Advanced SEO Glossary: Technical Concepts 2026
This glossary covers advanced SEO concepts used by experienced teams — link equity, topical authority, crawl budget, E-E-A-T, entity SEO. These terms appear in strategy and audit discussions but are rarely defined with precision. Each definition includes practical implications for competitive and sensitive niches.
- Authority transfer mechanisms (link equity, OBL, link velocity)
- Semantic architecture concepts (topical authority, entity SEO, silos)
- Google quality signals (E-E-A-T, crawl budget)
- Risky practices to understand (PBN, parasite SEO, tiered links)
Link Equity (Link Juice)
The authority transferred from one page to another through a hyperlink. Link equity depends on the authority of the source page, the number of outbound links on that page (OBL), and the link attribute (dofollow/nofollow). The more outbound links a page has, the more diluted the link equity per link.
Topical Authority
Google's perception that a site is an expert reference on a given subject. Built by comprehensively covering a thematic domain — in-depth articles, guides, glossaries, case studies — rather than publishing superficial content across varied topics. In 2026, topical authority significantly influences the ability to rank on competitive queries within a niche.
Crawl Budget
The number of pages a search engine is willing to crawl on your site within a given timeframe. Defined by the "crawl rate limit" (bandwidth Googlebot can use without impacting the server) and "crawl demand" (page popularity and freshness). On large sites, optimising crawl budget — by blocking low-value pages — is a technical priority.
Link Velocity
The rate at which a site acquires new backlinks over time. A consistent and gradual velocity is perceived as natural. Sudden spikes — 200 new links in a week after months of inactivity — are artificial acquisition signals that can trigger algorithmic scrutiny, particularly in competitive niches.
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. A framework used by Google's Quality Raters to evaluate web page quality. Particularly critical for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) niches: finance, health, legal, and — de facto — iGaming and crypto. Backlinks from authoritative, relevant sources strengthen the A and T of E-E-A-T.
Entity SEO
An approach that optimises for Google's understanding of entities (people, organisations, places, concepts) rather than isolated keywords. Google uses its Knowledge Graph to connect entities. A brand well-referenced as an entity — with consistent mentions across authoritative sources — benefits from better algorithmic understanding and trust.
Keyword Cannibalization
A situation where multiple pages on the same site target the same keywords or search intents, forcing Google to choose which to surface. Cannibalization dilutes authority across multiple URLs instead of concentrating it. Identified via GSC (multiple URLs ranking for the same queries) and resolved through content consolidation or canonicals.
OBL (Outbound Links)
The total number of outbound (dofollow) links on a page. A high OBL means the available link equity is shared across more destinations — each link receives less authority. When evaluating a link building placement, an OBL below 30 on the page is generally preferable to a page with 100+ outbound links.
Parasite SEO
A technique that publishes content on high-authority domains (Medium, Substack, UGC platforms) to rank for competitive keywords by leveraging the host's authority. Widely used in iGaming and crypto niches. Google tightened its response to this practice from 2024 with algorithmic adjustments specifically targeting third-party content hosted on authority platforms.
Silo Structure
A site architecture that organises pages into thematic groups (silos) with internal links strictly within each silo. Concentrates authority and topical relevance on key pages of each silo. Recommended for sites with broad niche coverage — particularly relevant for iGaming operators covering casino, poker, sports betting, and other verticals.
PBN (Private Blog Network)
A network of sites created or acquired exclusively to provide backlinks to a target site. Explicitly penalised by Google (link scheme). PBNs are detected via hosting patterns, content footprints, and abnormal anchor profiles. Orbink excludes all PBN publishers from its inventory — 0% PBN guaranteed.
Tiered Link Building
A multi-level link building strategy: "Tier 1" links point directly to the target site (quality links), "Tier 2" links point to the Tier 1 links to amplify their authority, etc. Used to amplify the impact of primary backlinks. Manual Tier 2+ construction is risky because it typically involves automated methods on low-quality domains.
Put these concepts into practice with an inventory of 330,000+ verified publishers.
Explore Orbink ServicesFrequently asked questions
How do you improve a site's Topical Authority?
Topical authority is built through thematic coverage depth: create content hubs that address every aspect of a core subject — in-depth guides, glossaries, case studies, and comparison pages. Internal links between these pages reinforce thematic coherence for Google. Complement this with backlinks from thematically relevant sources — a link from a niche-specific media outlet is worth more than a high-DR off-topic link.
What is a footprint in the context of link networks?
A footprint is a repeatable pattern that allows Google to identify sites belonging to the same network. This can be the same hosting provider, same site template, similar anchors, content publication patterns, or neighbouring IP addresses. PBNs with visible footprints are identified and devalued faster. Legitimate link building platforms like Orbink avoid these patterns by maintaining an inventory of independent publishers.
How do you calculate the link equity transferred by a backlink?
There is no public formula — Google does not disclose its PageRank calculations. The practical approximation: Link Equity ≈ (Source page authority) / (Number of dofollow outbound links). A page with strong organic traffic and few outbound links transfers more equity than a page of similar authority with dozens of outbound links. Tools like Ahrefs display a "UR" (URL Rating) metric that approximates this calculation.
Complete these definitions with the SEO Fundamentals Glossary and the Google Penalties & Algorithms Guide for a full understanding of the SEO ecosystem in 2026.