Every website word we use, in plain English.
We try to write simply, but a few words are impossible to avoid. Here is each one explained in the simplest way we can - no jargon, no textbooks. The key terms link to the expert definition in the Underdog Digital glossary.
SEO is making sure your website shows up on Google when people search for what you sell. More people find you, and it costs nothing per click.
GEO is the new kind of SEO for AI: when someone asks ChatGPT, Claude or Google Gemini a question, GEO is what helps your business be the answer.
AI search is how more and more people find things now - asking ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity instead of typing into Google and scrolling links. The answers come from your website's content, which is why clean, well-structured sites get recommended.
Google My Business is the free profile that puts your business on Google Maps and in local search results - your hours, your phone number, your reviews. Free to set up, and it sends more customers than most paid ads.
A CMS is a simple tool that lets you change the words and pictures on your website yourself - no developer needed. Think of editing your site like a document. It changes content, not the design. The full explanation is here.
PageSpeed is a score out of 100 for how fast your website loads. Fast sites rank higher on Google. Ours score 90+ from the day they go live.
Core Web Vitals is Google checking that your website is not slow, jumpy or wobbly when people visit. Fail the check and your rankings drop.
Lighthouse is Google's free speed test - the tool that measures how fast your page loads and scores it out of 100. It is where the PageSpeed number comes from, and the score we aim for is 90+.
Schema markup is a few lines of code that tell Google exactly what you are: a plumber in Sydney, open 8am-5pm, with 47 reviews. It helps you show up with the right information in search results.
A static site is a website made of plain files. No database, no moving parts, nothing to hack and nothing to break. The simplest, safest and fastest kind of website there is - and it is what we build.
Hreflang is a tiny tag that tells Google which country version of a page to show to which visitor. It is how our Australian, UK and worldwide sites stay straight.
A canonical tag tells Google "this is the real version of this page" when copies exist. It stops Google getting confused and treating them as duplicates.
A small add-on for WordPress that gives it a new feature, like a contact form. Handy - but every plugin is another thing to update, and another possible way in for hackers.
Software like Wix or Webflow where you click things into place to build a website. Fun to play with, but heavy and slow for a business site.
Keeping copies of your website on computers all over the world instead of one. Visitors always get the copy nearest to them, so the site loads fast everywhere.
A business running lots of fake online accounts - usually from overseas - that churns out cheap work. Common on Airtasker and Fiverr, and often not the "local expert" they claim to be.
A digital padlock for your website. It scrambles the information between your visitors and your site so nobody else can read it. Websites without it get flagged and rank lower.
The address people type to find you - like 500bucksite.com. You should own yours outright, registered in your name, forever.
The computer your website lives on. Good hosting keeps your site fast and online; ours is included and served from all over the world.
A website that reshapes itself to fit whatever screen it is on - phone, tablet or computer. Most of your visitors will be on phones.
The short line of text under your link on Google. It does not directly boost rankings, but it decides whether people click.
The tiny little icon in your browser tab, next to the website name. Small touch, but it makes a site look finished.
The $500 flat website, written by a senior developer, owned by you - with all the jargon left out.