How to ditch the jargon without sacrificing impact when talking about SEO

Sharlotte Briscoe • 27 September 2023

SEO is the backbone of the online world. It’s everywhere. Everyone’s heard of it but how many people actually understand it?

Apparently not many!

And if you’ve ever tried to explain SEO to anyone there’s a big chance you may have been met with a blank stare.

A gif of Stanley from The US Office rolling his eyes as a joke about using jargon on websites.


The world of SEO is full to the brim of jargon. But it can be difficult to break it down into digestible terms without losing the impact.

Need some ideas on how to keep your conversations non-SEO-specialist friendly? Well, we have just the tea!

The SEO struggle

Although everyone knows they need SEO, many have no clue what it really means, what it is and what it takes to create a robust strategy.

Did you know over  50% of small businesses  don’t have an SEO strategy, and 22% have no plans to create or implement one in the coming year?

But it just goes to show the lack of understanding around it and what it can do for a small business. That and the fact that many small businesses aren’t able to hire someone to take care of that side of the business for them. So it gets neglected and they miss out on all of the Search Engine goodness!

What is an SEO strategy?

In short, it’s a detailed plan to improve search engine rankings to encourage more organic traffic to the website.

A strategy will contain multiple aspects of SEO including:

Content
Technical SEO ( site structure, sitemap, mobile-friendliness and website speed ),
On-page SEO ( heading tags, internal links and content )
User experience ( How the site looks and feels to use ) and more!

So to help you, your customers & prospects alike without scrambling their brains. We’ve put together 9 scripts you can copy & paste, or use in your next client call to help you keep your SEO conversations jargon free.

Keywords & Keyword ranking

“A word or concept of great significance”

Now jargon free

A keyword is a word or phrase that can be used to help your website get found within a search engine. The keyword you choose would be something that people type into Google to find what they’re looking for. For example, if I wanted to go out for a coffee this weekend and wanted to find a cute, independent coffee shop. Then I’d type in something like:

  • Independent coffee shop derby

Or

  • Artisanal coffee shop derby

Then, the website that has those words or that phrase on their website multiple times, on different pages – will be the website to appear higher up when I search in Google. Thus, they will be getting my Macchiato order on Saturday! Simples

Bounce rate

“The percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page.”

Now jargon free

The percentage of people (out of the overall website visitors) that come to a website and leave after only viewing one page.

This may happen for a number of reasons. The website may not be what they’re looking for, or if the bounce rate is high, it could be to do with loading time, the website’s appearance or how accessible the website is.

Core web vitals

Core Web Vitals is a set of metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability of the page.”

Now jargon free

Core web vitals are a measurement of how usable your website is. It looks at how quickly the website and website elements load, whether the buttons work, whether you can zoom in and out and whether the elements on the web page are stable as it is loading.

SSL Encryption

”SSL is the standard technology for securing an internet connection by encrypting data sent between a website and a browser (or between two servers)”

Now jargon free

SSL is a feature designed to protect data sent between a website and a browser. For example, when a customer fills in a contact form on your website and submits their personal information – this information is protected against being lost or stolen.

Heading tags

Header tags are HTML tags used to set apart headings and subheadings from the rest of the content on a webpage, in descending order of importance from H1 to H6”

Now jargon free

Heading tags are used as titles and section headers on a page. In order for them to be optimised properly they need to rank in order of importance from H1 to H6. With H1’s being the main page title. i.e the most important text.

H2 and H3 tags are commonly used as subheadings. H4, H5, and H6 tags may be used to create further structure within those subsections.

Page speed

“Page speed is the amount of time it takes between the browser’s request for a page until the browser completes processing and rendering the content.”

Now jargon free

The length of time it takes for all of the content, images, links etc to load completely on the website.

Web Accessibility

Web accessibility , or eAccessibility, is the inclusive practice of ensuring there are no barriers that prevent interaction with, websites on the World Wide Web by people with physical disabilities, situational disabilities, and socio-economic restrictions on bandwidth and speed”

Now jargon free

Web accessibility is the practice of making provisions within the build of your website that make sure that your information and services are readily accessible and available to all. Including those with disabilities.

Taking into account things like:

  • Alt text
  • Mobile and tablet responsiveness
  • Accessible hyperlinks
  • Suitable colour contrast
  • Adding captions to videos

Paid search / PPC

“PPC stands for pay-per-click. PPC is a form of paid online marketing where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on one of their ads.”

