Search terms explained in plain English for small businesses on the Border
This SEO glossary explains the words that turn up in SEO reports, Google Ads accounts and agency emails. Each term is kept short and plain, with a few Albury Wodonga examples so you can picture how it applies to your own business.
You should be able to read your own SEO report
SEO comes with a lot of jargon. Some agencies seem happy to keep it that way. If you cannot understand what you are being told, you cannot tell if the work is any good. These definitions are the ones I find myself explaining most often to business owners around Albury and Wodonga.
If a term in your report is not here, send it through and I will explain it. For the bigger picture, see my pages on local SEO, Google Ads and SEO pricing.
The words you are most likely to see in reports and emails
A permanent forward from an old web address to a new one. Used when a page moves, so visitors and Google land in the right place and rankings carry across.
The message shown when a page cannot be found. A few are normal, but broken links to important pages waste visitors.
The summary Google sometimes shows above normal results, written by AI from several websites. Clear, factual pages are more likely to be quoted.
A short description of an image, read by screen readers and used by Google to understand what the photo shows.
The clickable words in a link. A link reading “electrician in Wodonga” tells Google more than one reading “click here”.
A link from another website to yours. A link from a regional tourism site to a Rutherglen winery is a good example of a relevant backlink.
The share of visitors who leave after viewing one page without doing anything. High bounce on a service page often means it does not answer the question.
Any online mention of your business name, address and phone number, such as a directory listing. Citations help Google confirm where you are.
A visitor doing what you want, such as calling, sending an enquiry or booking. Conversions matter more than raw traffic.
Google’s measures of how fast a page loads, how quickly it responds to taps and how much it jumps around while loading.
When Google’s software visits your site and follows links to discover pages. Pages that cannot be crawled cannot rank.
Click through rate. The share of people who saw your listing or ad and clicked it.
A score made up by SEO tool companies to estimate how strong a site’s links are. Google does not use it, but it is a handy rough guide.
Your free business listing on Google Maps and in local results, showing your hours, phone number, photos and reviews.
A free Google tool that shows which searches your site appears for, how often it is clicked and any technical problems found.
The number of times your page or ad was shown in search results, even if nobody clicked.
Google’s huge library of web pages. A page has to be in the index before it can appear in results.
A word or phrase people type into Google, such as “mechanic Lavington” or “cake shop Wodonga”.
The page someone arrives on after clicking a search result or ad. It should match what they searched for.
Another name for the map pack, the group of usually three businesses shown with a map for local searches.
A longer, more specific search with fewer searches but clearer intent, such as “emergency plumber Thurgoona weekend”.
The map and short list of businesses Google shows for searches like “cafe Albury”. Getting into it is a big goal of local SEO.
The short summary that can appear under your page title in search results. It does not affect rankings directly but it affects clicks.
Name, address and phone number. Keeping these identical everywhere helps Google trust your business details.
A word added to a Google Ads campaign to stop your ad showing for unwanted searches, such as “free” or “jobs”.
The normal search listings below the ads and map pack. You cannot pay to appear here, you earn it through SEO.
Pay per click advertising, where you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Google Ads is the most common example.
Google’s rating from one to ten of how relevant your ad, keywords and landing page are. A higher score usually means cheaper clicks.
Where your page sits in search results for a particular search. Rankings change by location, so results in Albury can differ from Wodonga.
Extra code that labels details on your page, such as your business type, hours or FAQs, so Google can read them reliably.
What the person searching actually wants. Someone typing “builders Thurgoona” wants to hire, while “how to build a deck” wants instructions.
The suburbs and towns you set on your Google Business Profile when you travel to customers rather than having them visit you.
Search engine results page. The full page Google shows after a search, including ads, maps and normal results.
A file listing the pages on your website, which helps Google find and crawl them.
The clickable headline for your page in search results. A good one says what you do and where, such as “Electrician Wodonga”.
The number of visits to your website. Traffic from people in your service area is worth far more than visits from elsewhere.
Turn the jargon into something useful for your business
Most quick wins for Border businesses start with a complete Google Business Profile.
Use these terms to read your reports, then get a second opinion if things do not add up.
Learn which backlinks help and which ones put your site at risk.
Quick answers about common SEO terms for Albury Wodonga businesses
Got a question that isn’t covered here? Ring me or send a message and you’ll hear back within one business day.
The map pack is the group of businesses Google shows with a map when someone in Albury searches for a local service. It usually lists three businesses with their rating, hours and phone number. Getting into it depends largely on your Google Business Profile, your location and how relevant your listing is.
SEO and PPC are two different ways a Wodonga business can appear in Google. SEO earns free listings in the organic results and map pack over time. PPC, usually through Google Ads, puts paid ads at the top straight away. You pay each time someone clicks.
A business can rank differently in Albury and Wodonga because Google adjusts local results based on where the person searching is. Distance from your business or service area plays a big part. Separate service pages for each side of the border and a well set service area can help.
NAP consistency means a Border business shows exactly the same name, address and phone number everywhere online. Small differences, such as an old phone number in one directory, can confuse Google about which details are correct. Cleaning up citations is part of most local SEO work.
Website Design Albury can explain an SEO report for any Albury Wodonga business, with Nick Fritzkowski going through it by phone or video call. Nick will translate the terms, point out what actually matters and flag anything that looks off. This is part of his SEO consultant service.
AI Overviews can affect small businesses in the Riverina because Google sometimes answers a question before anyone clicks through to a website. Pages with clear, factual answers and good FAQs are more likely to be quoted as a source. Local searches still lean heavily on the map pack and Google Business Profile.
A good click through rate for a local business varies a lot depending on position and search type. A listing near the top usually gets far more clicks than one lower down. A clear title tag and meta description that mention your service and town are the simplest ways to improve it.
Send me your SEO report or the email that confused you. I will explain it in plain English and tell you honestly if anything needs attention.
