{ "name": "AI Search Terms Explained", "canonical": "https://aisearchtermsexplained.com/glossary/", "publisher": "Dean Jessop", "dateModified": "2026-07-22", "terms": [ { "term": "AI Agent", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "agentic AI", "browser agent" ], "definition": "A software system that can plan or perform actions toward a goal, often by calling tools, browsing pages or interacting with services.", "instruction": "Use accessible labels, predictable controls and clear confirmation steps when an agent may interact with a website." }, { "term": "AI Mode", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "Google AI Mode" ], "definition": "A Google Search experience designed for longer, exploratory and comparative questions using generative AI and supporting web links.", "instruction": "Maintain the normal SEO foundation; Google does not require separate AI Mode markup." }, { "term": "AI Optimization", "abbr": "AIO", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "AIO", "AI visibility optimization" ], "definition": "A broad, non-standard label for work intended to improve content, data or business information for AI-powered systems.", "instruction": "Define the scope every time the term is used because AIO can also mean AI Overviews." }, { "term": "AI Overviews", "abbr": "AIO", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "Google AI Overviews", "AIO" ], "definition": "Google-generated summaries that may appear in Search with supporting web links for questions where an overview may help.", "instruction": "Do not create a separate hidden AI page. Keep important information crawlable, textual and accurately structured." }, { "term": "AI Search", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "generative search", "AI-assisted search" ], "definition": "A search experience that uses AI to interpret a request, retrieve information and often generate a direct or synthesized response.", "instruction": "Treat AI search as a group of different products rather than one universal engine." }, { "term": "Answer Engine", "abbr": "", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "direct answer system" ], "definition": "A search or information system designed to provide a direct response rather than only a list of possible sources.", "instruction": "Write the essential answer first, then add the evidence, conditions and context needed to use it correctly." }, { "term": "Answer Engine Optimization", "abbr": "AEO", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "AEO", "answer optimization" ], "definition": "The practice of presenting accurate information in a direct, structured form that can satisfy a specific question.", "instruction": "Use descriptive question headings, answer immediately and keep the answer visible in ordinary HTML." }, { "term": "Attribution", "abbr": "", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "source credit", "credit" ], "definition": "The act of identifying the source, author or organization responsible for information, research, media or a claim.", "instruction": "Link to original or authoritative sources and identify who produced original work." }, { "term": "Canonical URL", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "canonical tag", "rel canonical" ], "definition": "The preferred URL selected for a page when the same or very similar content can be reached through more than one address.", "instruction": "Use a self-referencing canonical on unique pages and avoid publishing copies across several domains." }, { "term": "Chatbot", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "conversational assistant" ], "definition": "A software interface that accepts conversational input and returns generated or scripted responses.", "instruction": "Do not assume every chatbot searches the live web; retrieval access varies by product and session." }, { "term": "Chunking", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "document chunking", "text chunk" ], "definition": "The process of dividing a document into smaller passages that can be indexed and retrieved independently.", "instruction": "Use clear sections and headings so passages retain meaning when retrieved away from the full page." }, { "term": "Citation", "abbr": "", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "supporting link", "source link" ], "definition": "A reference identifying a source used to support or expand an answer.", "instruction": "A citation is not the same as an endorsement, ranking or guarantee that the source will be reused later." }, { "term": "Context Window", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "model context" ], "definition": "The amount of text, data or tokens a language model can consider within a single interaction.", "instruction": "Put essential definitions close to the relevant heading instead of relying on distant context." }, { "term": "Crawlability", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "crawl access" ], "definition": "The ability of a crawler to reach and request a page and its important resources.", "instruction": "Return successful HTTP responses, use crawlable links and avoid login walls for public material." }, { "term": "Crawler", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "bot", "spider", "web crawler" ], "definition": "Automated software that requests pages and resources so a service can discover, index, analyze or use them.", "instruction": "Check robots.txt and server logs, but also confirm that the firewall, CDN