BradTech Glossary
Plain-English definitions for terms used across BradTech's service areas — written for business owners, not developers.
Each definition explains not just what a term means, but why it matters to your business. Use the section headers to jump to the area most relevant to what you're working on.
SEO & Local Search
Backlink — A link from another website pointing to yours. Google treats backlinks as votes of confidence; links from reputable, relevant sites carry more weight than links from low-quality or unrelated ones.
Citation — Any online mention of your business's name, address, and phone number (NAP) — whether or not it includes a link to your website. Consistent citations across directories (Yelp, BBB, Expertise.com, etc.) help Google confirm that your business information is accurate and trustworthy.
Digital Footprint — The complete picture of how your business appears across the internet: your website, Google Business Profile, social media profiles, directories, citations, and reviews. A strong, consistent digital footprint helps Google understand and trust your business — which directly affects how you rank in local search results.
Entity (SEO) — A thing that Google recognizes and categorizes — a business, person, place, or concept. When Google creates an entity record for your business (in its Knowledge Graph), it can connect information about you across multiple platforms rather than treating each one as separate and unrelated.
GBP / Google Business Profile — The business listing that appears on Google Maps and in local search results. Previously called Google My Business (GMB). Controls how your business shows up when someone searches for you directly or searches for your category near a location. One of the highest-leverage digital footprint assets a local business can have.
Knowledge Graph — Google's database of entities and the relationships between them. When your business has a Knowledge Graph entry (identified by a KG ID like /g/1263fbcx), Google has created a structured record of who you are — making your listing more stable and more likely to trigger a full Knowledge Panel in search results.
KG ID — The unique identifier Google assigns to a business in the Knowledge Graph. Confirms that a structured entity record exists, distinct from just a map pin or directory listing.
Local Pack / Map Pack — The block of three business listings (with a map) that Google shows at the top of search results for local queries like "insurance agent Minneapolis." Appearing in the Local Pack is determined by relevance (categories, keywords), distance (proximity to the searcher), and prominence (reviews, citations, authority).
Local SEO — The practice of optimizing your digital presence to appear in searches for businesses in a specific location — primarily in the Local Pack, Google Maps, and locally-targeted organic results. Distinct from general SEO in its emphasis on GBP, NAP consistency, and citations.
Meta Description — A short summary of a page's content that appears below the title in search results. Google doesn't use it as a direct ranking factor, but a well-written meta description increases click-through rates — the percentage of searchers who choose your result over others.
NAP — Stands for Name, Address, Phone. The three core pieces of business identity that must be consistent across every platform — GBP, website, Yelp, Facebook, directories — for Google to confidently connect all your listings to the same business. Inconsistent NAP (different phone numbers, address formats, or business names across platforms) creates confusion for both Google and prospective clients.
Organic Search — Traffic that comes to your website from unpaid search results. SEO work improves organic search visibility over time, as opposed to paid ads which drive traffic only while the budget is active.
sameAs — A schema property that explicitly links your website's structured data to your profiles on other platforms (GBP, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp). Tells Google that the business described on your website is the same entity as your listing on those platforms — strengthening entity recognition across the web.
Schema / Structured Data — Machine-readable code embedded in your website (in JSON-LD format) that tells Google what your business is, where it's located, what hours it operates, and how to connect it to your other profiles. Search engines can't read a website the way humans do — schema is how you communicate directly with Google in its own language.
SERP — Search Engine Results Page. The page Google displays after someone performs a search. A SERP typically includes organic results, a Local Pack, featured snippets, and paid ads — all competing for the same user's attention.
Title Tag — The clickable headline that appears for a page in search results. Google uses it as one of the strongest signals for what the page is about. Best practice is under 60 characters, with the most important keyword near the front. Everything after ~60 characters gets cut off in the display.
UTM Parameters / UTM Tracking — Tags added to the end of a URL (e.g., ?utm_source=GMB&utm_medium=Local) that track where a website click came from. When a UTM-tracked URL belongs to a third party — like a carrier's corporate system — clicks get attributed to their analytics, not yours. You receive the traffic but get no data about it, and your own analytics show nothing.
Website & Technical
CMS (Content Management System) — Software that powers a website and allows non-developers to manage content without writing code. WordPress is the most widely used CMS; others include Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow. The CMS determines what customization, SEO control, and flexibility a site has.
Crawl / Crawlability — The process by which Google's automated bots visit and read your website's pages. If a page can't be crawled (due to a robots.txt block, a noindex tag, or a technical error), Google can't index it — and it won't appear in search results no matter how good the content is.
H1 / H2 / Headings — HTML heading tags that structure page content hierarchically. An H1 is the main page heading — each page should have exactly one. H2s are subheadings. Google uses headings to understand what a page is about, making them one of the simplest and most direct on-page SEO signals.
HTTPS / SSL — The secure version of HTTP — the protocol that transfers data between a browser and a website. An SSL certificate encrypts that connection. Websites without HTTPS show a "Not secure" warning in browsers and receive a rankings penalty from Google.
JSON-LD — The format Google recommends for embedding schema (structured data) in a webpage. It appears as a <script> block in a page's source code — invisible to visitors, but readable by search engines. Rank Math and Yoast generate JSON-LD automatically.
og:type — An Open Graph tag that tells social platforms (and Google) what type of content a page represents. website is correct for business homepages; article is correct for blog posts. A common misconfiguration applies article sitewide — signaling to Google that every page on the site is a blog post, regardless of content.
Page Builder — A visual drag-and-drop editor inside a CMS that lets users design pages without writing code. Common examples: Divi, Elementor, Beaver Builder (all WordPress plugins). Squarespace and Webflow have page builders built in.
