SEO & AI Search glossary.

The practice of structuring content so AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews) quote it verbatim. Combines FAQ patterns, schema, entity work, and short answer blocks.

Generative Engine Optimization is the practice of making your business visible inside LLM-powered search. It includes entity SEO, citation building, structured data, and AI-readable content so engines cite your brand by name.

Google's database of entities and the relationships between them. Earning a Knowledge Panel makes your brand authoritative across Search, Discover, Gemini, and AI Overviews.

Google's generative-AI summary that appears above traditional search results. Sources cited inside AIO see significant click and brand impact. Optimize with FAQ schema, TL;DR blocks, and topical authority.

OpenAI's GPT-powered search experience that surfaces and cites sources inline. Entity consistency and authoritative citations are the biggest ranking levers.

Answer engine that returns sourced summaries with inline citations. Rewards depth, recency, and structured content · long-form authoritative pages outperform thin ones.

A mention of your brand on an authoritative third-party site (or by an AI engine). Two types: (1) traditional NAP citations on directories, (2) AI citations inside ChatGPT/Perplexity answers.

40-60 word answer block at the top of every page, designed to be quoted verbatim by AI engines. The single highest-leverage GEO pattern.

Proposed standard for telling AI crawlers what content to ingest. A curated, plaintext index that helps LLMs find your most important content.

A scalable system that generates hundreds or thousands of unique landing pages across combinations of services, industries, and locations · each with unique data, schema, and intent-matched content.

Optimizing for entities (people, places, brands, concepts) rather than just keywords. Knowledge Graph signals, sameAs links, and verified profiles establish your brand as a defined entity.

Google's content quality framework. Person schema, author bios, credentials, citations, and verified profiles signal E-E-A-T across classic and AI search.

Time it takes for the largest visible element to render. Google's primary loading-performance metric. Target under 2.5 seconds for good Core Web Vitals.

Measures responsiveness · the latency between a user interaction and the next visual update. Target under 200ms. Replaced FID in 2024.

Quantifies unexpected layout movement on a page. Target under 0.1 for good visual stability.

Vocabulary of structured data tags that help search engines and AI engines understand page content. Key types: Organization, Service, FAQPage, Person, BreadcrumbList, LocalBusiness.

Google's set of performance metrics · LCP, INP, CLS · used as a ranking signal. Sub-2.5s LCP, sub-200ms INP, sub-0.1 CLS targets.

Schema.org markup that exposes Q&A blocks to search engines. Triggers rich results in Google and is heavily favored by AI engines for verbatim quoting.

Server-side redirect that passes ranking signals from old URL to new. Required during redesigns/migrations to preserve SEO equity.

Block of three local-business results that appears for geographic searches. Ranking signals: GBP completeness, NAP consistency, review velocity, citations, on-page LocalBusiness schema.

Consistent Name, Address, and Phone number across every directory and your site. Entity engines treat NAP variance as ambiguity · kills local ranking.

Free Google listing that powers Maps + local pack ranking. Categories, services, photos, posts, and reviews drive visibility.

A business that serves customers at their location rather than from a storefront. Needs service-area pages, not address-pinned LocalBusiness schema.

Systematic process of testing landing pages, forms, CTAs, and funnels to lift the % of visitors who become leads or buyers. Compounds on top of SEO traffic.