search engines use surrounding text context to better understand link relationships. --- ## D ### Deep Link A backlink pointing to an internal page rather than the homepage. Deep links are valuable for distributing authority throughout a site. ### Disavow The process of telling Google to ignore certain backlinks when assessing your site. Used to address toxic or spammy links that could trigger penalties. [Full guide: Disavow Guide →](/backlink-audit/disavow-guide) ### Do-Follow Link A standard link that passes link equity (PageRank) to the target page. The default link type unless rel="nofollow" or similar attributes are added. [Full guide: Do-Follow Links →](/glossary/dofollow-link) ### Domain Authority (DA) A Moz metric (0-100) predicting how likely a domain is to rank in search results. Based on linking root domains and total links. Not a Google metric. [Full guide: Domain Authority →](/glossary/domain-authority) ### Domain Rating (DR) An Ahrefs metric (0-100) measuring the strength of a website's backlink profile. Based on referring domains and their authority. --- ## E ### Editorial Link A link given naturally by another site because they genuinely want to reference your content. The most valuable type of backlink—earned, not requested. [Full guide: Editorial Links →](/glossary/editorial-link) ### Exact Match Anchor Text Anchor text that exactly matches the target keyword you want to rank for. Overuse can appear manipulative; natural profiles use variety. ### External Link A link from one domain to a different domain. The opposite of internal links. Your backlinks are external links from other sites. --- ## F ### Footer Link A link placed in a website's footer that appears on every page. Site-wide footer links often carry less weight and can appear spammy if unnatural. ### Follow Link See: Do-Follow Link. A link that passes ranking signals. --- ## G ### Google Penalty A ranking demotion or deindexing resulting from violating Google's guidelines. Manual penalties require a reconsideration request; algorithmic penalties lift when issues are fixed. ### Google Search Console Free Google tool showing your site's search performance, indexing status, and backlink data. Essential for monitoring link-related issues. ### Grey Hat SEO Techniques that fall between white hat and black hat—not explicitly banned but risky. Examples include aggressive link exchanges or borderline paid placements. ### Guest Blogging/Guest Posting Writing content for other websites to earn backlinks. Still effective when done for genuine audiences on relevant, quality sites. [Tactic: Guest Posting →](/link-building-tactics/guest-posting) --- ## H ### HARO (Help A Reporter Out) A service connecting journalists with expert sources. Responding to queries can earn high-authority media links. Now part of Connectively. [Tactic: HARO Alternatives →](/link-building-tactics/haro-alternatives) ### Homepage Link A backlink pointing to a website's homepage. Common but can miss opportunity to build deep page authority. Best combined with deep links. --- ## I ### Inbound Link Synonymous with backlink—a link coming into your site from an external source. ### Internal Link A link from one page to another page on the same domain. Important for site architecture and distributing link equity. ### IP Diversity Having backlinks from websites hosted on different IP addresses. Diverse IPs suggest natural link building; same-IP links may indicate manipulation. --- ## L ### Link Bait Content specifically designed to attract links through its inherent shareability, controversy, or usefulness. Examples: original research, tools, comprehensive guides. ### Link Building The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. A fundamental SEO practice for improving search rankings. [Hub: Link Building →](/link-building) ### Link Burst A sudden spike in new backlinks to a page. Natural for viral content or news; suspicious for older pages and may trigger scrutiny. ### Link Equity The ranking value passed from one page to another through links. Formerly called "link juice." Do-follow links pass equity; nofollow typically doesn't. [Full guide: Link Equity →](/glossary/link-equity) ### Link Exchange A reciprocal arrangement where two sites agree to link to each other. Limited exchanges are natural; large-scale link schemes violate guidelines. ### Link Farm A group of websites that all interlink for the purpose of manipulating search rankings. A black hat technique that results in penalties. [Full guide: Link Farms →](/glossary/link-farm) ### Link Gap Analysis Identifying domains that link to competitors but not to you. A core prospecting technique for finding link opportunities. ### Link Graph The network of links connecting websites across the internet. Search engines analyse this graph to determine relationships and authority. ### Link Juice Colloquial term for link equity—the ranking power passed through links. ### Link Network A collection