Now jargon free

Paid search is simply paying to get traffic to your website. It’s a form of digital marketing where search engines such as Google and Bing allow advertisers to show ads on their search engine results pages.

Site map

A sitemap is a blueprint of your website that helps search engines find, crawl and index all of your website’s content.”

Now jargon free

A sitemap is a place on your website where you list information on detail about the websites pages. Including the pages themselves, videos and other files on your site and the relationships between them.

Search engines will use the sitemap so they can crawl (scan) your website and understand its structure more easily.

Jargon-free SEO audits in just 60 seconds

Now, do you need a tool that gives you SEO audits that are as easy to understand as your new SEO conversation style?

Our comprehensive audit reports cover everything you need that is SEO related, and you can run one in only 60 seconds! Saving you significant time and effort while prospecting and leaving you more time to do what matters… Breaking down SEO and selling it!

Happy auditing!

 The Insites Team

by Coral Wood 7 May 2025
Small business owners often view keyword research as an optional extra or a luxury they can't afford. As a digital marketing provider, you know the truth is quite the opposite - poor keyword research can silently drain their resources while delivering underwhelming results. Let's explore how to effectively communicate these hidden costs to your SMB clients in language they'll understand. The invisible drain on marketing budgets When speaking with small business owners, it's crucial to frame keyword research as an investment rather than an expense. Without proper research, your clients are essentially throwing money into digital marketing efforts that may never reach their intended audience. For instance, a local plumber targeting generic terms like "plumbing services" instead of location-specific phrases such as "emergency plumber in Southampton" is competing unnecessarily with national brands and services far outside their coverage area. This means higher costs per click, lower conversion rates, and marketing spend that delivers minimal return. Time wasted on creating the wrong content Another hidden cost that resonates with busy small business owners is time wastage. Without strategic keyword research, businesses often produce content that simply doesn't align with what their potential customers are actually searching for. Explain to your clients how creating blog posts, service pages or social content without keyword insights is like opening a shop without researching what products the local community wants to buy. They might be investing hours creating content about boiler maintenance when their potential customers are frantically searching for "emergency pipe repair near me." Lost opportunities to competitors Perhaps the most compelling hidden cost is the competitive disadvantage. While your SMB clients hesitate on keyword research, their competitors may be capturing valuable search visibility.` Show your clients real examples of local competitors ranking well for lucrative keywords they could be targeting. This concrete demonstration of missed opportunities often resonates more effectively than theoretical discussions about SEO principles. Diminished trust and authority Small businesses rely heavily on reputation and trust. Without strategic keyword targeting, they miss opportunities to establish themselves as local authorities in their field. Explain how properly researched content that answers specific customer questions positions them as experts. Without this research foundation, they're missing chances to be the business that appears when a potential customer searches "how to choose the right accountant for my small business" or "best family dentist for nervous children." Making the case for proper keyword research When presenting solutions, focus on these practical benefits: More efficient marketing spend : Target customers who are actually looking for their specific services in their specific location. Better conversion rates : Attract visitors with actual purchase intent rather than casual browsers. Strategic content development : Stop guessing what content to create and start knowing exactly what your customers want to learn. Measurable results : Show how properly researched keywords provide clearer metrics for success. Start small and demonstrate value For SMBs unconvinced about keyword research, suggest starting with a focused pilot project. Choose one service area or product line and perform proper keyword research for just this segment. Track the results carefully and use this as evidence for expanding your research to other areas of the business. This approach allows sceptical clients to see real-world benefits without committing to a comprehensive strategy upfront. Once they witness the improved performance, the hidden costs of poor research become much more tangible. Translation before selling Communicating the hidden costs of poor keyword research isn't about technical jargon or intimidating statistics. It's about translating SEO principles into business language that resonates with small business owners' practical concerns: wasted money, wasted time, missed opportunities, and diminished market position. By framing keyword research as a crucial investment rather than an optional expense, you help your SMB clients understand why cutting corners here ultimately costs them more in the long run. Want to help your SMB clients avoid the hidden costs of poor keyword research? Discover the power of Insites Keyword Intelligence , part of the Insites for Sales solution. Book a discovery call today to learn more about our tools for digital marketing providers.
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