Content terms, explained simply

Plain-English definitions for content, image, and accessibility terms you'll encounter when managing your website.

This glossary defines the content, image, and accessibility terms you're most likely to encounter when working on your website. Terms are listed alphabetically.

If you come across a term that's not here, contact us and we'll explain it.

Quick summary

Use this page as a reference when you encounter unfamiliar terms. Every definition links to a longer guide where one exists.

Accessibility

The practice of making your website usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. See Web accessibility basics.

A short written description of an image, attached to the image in the website's code. Screen readers read it aloud for people who can't see the image. Required for accessibility and helpful for SEO. See Alt text explained.

Aspect ratio

The proportional relationship between an image's width and height. Common ratios: 16:9 (widescreen), 4:3 (traditional), 1:1 (square). Changing an image's aspect ratio without cropping causes distortion.

Body copy

The main text of a page — the paragraphs, not the headings. Distinguished from headlines, captions, and labels.

Brand assets

All the files that define how your business looks visually: logo files, fonts, color values, photography, and templates. See Organizing your brand assets.

Brand voice

The personality and style of a brand's writing — how it sounds in words. See Finding your brand voice.

Caption

Text displayed alongside or below an image or video. For images: a description or credit. For video: a text version of the speech and other important sounds, synchronized with the video. Video captions are required for accessibility.

Call to action (CTA)

A button, link, or prompt that tells a visitor what to do next — "Book a call," "Get a quote." See Writing effective calls to action.

Compression

The process of reducing an image file's size while preserving visual quality. Essential for fast-loading web pages. See How to compress images.

Content management system (CMS)

Software that lets you add and edit content on your website without writing code. WordPress, Webflow, and Squarespace are all content management systems.

Contrast ratio

A number that describes how different two colors are in brightness. A higher number means more contrast. WCAG Level AA (in both 2.1 and 2.2) requires at least 4.5:1 for normal-size text. See Color contrast & readability.

Copyright

The legal right of a creator to control how their work is used. In the US, copyright exists automatically as soon as the work is fixed in a tangible form, such as a photo file saved to a card; registering it with the Copyright Office is optional, though registration matters if the owner ever has to enforce those rights in court. Treat any image as protected unless its license, or its creator, says you can use it. (Some older works are in the public domain, but check before you rely on that.)

Creative Commons

A set of standardized free licenses that creators use to share their work. All six Creative Commons licenses require you to credit the creator. Some also prohibit commercial use or changes to the work. Creative Commons also offers public domain tools, such as CC0, for work that's free to use without restriction. See Stock photos & licensing.

Decorative image

An image that adds no information to the page — purely visual. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them.

DPI (dots per inch)

A measure of print resolution — how many ink dots fit in one inch. DPI matters for print. For web images, focus on pixel dimensions and file size instead.

File size

How much storage space a file takes up — measured in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB). Smaller file size = faster page load. Not the same as image dimensions (px).

Font

A complete set of type in a specific design and size — for example, "Inter Regular 16px." Fonts can be system fonts (built into devices) or web fonts (loaded from the internet). Web fonts have to download before text shows in them, so each extra one can slow your site.

GIF

An older image format that supports basic animation. Animated GIFs can be very large files, so they're not ideal for website use. A short video (such as MP4) or an animated WebP is usually a lighter alternative.

Greyscale

An image in shades of grey with no color. Sometimes used for visual effect or to reduce file size.

Heading (H1, H2, H3…)

A structural text element that organizes page content into a hierarchy. H1 is the most important (usually one per page), H2 for main sections, H3 for sub-sections. Screen reader users jump from heading to heading to find their way around, and Google can use a page's headings when it writes the title shown in search results.

Hero image / hero section

The large, attention-grabbing section at the top of a web page. Usually contains a headline, sub-headline, and a call to action.

Hex code

A code that specifies an exact color, usually a # followed by six letters and numbers — for example, #1A1A1A (very dark grey) or #FFFFFF (white). Shorter (three-character) and longer (eight-character, with transparency) versions also exist. Used to specify brand colors precisely.

Image dimensions

How wide and tall an image is, measured in pixels. For example, 1920 × 1080 px.

JPG / JPEG

A lossy image format, and the usual choice for photographs. Good compression and small file sizes. Does not support transparency. See Image formats explained.

Kerning

The spacing between particular pairs of letters in a word. Usually handled by the font designer and your website's typography settings, not something you adjust manually.

Landing page

A standalone web page designed for a specific campaign or audience. Usually has one focused call to action and minimal navigation to reduce distractions.

License

Legal permission to use an image (or other content) in a specific way. Buying a stock image gives you a license to use it under specific conditions. See Stock photos & licensing.

Meta description

A short summary of a page that search engines may show below the page title in results. Google often writes its own snippet from the page content instead, but a clear, specific description can encourage people to click. See Page titles & meta descriptions.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

A file format that preserves the layout of a document for printing or sharing. PDFs on websites should be accessible — with selectable text and document structure. See PDFs & documents on your site.

Pixel (px)

The smallest unit of measurement in digital images and screen layout. A single colored dot. Images and web layouts are measured in pixels.

PNG

An image format that supports transparency and preserves sharp edges. Better for graphics, logos, and screenshots than for large photographs. See Image formats explained.

Raster image

An image made of pixels (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF). Quality degrades when enlarged beyond its original size.

Responsive design

A website design approach that adjusts the layout and image sizes to fit different screen sizes — from desktop to tablet to phone.

Royalty-free

A type of image license where you pay once and can then use the image without paying again per use. Does not mean the image is free. See Stock photos & licensing.

Software used by people who are blind or have low vision to navigate a computer or phone. It reads out the content of the screen, including text, headings, links, and alt text.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The practice of improving your website's visibility in search engine results. Content quality, headings structure, and alt text all contribute to SEO. See SEO basics.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

An image format described in code rather than pixels. SVGs scale to any size without losing quality. Ideal for logos and icons. See Image formats explained.

Tone

How a brand's voice adapts to a specific context. A warm brand voice might use a gentler tone in a complaint response than in a promotional email. See Finding your brand voice.

Transcript

The full written text of a video or audio recording. Provided alongside video for accessibility and to help search engines understand the content.

Typeface

The overall design of a set of characters — for example, "Inter" or "Georgia." A font is a specific weight and size within a typeface (e.g., "Inter Bold 16px"). The terms are often used interchangeably in everyday language.

UX (User Experience)

How easy and pleasant a website is to use. Good UX includes clear navigation, readable content, accessible design, and quick loading.

Vector image

An image described using mathematical shapes rather than pixels. Can scale to any size without losing quality. SVG is the main vector format for the web.

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

The international standard for web accessibility, published by the W3C. The latest version is WCAG 2.2, first published in October 2023 and updated in December 2024. WCAG 2.1 is still a current standard too, and content that meets 2.2 also meets 2.1. Level AA is the common target; for example, the US Department of Justice's ADA rule for state and local government websites names WCAG 2.1 Level AA. See Web accessibility basics.

WebP

A modern image format from Google that usually produces smaller files than JPG or PNG at similar quality. Supports transparency and animation. An excellent choice for most web images. See Image formats explained.

White space

Empty space around and between elements on a page. White space makes content easier to read and pages feel less overwhelming. It is a design tool, not wasted space.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Content terms, explained simply

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