You Build a Website Glossary

Frequently Used Build a Website Terms Explained in Plain English

Alt Tags
Text that is displayed instead of an image if the image is unavailable, or if the image is hovered over with the mouse.

Anchor
The anchor text or link label is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. The words contained in the Anchor text can determine the ranking that page will receive by search engines..

Autoresponder
An email message that is automatically sent as a response to an email enquiry by a user.

Bandwidth
The amount of information that can be transferred across an Internet connection

Body
The body section of a web page, in HTML terms. Unlike the Head section, everything in the body is shown on the page.

Blog
Short for weBLOG, this is a diary of thoughts, regularly updated

Broken Link Checker
A tool that checks each link on a website to ensure its links, both internal and external are available and still current. That is, when clicked on, they do not receive error messages.

Browser
The program that displays websites on your computer. Examples are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, and the soon to be discontinued, Netscape browser.

CGI
Common Gateway Interface. A protocol enabling web pages to transfer instructions to a server, via a script placed in an HTML page that completes a series of tasks. Used in web forms for example.

Cookies
A text message sent from a web server to a browser and then returned by the browser to the server when the user re-visits that site. They are used to identify users and store information between visits, or generate statistics.

CSS
Cascading Style Sheets are an extension of HTML used for editing. They provide a way to make one change on a web page that automatically changes other pages

Directory
A website which acts as an index of other sites, in categories. Also refers to a website’s structure

Domain Name
The unique address belonging to your website, such as, www.YouBuildWebsites.com, and www. Fabulouslawns.com.

Download
Users transfer a document or file from your website to their own computers.

Dynamic
Interactive elements of a site

eBook
A document, consisting of many pages which can be transferred electronically. It is an electronic book, which can also be printed as a hard copy.

Ezine
Electronic newsletter, usually sent by email

File
Document or set of instructions

Frame
A section of a web page inside a frame, which stays the same, while other parts may change as a visitor navigates through the site.

FTP
Is a standard program used to upload your web site from the program where it was created, to a server.

GIF
Graphics Interchange Format. An image format used on the web, best for line drawings, logos, icons or banners with a small number of colors.

Graphic
Is an image or picture used on a web page.

Head
Only visible in the top section of an HTML page; is information (including meta tags) about the page.

Header
Only visible in the top section of an HTML page; is information (including meta tags) about the page.

Hits
The number of times a web page is visited

Host
Stores web pages on its server, to make them available to Internet users.

HTML
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is the language that browsers use to display your site. It uses a set of tags that specify how a page will look – images, font types, instructions, colors, etc.

HTTP
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a text based set of rules by which files on the web are transferred from web servers to browsers. The vast majority of web addresses (URLs) are prefixed by http://

Hub
A website which acts as a hub or directory on one topic, and indexes links to other websites of the same topic

Hyperlink
This is the clickable link in text or graphics on a Web page that takes you to another place on the same page, another page, or whole other site.

Image
This is a picture, photograph or graphic used on a web page

Index
The name given for the home page of a website. Also, when a search engine searches and catalogues a web site, for later retrieval for keyword searches.

Incoming Links
Links pointing to your website from other websites. Also known as Back links.

Java Script
A scripting language that provides a simplified method of applying of applying dynamic effects to a web pages

JPEG
JPEG or .jpg stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group Format. An image format used on the web, best for photographs or graphics with lots of colors.

Keywords
Search terms people type into a search engine to find what they are looking for. Essential for SEO, search engine optimization

Keyword Density
The number of times a keyword or keyword phrase appears on a web page

Layout
A drawing that shows the general appearance of a web page design, indicating position of text, images, form regions etc.

Link
A piece of text, or an image, with a URL embedded in it, which takes the user to another location of the same or different web site by clicking on it.

Link Exchange
A system whereby websites swap links with each other, usually displayed on a dedicated Links Page. Also known as Reciprocal Links.

Loading
The speed at which a web page loads from the server to the user’s browser.

Menu
A graphical or textual page that incorporates navigation hyperlinks to pages that are part of a web structure.

Meta Tags
HTML codes that reside within the Head section of each web page’s HTML. Meta tags are used by search engines to locate information about the website. They generally include the site title, description, keywords, how often to index, language to display etc

Monitoring
The process of checking a website for broken links, uptime, display elements, etc.

Navigation Bar
A set of links that displays the names of different pages on a website, (i.e., Home, Contact, About Us, etc.) It can be displayed across the top, down one side, or across the bottom of a web page

Page Rank
Page Rank (PR) is the importance that Google places on each web page, decided by its own  highly guarded algorithm. It can be displayed on the Google tool bar, and ranks sites from 0 – 10.

Pixels
Picture element is a single dot of light on a computer screen and can be displayed in different colors

Reciprocal Link
A link on one website that connects to another website containing a link back to the original site. This is a proven way to build link popularity.

Resolution
On your computer monitor, this is the number of pixels across and down that will display the size of your web page on a browser’s screen. The most commonly used resolution is 800 x 600.

RSS feeds
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. This is a popular technology for notifying users of updates to content in a website, blog, or Internet TV channel.

Screenshot
An image taken of a web page, usually displayed in a thumbnail.

Scripts
Sets of instructions to carry out actions or tasks on a web page, written in computer languages such as Perl, CGI, ASP, PHP or Java.

Search Engine Optimization
Is a set of strategies used to increase a website’s positioning and ranking on a search engines.

SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization

Server
The computer storage provided by a web host or web hosting company

Shopping Cart
A web based order form designed for end users to purchase products, services or subscriptions online.

Site Map
A set of ordered text links on a web site, that shows all of its publicly available pages, in one location.

Spider
A spider is a program that visits websites and reads their pages and other information in order to create entries for a search engine index.

SSL
Secure Sockets Layer is an encryption technology used for privacy and security of information

Stickiness
The length of time a user stays on the same website, whether on the one page, or on different pages

Subdomain
A subdomain is a separate website, with its own URL, that belongs to a main domain. For example, we’ll make the main domain to be: www.YouBuildWebsites.com and the subdomain to be: Webhost. This is how the new domain would look. www.Webhost.YouBuildWebsites.com. Pretty simple stuff, right? Like the main domain, subdomains can have unlimited pages. 

Submission
Registering a website’s title and description for inclusion in a search engine, directory or on another website.

Submit URL
To submit your website to a search engine, directory or another website for the purpose of being listed.

Text Links
A word or set of words that has a URL embedded behind it. When clicked on, it will take the user to a different part of the same page, a different page of the same web site, or a different web site

Thumbnail
This is a small picture, image or photograph on a web page, used instead of a larger image. This causes the page to load faster and saves bandwidth. The thumbnails are sometimes linked to a larger pictures on another web page for users.

Traffic
The number of hits a web site receives

Upload
Transfer of your website from the program it was located in, to a server.

URL
Uniform Resource Locator is the unique address of every page on the web. (i.e., http://www.YouBuildWebsites.com)

Web
Stands for World Wide Web

Web Page
A published HTML document that forms part of a web site

Web Safe Colors
Not all browsers can display all colors, but most have a selection of standardized 256 colors available. Using web safe colors ensures your site will be displayed in the color you intend. If a browser cannot display that color, it will display a different color

Website
This is the address, location (on a server) and collection of documents and resources for any set of web pages linked by its main domain name.

Website Builder
Software or program used to create a web page or website. Here is the best website builder.

WYSIWYG
This stand for, “What You See Is What You Get.” This is a website building software or program in which you can immediately see the results of any changes you make to a website. A WYSIWYG editor is great for people who have yet to learn to HTML, Dream Weaver, FrontPage or Adobe.