Doug's Field Guide

    The glossary.

    Short definitions for the words you keep hearing. The longer ones link to a full guide.

    A

    A2P 10DLC
    The US carrier registration system for businesses sending texts from software over a regular ten-digit phone number. Unregistered texts get filtered and charged extra fees. Read the guide to Missed call text back
    After-hours
    The evenings, nights and weekends when your office is closed. Many customers shop then, and inquiries that wait until morning often go to whoever answered first. Read the guide to Speed to lead
    Anchor text
    The clickable words of a link. They should say where the link goes, like 'water heater prices', instead of 'click here'. Read the guide to Internal links
    Answer engine
    A tool that answers a question in written form instead of handing back a list of links, like ChatGPT search, Perplexity or Google AI Mode. Read the guide to Answer engine optimization
    Answering service
    A company of live receptionists who answer your phone with your business name, take messages and sometimes book. It's usually billed per call or per minute. Read the guide to AI receptionist
    Average position
    In Search Console, the average rank of your site's topmost result for a search or page. Lower numbers are closer to the top. Read the guide to Google Search Console

    B

    Brand mention
    Your business named on another site, with or without a link. AI answers draw on these, so being named in local roundups, directories and forums helps you get named in answers. Read the guide to AI citations

    C

    Callback
    A promise to call a customer back at a set time. A callback with a specific time keeps a lead warm, while 'someone will call you' often loses it. Read the guide to Human handoff
    Cancellation policy
    Your written rules for what happens when a customer cancels, including the cutoff time and whether any deposit is refunded. Show it where customers book. Read the guide to Booking deposit
    Canonical tag
    A line in a page's code that tells Google which address is the main version when several addresses show the same content. A wrong one can point Google away from the page you want found.
    Canonical URL
    The one address you want Google to treat as the main version when several URLs show the same or nearly the same page. You signal it with a rel="canonical" tag, redirects or your sitemap. Read the guide to Google Search Console
    Chatbot vs AI agent
    A chatbot follows a fixed script of buttons and canned replies. An AI agent understands free-form questions, answers from your information and can take actions like booking an appointment. Read the guide to AI receptionist
    Citation
    Any mention of your business name, address and phone number on another website, like a directory, chamber listing or news story. Read the guide to Local citations
    Click-through rate
    Clicks divided by impressions. A page with many impressions and a low click-through rate is showing up but not getting picked. Read the guide to Google Search Console
    CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
    How much a page jumps around while it loads. Google counts 0.1 or less as good. Read the guide to Page speed and Core Web Vitals
    Crawling
    When Google's automated programs, called crawlers, visit pages and download their text, images and video so Google can learn what's on them. Read the guide to Google Search Console

    D

    Deflection
    When an AI agent answers a question fully so it never reaches your team. Deflection only counts if the customer actually got what they needed. Read the guide to Human handoff
    Distance
    One of Google's three local ranking factors: how far a business is from the person searching. Often called proximity. Read the guide to Local pack
    Doorway page
    A page made to rank for one search that offers little of its own, often a copy of another page with the town name swapped. Google's spam policies prohibit them. Read the guide to Service area pages

    E

    Embed snippet
    The one line of code you paste into your site to put Doug's widget on it. It works on WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and most other site builders.
    Entity
    A specific thing a search engine or AI recognizes as distinct, such as your business, your town or your owner. Consistent names and details help it connect everything said about you to the right entity. Read the guide to Answer engine optimization

    F

    Fix
    One drafted change in Doug's fix queue, like a new page, a Google profile correction, or a review reply, with the evidence for why it matters. Read the guide to The fix queue

    G

    Gemini
    Google's family of AI models and the name of its assistant app. Custom Gemini models also write AI Overviews and AI Mode answers in Google Search. Read the guide to Google AI Mode
    Google-Extended
    A robots.txt token that controls whether Google may use your content for training and grounding its Gemini models. Google says it does not affect your ranking or inclusion in Google Search.
    Grounding
    Tying an AI answer to real sources it retrieved, usually shown as citations. A grounded answer about your business is only as accurate as the pages it read. Read the guide to AI citations

