The SEO glossary, A to Z.

Plain English definitions for every term you'll encounter working with Mackay Growth.

A

Alt Text

A written description of an image that search engines read. Google can't see images - it reads the alt text instead. Without it your images are invisible to search engines and you're missing easy ranking opportunities.

B

Backlink

A link from another website pointing to yours. Google treats backlinks like votes of confidence - the more reputable sites linking to you, the more Google trusts your site. Quality matters far more than quantity. One link from a respected financial publication beats a hundred from random directories.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who land on your site and leave without clicking anything else. A high bounce rate tells Google your site didn't answer what the visitor was looking for. Fast load times, clear headlines, and relevant content keep people on the page.

C

Canonical URL

The preferred version of a web page when multiple URLs show the same content. Without it Google gets confused about which version to rank. A canonical tag tells Google 'this is the one that counts.'

Crawling

The process Google uses to discover and read your website. Google sends bots that follow links and read every page they find. If your site blocks crawlers or has broken links, Google can't index your pages - meaning they'll never appear in search results.

D

Domain Authority

A score between 1 and 100 that estimates how likely your website is to rank on Google. New sites start low. It builds over time through quality content, backlinks, and technical health. You can't buy it - you earn it.

G

Google Business Profile

Your free listing on Google Maps and local search results. For mortgage brokers this is often more important than your website ranking - it's the first thing borrowers see when they search 'mortgage broker [suburb].' Photos, reviews, and regular posts all improve it.

Google Search Console

A free tool from Google that shows how your site is performing in search. It tells you which keywords you're ranking for, which pages Google has indexed, and flags any technical errors. Every broker site should have this set up from day one.

H

H1 / Heading Tags

Headings are how you structure a page for both readers and Google. Your H1 is the main page title - there should only be one per page. H2s are your section headings, like chapters in a book. H3s sit underneath H2s as sub-sections. Google reads this hierarchy to understand what your page is about and how it's organised. Most broker sites either have no H1, or use it for their business name - which tells Google nothing useful.

I

Indexing

When Google adds your page to its database and makes it eligible to appear in search results. A page that isn't indexed will never rank, no matter how good the content is. You can check and request indexing through Google Search Console.

Internal Linking

Links within your own website that connect one page to another. Internal links help Google understand the structure of your site and spread authority between pages. They also keep visitors on your site longer - good for rankings, good for conversions.

K

Keyword

A word or phrase that people type into Google. SEO is the process of making your website appear when people search for keywords relevant to your business - like 'mortgage broker Gold Coast' or 'first home buyer loan Brisbane.'

Keyword Cluster

A group of related keywords targeted on a single page. Instead of writing one page for one keyword, a keyword cluster lets you rank for five or ten related terms at once - multiplying your chances of appearing in search results.

Keyword Difficulty

A score from 0 to 100 that estimates how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword. A score of 30 or below means you have a realistic shot at ranking without years of authority building. Higher scores mean you're competing with established sites with large budgets.

M

Meta Description

The short paragraph that appears below your page title in Google search results. It doesn't directly affect your ranking but it affects whether people click. A well-written meta description can dramatically improve your click-through rate.

Meta Title

The clickable blue headline that appears in Google search results. It's one of the most important on-page SEO elements. Most broker sites just use their business name - which wastes a prime opportunity to tell Google and borrowers exactly what you do and where you do it.

O

Off-Page SEO

Everything outside your website that affects your rankings - primarily backlinks from other sites. Off-page SEO builds your domain's reputation and authority in Google's eyes. It takes time and can't be faked sustainably.

On-Page SEO

Everything on your website that affects your rankings - headings, content, images, internal links, meta titles, page speed, and more. On-page SEO is what you control directly. It's the foundation everything else is built on.

Organic Traffic

Visitors who find your website through unpaid search results. Unlike Google Ads where you pay per click, organic traffic is free once you've earned the ranking. It compounds over time - the longer you invest in SEO the more it returns.

P

PageSpeed Score

A score out of 100 that measures how fast your website loads, tested by Google's Lighthouse tool. A score below 70 on mobile is a problem - slow sites rank lower and lose visitors before the page finishes loading. Most broker websites score under 60.

R

Robots.txt

A file that tells search engine bots which pages of your site they're allowed to crawl. Most of your site should be open to crawlers. The exception is admin pages or private content you don't want appearing in search results.

S

Schema Markup

Code added to your website that helps Google understand what your content means - not just what it says. For brokers, schema can tell Google your business name, location, opening hours, and reviews. It increases your chances of appearing in rich results and Google's AI overviews.

Search Volume

How many times a keyword is searched per month. A keyword with zero search volume isn't worth targeting. A keyword with high search volume but high difficulty isn't worth targeting either. The sweet spot is moderate volume with low difficulty - winnable keywords that real people are actually searching.

SERP

Search Engine Results Page. The page Google shows you after you type in a search. Your goal is to appear as high up the SERP as possible. Position one gets roughly 27% of all clicks. Position two gets about half that. By page two you're essentially invisible.

Sitemap

A file that lists every page on your website and tells Google they exist. Submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console is one of the first things you should do after launching a new site. Without it Google has to find your pages on its own - which can take weeks or months.

T

Technical SEO

The behind-the-scenes work that makes your website easy for Google to crawl, read, and rank. Includes page speed, mobile responsiveness, sitemap, robots.txt, schema markup, and core web vitals. You can't see technical SEO on the page - but Google can.

Topical Authority

Google's measure of how much expertise your website demonstrates on a specific subject. A mortgage broker site that publishes consistent, useful content about home loans, refinancing, and the property market builds topical authority over time. The more authority you have, the more Google trusts your site to rank for relevant searches.