Bounce Rate - the percentage of single-page visits to your site. If a user lands on your website and leaves before clicking on anything, they are considered a Bounce. If the user interacts with your page or moves to another page of your website, they are not considered a Bounce. In general, within the lodging industry, the expected Bounce Rate is 30-50%.
Web Crawlers - also known as Bots, Spiders; can leave session data in your Google Analytics account because they have actually accessed your website (unlike Ghost Spam). Search engines use Crawlers to detect and analyze your website content, and that information is then used to rank your website. Spammers can also use Crawlers to damage your website or to taint your Google Analytics data.
Domain Authority - a score that “predicts how well a website will rank on search engines.” There are several calculators of Domain Authority, each with its own nuances. In general, within the lodging industry, expected Domain Authority scores are as follows: 1-10 is Poor, 11-20 is Average, 20-30 is Good, 30+ is Excellent.
Ghost Spam - hits that appear in your Google Analytics data, but that do not actually access your website (unlike Web Crawlers). This type of spam does not affect your website performance but can make your Google Analytics data unreliable if proper filters are not in place.
Google Search Console - previously known as Google Webmaster Tools. A service provided by Google to help you monitor your website's presence in Google Search results, as well as identifying and resolving technical issues with your website's code.
HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) - the standard transfer protocol for websites.
HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) - indicates that data transferred to and from your website is encrypted, typically using either SSL or TLS protocols.
Keyword - the word or phrase that you build website content around, based on search data and analysis.
Keyword Density - refers to a number of keyword instances in relation to the text around it. Experts recommend that keyword density should not exceed 3-5 keyword instances per 600-700 words of text.
Keyword Research - the process of determining which keywords will be most fruitful for your website or blog. This process can include competition analysis and the analysis of search volume data, opportunity rankings, bid data, and other factors.
SSL Certificate - when installed on your web host server, serves to encrypt the transfer of data so that hackers can't hijack sensitive information. Effectively converts your website from HTTP to HTTPS.
