Web Design Glossary
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Web design glossary is a look inside the mind of the diction of a web developer. Here we have gathered several terms that are common and several terms that are un-common to sharpen your lingo and knowledge of the industry.
The web design glossary is not all-inclusive and does not aim to cover everything, instead it is our take on what terms are important and how we specifically define them.
You may define them differently or disagree with how we define them, please share your feedback in the comments below. Enjoy our web design glossary:
Here’s some tech terms explained:
Web Design Glossary
Above-the-Fold: The content that can be seen on a website before scrolling down. Considered the most valuable real estate in web design because it is viewed the most. Ads that play above the fold generally cost the most.
Accessibility: The extent to which a website can be used by people with disabilities, such as those who are blind or have low vision.
Android: Type of operating system developed by Google that runs on mobile devices.
Back End: The part of a site that is seen by developers and not by regular viewers of the site. Essentially, the site editor.
Backlinks: Links on other sites that lead back to your site. Backlinks are key to good SEO.
Below-the-Fold: The content that can be seen on a website after scrolling down.
Browser: The program a website visitor uses to view the site. For example, Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer are all different browsers.
Content: The text, images, and other media that make up the information on a website.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): A programming language which is used to create the look of a site using the HTML files on the site. We have several CSS tutorials… Click here for a post about building a table with CSS!
CTA (Call-to-action): An instruction to the audience to get a response. For example, a link to a phone number saying, “Call now!” or “Schedule an appointment today!” See our blog post about CTAs!
CTR (Click-through-rate): The total about of clicks onto a website from an ad campaign like Facebook or Google Ads. The higher the CTR, the better the ad has performed. Higher performing ads create a better return on investment.
Domain: The name of a site’s URL on where it can be located. They can be created using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols and end in extensions such as “.com”, “.gov”, “.edu”, “.net”, and so on. Having a great domain is one of the basics of a good online presence, which you can read about in This Blog Post!
DNS: DNS or Domain Name Settings are the command controls for a domain to send it to a specific server on the web, run email services on the domain, connect to web providers and much more. DNS changes are always required when building a new website and connecting it to a domain for the first time.
Domain Extension: The domain extension is the final part of the domain such as .com or .org which represent a standard set by the organization who launched the extension. The most popular domain extension, .com is owned and operated by VeriSign. They receive revenue every time a .com is registered. As the most popular domain extension, .com’s are the most powerful in search for SEO purposes. There are tons of new domain extensions such as .shop, .club, .app, etc. However, these domains do not provide the same level of SEO value that the original domain extensions (.com, .org, .gov, .edu, .net) provide.
ECommerce: Short for “electronic commerce”, the buying and selling of goods and services online where purchasing happens electronically. See our blog post about building a great ECommerce site!
Favicon: An icon that is associated with a site’s url and appears next to the site title in a browser tab. See our blog post about adding a favicon!
Font Family: An element for typefaces such as “serif” and “sans-serif”.
Hexadecimal (Hex Colors): A numbering system to define colors online. They include the letters A-F and 0-9 and is made up of three sets of hex pairs. (Example: the hex for “white” is “#ffffff” and the hex for “black” is “#000000”)
Hosting: A term for the space required for a website to be online and live. Without hosting, a website cannot be visited. Website hosting comes in many different sizes and flavors. Here at SkyPoint, we offer managed hosting. That means we do all the updating for your software throughout the year. Also, we maintain 100% uptime. Peace of mind for your business is truly invaluable.
HTML: Stands for Hypertext Markup Language and is the main language used to write web pages and is usually used to write content
HTTP: Stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol and is at the beginning of every site’s URL. It transfers hypertext requests between a browser and a server.
HTTPS: Stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. Functions the same as HTTP, but exists over a secure, encrypted network.
Hyperlink: A hyperlink is a link to a page from another site or location. It is usually is marked with an underline.
Landing Page: An eye-catching section of a website with a call-to-action and a link to another page, usually a home page with more information. See our blog post about landing pages!
Layout: The way that the content on a website is organized and arranged on the page.
JavaScript – A programming language popular on the web that provides many different functunalities often beyond the capability of the basic web design building blocks HTML and CSS.
Meta Data: The data contained in the header that provides information about the page that a visitor is currently on. This info isn’t viewable on the web page, but rather in the source code.
Navigation: The way visitors move from page to page on a site. Having user-friendly navigation is vital to a good website. If you have pages cluttering up your WordPress navigation, check out our How To blog post to exclude them!
Pixels: The increment which screen sizes are measured. Generally, mobile devices have on average 400 pixels or less, tablets have 800 pixels or less, and desktops have 1400 pixels or less per side screen dimension.
Responsive design: A design approach that ensures that a website looks and functions well on a variety of devices, including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Techniques and strategies to in+crease visitors to a site by earning a good place on search engines. See one of our blog posts about SEO!
UI (User interface): The way that a website interacts with its users and how easy it is for users to navigate and find what they are looking for.
Usability: The extent to which a website is easy for users to accomplish their goals on the website.
URL: Stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A site’s URL is its address and specifies where on the Internet it lives.
USP (Unique Selling Point):Specifically what makes your brand/service different and superior to your competitors. The USP is something your site should emphasize.
UX (User experience): The overall feelings and attitudes of users towards a website, including the website’s usability, accessibility, design, content, and performance.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting that the customer owns and controls the whole space. Way better for speed and security versus shared hosting, but does cost more.
Web 3.0 The latest iteration of the web that incorporates the metaverse, cryptocurrency, NFTs, blockchain & AI. What makes it so different than Web 2.0 is that it is decentralized. Where in Web 2.0 users consolidated onto private company websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, in Web 3.0 nobody owns the users data or the platform. This is a fundamental change in the way humans own property and a huge movement forward in making things fair for all humans no matter their socioeconomic background.
Widget: A link from a third-party site or app that the user has rights to. For example, a Facebook page for visitors to “Like” or a blog they can follow.
Wireframing: The process of creating a visual mockup of a website to plan out the layout and functionality.
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