Website Design Which Sells!

Jargon Busting: All to often we are bamboozled by terms not familiar to ourselves, alien to us as they are outside of our sphere. We fully understand this so aim to ensure this does not become an issue. Here are some of the terms you may hear being thrown about in an attempt to charge you more than you should be paying.

If you are not sure or have a question please contact us, we'll try to answer your query as quickly as possible.

We recognise that choosing a web design company can be a minefield – so think of us as your expert.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP / HTTPS)
The method browsers use to communicate through the internet to get web pages. The standard version is HTTP. There is a Secure version that uses SSL Certification to give a secure connection between the browser and server.

Internet
The internet is a collection of computers, connected together to form a huge world wide network. The World Wide Web as it is also called has a set of protocols and standards so that all companies and developers products work effectively together.

Accessibility
The ability for people with disabilities to view the website through different methods.

Analytics
Analytics within the website sector typically means the collection of information about visitors to a website and tracking their movements whilst on the website. This data can then be analysed to improve the visitors experience and give clear performance information of the website.

Bandwidth
The speed that your internet connection sends information. Usually measured in Kilobits per second or Megabit per second (Roughly 1000 Kilobits = 1 Megabit).

Browser
A program ran on a computer or other media device to access the internet to view websites. Examples of browsers include Firefox, internet explorer and safari.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
A method of controlling the presentation of a web page by providing style and adjusting the layout.

Clickable Image
A image that is also a link.

Code
Code is language processed by servers and browsers to process, provide and collect information.

Database
A Database is where data is commonly stored for a website. These can be secured using usernames and passwords, each user can be given access rights to ensure data integrity. The most common form of database is a Relational Database, these have built in features optimized to read, write, and edit large amounts of data.

Content Management System (CMS)
A Content Management System (CMS) is a website that allows for control of its style and content through management pages. No coding is needed to do this.

Document Type Declaration (DTD)
A web page needs to contain a Document Type Declaration so that the code in the page is correctly processed by your website browser.

Domain Name
The name that is given to identify a website easily for humans. A domain name points to a server that has IP addresses that only exists once on the internet.

Download
Transfer of one or multiple files from a remote source such as a website server to your computer.

Dynamic Content
Dynamic content is where a website produces the information there on the page in order to create an action. The data could come from a Database or another storage format and can possibly control website elements such as search options and results.

E-Commerce
Electronic commerce is a virtual shop, that can allow a visitor to view and purchase products or services. There are different levels of E-Commerce systems, with additional features such as Stock control or linking to a certain Payment Service Provider.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The method used to transfer files to and from a remote location (such as a Web Server). Typically only a website administrator will use these.

Flash
A program most commonly used for animations and games on websites, although can be used for whole websites. Requires the website visitor to have a Flash player installed onto the browser.

Hits
The term 'hit' means the number of times a page is visited. This can be tracked by Analytic programs to give a better understanding of how the visitors actually use the website.

Home Page
The is the first page most visitors will see, typically this is the Index page. This is often the most important page of the website to tell people what the website is about and to lead them to the information they require.

HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML)
The language all websites are written in. Other code can produce HTML, this is useful for Dynamic Content.

Internet Protocol Address (IP Address)
Every machine on the internet is given an IP Address. This is a unique identity that allows a computer to communicate on the internet. IP Addresses are numbers and dots and can change after a period of time.

Javascript
A common code language used by browsers. This code allows actions to be done without communication to the server or for only part of a web page to be updated, providing a more effective and quicker experience for the visitor. Javascript can be disabled within a browser by the visitor.

Search Engine
A search engine is a website that holds a register of websites and there content. Using the Search Engines formulas it applies a ranking depending on what is searched for. The higher the ranking the search engine gives the higher the position the website is listed in search results. Examples of search engines include google, ask Jeeves, yahoo and bing

Search Engine Optimisation
This is the process of making a website more noticeable to a search engine and achieve a higher ranking for certain search terms. There are many factors involved in increasing a website ranking including time a website has existed.

Server
A server is a computer that is part of a network. These computers have Server programs installed and are set up to host websites. These are typically hosted in a specialist building that allows for a more stable, quicker and greater numbers of connection to be made than a standing internet connection can provide.

Static Content
A fixed webpage where the content is entered into the page code only and does not change until the code is changed. This is typically done by the website developer or through a Content Management System

URL
This is an address for a website, typically it is easily readable for a human and can be typed into a browsers Address Bar. For most websites this will appear as www.

Upload
The opposite of Download. Rather than downloading and storing a file to your computer you are sending a file to a server that is then processed or stored there for others to access.

Design Jargon

JPEG or (.jpg)/ PNG or (.png)
This refers to the way an image is compressed as a file. They are the most common file types used by image making devices such as digital cameras and scanners and are often used on web pages depending on quality required or size.

RGB or CMYK
When an image is read (looked at) by any software the colours of the image are set to appear in certain modes. Typically RGB or CMYK. RGB stands for red, green and blue- the primary colours which are the basis for every other colour, images are saved in RGB mode when they are expected to appear digitally or online. CMYK stands for the shades of ink used in printing- cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black) and is the colour mode used when an image is expected to be printed or turned into a physical copy.

Pixel
This is the smallest measure of an image that can be individually processed digitally. On screens this appears as a single coloured dot, which in groups forms images.

Resolution
The degree of sharpness of a computer-generated image as measured by the number of dots per linear inch in a printout or the number of pixels displayed on a screen.

Vector
An image generated using mathematical equations. Usually on software programs such as Illustrator or photoshop. Although generally not used on websites directly, images are created using vectors because they can be scaled indefinitely without the loss of quality that is found in pixel or bitmap images.

Bitmap
This is an encompassing term used to describe all image file formats which are created based on pixels as opposed to vectors. For example jpeg and png files.