P

Page Rank (PR) -

A technical asset of Google, it is an exponential-based value that signifies importance of a webpage. Google allows one to view a site's PR [on an exponential 10-base] using their toolbar. The higher the Page Rank of the page that's linking to you, the more your site's Page Rank will benefit. The better your Page Rank, the better you'll do in Google, all else being equal. However, Google is increasingly downplaying the importance of PageRank.

Page View -

Also known as 'impressions', this is a measure of the number of pages viewed by end users. It is a more accurate reflection of how popular a website is (than using the term 'hits' for example).

Pagejacking -

Stealing high-ranking web page content from another site and placing it on your site in the hopes of increasing your own site's search engine rankings. Pagejacking is yet another shady way of optimisation and, as such, its use is strongly discouraged.

Paid Inclusion -

Paying a search engine to have your web pages included in that search engine's index.

Paid Placement -

The practice of paying search engines for prominent listings in SERPs. These listings are usually denoted as "sponsored listings.

Pay-for-Performance -

A pricing model based on delivering sales or something else that can be directly attributed to the bottom line.

Pay-per-click (PPC) -

A pay-for-performance pricing model where advertising (such as banners or paid search engine listings) is priced based on number of click-throughs rather than impressions or other criteria. Google and Overture is an example of a search engine which charges advertisers on a pay-per-click basis.

Pop-Under -

A pop-up that appears underneath the currently active web browser window. An annoying, if not shady, tactic used by some web advertisers.

Popup -

An unsolicited window that opens on top of a browser window. Many users make use of pop-up blockers to stop these often unwelcome visitors.

Portal -

This is a generic term which refers to a website with a large population of users. This includes directories such as Yahoo! and search engines such as Google. In a more specific context, a portal is a website that is the leading authority on a specific subject.

Positioning -

This refers to the process by which search engines display websites so that the most relevant websites appear on the top. Search engine optimisation is a technique by which high rankings may be obtained.