and bot protection allow legitimate crawlers." }, { "term": "Data Freshness", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "freshness", "current data" ], "definition": "How current the available information is relative to the question being asked.", "instruction": "Update changed services, hours, prices, locations and contact details rather than leaving contradictory versions online." }, { "term": "DefinedTerm", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "schema DefinedTerm" ], "definition": "A schema.org type used to describe a word, phrase, acronym or concept and its meaning.", "instruction": "Use it to describe visible definitions, not to insert hidden meanings that the page never explains." }, { "term": "Digital Handshake", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "online introduction" ], "definition": "The public introduction connecting a business identity with its services, locations, contact details and official links before a customer makes contact.", "instruction": "Make the identity, offer, service area and next step clear on the same public page." }, { "term": "E-E-A-T", "abbr": "E-E-A-T", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "experience expertise authoritativeness trust" ], "definition": "A quality-evaluation concept referring to experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, with trust as the central consideration.", "instruction": "Show who created the content, why they know the subject and what evidence supports important claims." }, { "term": "Embedding", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "vector embedding" ], "definition": "A numerical representation used to capture relationships or similarity among words, passages, images or other data.", "instruction": "Remember that semantic similarity does not prove factual accuracy or business identity." }, { "term": "Entity", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "named entity", "business entity" ], "definition": "A distinct person, organization, place, product, event or concept that a system can identify and connect with information.", "instruction": "Use consistent names and official links so the same entity is not mistaken for several unrelated ones." }, { "term": "Entity Resolution", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "record linkage", "identity resolution" ], "definition": "The process of deciding whether different records or references describe the same real-world entity.", "instruction": "Correct conflicting names, addresses, phone numbers and websites where the business has control." }, { "term": "Generative AI", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "gen AI" ], "definition": "AI designed to create new text, images, audio, code or other outputs from learned patterns and supplied context.", "instruction": "Review generated material for accuracy, originality, relevance and unsupported claims before publication." }, { "term": "Generative Engine Optimization", "abbr": "GEO", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "GEO", "generative search optimization" ], "definition": "Work intended to improve the usefulness or visibility of content and entities in generated answers.", "instruction": "Add original value, clear authorship, direct definitions, supporting evidence and a strong technical foundation." }, { "term": "Grounding", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "grounded answer" ], "definition": "The use of retrieved or supplied evidence to anchor a generated response in external information.", "instruction": "Grounding can reduce unsupported answers, but the source and retrieval process can still be wrong." }, { "term": "Hallucination", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "fabrication", "unsupported generation" ], "definition": "A generated statement that is false, unsupported or presented with more confidence than the available evidence justifies.", "instruction": "Provide verifiable facts and monitor important brand information, but do not claim hallucinations can be eliminated by publishing one page." }, { "term": "Index", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "search index" ], "definition": "A processed collection of pages, records or passages that a search or retrieval system can query.", "instruction": "A crawler reaching a page does not guarantee that the page will be indexed." }, { "term": "IndexNow", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "URL submission protocol" ], "definition": "A protocol that lets participating search engines know when a URL has been added, updated or deleted.", "instruction": "Submit changed URLs after deployment, but understand that receipt does not guarantee indexing." }, { "term": "Information Retrieval", "abbr": "IR", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "retrieval" ], "definition": "The process of locating relevant documents, records or passages in response to a query.", "instruction": "Write sections that remain understandable when retrieved as individual passages." }, { "term": "JSON-LD", "abbr": "JSON-LD", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "linked data JSON", "structured data script" ], "definition": "A JSON-based format commonly used to add linked structured data to a web page.", "instruction": "Keep JSON-LD valid, page-specific and consistent with what users can see." }, { "term": "Knowledge Graph", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "entity graph" ], "definition": "A structured network