of sites under common ownership or control that interlink to manipulate rankings. Private Blog Networks (PBNs) are an example. ### Link Placement Where a link appears within a page. Contextual body links typically carry more weight than sidebar, footer, or comment links. ### Link Profile The complete picture of all backlinks pointing to a website, including their sources, anchor text distribution, and quality mix. [Hub: Backlink Profile →](/glossary/link-profile) ### Link Prospect A potential website that could provide a backlink. Good prospects are relevant, authoritative, and likely to link. ### Link Reclamation Finding and fixing lost links—either broken links to your site or unlinked brand mentions. [Tactic: Link Reclamation →](/link-building-tactics/link-reclamation) ### Link Rot The gradual loss of backlinks over time as pages are removed, URLs change, or sites shut down. Requires ongoing link building to offset. ### Link Scheme Any pattern of links intended to manipulate rankings, including buying links, excessive exchanges, or automated link building. Against Google's guidelines. ### Link Spam Low-quality links created to manipulate rankings. Includes comment spam, forum spam, and links from irrelevant sites. ### Link Velocity The rate at which a site gains (or loses) backlinks over time. Natural velocity varies; sudden spikes can appear suspicious. [Full guide: Link Velocity →](/glossary/link-velocity) ### Linkable Asset Content specifically created to attract backlinks. Examples: original research, tools, definitive guides, infographics. [Full guide: Linkable Assets →](/link-building/linkable-assets) ### Linked Unstructured Citation A business mention that includes a link, typically in directories or news mentions. --- ## M ### Majestic A link analysis tool providing metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow. Known for its extensive link database. ### Manual Action A penalty manually applied by a Google reviewer (vs algorithmic). Shown in Google Search Console with specific guidance for resolution. ### Media Links Backlinks from news outlets, magazines, and journalists. High-authority and valuable; typically earned through digital PR. ### Mention A reference to your brand or content without a hyperlink. Unlinked mentions are link building opportunities. ### Money Page A page designed to convert visitors (product pages, service pages). Link building often targets these or pages that link to them. ### Moz An SEO software company that developed Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) metrics. --- ## N ### Natural Link A backlink given editorially without request or compensation. The ideal type of link—earned through quality content. ### Negative SEO Attempting to harm a competitor's rankings through manipulative techniques, including building spammy links to their site. Against guidelines and ethics. ### Newsjacking Rapidly creating content about breaking news to earn media coverage and links. Requires speed and relevance. [Tactic: Newsjacking →](/digital-pr/newsjacking) ### Nofollow Link A link with rel="nofollow" attribute, originally telling search engines not to pass ranking signals. Google now treats as a "hint." [Full guide: Nofollow Links →](/glossary/nofollow-link) ### Noopener/Noreferrer Link attributes for security (noopener) and hiding referral source (noreferrer). Don't affect SEO but appear in link code. --- ## O ### Organic Link A link given naturally without direct effort from the receiving site. The result of great content being discovered and referenced. ### Outbound Link A link from your site to another domain. The opposite of a backlink. Quality outbound links can benefit your content. ### Outreach The process of contacting website owners, editors, or journalists to request links or coverage. [Hub: Outreach →](/outreach) --- ## P ### Page Authority (PA) A Moz metric (0-100) predicting how likely a specific page is to rank. Based on links to that particular URL. [Full guide: Page Authority →](/glossary/page-authority) ### PageRank Google's original algorithm for measuring page importance based on links. Still exists internally though no longer publicly visible. [Full guide: PageRank →](/glossary/pagerank) ### Partial Match Anchor Anchor text that includes the target keyword plus other words. More natural than exact match anchors. ### PBN (Private Blog Network) A network of sites owned by one entity, used to build links to a money site. Against Google's guidelines and risky. [Full guide: PBN →](/glossary/pbn) ### Penguin Google algorithm update (now part of core algorithm) targeting link spam and unnatural link patterns. First launched 2012. ### Pillow Link A branded or generic anchor text link that helps diversify and "soften" an anchor text profile. ### Prospecting Finding and qualifying potential link sources before outreach. [Full guide: Prospecting →](/outreach/prospecting) --- ## R ### Reciprocal Link A mutual link exchange between two sites. Some natural reciprocity is fine; large-scale exchanges are problematic. ### Redirect Sending users and search engines from one URL to another. 