Algorithm:

A set of mathematical equations or rules that a search engine uses to rank the content contained within its index in response to a particular search query.

The algorithm is what powers search engines, and also provides websites with page ranks, Alexa rankings, Technorati authority, etc.  The algorithm often takes into account inbound links, outbound links, [...]

Linkspam:

A company attempts to place as many inbound links as possible to it’s site regardless of the context of the originating site.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen this before in practice.  Uninformed manager put their stock entirely into metrics, so that inbound link metric and page rank can be heavy hitters.  Professionals truly versed in proper SEO strategies [...]

Inbound Link:

A link to a particular page from elsewhere on the Internet.  Inbound links are important to SEO because many search engines’ rankings are at least partially based on the amount of inbound links.

Your break from the glossary is over!  Inbound links are tricky as you usually have no influence on whether you get them [...]