The thought of wading through industry jargon can be pretty intimidating.
Web design is no exception.
Between acronyms and terminology that’s specific to the field, it’s easy to feel lost. But don’t worry – we’re here to help!
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through an A-Z guide of web design industry terms. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to break through the jargon barrier and communicate more effectively with your web designer.
So, let’s get started!
Accessibility
An accessible website is one that can be used by everyone, including people with disabilities. This includes making sure the website can be used by people with visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and cognitive disabilities.
Algorithms
Algorithms are used to determine things like what shows up in search results and how web pages are ranked for a given query.
Analytics
Analytics is the process of collecting and analysing data. In web design, analytics can be used to track things like how many people visit a website, where they come from, and what pages they view. Google Analytics is a popular tool for tracking web traffic.
Alt Text
Alt text (alternative text) is the text that appears in its place if an image cannot be displayed for whatever reason. This is important for accessibility, as it allows people with visual impairments to understand what’s on the page.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a measurement of data transfer capability over time.
Blog / Blogging
A blog is a website or section of a website where someone writes about their thoughts, experiences, or ideas on a regular basis.
Blogging is the act of writing a blog post.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are a type of navigation that shows the user where they are on a website. They typically look something like this:
Home > About > Our Team.
Content Management System (CMS)
A content management system (CMS) is a program that assists users in creating, editing, and publishing online material.
Core Web Vitals (CWV)
Core Web Vitals is a set of specific metrics related to page speed and loading times.
CSS
CSS (cascading style sheets) is a code that controls the appearance of web content. It’s used to style everything from the layout of a web page to the font, colour, and size of text.
CTA
CTA stands for Call-to-Action, and it’s a web design term that refers to any element on a website that encourages a visitor to take some specific action, like clicking a button or filling out a form.
Domain Name
A domain name is the human-readable address of a website on the internet. For example, google.com is the domain name for Google’s website. When you type that into your web browser, it takes you to Google’s website.
Favicon
A favicon is a tiny icon that appears in the browser’s address bar next to the website’s name. Although it’s a small detail, a favicon can make a big difference in the way people perceive your website. It’s a way to brand and make your website more recognisable.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU data protection law that came into effect 25 May 2018. The regulation was designed to give individuals more control over their personal data and establish new rights for individuals with respect to their data. This law applies to any company that processes or intends to process the personal data of individuals in the EU.
Google Search Console (GSC)
Google Search Console (previously Google Webmaster Tools) is a free online tool that helps website owners track their website’s visibility and performance in Google search results. It also provides insights into the types of queries that drove traffic to your site, and how your site fared against other sites in terms of organic search visibility.
HTML
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language for creating web pages and web applications – it’s the main code behind most websites. It’s used to structure a web page and can be used to include images, videos, and other types of media.
HTTP / HTTPS
HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) is the protocol that governs how web pages are transmitted over the internet.
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP. This means that your information will be sent and received in a more secure way.
Hyperlink
A hyperlink is a link to another web page. They can be text, images, or other elements on a web page.
Inbound Link
A link from another website to yours. They’re also sometimes called backlinks.
Information Architecture (IA)
Information architecture (IA) is the practice of organising and labelling content on a website so that it’s easy for users to find and use.
Landing Page
A landing page is a web page that’s designed to convert visitors into leads or customers. It typically has a specific call-to-action (CTA) that encourages the visitor to take a desired action.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are code that helps describe a web page to search engines. They don’t appear on the web page itself, but they’re used by search engines to understand what the page is about.
Mobile First
A design methodology that starts with designing for mobile devices and then expands to larger screen sizes.
Outbound Link
A link from your website to another website.
Registrar
A registrar is an organisation that is authorised to register domain names on the internet.
Responsive Design
Responsive design is an approach to web design that makes websites work well on different screen sizes. It’s important because more and more people are using smartphones and other devices with small screens to surf the web.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a long-term marketing strategy employed in order to increase the visibility and ranking of a website or web page in Search Engine Results Pages (SERP). This can be done by optimising web content, building backlinks, and more.
Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) are the web pages that appear when you type a query into a search engine. They typically include a list of web results, as well as ads.
SSL Certificate
A Secured Socket Layer (SSL) certificate is a type of security that helps protect data as it’s transmitted over the internet. It’s typically used on websites that process sensitive information like credit card numbers.
TLS
TLS (transport layer security) is a security protocol that helps protect data as it’s transmitted over the internet. It’s the successor to SSL.
Traffic
Traffic is the number of visitors to a website. It can be measured over a specific period of time, such as a day, week, or month.
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language readable, understandable, and visually appealing.
UI
UI (user interface) refers to the design of the interface a user interacts with on a website or web application. This includes everything from the layout to the colour scheme and typography.
URL
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator and is basically the web address of a resource on the internet. It’s what you see at the top of your browser when you visit a website, and it typically includes the domain name, path, and any query parameters. When you enter a URL into your browser, it helps to locate and fetch the resources (webpage, image, video, etc.) that you’re trying to find. For example, the URL for this article is https://
Usability
The ease with which people can use a website or app. Good usability means that users can easily accomplish their goals on the site.
UX
UX stands for “user experience.” It’s the process of designing websites and apps with the user in mind. The goal is to make them easy and enjoyable to use, so people will keep coming back.
Web Browser
A web browser is a software program that allows you to access, view, and navigate web pages. Popular web browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.
Web Hosting
Web hosting is a service that provides servers where websites can be stored and accessed on the internet.
Web Platform
See CMS.
Web Server
A web server is a type of server that helps deliver web pages to web browsers. When you type in a URL, the web browser sends a request to the web server, which then serves up the web page.
Website
A website is a collection of web pages that are connected together and can be accessed through a web browser.
WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG is an stands for “what you see is what you get.” It’s a type of system where the user can see how the final product will look while they’re creating it.
XML
XML (extensible markup language) is a type of code that’s used to structure data. It’s similar to HTML, but it’s designed to be more flexible and extensible. Most commonly used for RSS feeds and sitemaps.
Conclusion: Get the Most Out of Your Website Project
So, there you have it – our A-Z guide to web design terminology!
We hope this information is helpful and that it will help you communicate more effectively with your web designer.
This list may get updated from time to time, so be sure to bookmark it and check back periodically.
Limitless Networks, A Kerry Web Design Company
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the web design terminology out there, don’t worry – we’re here to help!
At Limitless Networks, we will guide you through every step of your website project. We’ll help you make sense of all the jargon and get the most out of your website.
Contact us today to get started!
