Definition blocks for industry terms: check 23

Short answer: check 23 looks for places where a page defines something: an HTML definition list (<dl>), or a heading phrased as a question with its answer below. Either one passes. The point is that pages which explain their own terms ("A godown is a storage warehouse", "Net billing means...") are easier for a newcomer, and for an AI answer, to understand correctly.

What Crawl Audit checks

• Pass: the page has at least one <dl> element, or at least one H2 or H3 phrased as a question (the same test as check 18).
• Warning: neither.

If check 18 passes, this one passes too. If both warn, adding one honest FAQ question to the page fixes both.

Definition lists in HTML

MDN describes the <dl> element this way: "Common uses for this element are to implement a glossary or to display metadata (a list of key-value pairs)." Inside it, <dt> "specifies a term" and <dd> "provides the description, definition, or value for the preceding term".

<dl>
  <dt>Godown</dt>
  <dd>A storage warehouse, usually for stock bought in cartons.</dd>
  <dt>Loose pieces</dt>
  <dd>Units sold individually after a carton is opened.</dd>
</dl>

It's also a good fit for key-value details: "Check: 23 of 200", "Impact: Low". The facts box at the top of this page is a <dl>.

For a full glossary, schema.org has a DefinedTerm type: "A word, name, acronym, phrase, etc. with a formal definition." Plain HTML definitions do the job for most pages without it.

Which terms to define

• Words your customers use that outsiders don't: "udhaar", "slab rate", "net billing".
• Your own product terms, the first time they appear.
• Acronyms. Spell them out once.

Keep each definition to one sentence, written for someone who has never heard the word.

On your platform

• Most editors (WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace) don't have a definition-list button. A bold term followed by a one-sentence explanation, or a short FAQ with question headings, passes the check and reads well.
• WordPress: you can write a <dl> in a Custom HTML block.
• Next.js: <dl>, <dt> and <dd>.

Sources

• MDN, <dl>, <dt> and <dd>, checked 3 October 2026.
• schema.org, DefinedTerm.