A/B Testing
Split testing refers to the practice of running two very similar web pages with minor differences to help determine which direction to go for marketing. An example of this is changing the color of the purchase now button to see which page receives the most clicks on that button. This is also called Split Testing.
Above the Fold
Above the fold describes the content on the page of the website that you see without having to scroll down the page. It also refers to the SERPs (search engine results pages) when you do a search in the search engine without having to scroll. With the additions of ads, related questions, and sample images, the ‘above the fold’ of SERPs is getting smaller and smaller each year.
Advanced Search Operators
This is a way to fine-tune your searches in Google by using these special search operators. For example, putting your search in quotes will look on the internet for precisely that phrase with those words in exactly that order. Another one is using site:rocksolidseo.com to search for a phrase within one website. You can click on this keyword research search for this site alone using this advanced search operator.
This is Google’s article on refining searches.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
AI stands for artificial intelligence. It is the process of having a computer try to think like a human. Google purchased an Artificial Intelligence company in the past to help them provide better search engine results.
Algorithm
An algorithm is a mathematical formula that the search engine uses to determine what websites to rank 1st. This is updated on a constant basis. An example of this is the Panda Algorithm Update which targeted websites that used low-quality content and reduced their website rankings.
Alt Tag
An alt tag is used to describe what an image is on a website that is only viewable by programs that read for blind visitors to your website. In the past, it was abused for getting easy ranks but this abuse doesn’t work anymore. However, it does hold some weight for ranking but if it is detected that you abused it and stuff it full of keywords then it will count against you.
AMP
AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages. The symbol for this used to appear in Google SERPs but is no longer there. It is just a notification that the page was optimized to load up faster on mobile devices and since speed is a factor of search engine algorithms this is also.
Analytics
Analytics is the science of collecting data on a website to help determine how you can improve it. This is done by measuring how the website visitor interacts with your website and how they discovered it in the first place.
Anchor Text
The text that is used to link to another website is called the anchor text. The most common anchor text used is “click here”.
Application Programming Interface (API)
Commonly known for just API is a program interface to add custom tools to a website. You obtain an API key so that you can build software that can be used on your website. For example, an API key can be obtained from SEO software so that people can use the power and data of the software to create a tool on your website that will allow website visitors to do a task such as finding keywords for keyword research.
Author Authority
The importance of an author in Google’s eyes is a possible ranking factor. But as of 4/25/2022, there has been no proof that this is a ranking factor.
Auto-Generated Content
This is content that is generated by a computer and not by a person. This is not recommended for use for your website as it is not effective for search engines or the people visiting your website.
The only exception is to use JavaScript to display relevant information to the website visitor by using dynamically created content.