of entities and the relationships among them.", "instruction": "Connect official names, people, organizations, places and products consistently rather than repeating disconnected keywords." }, { "term": "Knowledge Panel", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "Google knowledge panel" ], "definition": "An information panel generated by Google from its understanding of an entity and relevant sources.", "instruction": "A business cannot create a knowledge panel directly; it can maintain accurate official information and relevant profiles." }, { "term": "Large Language Model", "abbr": "LLM", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "language model" ], "definition": "A model trained on large amounts of language data to predict and generate text and perform language-related tasks.", "instruction": "Do not treat an LLM’s internal knowledge as a live, complete or always accurate database." }, { "term": "llms.txt", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "LLM text file", "AI text file" ], "definition": "A proposed plain-text website guide intended to summarize important pages for systems that choose to read it.", "instruction": "Use it only as a supplement. Google states that special AI text files are not required for AI Overviews or AI Mode." }, { "term": "Local SEO", "abbr": "", "category": "Local Search", "aliases": [ "local search optimization" ], "definition": "Work intended to improve how a business appears for location-related searches and local customer needs.", "instruction": "Maintain the Google Business Profile, accurate business details, relevant location content and real customer information." }, { "term": "Model Context Protocol", "abbr": "MCP", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "MCP" ], "definition": "A protocol for connecting AI applications with external tools, data sources and services through standardized interfaces.", "instruction": "MCP is an application integration concept, not a replacement for public website crawlability." }, { "term": "NAP", "abbr": "NAP", "category": "Local Search", "aliases": [ "name address phone" ], "definition": "A local-search abbreviation for a business’s name, address and phone number.", "instruction": "Use the current official details consistently while accounting for service-area businesses that do not publicly receive customers at an address." }, { "term": "Natural Language Processing", "abbr": "NLP", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "NLP" ], "definition": "A field concerned with enabling computers to process, interpret and generate human language.", "instruction": "Write naturally and clearly; awkward keyword repetition is not required for machines to understand the topic." }, { "term": "Noindex", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "noindex directive" ], "definition": "A directive asking compliant search engines not to include a page in their search index.", "instruction": "Allow the crawler to access the page if it must read the noindex directive." }, { "term": "OAI-SearchBot", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "OpenAI search crawler" ], "definition": "OpenAI’s crawler used to discover public content for ChatGPT search experiences.", "instruction": "Allow it in robots.txt and ensure the server or WAF does not block legitimate requests when search visibility is desired." }, { "term": "Organic Search", "abbr": "", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "unpaid search" ], "definition": "Unpaid visibility in search results rather than placement purchased through advertising.", "instruction": "Separate organic visibility reporting from paid campaigns and referral traffic." }, { "term": "Passage Retrieval", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "passage search" ], "definition": "The process of locating a specific section of a document that may answer a question.", "instruction": "Use headings, complete sentences and local context so a retrieved passage does not become misleading." }, { "term": "PerplexityBot", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "Perplexity crawler" ], "definition": "Perplexity’s crawler for surfacing and linking websites in Perplexity search results.", "instruction": "Allow the crawler and, where necessary, verify official IP ranges in WAF rules." }, { "term": "Prompt", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "instruction", "user prompt" ], "definition": "Input provided to an AI system describing a request, question, context or desired behaviour.", "instruction": "A user’s wording can change retrieval and output, so test realistic customer questions rather than only one exact prompt." }, { "term": "Query Fan-Out", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "fan-out queries" ], "definition": "A technique in which an AI search system issues multiple related searches to address different parts of a complex request.", "instruction": "Build a coherent topic structure instead of creating a thin page for every imagined wording variation." }, { "term": "Ranking", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "search ranking" ], "definition": "The ordering or scoring of documents, passages, products or results according to a system’s relevance and quality criteria.", "instruction": "Do not confuse technical eligibility with a guarantee of high placement." }, { "term": "Recognition Engine Guidance", "abbr": "REG", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "Recognition REG" ], "definition": "The