Plain language for complicated work.
Find the term, understand the decision behind it, and continue into a deeper Field Note or relevant Concept Lab system.
85 terms
Canonical URL
The preferred URL for a page when the same or very similar content can be reached at multiple addresses. A canonical signal helps search engines consolidate indexing and ranking signals.
SEOCrawl Budget
The practical amount of crawling a search engine is willing and able to spend on a site. It matters most on large or frequently changing websites.
SEORobots.txt
A public file that gives web crawlers rules about which paths they may request. It manages crawling but does not reliably remove a URL from search results.
SEOXML Sitemap
A machine-readable list of canonical URLs a site wants search engines to discover. It can also include update dates and media information.
SEOSearch Intent
The underlying task or decision behind a search query. Content performs better when its format and depth match what the searcher is trying to accomplish.
SEOStructured Data
Standardized markup that describes page entities and relationships in a machine-readable way. It helps search engines understand content and may enable enhanced result features.
SEORich Result
A search result with enhanced presentation such as review details, breadcrumbs, products, or FAQs. Eligibility depends on accurate structured data and search-engine policies.
SEOBacklink
A link to a page from another website. Relevant, editorially earned backlinks can support discovery, trust, and organic visibility.
SEODomain Authority
A third-party estimate of how likely a domain is to rank based largely on its link profile. It is not a metric used directly by Google.
SEOInternal Link
A link from one page to another page on the same site. Internal links guide people, distribute attention, and help crawlers understand page relationships.
SEOKeyword Cannibalization
A situation where multiple pages compete for the same search intent without offering distinct value. The result can be diluted relevance and unstable rankings.
SEOSERP
The page a search engine shows after a query. Its mix of links, maps, images, answers, and ads changes with intent and context.
Search Engine Results Page / SEOCumulative Layout Shift
A Core Web Vital that measures unexpected movement of visible page content. Reserved media space and stable font loading help reduce it.
CLS / PerformanceInteraction to Next Paint
A Core Web Vital that reflects how quickly a page provides visual feedback after user interaction. Heavy main-thread work is a common cause of poor results.
INP / PerformanceLargest Contentful Paint
A Core Web Vital that measures when the largest visible content element finishes rendering. Server response, media loading, and render-blocking resources all affect it.
LCP / PerformanceTime to First Byte
The time between requesting a page and receiving the first response byte. Hosting location, server work, caching, and network latency influence it.
TTFB / PerformanceLazy Loading
A loading strategy that delays noncritical media or code until it is likely to be needed. It reduces initial work when applied outside the first viewport.
PerformanceContent Delivery Network
A distributed network that serves assets or responses from locations closer to users. It can improve latency, resilience, and cache efficiency.
CDN / PerformanceCaching
Storing reusable data or responses so repeated requests require less work. Effective cache rules balance freshness with speed.
PerformanceCode Splitting
Dividing application code into smaller bundles that load only where needed. It reduces initial JavaScript cost and can improve interaction readiness.
PerformanceCritical CSS
The minimum styles needed to render the first visible portion of a page. Delivering them early can prevent a blank or unstyled first view.
PerformanceImage Optimization
The practice of serving images with appropriate dimensions, format, quality, and loading priority. It preserves visual intent while reducing transfer and render cost.
PerformancePerformance Budget
An agreed limit for page weight, script work, or speed metrics. It turns performance into a product constraint that can be checked before release.
PerformanceAccessibility
The practice of making products usable by people with a broad range of abilities, technologies, and contexts. It includes perception, operation, understanding, and compatibility.
DesignVisual Hierarchy
The use of size, placement, contrast, and spacing to communicate importance and reading order. Strong hierarchy lets people understand a page before reading every word.
DesignDesign Tokens
Named values that store repeatable design decisions such as color, type, spacing, radius, and motion. Semantic tokens help teams change a system consistently.
DesignResponsive Design
An approach where layout and interaction adapt to available space, device capability, and input method. It is more than shrinking a desktop page.
DesignWhitespace
The intentional empty space between and around elements. It creates grouping, rhythm, focus, and room for content to be understood.
