Glossary
Plain-language definitions for rank tracking and SEO terms, from SERP to keyword cannibalization.
18 terms
AI Overview
An AI Overview is Google's AI-generated summary shown at the top of some search results, synthesizing information from multiple sources instead of listing links alone.
Average Position
Average position is the metric Google Search Console reports for a keyword: the mean ranking across every device, location, and personalization state that produced an impression over the selected date range.
Competitor Tracking
Competitor tracking monitors how other sites rank for the same keywords, to see who's gaining or losing ground and where a gap might be opening up.
Content Gap Analysis
Content gap analysis compares a page against the top-ranking results for its target keyword to identify what those pages cover that it doesn't.
Featured Snippet
A featured snippet is a highlighted answer box Google shows above the standard organic results, with its text pulled directly from a page that's already ranking for the query.
Google Search Console (GSC)
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how a site performs in search — impressions, clicks, average position, and indexing status — reported directly from Google's own data.
Keyword Cannibalization
Keyword cannibalization happens when two or more pages on the same site compete for the same search query, splitting ranking signals instead of concentrating them behind one page.
Keyword Difficulty
Keyword difficulty is a score estimating how hard it would be to rank in the top results for a given keyword, usually based on the strength of the pages currently ranking there.
Keyword Opportunity Score
A keyword opportunity score ranks which keywords are worth acting on first, typically weighing search volume, ranking difficulty, and how close a page already is to ranking well.
Localized Rank Tracking
Localized rank tracking checks a keyword's ranking as it appears in a specific country's Google search results, rather than a global or home-market default.
Organic CTR
Organic click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who see a page in search results and click it, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.
Rank Tracking
Rank tracking is the practice of regularly checking where a website ranks in search results for chosen keywords, to monitor movement over time.
Rank-Drop Alert
A rank-drop alert is a notification sent when a tracked keyword's position falls significantly, so the drop can be investigated before it compounds.
Search Volume
Search volume is an estimate of how many times a keyword is searched over a given period, usually averaged monthly.
SERP
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page — the page Google shows after a search, made up of organic results, ads, and features like featured snippets or AI Overviews.
SERP Feature
A SERP feature is any result on a search page beyond the standard organic listing — featured snippets, AI Overviews, People Also Ask boxes, image packs, and similar elements.
Tracked Position
A tracked position is one keyword tracked in one country — the unit most rank-tracking pricing is actually built on.
Verified Rank
A verified rank is the actual position a page holds in a real, live Google search — for one specific keyword, country, and moment — rather than an average estimated from impressions.