    H

    H1
    The main heading on a page, the one visitors see first. Each page should have one that says plainly what the page is about. Read the guide to Title tags and meta descriptions
    Hallucination
    When an AI states something false with confidence, like hours you don't keep or a service you don't offer. Clear, matching details across the web make it less likely.
    Handoff
    Your team jumping into a live conversation, with the customer still typing in the same window. You can also tell Doug to always hand off certain topics. Read the guide to Human handoff

    I

    Impressions
    In Search Console, the number of times your site appeared in Google Search results, whether or not anyone clicked. Read the guide to Google Search Console
    Indexing
    When Google analyzes a crawled page and stores it in its index. A page that isn't indexed can't appear in Google Search, and Google doesn't guarantee indexing. Read the guide to Google Search Console
    INP (Interaction to Next Paint)
    How quickly a page responds when someone taps or clicks. Google counts 200 milliseconds or less as good. Read the guide to Page speed and Core Web Vitals
    Inquiry
    Any question or request a potential customer sends you: a call, a form, a chat or a message. Every inquiry is a chance at a job if someone answers it. Read the guide to Speed to lead

    J

    JSON-LD
    The format Google recommends for structured data. It sits in its own script tag on the page and doesn't change what visitors see. Read the guide to Schema markup

    K

    Knowledge base
    The collection of information an AI agent answers from, such as your website pages, price sheets, policies and Q&A pairs. If it isn't in there, a good agent says it doesn't know. Read the guide to AI receptionist
    Knowledge cutoff
    The date after which a model's training data stops. Anything newer, like your new phone number, only reaches the answer through live search.
    Knowledge panel
    The box of facts about a business or entity that Google shows alongside search results. For a local business it usually comes from the Google Business Profile. Read the guide to Google Business Profile

    L

    Large language model (LLM)
    The kind of AI model behind ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. It writes text by predicting what comes next, based on patterns learned from huge amounts of text. Read the guide to Answer engine optimization
    LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
    How long the largest image or text block on the screen takes to appear. Google counts 2.5 seconds or less as good. Read the guide to Page speed and Core Web Vitals
    Lead
    A person who has shown interest in hiring you and left a way to reach them, like a name and phone number. A lead isn't a customer until they book. Read the guide to Speed to lead
    Lead qualification
    Checking whether a lead is a fit before you spend time on them, like whether they're in your service area and need a service you offer.
    Live chat widget
    The chat window that opens from a button on a website. A person or an AI agent answers visitors through it. Read the guide to AI receptionist

    M

    Map pack
    Another name for the local pack: the Google Maps results with a short list of businesses shown in Google Search for local searches. Read the guide to Local pack
    Mention rate
    How often the assistants named your business across the answers to your tracked questions, shown as a share of all answers that week. Read the guide to The weekly visibility check
    Message credits
    The monthly message allowance on your plan, which refills each month. Extra messages are $10 per 1,000 and roll over.
    Microsoft Copilot
    Microsoft's AI assistant, built into Windows, Edge and Bing. It uses Bing search for current information, so your Bing Places listing matters here.
    Mobile-first indexing
    Google uses the mobile version of your site to index and rank it. Anything missing on your phone layout may be missing for Google too. Read the guide to Page speed and Core Web Vitals

    N

    Needs you
    A fix only the business owner can finish, like claiming a profile that needs your login or filling in a price. Read the guide to Done for you
    Noindex
    A setting in a page's code that tells search engines not to show the page in results. Site builders sometimes leave it on by mistake after a redesign.

    O

    OAI-SearchBot
    OpenAI's crawler for ChatGPT search. OpenAI says sites that block it in robots.txt won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Read the guide to ChatGPT recommendations
    Orphan page
    A page that no other page on your site links to. Visitors can't reach it by clicking, and search engines may find it late or not at all. Read the guide to Internal links

    P

    Perplexity
    An AI answer engine that searches the web for each question and shows numbered links to the sources it used, which makes it a handy tool for seeing who gets cited. Read the guide to AI citations
    Primary category
    The one Google Business Profile category that best describes your whole business, like "Plumber" or "Family law attorney". You can add a few additional categories, not one per service. Read the guide to Google Business Profile
    Profile verification
    The step where Google confirms you own or manage the business before your Business Profile edits go live and the profile can fully show on Search and Maps. Read the guide to Google Business Profile
    Prominence
    One of Google's three local ranking factors: how well known a business is, including how many reviews it has, its ratings and how many websites link to it. Read the guide to Local pack

