R. McPherson  //  DGM104  //  SEO & Paid Search

Final Exam Decoder

Not a summary. A field manual for the vocabulary that trips you up. Learn the codes first, the rest follows. Built to skim on your phone.

< 24 HRS CUMULATIVE · WK 1-5 DUE SAT 7/11 60 PTS DISCLAIMER QUIZ FIRST
01 · Priority

Acronyms & Abbreviations

57 codes

This is your number-one risk. Know every one of these cold and most of the exam decodes itself.

SEOSearch Engine Optimizationearning free (organic) search traffic, no pay-per-click.
SEMSearch Engine Marketingpaid advertising inside search engines (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads).
SERPSearch Engine Results Pagethe page Google returns after a search.
PPCPay-Per-Clickyou pay only when someone clicks your ad.
CPCCost Per Clickdollar amount paid per individual ad click.
CPMCost Per Millecost per 1,000 ad impressions shown.
CPACost Per Acquisitiontotal ad spend divided by conversions.
CTRClick-Through Rateclicks divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage.
ROASReturn On Ad Spendrevenue generated divided by ad dollars spent.
ROIReturn On Investmentnet profit divided by total investment cost.
KPIKey Performance Indicatora measurable metric tied to a business goal.
PageRankGoogle's original link-based authority algorithm, named after Larry Page.
LSILatent Semantic Indexingrelated words/synonyms that help engines confirm topic relevance.
E-E-A-TExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, TrustworthinessGoogle's content quality framework.
SGESearch Generative Experienceearlier name for Google's AI-generated answer feature.
AI OverviewsGoogle's 2024 featureAI-generated direct answer appears above traditional results.
UXUser Experiencehow a visitor feels using your site (speed, layout, ease).
UIUser Interfacethe visual design and interactive elements a visitor sees and clicks.
CMSContent Management Systemsoftware for building and editing a website (WordPress, Squarespace).
HTMLHyperText Markup Languagethe code language search engines read most easily.
CSSCascading Style Sheetscontrols visual presentation; does not affect crawlable content directly.
URLUniform Resource Locatorthe web address of a specific page.
SSLSecure Sockets Layerencryption certificate enabling HTTPS; a Google ranking signal since 2014.
HTTPSHyperText Transfer Protocol Secureencrypted version of HTTP; required for ranking competitively.
AMPAccelerated Mobile PagesGoogle-backed format for ultra-fast mobile page loading.
XMLExtensible Markup Languageformat used for sitemaps submitted to search engines.
CTACall To Actiona prompt directing the visitor to take a specific next step.
CROConversion Rate Optimizationimproving a page so more visitors complete the desired action.
GBPGoogle Business Profilefree Google listing for local businesses, central to local SEO.
NAPName, Address, Phone numbermust be identical across all local citations and your website.
GSCGoogle Search Consolefree Google tool showing impressions, clicks, position, and crawl issues.
GA4Google Analytics 4current free analytics platform; tracks all actions as events.
JSON-LDJavaScript Object Notation for Linked DataGoogle's preferred schema markup format.
301Permanent redirectold URL is dropped from index, authority passes to new URL.
302Temporary redirectold URL stays in index, authority does not transfer.
404Page Not Found errorthe requested URL does not exist on the server.
robots.txtPlain-text file at site root telling crawlers which pages to crawl or skip.
LCPLargest Contentful PaintCore Web Vital measuring load time; target under 2.5 seconds.
INPInteraction to Next PaintCore Web Vital measuring interactivity; target under 200 milliseconds.
CLSCumulative Layout ShiftCore Web Vital measuring visual stability; target under 0.1.
FIDFirst Input Delayolder interactivity metric replaced by INP; target was under 100 milliseconds.
CDNContent Delivery Networkglobal server network delivering site files from the nearest location.
ORMOnline Reputation Managementusing SEO to displace negative branded search results.
GEOGenerative Engine Optimizationoptimizing content to appear inside AI-generated search answers.
LLMLarge Language ModelAI trained on massive text data to generate human-like responses.
HHHHero, Hub, HelpYouTube content framework for building a search-driven channel audience.
BSRBest Seller RatingAmazon's dynamic category sales rank, a top A10 algorithm input.
BWTBing Webmaster ToolsBing's free equivalent of Google Search Console.
TIPTechnology, Incentives, Patternsframework for predicting the future of search.
DMCADigital Millennium Copyright Actlaw enabling takedown notices for infringing content.
ADAAmericans with Disabilities Actrequires websites to be accessible to people with disabilities.
GDPRGeneral Data Protection RegulationEU privacy law requiring consent popups for EU visitors.
CCPACalifornia Consumer Privacy ActCalifornia privacy law focused on transparency and accountability.
SRTSubRip Subtitlecaption file format containing text plus timestamps used for YouTube videos.
SKUStock-Keeping Unita product variation (color, size, material) that may get its own page.
UGCUser-Generated Contentcontent created by users; links tagged rel="ugc" pass no link equity.
YoYYear-Over-Yearcomparing current period data to the same period the previous year.
02

