Uniform Resource Locator

URL

A site’s URL is its address, the item that specifies where on the Internet it can the found.

Favicon

An image that appears next to the domain name in the browser address bar.

Cookies

Small text files that contain basic information about the websites visited. These help web servers determine preferences according to the sites visited and items purchased. There is now a legal requirement for websites to declare them.

Focal Point

Refers to the area on a page where you want the visitors eye to focus.

Bandwidth

The level of traffic and data that can pass through a website. Bigger businesses need more bandwidth to accommodate higher traffic and data passages. Insufficient bandwidth will result in your videos buffering for users.

Landing Page

A special created page designed to attract new visitors or to elicit a specific action.

Hit

A request for a single file from your web server, not a single visitor to a website as many believe. One page typically has more than one file (i.e. html, css and multiple images). Each is requested when a page is loaded.

Tag

A set of markup characters that are used around an element to indicate its start and end. Tags can also include HTML or other code to specify how that element should look or behave on the page.

Resolution

The term used for the number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal elements of a screen or image. The higher the resolution - the sharper the image.

Breadcrumb

A navigation element that generally appears near the top of a given web page that show the pages and subpages the appear before the page you’re on.

Cache

Temporary storage space held on a visitor’s device that records the site and pages they visited. This means the browser doesn't have to re-read them and improves application performance.

Responsive Layout

The term used for page layout that adapts and changes according to the device being used. Allows designers to optimise the content on a page.

Growth Driven Design

Refers to the practice of building a website with simple, web design basics. The designer adds more complex features as they build the website.

Meta Tag

Data contained in the header that provides users with information about each particular web page.

Static Layout

A form of layout. While it makes it easier to design a web page, it can cause problems for visitors. That’s because a page depends on the device and the results are unpredictable.

Back End

Unseen by users, this refers to the area of a website where you update software, publish blogs or upload new products.

Graphical User Interface

GUI

A form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicators.

HTML Tag

Code that describes the format associated with a particular item on a web page.

Database

A storage hub of information collected from site visitors.

Cascading Style Sheets

CSS

A style sheet language used to describe the layout of HTML code. HTML is the language of the text and CSS is the language of page design. CSS helps web developers format their HTML code into different layouts and styles and to do so quickly.

Anchor Text

The hyperlinked words on a web page – the words you click on when you click a link.

Style Guide

Rules/standards that apply to the use of colours, fonts and layout to ensure a website remains true to the brand signature.

Navigation

The system that allows visitors to a website to move around that site. Navigation is most often thought of in terms of menus but it includes links that allow a visitor to move from one page to another.

Plug-In

Third party code that extends the capabilities of a website. It’s most often used in conjunction with a CMS or blogging platform. Plug-ins are a way to extend the functionality of a website without having to redo the core coding of the site.

Open Source

Source code for a computer program that has been made freely available to the general public. Includes both web-based and desktop applications.

Content Management System

CMS

A backend tool much like a data library where a sites content is stored. Separate from the design it makes it easy for web designers to access the content when changing site design.

Backlink

Links from 3rd party sites to your website and hugely important to ranking by search engines.

Domain

Is associated with an IP address and the name of your website.

Hypertext Preprocessor

PHP

A programming language used to develop fluid websites and connect to databases.

Pageview

A request for an entire web page document from a server by a visitor’s browser.

Hyperlink

A link from one web page to another.

Hosting

Server computers used to connect a website to the internet; they providing the means to post pages.

Hypertext Markup Language

HTML

The language used to put code into a text file that browser reads and translate into digestible form.

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.

HTTP

Follows www and forms part of the https//: that appears in front of a URL. It provides a set of rules for transferring hypertext requests between browsers and servers.

Bounce Rate

the percentage of people who leave a site from the same page they entered without clicking any other pages.

Domain Name Server

DNS

When a user types your domain name into their browser, a DNS translates that domain name into an IP address so your site will appear.