SEO questions, answered plainly
The questions you actually run into, whether you run a site or build one, and the jargon nobody bothers to explain. You're not a full-time SEO; you just need the answer and the fix. No textbook definitions, no rabbit holes: what it means, why it matters, and what to do. Want a definition on its own? Try the Glossary. Wondering how GreenLight itself works? That's on the About page.
Getting found
Why isn't my site showing up on Google?
Usually one of a few fixable things: Google can't crawl it (a Disallow: / in robots.txt, or a stray noindex), there's no sitemap so deeper pages are never found, or the content is too thin to rank. GreenLight's SEO and Security checks flag each one with the exact fix.
Do I actually need a sitemap?
Not strictly, but without one, new or deep pages (anything not linked from your homepage) can go undiscovered for a long time. A sitemap.xml is just a list of your pages that tells search engines what exists. It's a quick add, and most platforms generate it for you.
What does "noindex" mean, and how would I have one by accident?
noindex tells search engines to leave a page out of results. It's useful for private pages, but it's easy to leave on a whole site by accident (a staging setting that shipped to production). If your pages vanished from Google, check for a stray noindex first.
On-page basics
What's the difference between a title tag and an H1?
The title tag is what shows in the browser tab and as the blue link in Google results; the H1 is the main heading on the page itself. They can differ. Use exactly one H1 per page, and keep the title under about 60 characters so Google doesn't cut it off.
What is "thin content" and why does it hurt?
A page with very little real text, a few sentences, mostly navigation or images. Search engines and ad networks treat thin pages as low value, which can drag down the whole site. Fix it by adding substantive, original content, or noindex pages that will never have much (like a data-deletion form).
Why would my own pages compete with each other on Google?
When the same content is reachable at several URLs (with and without a trailing slash, with tracking parameters, http and https), Google may treat them as separate competing pages. A canonical tag fixes it: it names which version is the "real" one so they consolidate instead of splitting your ranking.
AI search & trust
What's the difference between SEO and "AI search" (GEO)?
SEO is getting found and ranked on search engines like Google. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is getting found and cited by AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews. They overlap, but AI engines weigh things like an llms.txt file, structured data, and question-style headings. GreenLight checks both. Read the full breakdown →
Do I need structured data (schema)?
Increasingly, yes: it's how AI engines decide what to quote, and it earns rich results in Google. Structured data is hidden labels (JSON-LD) that tell search engines and AI exactly what a page is: an article, a product, an FAQ, a business. It doesn't change how the page looks. GreenLight's AI Search check flags where it's missing.
What is E-E-A-T?
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust: Google's framework for judging content quality, especially for "Your Money or Your Life" topics like finance and health. In practice it means a real named author, clear About and Contact pages, and content that reads as education rather than hype.
Speed & mobile
What are Core Web Vitals, and do they really affect ranking?
They're Google's three measured signals for how a page feels: how fast the main content loads (LCP), how quickly it responds to a tap (INP), and how much the layout jumps (CLS). Yes, they're a ranking factor, but a tie-breaker, not a magic wand: great speed won't rescue thin content, and good content isn't sunk by a slightly slow score. Fix the worst offender first.
My site feels fast to me. Why does the test say it's slow?
Because you're testing on a fast device, a fast connection, and a warm cache, and your visitors aren't. Lab tools simulate a mid-range phone on slower data, and Google ranks on field data from real visitors. Test it the way they experience it, not the way you do.
Getting paid (monetization)
Why did AdSense reject my site?
Almost never for the reason the email implies. The usual real causes are missing trust pages (privacy policy, About, Contact), thin or unfinished content, a crawl block, or weak trust signals on money and health topics. It's rarely about traffic. The full breakdown →
Does AdSense need a minimum amount of traffic?
Not for approval. Google's eligibility requirements publish no traffic threshold — the bar is high-quality, original content that "attracts an audience", the required pages, and policy. Traffic is what gates the bigger ad networks (Ezoic about 250k monthly users, Mediavine 50k sessions, Raptive 25k pageviews) and decides what you earn, not whether AdSense lets you in.
Should I block AI bots like GPTBot?
Know which bot you're blocking first. Training bots (GPTBot, CCBot) feed future models, and blocking them is a fair choice. Citation bots (OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended) fetch you live to answer a question, and blocking those keeps you out of AI answers entirely. People block the second by accident all the time. How to get cited →
What is llms.txt, and do I need one?
A short markdown file that points AI models at your best pages, like a sitemap written for AI. It's an emerging standard, so optional today, but cheap to add and a first-mover edge in most niches. The full explainer →