Key Terms, Plain English

29 terms
CrawlingA bot following links across the web, scanning page content, building the index.
IndexingSearch engine storing a crawled page in its database so it can rank.
RenderingEngine executing a page's JavaScript to see the full content as a browser would.
RankingEngine ordering indexed pages by relevance, authority, and behavior signals for a query.
BacklinkA link from another website pointing to yours; each one is a trust vote.
Anchor textThe visible, clickable words in a link; signals the destination page's topic.
NofollowLink attribute (rel="nofollow") that blocks link equity from passing to the destination.
DofollowA normal link with no nofollow tag; it passes authority to the destination page.
Canonical tagCode suggestion telling engines which duplicate URL is the preferred version to index.
Meta descriptionHead tag describing the page; suggests snippet text but does NOT affect ranking.
Title tagHTML head tag; the clickable blue link in results; VERY important ranking signal.
Header tagsH1 through H6 organize page content; one H1 per page, signals primary topic.
Keyword intentThe real goal behind a search: navigational, informational, commercial, or transactional.
Long-tail keywordLow-volume, highly specific search phrase; easier to rank, higher conversion intent.
Negative keywordA term you exclude in paid ads so irrelevant searches do not trigger your ad.
Quality ScoreGoogle's 1-10 ad rating: relevance to search, CTR, and landing page quality combined.
Ad RankScore determining your ad's position and cost; driven by bid multiplied by Quality Score.
BidMaximum amount you agree to pay per click for a keyword in a paid campaign.
ImpressionOne instance of your page or ad appearing on a results screen.
OrganicFree search results ranked by algorithm, not purchased; more trusted and persistent than ads.
PaidAd-based results labeled "Sponsored"; cost per click, disappear when budget runs out.
RetargetingShowing ads to users who already visited your site, using cookie data to follow them.
Display adsImage or banner ads shown across websites in Google's network; awareness-stage tool.
Search adsText ads triggered by keyword searches in Google or Bing; captures existing demand.
Shopping adsProduct-image ads with price shown in search results; drives bottom-funnel purchases.
Featured snippetVerbatim quote from a webpage placed at the top of results answering a direct question.
Schema/Structured dataCode labels (preferably JSON-LD) that help engines display rich results like ratings.
SitemapXML file listing important URLs submitted to engines to guide crawling and indexing.
Alt textImage HTML attribute describing the image for crawlers and screen readers.
03 · Watch out

The Gotchas

The counterintuitive ones you cannot just reason out. These are where points get lost.

Ad Rank = Bid x Quality Score, not Bid alone.

A higher bid cannot rescue a low Quality Score. A competitor with a lower bid but better landing page relevance and CTR will outrank you and pay less per click. Improving your page is cheaper than simply bidding more.

Crawling, indexing, and ranking are three separate steps, each one a gate.

A page can be crawled but not indexed (duplicate content, noindex tag, malware). A page can be indexed but rank on page 10. You must pass all three gates before a page produces any traffic.

Nofollow links pass zero link equity.

Links from your Instagram bio, YouTube channel description, blog comments, Wikipedia edits, and most digital ads are nofollow by default. They do not boost your domain authority regardless of how much traffic those platforms send.

A canonical tag is a suggestion, not a command.

Search engines can ignore it. Use a 301 redirect when you actually want to eliminate a duplicate URL for everyone. Use canonical when you need both URLs to stay live for visitors but want one to collect ranking credit.

Relevance beats bid, and a meta description does not affect ranking.

The meta description only influences whether someone clicks. The title tag does affect ranking. Many people mix these up and over-invest in description writing while neglecting title optimization.

Domain authority is a tool-invented score, not a Google metric.