DesignTypography Scale
A limited set of text sizes and line heights used to create consistent hierarchy. A good scale accounts for reading length, screen size, and content variation.
DesignComponent Library
A maintained collection of reusable interface patterns with documented behavior and states. It turns repeated solutions into shared product infrastructure.
DesignAffordance
A quality that suggests how an interface element can be used. Clear shape, labels, position, and feedback make actions easier to recognize.
DesignContrast Ratio
A numerical comparison between the luminance of foreground and background colors. Sufficient contrast supports readable text and distinguishable controls.
DesignProgressive Disclosure
A pattern that presents essential information first and reveals more detail when requested or useful. It reduces overload without removing access.
DesignInteraction Design
The design of how a person and product respond to one another over time. It covers states, feedback, input, errors, motion, and recovery.
DesignContent Model
A structured description of content types, fields, and relationships. It separates meaning from any single page layout or publishing channel.
ContentInformation Architecture
The organization, labeling, and connection of information so people can find and understand it. Navigation is one visible part of the larger structure.
ContentMicrocopy
Short interface text that helps a person understand an action, state, field, or error. Good microcopy is specific, timely, and calm.
ContentTone of Voice
The consistent character expressed through a brand's language. Tone can flex by situation while core voice principles remain stable.
ContentEvergreen Content
Content designed to remain useful beyond a short news cycle. It still needs review as facts, products, and audience questions change.
ContentContent Audit
A structured review of existing content, its purpose, quality, performance, ownership, and next action. It supports decisions to keep, improve, combine, or retire pages.
ContentTaxonomy
A controlled system for grouping and labeling related content. A useful taxonomy reflects how people browse and how editors maintain the collection.
ContentMetadata
Information that describes content, such as title, author, category, summary, date, or canonical URL. It supports display, search, filtering, and machine understanding.
ContentAlt Text
A concise text alternative that communicates an image's relevant purpose or content. Decorative images should usually use an empty alternative.
ContentReadability
How easily written content can be read and understood. Sentence structure, vocabulary, typography, line length, and context all contribute.
ContentConversion Rate
The percentage of a defined audience that completes a target action. The denominator and action must be explicit for the number to be meaningful.
AnalyticsAttribution
A method for assigning credit for an outcome across marketing or product touchpoints. Every model simplifies a journey and should be read with its assumptions.
AnalyticsEvent Tracking
Recording defined user actions with consistent names and useful context. A focused event plan is more valuable than collecting every possible interaction.
AnalyticsConversion Funnel
A model of the stages people pass through toward an outcome. It helps identify where progression slows, but real journeys are rarely perfectly linear.
AnalyticsBounce Rate
In some analytics systems, the percentage of sessions that end without a qualifying engagement. Its exact definition depends on the tool and configuration.
AnalyticsEngagement Rate
The share of sessions or users that meet a defined engagement threshold. It can include time, views, or events depending on the analytics platform.
AnalyticsCohort Analysis
Comparing groups that share a start date, source, behavior, or other trait over time. Cohorts reveal patterns hidden by overall averages.
AnalyticsUTM Parameters
Standard query parameters added to links to identify campaign source, medium, name, and related details. Consistent naming is essential for useful reports.
AnalyticsFirst-Party Data
Information collected directly through a company's own customer and audience relationships. It should be gathered with clear purpose, consent, security, and governance.
AnalyticsKey Performance Indicator
A metric chosen to indicate progress toward an important objective. A useful KPI has a clear owner, definition, context, and decision attached to it.
KPI / AnalyticsAverage Order Value
The average revenue generated per completed order during a defined period. Merchandising, bundles, pricing, and customer mix can all influence it.
AOV / CommerceCart Abandonment
A cart session that ends without a completed purchase. It can reflect comparison behavior, unexpected costs, uncertainty, technical problems, or simple interruption.
CommerceCheckout Friction
Any unnecessary effort, uncertainty, or obstacle in the path from cart to purchase. Common causes include surprise costs, forced accounts, unclear errors, and excessive fields.