301 redirects pass most link equity; 302s historically didn't. ### Referral Traffic Visitors who come to your site by clicking a link on another site. A direct benefit of backlinks beyond SEO. ### Referring Domain A unique domain that links to your website. More referring domains generally indicates a stronger backlink profile than many links from few domains. [Full guide: Referring Domains →](/glossary/referring-domain) ### Rel Attribute HTML attribute defining the relationship between linked pages. Common values: nofollow, sponsored, ugc, noopener. ### Relevance How topically related a linking site is to yours. Relevant links carry more weight than links from unrelated sites. [Full guide: Relevance Factors →](/backlink-quality/relevance-factors) ### Resource Page A page specifically created to list helpful resources on a topic. Common link building target. [Tactic: Resource Page Links →](/link-building-tactics/resource-page-links) ### Root Domain The main domain without any subdomain (example.com vs blog.example.com). Referring root domains is a common metric. --- ## S ### Scholarship Link Building Creating scholarships to earn .edu links. Once popular, now saturated and often seen as manipulative. ### Semrush An SEO software suite with backlink analysis tools and competitive research capabilities. ### SERP (Search Engine Results Page) The page displayed by search engines in response to a query. Backlinks influence where pages appear in SERPs. ### Sidebar Link A link in a page's sidebar, often appearing site-wide. Generally less valuable than contextual body links. ### Site-Wide Link A link that appears on every page of a website (navigation, footer, sidebar). One site-wide link typically counts as one link, not thousands. ### Skyscraper Technique Finding popular linked content, creating something better, and reaching out to those linking to the original. [Tactic: Skyscraper Technique →](/link-building-tactics/skyscraper-technique) ### Spam Score A Moz metric indicating likelihood a site will be penalised. Based on signals common to penalised sites. ### Sponsored Attribute rel="sponsored" marks paid or advertisement links. Introduced by Google in 2019 alongside "ugc." [Full guide: Sponsored Links →](/glossary/sponsored-link) --- ## T ### Text Link A standard hyperlink using text as the clickable element. More valuable than image links due to anchor text context. ### Tier 1 Links Links pointing directly to your website. In tiered link building, these are the primary links you care about. ### Tier 2 Links Links pointing to pages that link to you (links to your link sources). A grey hat technique to boost the power of existing backlinks. ### Topical Relevance The degree to which a linking site or page relates to your content's subject matter. Important quality factor. ### Toxic Link A backlink that could harm your rankings due to its spammy, manipulative, or low-quality nature. [Full guide: Toxic Links →](/backlink-audit/toxic-links) ### Trust Flow (TF) A Majestic metric measuring link quality based on the trustworthiness of linking sites. Higher TF indicates quality link sources. [Full guide: Trust Flow →](/glossary/trust-flow) --- ## U ### UGC Attribute rel="ugc" marks links within user-generated content (comments, forum posts). Introduced by Google in 2019. [Full guide: UGC Links →](/glossary/ugc-link) ### Unlinked Mention A reference to your brand or content that doesn't include a hyperlink. Converting these to links is a common tactic. [Tactic: Unlinked Mentions →](/link-building-tactics/unlinked-mentions) ### URL Rating (UR) An Ahrefs metric measuring the link strength of a specific URL (vs the domain). 0-100 scale. --- ## W ### Webmaster Guidelines Google's published rules for websites. Violating link-related guidelines can result in penalties. ### White Hat SEO Ethical SEO practices that follow search engine guidelines. Focuses on earning links through quality content and legitimate outreach. [Full guide: White Hat Link Building →](/link-building/white-hat) --- ## X-Z ### XML Sitemap A file listing pages you want search engines to index. Not directly related to backlinks but important for overall SEO. ### Zero-Click Result A SERP result that answers the query directly, requiring no click. Affects how links drive traffic. --- ## Using This Glossary **For beginners**: Start with the fundamentals—backlink, do-follow, no-follow, anchor text, domain authority. **For practitioners**: Reference specific concepts as you encounter them in your link building work. **Deep dives available**: Terms with "Full guide" links have comprehensive dedicated pages. --- ## Related Resources - [What Are Backlinks?](/backlinks/what-is-a-backlink) - [Link Building Fundamentals](/link-building) - [Backlink Quality Factors](/backlink-quality)