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Words you
might hear.
Someone says “schema” and carries on as if you know what that means. Here’s a place to look it up.
You don’t need to learn this list. Use it when a word gets in the way.
12 words explained.
No match yet. Try a shorter word, or choose “Show all words”.
AI (artificial intelligence)
Computer programs that can do things such as write answers, describe pictures or spot patterns. In these guides, we mostly mean apps that answer questions, such as ChatGPT.
You ask ChatGPT to explain a confusing sentence. It writes an explanation.
AI can give a confident answer that is wrong. Check important details.
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AI search
Using an AI tool to look for information and give you a written answer, often with links to websites.
You ask where to repair a bicycle nearby and receive suggestions with links.
Different tools can give different answers. Check the business details before relying on them.
Prompt
The question or instruction you type into an AI tool.
“Who teaches beginner sewing classes online?” is a prompt.
You can just call it a question. You do not need special wording to start.
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Citation
A reference showing a source for information. In AI search, this is often a clickable link.
An answer links to a shop’s delivery page beside a statement about delivery.
Open the link and check it. A link does not guarantee the answer is accurate.
SEO (search engine optimisation)
Work that helps search services find and understand a website so it can appear in relevant results.
A repair shop creates a clear page explaining which bicycles it repairs and where.
Google says SEO still matters for its AI search features.
AEO (answer engine optimisation)
A name people use for work intended to help information appear in answers from search and AI tools.
An agency calls its work on clear service information “AEO”.
Ask what will actually be changed. The label alone does not explain the work.
GEO (generative engine optimisation)
Another name used for work aimed at helping a business or its information appear in AI-written answers.
A report measures whether a business appears in a selection of AI answers.
This is not a place you register your business. Ask what a proposed service includes.
Schema / structured data
Labels added to the code behind a web page. They tell search services what a detail means, such as “this is the product’s price”.
A product page labels which number is the price and which text is the product name.
The labels should match what the page actually says. Adding them does not guarantee an AI recommendation.
Crawler / bot
Software that visits web pages automatically. Different crawlers do different jobs.
Google uses a crawler to open a public page and read what is there.
A visit from a crawler does not promise that your page will be shown in a search result or an AI answer.
Index
A search service’s collection of information about web pages it has found and examined.
Google can consider a page it has added to its index when someone searches.
Being in the collection does not guarantee that a page will be shown.
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MCP (Model Context Protocol)
A set of rules that lets an AI app connect to tools from another app.
You ask an AI assistant to check your website. If a website checker is connected, the assistant can ask it to do the check and send the findings back. MCP is one way those two tools communicate.
You do not need to learn MCP to improve the wording on your website. It is about connecting tools.
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Plugin
An add-on that gives an app extra tools or features. What it does depends on the app and the plugin.
A connected website-checking plugin gives an AI app a way to request a website check.
It is separate from appearing in AI search results. Installing an add-on does not guarantee a recommendation.