Local SEO Glossary
Every term that matters for your business.
Plain-English definitions for the SEO, AI visibility, and digital marketing terms that actually affect whether customers find you. No jargon for jargon's sake.
A
AI Visibility
Whether AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can find your business and recommend it when someone asks 'who should I hire for X in my city.' Depends on schema markup, FAQ content, llms.txt, and whether AI crawlers can index your site.
Read more: Why Your Local Business Is Invisible to AI Search →B
Brand Audit
A diagnostic scan of your online presence across five modules: Google Business Profile, site health, keyword gaps, missing pages, and AI visibility. VibeTokens runs these free at /start — takes about two minutes and returns a scored report.
Read more: Run a free brand audit →Breadcrumb Schema
Structured data that tells Google the navigation path to a page (e.g., Home → Blog → Category → Post). Shows as a clickable path in search results. Helps Google understand your site structure and improves click-through rates.
C
Canonical URL
The 'official' version of a page when duplicates exist. Tells Google which URL to index and rank. If your site is accessible with and without 'www,' a canonical tag prevents Google from treating them as duplicate content.
Citation
Any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Directory listings, local news mentions, industry databases, and social profiles all count. Consistent citations across the web help your local search ranking.
City Page
A dedicated webpage targeting a specific city you serve — e.g., 'Tree Service in Lakewood, OH.' Each city page targets a unique '[service] in [city]' keyword and helps Google match your business to searches from that area.
Read more: Tree Service SEO in Cleveland →Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who see your listing in search results and actually click on it. A compelling title and description improve CTR. If 100 people see your result and 5 click, your CTR is 5%.
Content Silo
A group of related pages organized around a central topic, with the pages linking to each other. For a tree service: one pillar post about tree service SEO in general, with city-specific posts linking back to it. Tells Google this cluster of content is authoritative on the topic.
Read more: What Happens When Someone Googles Tree Service Near Me →Core Web Vitals
Google's measurement of page load performance: how fast the main content appears (LCP), how quickly the page responds to interaction (INP), and how much the layout shifts while loading (CLS). Poor scores hurt your search ranking.
E
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
An invasive beetle that has killed tens of millions of ash trees across the Midwest and Northeast. For tree services, EAB creates persistent year-round demand for dead tree removal that goes beyond normal seasonal patterns.
Read more: Tree Service SEO in Detroit →F
FAQ Schema
Structured data (JSON-LD) that marks up question-and-answer content on your page. Google can display these as expandable Q&As directly in search results, increasing your listing's visibility and click-through rate.
G
Google Business Profile (GBP)
Your business listing on Google Maps and Google Search. Includes your name, address, phone, hours, categories, photos, reviews, and services. Optimizing your GBP is the single most impactful local SEO action for most businesses.
Read more: How the Google Map Pack works →Google Map Pack
The group of three business listings that appear with a map at the top of local Google searches. Pulled from Google Business Profile data. Getting into the Map Pack for your service + city keyword is the highest-value local SEO position.
I
Indexing
When Google adds your page to its database so it can appear in search results. A page that isn't indexed doesn't exist to Google. Common reasons for non-indexing: noindex tag, thin content, crawl errors, or pages blocked by robots.txt.
Internal Link
A link from one page on your site to another page on your site. Internal links help Google understand your site structure and distribute ranking authority. Every blog post should link to 2-4 related pages on your site.
J
JSON-LD
The format used for schema markup. A block of code in your page's HTML that tells Google structured information about your business, services, location, FAQs, and reviews in a machine-readable way. Most schema markup is implemented as JSON-LD.
K
Keyword Gap
A search query that your potential customers are making but your website doesn't rank for. Our audit identifies 8-12 high-value keyword gaps — searches where you should show up but don't because you haven't built content targeting them.
L
llms.txt
A text file at the root of your website (like robots.txt but for AI). It provides a concise, machine-readable description of your business for AI crawlers. Helps ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI systems understand who you are and what you do.
Local Pack
See: Google Map Pack. The three-business map section in local search results.
LocalBusiness Schema
A specific type of JSON-LD markup that tells Google your business type, address, service area, hours, and contact info in a structured format. The foundation of local SEO schema — most small business websites don't have it.
Long-Tail Keyword
A specific, multi-word search phrase like 'emergency tree removal Lakewood OH' instead of just 'tree service.' Long-tail keywords have less competition and higher intent — the person searching knows exactly what they need and where.
M
Meta Description
The 1-2 sentence summary that appears under your page title in Google search results. Doesn't directly affect ranking but heavily affects whether people click. Should be under 160 characters, include the keyword, and read like a reason to click.
Missing Pages
Services you offer or cities you serve that don't have a dedicated page on your website. Our audit module identifies these by comparing your Google Business Profile data against your website's page structure.
N
NAP Consistency
Name, Address, Phone number — the three data points that must be identical across every directory listing, social profile, and citation. Inconsistent NAP (different phone number on Yelp vs Google vs your website) confuses Google and hurts local rankings.
O
Organic Traffic
Visitors who find your website through unpaid search results (as opposed to paid ads). Organic traffic is free and compounds — a page that ranks today continues generating visits for months or years without ongoing cost.
P
PageSpeed Score
A 0-100 score from Google's PageSpeed Insights tool measuring your site's load performance. Scores below 50 can hurt your search rankings. Common issues: unoptimized images, slow server response, render-blocking JavaScript.
Primary Category (GBP)
The main business category on your Google Business Profile. This single field has more impact on which searches you appear for than almost any other GBP setting. A tree service listed as 'Landscaper' won't show up for 'tree service near me.'
R
robots.txt
A text file that tells search engine crawlers which pages on your site they can and can't access. Important for local businesses because misconfigured robots.txt can accidentally block Google from indexing your service or city pages.
S
Schema Markup
Structured data added to your website's code that helps Google understand the content. Types relevant to local businesses: LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, Article, Review. Most small business websites have zero schema markup.
Service Area Business
A business that travels to customers instead of customers coming to a storefront. Plumbers, tree services, HVAC companies, and cleaning services are all service-area businesses. Google Business Profile lets you list specific cities you serve instead of a physical address.
Service Page
A dedicated webpage for one specific service you offer — e.g., 'Stump Grinding' or 'Emergency Tree Removal.' Each service page targets a different keyword and gives Google a specific page to rank for that query.
Sitemap
An XML file that lists every page on your website with metadata about when each was last updated. Submitted to Google Search Console to help Google discover and index all your pages — especially important when you're adding new content regularly.
Speakable Schema
Structured data that marks specific content on your page as suitable for voice assistants to read aloud. Relevant as more searches happen through Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. Typically marks your H1 headline and the first paragraph of your page.
T
Title Tag
The HTML title of your page — shown as the clickable headline in Google search results. Should be under 60 characters, include your primary keyword, and be compelling enough to earn the click. The single most important on-page SEO element.
V
Voice Search Optimization
Structuring your content so voice assistants (Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa) can find and read it. FAQ format, speakable schema, and natural-language content all improve voice search performance for local businesses.
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