Blogging has its own language, full of terms that can be confusing when you’re starting out. This glossary explains the most common blogging terms in simple, straightforward English, so you can focus on creating great content without the jargon.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Affiliate marketing
Promoting other people’s products or services and earning a small commission when someone buys through your link. Many bloggers use this to monetise their sites.
Analytics
Data that shows how visitors find and use your blog — such as page views, time on site, or bounce rate. Google Analytics is a popular tool for this.
Anchor text
The clickable part of a hyperlink, often underlined or coloured differently. Using descriptive anchor text helps with SEO and clarity.
Audience
The group of people your blog is written for. Understanding your audience helps you choose topics and tone that resonate with them.
B
Backlink
A link from another website to your blog. Backlinks can improve your site’s authority and rankings in search results.
Blog post
An individual article published on your blog. Posts are often listed in reverse order, with the newest appearing first.
Blog niche
The main topic your blog focuses on — such as travel, finance, or gardening. A clear niche helps attract a loyal audience.
Blogroll
A list of recommended or favourite blogs, often shown in a sidebar or footer.
Bounce rate
The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high rate may suggest your content isn’t engaging or relevant enough.
C
Call to action (CTA)
A prompt encouraging readers to take an action, such as subscribing, commenting, or downloading something.
Category
A way of grouping blog posts by main topic. Categories help readers find related articles and improve site organisation.
Click-through rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who click a link, button, or ad compared to how many saw it. High CTR means your headline or CTA works well.
Comments
Feedback or discussion left by readers under your posts. Managing comments helps build community and engagement.
Content calendar
A schedule showing what posts you plan to publish and when. It keeps your blog consistent and well-organised.
D
Dashboard
The admin area of your blog where you write posts, upload images, and check stats. In WordPress, it’s found at /wp-admin.
Domain name
Your blog’s web address (like yourblog.com). A custom domain makes your site look professional and easier to remember.
Duplicate content
Text that appears in more than one place online. Search engines may penalise blogs that reuse too much duplicate content.
Draft
An unpublished version of a post. Writing in draft mode lets you edit and refine before going live.
E
Email list
A collection of email addresses from readers who’ve subscribed to updates or newsletters. Building a list is key to growing long-term traffic.
Engagement
How readers interact with your blog — through comments, shares, or time spent reading your content.
Evergreen content
Posts that stay relevant over time, like “how-to” guides or tips. Evergreen content brings steady traffic long after publication.
Exit rate
The percentage of people who leave your site from a specific page. High exit rates on key pages can reveal usability or content issues.
F
Featured image
The main image representing your post in listings, previews, or social media shares.
Feed (RSS feed)
A format that lets readers or apps automatically receive your latest posts. It’s often used for syndication and email updates.
Footer
The bottom section of your blog, usually containing copyright info, links, or contact details.
Freelance writer
Someone hired to write posts or articles for other blogs or companies, often paid per article or word count.
G
Guest post
A post written by someone else and published on your blog — or one you write for another website. It helps reach new audiences and build backlinks.
Google Analytics
A free tool that tracks how visitors find and use your blog. It’s essential for measuring performance and growth.
Gravatar
A globally recognised avatar image tied to your email. It appears next to your name in blog comments or author bios.
H
Header
The top section of your blog, usually containing your logo, menu, and sometimes a tagline or banner.
Hosting
The service that stores your blog’s files and makes them accessible online. Good hosting keeps your blog fast and secure.
Hyperlink
A clickable link that leads to another page or website. Internal and external links both help readers navigate and improve SEO.
I
Indexing
When search engines add your blog’s pages to their database so they can appear in results. You can check indexing in Google Search Console.
Internal linking
Adding links to other posts within your blog to help readers explore more content and improve site structure.
Introduction
The opening section of a post that grabs attention and explains what readers will learn.
J
Jetpack
A WordPress plugin offering stats, backups, security, and other tools to help manage and protect your blog.
K
Keyword
The word or phrase people type into search engines. Including relevant keywords helps your posts rank higher.
