Knowledge base
Understand SEO. Improve the work yourself.
Clear answers to SEO questions, from keywords and technical SEO to backlinks and AI visibility. The articles are free. The interactive lessons live in the academy.
- 37 terms
- 8 topics
- Free to read
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All articles
Short explanations. No invented customer examples.
- What is organic traffic?
Visits from unpaid search results.
SEO basics · 3 min read - What is a keyword?
The words someone types into search.
SEO basics · 3 min read - What is search intent?
The goal behind the query.
Keywords · 3 min read - What are long-tail keywords?
Longer, more specific queries.
Keywords · 3 min read - What is search volume?
An estimate of how often a phrase is searched.
Keywords · 3 min read - What is keyword difficulty?
An estimate of how hard it is to compete.
Keywords · 3 min read - What is SEO copy?
A page that answers a real question and can be found.
Content · 3 min read - What do H1 and H2 do?
Headings that say what a section is about.
Content · 3 min read - What is a content cluster?
A hub page plus pages that each answer their own question.
Content · 4 min read - What is keyword cannibalization?
Several pages competing for the same query.
Content · 3 min read - What is a canonical?
The URL you mark as preferred when the same content is available at more than one address.
Technical SEO · 6 min read - What is robots.txt?
Instructions for crawlers about what they may request.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - What is an XML sitemap?
A list of URLs you want to offer.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - What is a 301 redirect?
A permanent move from an old URL to a new one.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - What is noindex?
An instruction to keep a page out of the search index.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - Why loading speed matters
Slow pages are harder for people and for fetching.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - What is structured data?
Facts on the page in a standard form.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - Why HTTPS is needed
The secure version of your pages.
Technical SEO · 3 min read - What is a backlink?
A link from another site to yours.
Link building · 3 min read - What are referring domains?
How many different sites link to you.
Link building · 3 min read - Nofollow and sponsored
Attributes that say what kind of link it is.
Link building · 3 min read - What is an internal link?
A link to another page on your own site.
Link building · 3 min read - What is a Google Business Profile?
The listing with your name, category and contact details.
Local SEO · 3 min read - When should you make a location page?
Only when the page has real information about that place.
Local SEO · 3 min read - How should you handle reviews?
Honest experiences, not bought praise.
Local SEO · 3 min read - What are AI answers?
Assembled answers that can use sources.
AI visibility · 3 min read - What is a brand mention?
Your business name is named, with or without a link.
AI visibility · 3 min read - Connect Search Console
See impressions and clicks for your own site.
PlainRank · 3 min read - The first scan
Start with one site and one technical audit.
PlainRank · 3 min read - How to read a link opportunity
Only a suggestion that fits what your site is about.
PlainRank · 3 min read - Publishing content
From a brief to a page on your site.
PlainRank · 3 min read - What is semantic SEO?
Meaning, properties and relationships, not a word list.
Content · 4 min read - What is a topical map?
A route of hub, subtopics and URLs.
Content · 4 min read - What is programmatic SEO?
Templates with unique data, not empty city-name series.
Content · 4 min read - How do you judge a link without looking only at DR?
Relevance, value to the reader and transparency come before a score.
Link building · 4 min read - Which filter URLs belong in the index?
Only combinations with their own search goal and useful content.
Technical SEO · 4 min read - How do you read an SEO experiment?
Doing the work and organic change are two different things.
PlainRank · 4 min read