SEO Glossary

A search service which is focused on a particular field, a particular type of information, or a particular information format.

For example, Business.com would be a B2B vertical search engine, and YouTube would be a video based vertical search engine.

Self propagating marketing techniques. Common modes of transmission are email, blogging, and word of mouth marketing channels.

An alias for an IP address or server operated by an ISP or web host. A virtual domain allows hosting clients to have a domain name without the effort and cost of maintaining a server.

A server which allows multiple top level domains to be hosted from a single computer.

Using a virtual server can save money for smaller applications, but dedicated hosting should be used for large commercial platforms.Most domains are hosted on virtual servers, but using a dedicated server on your most important domains should add server reliability, and could be seen as a sign of quality. Dedicated servers usually run from $100 to $500 a month. Virtual servers typically run from $5 to $50 per month.

How well-placed your web site is in the search engines for relevant keyword searches. Also see “Invisible Web.”

See “user session”.