Knowledge panel
A box shown in Google results with information about a topic, person, or brand — often influenced by consistent blog authority.
L
Landing page
A focused page designed to convert visitors — such as encouraging sign-ups or downloads — without distractions.
Layout
The arrangement of content, images, and design elements on your blog pages.
Link building
The process of getting other sites to link to your blog. It’s important for SEO and credibility.
Long-form content
In-depth posts over 1,000 words that cover a topic thoroughly and tend to perform better in search results.
M
Meta description
A short summary that appears under your blog title in search results. It encourages people to click through to your post.
Monetisation
Turning your blog into income through ads, affiliate links, sponsored posts, or selling products.
Monthly views
The total number of times your blog pages are viewed in a month — a key metric for tracking growth.
Multimedia
Content that combines text with images, audio, or video to make posts more engaging.
N
Newsletter
A regular email update that keeps subscribers informed of new posts, offers, or announcements.
Niche site
A small blog focused on a single, specific topic — often built to earn income through ads or affiliate marketing.
Noindex
A tag that tells search engines not to include a page in their search results. Useful for thank-you or private pages.
O
Organic traffic
Visitors who find your blog through unpaid search results rather than social media or ads.
Outbound link
A link from your blog to another website. Linking to trusted sources adds value and credibility.
Optimisation
Improving your blog’s performance through SEO, speed enhancements, and better usability.
P
Page view
Each time a visitor loads one of your pages, it counts as a page view. Tracking these helps measure popularity and growth.
Permalink
The permanent URL of your post or page. Short, descriptive permalinks improve clarity and SEO.
Plugin
Software that adds extra features to your blog, like contact forms, galleries, or SEO tools.
Post
An individual blog entry, usually written in a conversational tone and focused on a single topic.
Proofreading
Checking a post for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors before publishing.
Q
Query
The word or phrase a reader types into a search engine to find your content. Matching these queries improves discoverability.
R
Ranking
Where your blog post appears in Google’s search results for a specific keyword.
Reader engagement
How much readers interact with your blog — through comments, shares, likes, or time spent reading.
RSS feed
Stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” It lets people automatically receive updates whenever you publish new content.
S
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
Improving your blog’s structure and content to appear higher in search results and attract more visitors.
Sidebar
A column on the side of your blog where you can display widgets, adverts, or recent posts.
Slug
The final part of a URL that identifies a post. For example, yourblog.com/how-to-start — “how-to-start” is the slug.
Sponsored post
An article written in collaboration with a brand or advertiser, usually paid, that promotes their product or service.
Subheading
A secondary heading that breaks up text and makes long posts easier to read.
T
Tag
A keyword that describes a specific detail or topic covered in a post. Tags make content easier to search and organise.
Theme
The design template that controls how your blog looks — colours, fonts, and layout.
Thumbnail
A small image preview shown alongside your post titles in listings or social shares.
Traffic
The total number of visitors to your blog. It can come from search engines, social media, or referrals.
U
URL
The address of a specific page or post. Clean, descriptive URLs are better for SEO and usability.
User experience (UX)
How readers feel when using your site. Good UX keeps people engaged and coming back.
Unique visitor
A person who visits your blog at least once in a given period. They’re counted once no matter how many pages they view.
V
Viral post
A piece of content that spreads rapidly through shares and social media, attracting massive traffic in a short time.
Visual content
Images, infographics, or videos used to support your writing and make posts more engaging.
W
Web host
The company that stores your blog’s files and delivers them to visitors’ browsers.
Widget
A small block that adds extra features to your blog — like recent posts, categories, or newsletter sign-ups.
Word count
The total number of words in your post. Ideal lengths vary depending on the topic and purpose.
Workflow
The process you follow to create, edit, and publish posts efficiently.
X
XML sitemap
A file that lists all your posts and pages, helping search engines find and index them.
Y
Yield
The total revenue or results your blog produces — from ads, affiliates, or product sales.
Z
Zero-click searches
When users get the answer directly from Google’s search results without clicking through to your blog. Optimising for featured snippets can still bring visibility.