Glossary
Plain-English definitions for Michigan small business owners
The digital marketing terms that come up most often when running a business in Michigan, written without jargon and with the practical angle that actually matters.
Local SEO
Local SEO is the work of getting a business to show up on Google for nearby customers, both in the regular search results and in the map pack.
Read the full definitionGoogle Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is the free listing Google uses to show your business in Maps and the local pack, including your hours, photos, phone number, and reviews.
Read the full definitionNAP and Local Citations
NAP is short for name, address, and phone number. A local citation is any mention of that information on another site, like Yelp, Facebook, or the BBB. Consistency across citations is a confirmed local SEO ranking signal.
Read the full definitionSchema Markup
Schema markup is structured code that you add to a webpage to tell search engines exactly what the page is about, such as a local business, an article, a product, or an FAQ.
Read the full definitionConversion Rate Optimization
Conversion rate optimization, or CRO, is the practice of improving a website so that a higher percentage of visitors take the action you want, such as calling, booking, or submitting a form.
Read the full definitionMobile First Indexing
Mobile-first indexing means Google primarily uses the mobile version of a website to determine how it ranks in search results, even for searches done on a desktop computer.
Read the full definitionCustomer Reviews and Star Ratings
Customer reviews and star ratings are the public ratings and written feedback customers leave on a business listing or website. They influence both Google rankings and customer decisions.
Read the full definitionService Area Business
A service area business, or SAB, is a business that travels to its customers instead of serving them at a storefront. Plumbers, electricians, mobile groomers, and roofing contractors are typical examples.
Read the full definitionE-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is the framework Google's human quality raters use to judge how much a page and the business behind it can be trusted.
Read the full definitionAnchor Text
Anchor text is the visible, clickable words that make up a hyperlink. The words you choose tell both readers and search engines what the page on the other end of the link is about.
Read the full definitionBounce Rate
Bounce rate is the share of visitors who land on a page and leave without interacting further or visiting a second page. A high number can signal a problem, but on its own it is easy to misread.
Read the full definitionClick-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate, or CTR, is the percentage of people who see your listing in search results or an ad and actually click it. In search, it measures how compelling your title and description are at the moment of choice.
Read the full definitionPage Experience
Page experience is Google's bundle of signals that measure how pleasant and usable a page feels to a real visitor, covering load speed, visual stability, mobile-friendliness, and a secure connection.
Read the full definitionTopical Authority
Topical authority is the degree to which Google sees your site as a trusted, thorough source on a particular subject. The more completely you cover a topic, the more readily Google ranks you across related searches.
Read the full definitionSearch Intent
Search intent is the underlying goal behind a search query, what the person actually wants when they type it. Matching your page to that goal is one of the strongest things you can do to rank and convert.
Read the full definitionLocal Pack and Map Pack
The map pack, also called the local pack or local 3-pack, is the block of three local businesses shown with a map near the top of Google for searches with local intent. For most local businesses it is the most valuable real estate on the page.
Read the full definitionKeyword Research
Keyword research is the work of figuring out the actual words and phrases customers type into search engines to find a business like yours, then deciding which ones are worth building pages around.
Read the full definitionMeta Description
A meta description is the short snippet of text that appears under your page title in search results. It does not directly affect rankings, but it heavily influences whether a searcher clicks your listing or a competitor's.
Read the full definitionImage Alt Text
Alt text, short for alternative text, is a written description of an image that you add in the code. Screen readers read it aloud for visitors who cannot see the image, and search engines use it to understand what the picture shows.
Read the full definitionStructured Data
Structured data is a standardized way of labeling the information on a page in code so search engines can read it precisely. For a local business it unlocks rich results and feeds the signals behind the map pack.
Read the full definitionWant the work done for you?
The Michigan Business Initiative handles the website, the local SEO, and the Google Business Profile work that these definitions describe, for a flat monthly fee.