Web Design Dictionary

automation

the process of removing the unnecessary work of a human. For example, a website may have fully automated sales by allowing the customer to buy a digital product and receive it through an email without the website owner having to send the email himself.

backend

A backend is a type of web interface that makes it easy to manage the contents of a webpage. A photography website may have a backend that allows the photographer to add or remove photos on his or her site.

contact form

a simple web form that allows visitors to send a message to the webmaster or website owner.

content

content refers to the articles, images, products, information, links, videos, etc. that make up a web page or website -- in other words all the stuff. Content is the most important part of any web page. In most cases, the content that makes up a web page will be a key factor in how the site is designed and indexed.

database

a collection of data that is organized in a way that can be accessed easily through some type of interface. A database may include such things like your customer's names and contact information or a list of your web store's product inventory.

domain name

The main part of a web address that people use to access your page. Eg www.google.com, www.webdesign.org

flash

a popular plugin for web browsers that can be used to enrich the web experience with video, audio, and music. Some websites are made entirely using flash, but this is not recommended because 1. not everybody has flash and 2. most search engines cannot index those sites.

forum

A type of, or section of, a website where people can discuss different topics.

hosting

the actual physical place where your website and all its pages are stored.

HTML

acronym for Hypertext Markup Language. It is the fundamental code that is used to construct a webpage. HTML delineates content with tags between the > and < symbols.

indexed websites

A website is said to be “indexed” by a search engine when it is included in the search engine database and shows up in the search engine's search results.

Java

A general-purpose programming language that can be used in a web page via a plugin. Java content can be embedded into a web page.

JavaScript

a web programming language that is used to write scripts that can be embedded into websites. JavaScript is a different and simpler language than Java and can be incorporated in a web page without any plugins. A typical use of JavaScript is for image roll-overs, or images that change in some way when the mouse cursor is placed over it.

MySQL

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. MySQL is a type of database management software that allows easy and website friendly access to data.

PayPal

PayPal is the leading service for sending and receiving money online. It's service can be integrated into a website so that products can be purchased through it.

PHP

PHP is a programming language that is usually used to create more dynamic web pages. It can be used to simplify the process of constructing a web page by separating it into several manageable modules that are later be put together.

plugin

a downloadable application that is integrated within a web browser. Plugins can be used to do a number of different things but are used primarily to enhance the web experience. Most popular plugins include Macromedia Flash and Java.

royalty-free music

this is particularly useful for web publishers and designers because royalty-free music and photography can be bought and used in a website without owing subsequent fees for extended use. A great place to find royalty-free music is www.allmusiclibrary.com.

royalty-free photography

this is particularly useful for web publishers and designers because royalty-free music and photography can be bought and used in a website without owing subsequent fees for extended use . A great place for royalty-free photography is www.allphotolibrary.com.

search engine

The most popular search engines include Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Basically, the search engines are the way that people can find you website.

Search Engine Optimization

also “SEO” for short. A buzz word that refers to design and layout techniques that make it easily for a website to be found (or indexed) by search engines.

traffic

a blanket term that refers to the amount of visitors and/or page loads that a website gets over a period of time.

web page, website, site, homepage

A web page refers to a single page of a website. The website (or site) is all of the content that is contained within a domain or subdomain. The homepage is the main and most important page on the website. It is where the majority of traffic is driven.