    Q

    Q&A pairs
    A question and answer you write word for word, for the things Doug has to get exactly right, like refunds or emergency fees. Read the guide to How Doug learns your business
    Query fan-out
    When an AI search feature splits one question into several related searches and combines the results. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may use it. Read the guide to Google AI Mode

    R

    Recrawl
    Doug reading your website again on a schedule, so his answers change when your pages do. Read the guide to How Doug learns your business
    Redirect
    An instruction that sends visitors and search engines from an old address to a new one. Use a permanent (301) redirect when a page moves for good, and avoid chains of one redirect leading to another.
    Relevance
    One of Google's three local ranking factors: how well a Business Profile matches what someone searched for. Complete, accurate profile details improve it. Read the guide to Local pack
    Rescheduling window
    How far ahead of an appointment a customer can move it without losing their deposit, such as 24 hours. Read the guide to Booking deposit
    Resolution rate
    The share of conversations an AI agent finishes without a person stepping in, like a question answered or an appointment booked. Read the guide to Human handoff
    Retrieval
    The step where an AI tool looks up pages or documents before it answers, so the answer rests on current sources instead of memory alone. Also called retrieval augmented generation, or RAG. Read the guide to ChatGPT recommendations
    Review gating
    Asking only customers you expect to be happy for reviews, or screening them first. Google's review policy prohibits it. Read the guide to Google reviews
    Review velocity
    How steadily new reviews arrive. A few new reviews every week keeps a profile current, while a burst followed by silence leaves it looking stale. Read the guide to Google reviews
    Rich results
    Google results with extra details beyond the blue link and description, like review stars or event dates. Structured data makes a page eligible but never guarantees them. Read the guide to Schema markup
    robots.txt
    A file at the root of your site that tells search engine crawlers which parts of the site they may crawl. It controls crawling, not whether a page can appear in results.

    S

    sameAs
    A schema.org property that lists your official profiles elsewhere, like your Google, Yelp and Facebook pages, so machines can tell they all belong to the same business.
    SERP
    Search engine results page: everything Google shows for one search, including ads, the local pack, featured snippets, People Also Ask and regular results.
    Service-area business
    A business that goes to its customers, like a plumber or mobile groomer, instead of serving them at its address. On Google it hides the address and lists up to 20 service areas. Read the guide to Google Business Profile
    Sitemap
    A file, usually sitemap.xml, that lists the pages on your site you want search engines to find. You can submit it in Google Search Console. Read the guide to Internal links
    Slug
    The last part of a page's address, like /drain-cleaning-round-rock. Short, lowercase words separated by hyphens are easiest for people and search engines to read. Read the guide to Service area pages
    Sources
    The material Doug learns your business from: your website, uploaded files, pasted text, and Q&A pairs. He answers customers only from his sources. Read the guide to How Doug learns your business
    Stripe
    A payment processor that lets businesses take card payments online, including booking deposits. Refunds go back to the card the customer paid with. Read the guide to Booking deposit
    Structured data
    Code on a page that labels facts, like your business name, address and hours, in a standard format that search engines read directly. Schema markup is the common name for it. Read the guide to Schema markup

    T

    TCPA
    The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the US law that sets consent rules for automated calls and texts to consumers. Marketing texts need the customer's written consent. Read the guide to Missed call text back
    Title tag
    The page name set in the page's code, usually shown as the blue link in Google and on the browser tab. Each page should have its own. Read the guide to Title tags and meta descriptions
    Tracked questions
    The customer questions Doug asks the AI assistants every week. He builds them from your listing, and you can edit them. Read the guide to The weekly visibility check

    W

    Weekly report
    A short email summing up how often the assistants named you, what changed from last week, and what got fixed. Read the guide to The weekly visibility check
    Widget
    The chat window Doug lives in on your website. It takes your colors, avatar, and greeting, and customers can type or talk to him.

    Z

    Doug does the work in these guides for you, every week.

    Hire Doug