Google does not use Moz's or Semrush's domain authority number. It is a useful proxy for comparing sites, but chasing the score itself is a mistake. Focus on earning referring domains from relevant sites.

Social media links do not directly improve rankings.

All major social platforms (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn) apply nofollow to outbound links. Posting your website on social does not build link equity. Social helps indirectly by distributing content that earns real dofollow links elsewhere.

The primary SEO metric is conversions from organic search, not rankings or traffic.

You can rank number one and get zero clients if you targeted the wrong intent. Rankings and traffic are secondary metrics unless your business model is ad-revenue (publisher). Always connect SEO work to the action that generates money.

04

Formulas & Numbers

CTR = Clicks divided by Impressions, multiplied by 100. Example: 30 clicks, 1,000 impressions = 3% CTR.
Conversion Rate = Conversions divided by Clicks (or Sessions), multiplied by 100.
CPC = Total Ad Spend divided by Total Clicks. Example: $200 spent, 50 clicks = $4.00 CPC.
CPM = Total Ad Spend divided by Impressions, multiplied by 1,000.
CPA = Total Ad Spend divided by Total Conversions (acquisitions).
ROAS = Revenue from Ads divided by Ad Spend. Example: $500 revenue, $100 spent = 5x ROAS.
Ad Rank = Bid multiplied by Quality Score (plus contextual signals). Higher Ad Rank wins better position at lower cost.
Quality Score inputs (three components) = Expected CTR (will searchers click the ad), Ad Relevance (does ad match the keyword), Landing Page Experience (does the page deliver what the ad promised). Scored 1 to 10.
LCP target = Under 2.5 seconds. INP target = Under 200 milliseconds. CLS target = Under 0.1. These are the three Core Web Vitals thresholds.
Google US search market share = 88.7% web, 93% mobile. Bing = 6.8%.
Zero-click searches = Only about 36% of Google searches result in a click to a third-party website.
05 · If you cram nothing else

High-Yield 20

  1. 01The three unbreakable SEO principles are relevance (on-page), popularity (off-page links), and user behavior signals.
  2. 02Crawling discovers URLs, indexing stores and analyzes them, ranking orders them for a query. These are three separate steps, not one.
  3. 03A page cannot rank if it is not indexed. A noindex tag, duplicate content, or malware will block indexing.
  4. 04Configure Google Analytics conversion events BEFORE starting any SEO work. No baseline means no proof of results.
  5. 05The primary SEO metric is the change in conversions attributable to organic search, not rankings or traffic volume.
  6. 06Meta descriptions do NOT affect rankings. They only influence CTR. Title tags DO affect rankings.
  7. 07Nofollow links (social profiles, blog comments, ads, wikis) pass zero link equity and do not improve domain authority.
  8. 08Ad Rank is determined by Bid multiplied by Quality Score. A high bid alone cannot overcome a low Quality Score.
  9. 09Quality Score is based on three inputs: expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience (scored 1 to 10).
  10. 10Google Panda (2011) penalized thin content. Google Penguin (2012) penalized low-quality links. Helpful Content Update (2022) rewarded people-first, firsthand-expertise content.
  11. 11E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. The leading E for Experience is the one most people forget.
  12. 12Google Business Profile category is the single most critical relevance signal for local map rankings. Keywords in the business description do NOT contribute to map ranking.
  13. 13NAP (Name, Address, Phone) must be identical across your website, GBP, and all citation sources. Inconsistency suppresses local rankings.
  14. 14Proximity to the searcher is the one local SEO factor that cannot be influenced by any optimization tactic.
  15. 15A 301 redirect signals a permanent move and passes link authority. A 302 is temporary and does not pass authority. Use 301 when you delete or merge pages.
  16. 16The canonical tag is a suggestion to search engines, not a command. Use a 301 redirect when you want hard control over which URL survives.
  17. 17YouTube's three ranking pillars are keyword relevance (title, description, tags, captions), video quality (CTR, retention, engagement), and channel authority (subscribers, total watch time).
  18. 18The video title is the single most important element for YouTube relevance. Titles get cut off beyond approximately 60 characters in search results.
  19. 19AI Overviews (launched 2024, powered by Gemini) appear above traditional links. Only about 36% of searches result in a click to a website. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the emerging practice for staying visible inside AI answers.
  20. 20Domain authority is a proprietary score invented by SEO tools, not a Google metric. Referring domains (the count of distinct sites linking to you) is the more reliable authority indicator.