Web basics: terms A to Z
The core vocabulary everyone building or managing a website needs to know, explained in plain English.
Whether you're editing your site, working with our team, or just trying to understand an email we sent. This glossary has the basics covered.
A to C
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| Above the fold | The part of a web page you can see without scrolling. It's prime real estate: put your most important message here. |
| Accessibility | Designing and building websites so people with disabilities (vision, hearing, motor, cognitive) can use them. Also called a11y. |
| Alt text | A short description of an image that screen readers read aloud. Also helps search engines understand images. See Image SEO & alt text. |
| Analytics | Data about who visits your site, what they do, and where they came from. Google Analytics (GA4) is a widely used tool for this. |
| API | Application Programming Interface. A way for two pieces of software to talk to each other. You rarely interact with this directly. |
| Back end | The part of a website that visitors don't see: the server, database, and code that powers everything behind the scenes. |
| Bandwidth | The amount of data transferred between your website and visitors. A site with lots of images and video uses more bandwidth. |
| Browser | The app you use to visit websites: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. See Browsers & devices reference. |
| Browser cache | Files your browser saves locally so pages load faster on your next visit. Sometimes needs clearing when changes don't appear. |
| CMS | Content Management System. Software that lets non-technical people edit website content. WordPress, Webflow, and Squarespace are all CMSs. |
| Code | Instructions written in a programming language (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP) that tell browsers how to display a page. |
| Cookie | A small file a website saves in your browser. Used to remember logins, preferences, and track visits. |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets. The code that controls how a page looks: colors, fonts, spacing, layout. |
| CTA | Call to Action. A button or link that asks a visitor to do something: "Book now," "Get a quote," "Sign up." |
D to F
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| Database | An organized collection of data. WordPress stores your pages, posts, and settings in a database. |
| DNS | Domain Name System. The internet's address book. It translates domain names into IP addresses. See What is DNS?. |
| Domain | Your website's address, like yourcompany.com. See What is a domain name?. |
| Favicon | The tiny icon shown in browser tabs next to your page title. Usually your logo mark. |
| Font | The style of lettering used for text on your website. Web fonts are loaded from services like Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts. |
| Footer | The bottom section of a web page, usually containing contact info, links, and copyright notices. |
| Form | An interactive area on a page where visitors can enter and submit information. Contact forms, sign-ups, checkouts. |
| Front end | The part of a website visitors see and interact with: layout, text, images, buttons. |
| FTP / SFTP | File Transfer Protocol: a way to move files between your computer and a web server. SFTP does the same job over an encrypted connection; use it whenever your host offers it. |
One name, one set of DNS settings, two entirely separate destinations. Changing your host does not move your email, and changing your email provider does not touch your website.
Read this as text
Your domain name (yourbusiness.com) sits at the top. It points to your DNS settings, which act as a switchboard.
From there the DNS settings send traffic two separate ways. The A record sends website visitors to your website hosting, where your site’s files live. The MX record sends email to your email provider, where your messages live.
The two destinations are independent. They are often different companies, and changing one does not affect the other.
G to I
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| Header | The top section of a web page, usually containing your logo and navigation menu. |
| Hosting | The service that stores your website's files on a server and makes them accessible on the internet. See What is web hosting?. |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language. The code that structures a web page: headings, paragraphs, links, images. |
| HTTP / HTTPS | The protocol (set of rules) used to transfer data between browsers and servers. HTTPS is the secure, encrypted version. See What is SSL & HTTPS?. |
| Hyperlink | A clickable link that takes you from one page to another, on the same site or a different one. |
| Image compression | Reducing an image file's size without (noticeably) reducing its quality. Smaller images = faster pages. |
| IP address | A numerical address that identifies a device on a network. Older IPv4 addresses look like 203.0.113.5; newer IPv6 addresses are longer, like 2001:db8::1. |
J to M
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| JavaScript | A programming language that makes web pages interactive: slideshows, forms that validate, pop-ups, etc. |
| Landing page | A page designed with one specific goal, usually to get a visitor to sign up, buy, or contact you. |
| Lazy loading | A technique where images and videos only load when the visitor is about to see them. Speeds up initial page load. |
| Link | A connection from one page to another. An internal link stays on your site; an external link goes to another site. |
| Localhost | Your own computer, acting as a temporary web server for development and testing. Not visible to the public. |
| Markdown | A simple text-formatting syntax. Type **bold** and it renders as bold. Used in many CMSs and editors. |
| Meta description | A short summary you write for a page. Google builds the text under your title mainly from the page itself, but sometimes uses your meta description instead when it fits better. |
| Mobile-first | Designing and building a website with small screens as the priority, then adapting up to larger screens. |
N to P
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| Navigation | The menus and links that help visitors move around your website. |
| Page speed | How quickly a web page fully loads. Faster is better for both visitors and search rankings. |
| PHP | A server-side programming language. WordPress is built on PHP. You don't need to touch it, but it powers your site. |
| Plugin | An add-on that extends what a CMS like WordPress can do. Add a contact form, improve SEO, add e-commerce. |
| Popup | A window that appears on top of a page, often used for sign-ups, offers, or cookie consent. |
| Protocol | A set of rules computers use to communicate. HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, and FTP are all protocols. |
R to S
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| Redirect | Sending a visitor automatically from one URL to another. Used when pages move or are deleted. |
| Responsive design | A website that automatically adjusts its layout to look good on any screen size: phone, tablet, or desktop. |
| Screenshot | An image captured from your screen. Useful for reporting problems or showing what you're seeing. |
| Script | A piece of code, often JavaScript, that runs in your browser or on the server to add functionality. |
| Section | A distinct block of content on a page: a hero area, a services block, a testimonials row. |
| Server | A computer connected to the internet that stores and "serves" your website's files to visitors. |
| Sitemap | A file listing the pages on your website that you want search engines to know about. Helps them crawl your content more efficiently. |
| Slug | The URL-friendly part of a page address. For yoursite.com/about-us, the slug is about-us. |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer: the older name for the technology that encrypts data between your site and visitors. Today's version is called TLS, but everyone still says SSL. Either way, it's what makes the URL say HTTPS. |
| Staging site | A private copy of your website used for testing changes before they go live. |
T to Z
| Term | Plain-English definition |
|---|---|
| Template | A pre-designed page layout you can fill with your own content instead of starting from scratch. |
| Theme | In WordPress: the design "skin" for your site, controls layout, fonts, colors, and style. |
| Traffic | The number of visits to your website over a given period. Often divided by source (organic, paid, social, direct). |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator: the full address of a web page, e.g. https://yoursite.com/about-us. |
| User experience (UX) | How easy and enjoyable it is to use a website. Good UX means visitors can find what they need quickly. |
| Widget | A small, self-contained block of content: a button, a search bar, a recent-posts list, a map. |
| Web server | Software running on a server that receives requests from browsers and sends back web pages. |
| Widget area | In a classic WordPress theme, a region, like the sidebar or footer, where you can add and arrange widgets. Block themes don't use widget areas; you place blocks wherever you want that content instead. |
| XML | A file format for structured data. Used for sitemaps and RSS feeds. You rarely need to touch XML directly. |
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