first REG pillar, focused on helping systems identify the correct business or entity and connect its legitimate public references.", "instruction": "Standardize the official name, people, location, services, contacts and official links." }, { "term": "Retrieval Engine Guidance", "abbr": "REG", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "Retrieval REG" ], "definition": "The second REG pillar, focused on making accurate information about an entity available and retrievable for relevant questions.", "instruction": "Publish direct service, area, credential, policy and contact information in visible text." }, { "term": "Retrieval-Augmented Generation", "abbr": "RAG", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "RAG" ], "definition": "An AI architecture that retrieves external information and supplies it as context while a model generates a response.", "instruction": "Evaluate source quality, retrieval quality and generation quality separately." }, { "term": "Rich Result", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "rich snippet" ], "definition": "A search result enhanced with additional visual or interactive information supported by eligible structured data.", "instruction": "Valid structured data creates eligibility, not a guaranteed enhanced appearance." }, { "term": "robots.txt", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "robots file", "robots exclusion" ], "definition": "A file at the site root that communicates crawl permissions to robots that follow the Robots Exclusion Protocol.", "instruction": "Use User-agent: * and Allow: / when the goal is to permit all compliant crawlers." }, { "term": "Schema Markup", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "schema.org markup", "structured markup" ], "definition": "Machine-readable vocabulary used to describe people, organizations, articles, products, events, terms and other entities on a page.", "instruction": "Choose page-appropriate types and do not add unsupported or invisible claims." }, { "term": "Search Engine Optimization", "abbr": "SEO", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "SEO" ], "definition": "The practice of helping search engines discover and understand content while helping people find useful pages through search results.", "instruction": "Start with crawlability, useful content, internal links, page structure and accurate business details." }, { "term": "Semantic Search", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "meaning-based search" ], "definition": "Search that attempts to understand meaning, relationships and intent rather than relying only on exact word matching.", "instruction": "Use natural language, clear entities and complete explanations instead of forcing every possible keyword variation." }, { "term": "Service Area", "abbr": "", "category": "Local Search", "aliases": [ "area served", "service radius" ], "definition": "The geographic area in which a business provides services to customers.", "instruction": "Name real cities, regions or distance limits and distinguish the service area from a storefront address." }, { "term": "Sitemap", "abbr": "", "category": "Technical", "aliases": [ "XML sitemap" ], "definition": "A machine-readable list of important site URLs and optional update information used to support discovery.", "instruction": "Submit the sitemap to search tools and keep it aligned with canonical, indexable pages." }, { "term": "Structured Data", "abbr": "", "category": "Entity & Data", "aliases": [ "structured markup", "schema data" ], "definition": "Machine-readable information that labels the meaning and relationships of page content using a defined vocabulary.", "instruction": "Ensure every material statement in the structured data is supported by visible page content." }, { "term": "Token", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "LLM token" ], "definition": "A unit of text processed by a language model; a word may contain one or several tokens.", "instruction": "Token counts affect model context and cost, but website quality is not measured by token volume." }, { "term": "Tool Calling", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "function calling" ], "definition": "The ability of an AI system to invoke external functions, searches, databases or services while handling a request.", "instruction": "Design public interactions with clear labels, predictable inputs and confirmation before consequential actions." }, { "term": "Vector Database", "abbr": "", "category": "AI Systems", "aliases": [ "vector store" ], "definition": "A database designed to store and search numerical vector representations, often used for semantic retrieval.", "instruction": "A vector database improves similarity search; it does not resolve inaccurate source data automatically." }, { "term": "Voice Search", "abbr": "", "category": "Local Search", "aliases": [ "spoken search" ], "definition": "A search initiated through spoken language, often using a phone, car system, smart speaker or assistant.", "instruction": "Answer natural customer questions and keep local contact and location information current." }, { "term": "Zero-Click Search", "abbr": "", "category": "Publishing", "aliases": [ "no-click search" ], "definition": "A search session in which the user receives enough information on the results page or answer interface without clicking a website.", "instruction": "Measure more than website clicks; visibility, branded demand and later customer actions may occur elsewhere." } ] }