Page Speed / Core Web Vitals — Metrics Google uses to measure how fast and stable a page loads for real users. Slow load times hurt both user experience and search rankings. Core Web Vitals are Google's official performance benchmarks — Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
Privacy Policy — A legally required page on any website that collects user data — including contact forms, cookies, and analytics tracking. Its absence creates legal exposure and a minor trust signal gap with Google and prospective clients.
Redirect (301) — A permanent redirect that automatically sends visitors (and search engines) from one URL to another. Used when pages move or URLs change. A chain of redirects (A → B → C) is less efficient than a direct redirect (A → C) and can slow page load times.
Robots.txt — A file at the root of a website (e.g., yoursite.com/robots.txt) that tells search engine crawlers which pages they are and are not allowed to visit. A misconfigured robots.txt can accidentally block Google from indexing the entire site.
Sitemap (XML) — A file that lists all the pages on a website, helping Google find and crawl them efficiently. Most SEO plugins (Rank Math, Yoast) generate sitemaps automatically. A sitemap containing deleted or irrelevant pages is a signal of poor technical hygiene.
Social Media
Bio Link / Link in Bio — The single clickable URL allowed in an Instagram profile. Because Instagram doesn't allow links in post captions, all traffic from Instagram content must flow through this one link. Link-in-bio tools (Linktree, Beacons, Stan.store) turn that one URL into a small landing page with multiple destination options.
Engagement Rate — The percentage of followers who interact with a post through likes, comments, shares, or saves. A more meaningful measure of audience health than follower count alone — a small, engaged audience is more valuable than a large, passive one.
Impressum — A legal disclosure field on Facebook Business Pages (originally a European legal requirement, now used globally). It appears in the Privacy and Legal Info section of the About tab. An Impressum that contradicts the bio or contact fields — different neighborhood, different city — can misdirect visitors and create confusion about the business's location.
Reel — Short-form vertical video content on Facebook and Instagram. Unlike standard posts (which are shown primarily to existing followers), Reels are distributed by the platform's algorithm to non-followers — giving them significantly higher reach potential.
Social Proof — The accumulated evidence that other people trust a business: reviews, ratings, follower counts, testimonials, and recommendations. Strong social proof (like a high volume of five-star Google reviews) reduces perceived risk for prospective clients who haven't worked with the business before.
Story Highlight — A curated collection of Instagram Stories saved permanently on a profile. By default, Stories disappear after 24 hours. Highlights let you keep selected Stories visible indefinitely as labeled categories pinned at the top of your profile.
Analytics & Tracking
Bounce Rate — The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page without taking any action. A high bounce rate on a key page (like a contact or quote page) may indicate that the page isn't delivering what visitors expected or lacks a clear call to action.
Conversion — A completed action that matters to the business — a contact form submission, a phone call click, a quote request, a purchase. Analytics is configured to count conversions so you know how many visitors are actually taking the action you want them to take.
CTR (Click-Through Rate) — The percentage of people who see a link and click it. In organic search, a higher CTR at a given position indicates a compelling title tag and meta description. In advertising, higher CTR usually means lower cost per click.
GA4 (Google Analytics 4) — Google's current analytics platform, which replaced Universal Analytics in 2023. Tracks website visitors, their behavior, where they came from, and whether they converted. Requires a tracking code installed on the website. Without GA4, there is no way to measure how website traffic is performing.
Session — A single visit to a website by a user, including all the pages they viewed during that visit. Sessions are one of the primary metrics analytics platforms use to measure traffic volume and engagement depth.
Advertising
CPC (Cost Per Click) — The amount paid each time someone clicks an ad. Google Ads and Meta Ads can both be managed on a CPC basis — you pay only when someone clicks, not just when they see the ad.
CPM (Cost Per Mille) — The cost per 1,000 ad impressions. Used in awareness-focused campaigns where the primary goal is reaching as many people as possible, rather than driving immediate clicks or conversions.
Funnel — The path a potential customer travels from first becoming aware of a business to completing a purchase or inquiry. Advertising strategy, messaging, and channel selection all vary depending on which stage of the funnel is being targeted — awareness, consideration, or decision.
Landing Page — A standalone web page built specifically for an advertising campaign. Unlike a homepage, a landing page has a single focused goal (usually a form submission or phone call), minimal navigation, and no distractions designed to send visitors elsewhere.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) — An advertising model where you pay only when someone clicks your ad. Google Ads and Meta Ads both operate on PPC principles, though billing details vary by campaign type.
Retargeting — Showing ads specifically to people who have already visited your website or engaged with your content. Retargeting audiences tend to convert at higher rates because they already have some familiarity with the business.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) — Revenue generated per dollar spent on advertising. A ROAS of 4x means $4 in revenue returned for every $1 spent. The target ROAS varies by business type, margin, and campaign goal.
Business Operations
Automation — Using software to perform repetitive tasks without manual effort — sending follow-up emails, assigning leads in a CRM, triggering notifications based on form submissions. Automation reduces administrative work and ensures consistent follow-through regardless of workload or staffing.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) — Software that tracks contacts, leads, and client relationships in one place. A CRM stores conversation history, deal status, follow-up tasks, and communication records so nothing falls through the cracks as a business scales.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator) — A measurable value used to evaluate progress toward a specific goal. Examples: new leads per month, website conversion rate, GBP review count, cost per lead from advertising. KPIs make it possible to assess whether a strategy is working or needs adjustment.
Onboarding — The structured process of bringing a new client or team member into a system or workflow. A well-designed onboarding process sets clear expectations, gathers the necessary information upfront, and reduces back-and-forth in the early stages of a relationship.
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) — A documented step-by-step process for completing a recurring task consistently. SOPs allow team members to execute without reinventing the process each time, and make training new staff significantly faster.
Last updated: 2026-06-17