CommerceMerchandising
The strategic presentation, grouping, and promotion of products to help customers choose. Digital merchandising includes order, collections, recommendations, and campaign context.
CommerceProduct Taxonomy
A controlled structure for classifying products by category, attribute, use, or audience. It powers navigation, filtering, recommendations, and catalog operations.
CommerceUpsell
An offer that encourages a customer to choose a higher-value version of the item under consideration. It works best when the added value is clear and relevant.
CommerceCross-Sell
A recommendation for a complementary product or service. Effective cross-selling solves an adjacent need rather than simply adding more choices.
CommerceSubscription Commerce
A model where customers receive recurring access, service, or products in exchange for repeated payment. Retention value depends on ongoing usefulness, not only acquisition.
CommerceCustomer Lifetime Value
An estimate of the value a customer contributes across the full relationship. It helps balance acquisition cost against retention, margin, and repeat behavior.
CLV / CommerceProduct Detail Page
A page dedicated to helping a customer evaluate and purchase a specific product. It combines media, price, variants, delivery, proof, and decision-critical details.
PDP / CommerceApplication Programming Interface
A defined way for software systems to request data or actions from one another. Good APIs make capabilities predictable without exposing internal implementation.
API / TechnologyContent Management System
Software used to create, manage, and publish structured content. The right CMS fits the editorial model, permissions, integrations, and delivery needs.
CMS / TechnologyDomain Name System
The distributed system that maps domain names to services such as websites and email. DNS records control where requests are directed.
DNS / TechnologySecure Sockets Layer
The commonly used name for certificates and encryption that protect data in transit over HTTPS. Modern implementations use the TLS protocol.
SSL / TechnologyHTTP Status Code
A three-digit response that tells a client what happened to an HTTP request. Codes distinguish success, redirects, client errors, and server errors.
TechnologyRedirect
A response that sends a browser or crawler from one URL to another. Permanent redirects preserve user paths and consolidate signals during URL changes.
TechnologyServer-Side Rendering
Generating page HTML on a server in response to a request. It can provide fresh content and a complete initial document before client code runs.
SSR / TechnologyStatic Site Generation
Generating page HTML ahead of user requests, usually during a build or content update. Static output can be fast, cacheable, and resilient.
SSG / TechnologyHydration
The process where client-side JavaScript attaches behavior to server-rendered HTML. Too much hydration can delay interaction and increase device work.
TechnologyWebhook
An automated message one system sends when a defined event occurs. Webhooks keep services in sync without constant polling.
TechnologyVersion Control
A system for recording changes to files so teams can review, compare, combine, and restore work. It supports safer collaboration and release history.
TechnologyValue Proposition
A clear statement of who an offer helps, what meaningful problem it solves, and why its approach is preferable. It should be specific enough to guide a decision.
StrategyPositioning
The deliberate place a brand or offer aims to occupy in a customer's mind relative to alternatives. It shapes message, audience, proof, and what the business chooses not to be.
StrategyCustomer Journey
A model of the experiences and decisions a person moves through before, during, and after choosing an offer. It includes channels, questions, emotion, and friction.
StrategyUser Persona
A research-based representation of a meaningful user group, including goals, context, and behavior. Useful personas guide decisions rather than decorate presentations.
StrategyJobs to Be Done
A framework for understanding the progress someone is trying to make in a particular situation. It looks beyond demographics to motivation, constraints, and alternatives.
StrategyProof Point
Specific evidence that supports a claim, such as a result, demonstration, credential, method, or artifact. Strong proof is relevant to the exact promise being made.
StrategyConversion Path
The sequence of content and interactions that helps a person reach a valuable action. A good path matches readiness and removes avoidable uncertainty.
StrategyMinimum Viable Product
The smallest product release that can test a meaningful value assumption with real users. It is not an excuse for a careless or unusable experience.
MVP / StrategyGrowth Loop
A system where the output of one user or action helps create future acquisition, engagement, or retention. Sustainable loops require real value at every stage.
StrategyService Blueprint
A map connecting the customer journey to the people, processes, tools, and evidence that deliver it. It reveals operational dependencies behind the visible experience.
Strategy