Embarking on the journey to create a website, whether on your own or with a web designer, can be exciting yet confusing when you encounter unfamiliar terms. Understanding the basics will boost your confidence as you dive into your project. Let’s demystify some common website terminology to get you started on the right foot.
Recently, while working with a client, I realized how much I take certain website terms for granted that are completely unfamiliar to many people. Explaining these terms in a way that makes sense can be challenging, especially since many clients have never encountered this terminology until they start working on getting a website.
Let’s dive in and explore key terms that often cause confusion but are essential to understanding for anyone starting a website project. Grasping these terms will give you the vocabulary and concepts needed to communicate clearly with web developers, make informed decisions about your website’s design and functionality, and ensure your digital presence effectively meets its objectives.
A domain is the address (or URL) of your website on the internet, for example: www.example.com. Your domain serves as the unique address where users find your site, metaphorically speaking, think of it as your house’s street address.
Hosting for your website is the service that allows your site to be accessible on the internet. When you purchase hosting, you’re essentially renting space on a server where your website’s files are stored. This ensures that your site is available to visitors around the clock. Think of it as renting a property in a neighborhood (the server), where your website’s domain serves as the unique address.
A server for websites is essentially a powerful computer that stores and delivers website files and data to users over the internet. Think of it as a digital neighborhood where websites reside. When you purchase hosting from a provider, you’re renting space on one of these servers, much like renting a property in a neighborhood.
Hopefully, this visualization paints a clearer picture. To summarize, think of each home as a different website, with the server acting as the neighborhood that hosts these homes. Each website, like each home, has its unique address (website domain) and contains distinct files and data. Renting space on this server ensures your website has a secure place to “live” online, accessible to visitors 24/7. Just as renting property in a neighborhood guarantees your physical address is always reachable, hosting your site on a server ensures its availability on the Internet.
4. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate: SSLis a critical security protocol that encrypts data exchanged between a web browser and a server, ensuring that sensitive information like login credentials and credit card details remains secure from interception by unauthorized parties. Websites employing SSL are identified by URLs starting with “https://“, where the ‘s’ indicates a secure connection. This encryption protects user privacy and enhances trust by preventing data breaches and ensuring safe online transactions and interactions.
CMS stands for Content Management System, this is the software used to create and manage digital content on your website, such as WordPress, WIX, Squarespace, and Shopify, to name just a few.
6. Website Builder: A website builder is a tool or platform that enables users to create websites without the need for coding skills or extensive technical knowledge. These platforms offer intuitive interfaces, a variety of templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and customization options for designing and building websites. They are supposed to be easy! However, that is not always the case. Having tried several builders, many have templates you can use to create a simple site, but you often have to stick with the provided styles, which can feel limiting. While many website builders do offer customization options for advanced users, such as web designers, these typically require adding CSS code to achieve specific design requirements.
7. Navigation: The navigation is the structure and organization of menus and links that help users navigate a website. Most websites have the navigation across the top, in the header and also in the footer. Visual elements and interactive features of a website that users interact with.
8. Header: The header is the top section of a website, usually appearing on every page. It typically contains essential information and navigation elements such as:
Think of the header as the welcome mat and directory for your website, guiding visitors to the most important areas right from the start.
9. Hero: the hero section is a prominent banner at the top of a webpage designed to immediately capture visitors’ attention.
It features a large image or video that sets the website’s tone, a concise headline summarizing its main message, and a call-to-action button prompting specific actions like exploring more content or making a purchase. Navigation links may also be included. This section plays a crucial role in making a strong first impression, guiding visitors to engage further with the site’s content, and maximizing user engagement and conversion rates.
10. Footer: The footer is the bottom section of a website, also usually appearing on every page. It often contains additional navigation and important information, such as:
The footer consolidates all the information users might seek after browsing a webpage, offering a centralized location for crucial details and additional resources. It’s now common practice to include more links in the footer to maintain a cleaner aesthetic in the header section.
11. Responsive Design: This is the ability of a web page to display and function well on on various devices and screen sizes, from tablet, to mobile phones.
12. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Practices aimed at increasing the visibility of your website in search engine results, driving organic traffic.
13. Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be transferred between your website and its visitors in a given amount of time. Higher bandwidth means more data can be transferred, leading to faster loading times.
14. Cache
Temporary storage that helps speed up website loading times by storing recently accessed data. Think of it as a short-term memory for your website.
15. Alt Text
A brief description added to images on your website to help search engines understand the content of the image, and to improve accessibility for users with visual impairments.
Understanding these terms will empower you to navigate the world of website design and development effectively, whether you’re managing your site independently or collaborating with professionals. It equips you to make informed decisions about your website’s structure, functionality, and security, ensuring it meets your business or personal goals.
For those looking to dive deeper into these concepts and enhance their knowledge, there are some interesting articles you can find on the web, check out resources such as the Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) Web Docs or W3Schools. A few more articles that are informative:
Sure! Here’s a summary ending that invites engagement:
We hope you found this overview helpful. We’d love to hear from you! Please share any terms you think are important to know or let us know what confuses you. Your feedback helps us create more valuable content for everyone.
