Glossary Terms
N & O
Natural Language Processing
Algorithms which attempt to understand the true intent of a search query rather than just matching results to
keywords.
Natural Link (see Editorial Link)
Natrual Search (see Organic Search Results)
Navigation
Scheme to help website users understand where they are, where they have been, and how that relates to
the rest of your website.
It is best to use regular HTML navigation rather than coding your navigation in JavaScript, Flash, or some
other type of navigation which search engines may not be able to easily index.
Netscape
Originally a company that created a popular web browser by the same name, Netscape is now a social news
site similar to Digg.com.
See also:
Netscape.com
Niche
A topic or subject which a website is focused on.
Search is a broad field, but as you drill down each niche consists of many smaller niches. An example of
drilling down to a niche market
search
search marketing, privacy considerations, legal issues, history of, future of, different types of vertical search,
etc.
search engine optimization, search engine advertising
link building, keyword research, reputation monitoring and management, viral marketing, SEO copywriting,
Google AdWords, information architecture, etc.
Generally it is easier to compete in small, new, or underdeveloped niches than trying to dominate large
verticals. As your brand and authority grow you can go after bigger markets.
Nofollow
Attribute used to prevent a link from passing link authority. Commonly used on sites with user generated
content, like in blog comments.
The code to use nofollow on a link appears like
<a href="http://wwwseobook.com.com" rel="nofollow">anchor text </a>
Nofollow can also be used in a robots meta tag to prevent a search engine from counting any outbound links
on a page. This code would look like this
<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="INDEX, NOFOLLOW">
Google's Matt Cutts also pushes webmasters to use nofollow on any paid links, but since Google is the
world's largest link broker, their advice on how other people should buy or sell links should be taken with a
grain of salt. Please note that it is generally not advised to practice link hoarding as that may look quite
unnatural. Outbound links may also boost your relevancy scores in some search engines.
O
Ontology
In philosophy it is the study of being. As it relates to search, it is the attempt to create an exhaustive and
rigorous conceptual schema about a domain. An ontology is typically a hierarchical data structure containing
all the relevant entities and their relationships and rules within that domain.
See also:
Wikipedia: Ontology
Open Directory Project, The (see DMOZ)
Open Source
Software which is distributed with its source code such that developers can modify it as they see fit.
On the web open source is a great strategy for quickly building immense exposure and mindshare.
Opera
A fast standards based web browser.
See also:
Opera.com
Organic Search Results
Most major search engines have results that consist of paid ads and unpaid listings. The unpaid / algorithmic
listings are called the organic search results. Organic search results are organized by relevancy, which is
largely determined based on linkage data, page content, usage data, and historical domain and trust related
data.
Most clicks on search results are on the organic search results. Some studies have shown that 60 to 80% +
of clicks are on the organic search results.
Outbound Link
A link from one website pointing at another external website.
Some webmasters believe in link hoarding, but linking out to useful relevant related documents is an easy
way to help search engines understand what your website is about. If you reference other resources it also
helps you build credibility and leverage the work of others without having to do everything yourself. Some
webmasters track where their traffic comes from, so if you link to related websites they may be more likely to
link back to your site.
See also:
Live Search: LinkFromDomain:SEOBook.com - shows pages that my site links at.
Overture
The company which pioneered search marketing by selling targeted searches on a pay per click basis.
Originally named GoTo, they were eventually bought out by Yahoo! and branded as Yahoo! Search
Marketing.
See also:
Yahoo! Search Marketing
Overture Keyword Selector Tool
Popular keyword research tool, based largely on Yahoo! search statistics. Heavily skewed toward
commercially oriented searches, also combines singular and plural versions of a keyword into a single
version.
See also:
Overture Keyword Selector Tool
P & Q
N & O
Natural Language Processing
Algorithms which attempt to understand the true intent of a search query rather than just matching results to
keywords.
Natural Link (see Editorial Link)
Natrual Search (see Organic Search Results)
Navigation
Scheme to help website users understand where they are, where they have been, and how that relates to
the rest of your website.
It is best to use regular HTML navigation rather than coding your navigation in JavaScript, Flash, or some
other type of navigation which search engines may not be able to easily index.
Netscape
Originally a company that created a popular web browser by the same name, Netscape is now a social news
site similar to Digg.com.
See also:
Netscape.com
Niche
A topic or subject which a website is focused on.
Search is a broad field, but as you drill down each niche consists of many smaller niches. An example of
drilling down to a niche market
search
search marketing, privacy considerations, legal issues, history of, future of, different types of vertical search,
etc.
search engine optimization, search engine advertising
link building, keyword research, reputation monitoring and management, viral marketing, SEO copywriting,
Google AdWords, information architecture, etc.
Generally it is easier to compete in small, new, or underdeveloped niches than trying to dominate large
verticals. As your brand and authority grow you can go after bigger markets.
Nofollow
Attribute used to prevent a link from passing link authority. Commonly used on sites with user generated
content, like in blog comments.
The code to use nofollow on a link appears like
<a href="http://wwwseobook.com.com" rel="nofollow">anchor text </a>
Nofollow can also be used in a robots meta tag to prevent a search engine from counting any outbound links
on a page. This code would look like this
<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="INDEX, NOFOLLOW">
Google's Matt Cutts also pushes webmasters to use nofollow on any paid links, but since Google is the
world's largest link broker, their advice on how other people should buy or sell links should be taken with a
grain of salt. Please note that it is generally not advised to practice link hoarding as that may look quite
unnatural. Outbound links may also boost your relevancy scores in some search engines.
O
Ontology
In philosophy it is the study of being. As it relates to search, it is the attempt to create an exhaustive and
rigorous conceptual schema about a domain. An ontology is typically a hierarchical data structure containing
all the relevant entities and their relationships and rules within that domain.
See also:
Wikipedia: Ontology
Open Directory Project, The (see DMOZ)
Open Source
Software which is distributed with its source code such that developers can modify it as they see fit.
On the web open source is a great strategy for quickly building immense exposure and mindshare.
Opera
A fast standards based web browser.
See also:
Opera.com
Organic Search Results
Most major search engines have results that consist of paid ads and unpaid listings. The unpaid / algorithmic
listings are called the organic search results. Organic search results are organized by relevancy, which is
largely determined based on linkage data, page content, usage data, and historical domain and trust related
data.
Most clicks on search results are on the organic search results. Some studies have shown that 60 to 80% +
of clicks are on the organic search results.
Outbound Link
A link from one website pointing at another external website.
Some webmasters believe in link hoarding, but linking out to useful relevant related documents is an easy
way to help search engines understand what your website is about. If you reference other resources it also
helps you build credibility and leverage the work of others without having to do everything yourself. Some
webmasters track where their traffic comes from, so if you link to related websites they may be more likely to
link back to your site.
See also:
Live Search: LinkFromDomain:SEOBook.com - shows pages that my site links at.
Overture
The company which pioneered search marketing by selling targeted searches on a pay per click basis.
Originally named GoTo, they were eventually bought out by Yahoo! and branded as Yahoo! Search
Marketing.
See also:
Yahoo! Search Marketing
Overture Keyword Selector Tool
Popular keyword research tool, based largely on Yahoo! search statistics. Heavily skewed toward
commercially oriented searches, also combines singular and plural versions of a keyword into a single
version.
See also:
Overture Keyword Selector Tool
P & Q
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