Definition - HTML

Let me preface this definition by saying you don't have to be an expert in HTML to optimize your website for search engines. But it helps to understand what HTML is and how it pertains to search engine optimization.

HTML is basically the code behind web pages. Here's a more formal definition borrowed from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C):

"It is a special kind of text document that is used by Web browsers to present text and graphics. The text includes markup tags such as <p> to indicate the start of a paragraph, and </p> to indicate the end of a paragraph. HTML documents are often referred to as 'Web pages.' The browser retrieves Web pages from Web servers that thanks to the Internet, can be pretty much anywhere in World." (Source)

Within an SEO context, the important thing to realize is that certain HTML coding techniques (like the use of frames) can limit your visibility to search engines. That's obviously not something you want.

For the purposes of this SEO glossary, all you need to realize is that (A) HTML coding is what makes up web pages, and (B) properly coded pages are more search-engine-friendly (and people-friendly!) than poorly coded pages.

Want to Learn More?
If you want to learn more about optimizing your website for search engine visibility, I highly recommend the "Onsite Optimization" virtual training module.