Often, we find that the terms used when speaking about websites can be quite difficult to wrap your head around. And so, we've listed 10 need to know website terms that will help you sound like a pro.
For a first-timer, deciding to have a website built for your business can be quite exciting and daunting all at once. It’s sort of like having your car fixed - you know something has to be done, and parts are required - but what it all means is beyond comprehension.
We’re here to let you know that we get it, and that you deserve to know what your money is paying for. Read, memorise and save this list of website terminology, even if it’s just to sound smart around the braai.
CSS: Cascading Style Sheets show how the HTML will be shown on your screen, here think about the design, colour and layout of the website.
WEBSITE: A website is a location on the Internet with a collection of online pages that can be accessed via a domain name.
DOMAIN NAME: This is the address or name of the website. It consists of a second level and a top-level domain, and these are separated by a dot (e.g. LastMinute.Com). The top level reflects the type or location of the website such as .com or .gov for example.
HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language is the standard markup language for creating web pages, in other words the structure of the site.
JAVASCRIPT: This is the programme language used to pull the whole site together.
WEB BROWSER: This is the program you use to browse the Internet – such as Internet Explorer or Chrome for example. By typing the URL into the web browser you are able to access the website you are looking for.
RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN: It is important that your website is designed in such a way so as to adapt to the size of the screen it is being viewed on. A fluid layout that automatically adapts to a tablet, mobile or desktop screen is of utmost importance to the user experience.
CMS: The Content Management System allows administrators to edit and add content to the website from anywhere. Usually, clients request this type of website so that they are able to make small changes on their own while the agency will be responsible for the big builds to the site. WordPress is a great example of a CMS-type site.
PHP: This stands for Hypertext Preprocessor and is an open source scripting language (lines of code) used to develop web applications. PHP is used for the automation of tasks on your website.
HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (you’ve seen this at the beginning of the website address in the browser). This allows the web browsers and servers to exchange data, it basically lets the browser know that whatever content is to follow, is HTTP friendly.
Now that you’re a little more website-savvy, come on over to Penquin for a JAVA while we talk websites.