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When trying to build a website making sense of
all the terms and acronyms associated with the web design industry
can be a daunting task. In order to makes things a little bit easier
we’ve compiled a detailed summary of any major web terminology
you are likely to encounter on your path to getting your web page
up and running…
Domain Name: The name of your website
as it is entered into a web browser, which in our case would be
www.calgarywebdesign.ca. A domain name is typically purchased from
a web hosting company and is rented in one year intervals or longer.
All domain names must start with a www. and end with an extension
such as .com, .ca, .org, or .net
URL: Stands for Uniform Resource
Locator. Refers to the full extension of a website page, whether
it be the home page or any corresponding sub page. For instance
the full URL of the article you are currently reading is http://www.calgarywebdesign.ca/articles/basic-web-design-terms-and-defintions.html.
A URL always also includes the http:// tag at the front which stands
for hyper text transfer protocol.
Web Hosting: In order for your website
to function online you need a web hosting service to store or "host"
it. Hosting is created through a server which are computers connected
to the internet 24 hours a day used to publish your website online.
Hosting is traditionally purchased in monthly intervals with an
assigned amount of storage space based on the plan you choose.
FTP: Stands for File Transfer Protocol.
An FTP is a web development tool used to transfer your website files
(typically HTML files) from your computer onto your web hosting
server. Some of the most popular and commonly used FTP programs
include smartftp, cuteftp, and filezilla.
HTML: Stands for Hyper Text Markup
Language. HTML is considered the standard format for creating web
pages and end in either a .htm or.html extension. Examples of other
complementary web programming languages include Java, XML, CSS,
ASP, JSP, and PHP.
Servers: A computer or device that
manages network resources. The term can refer to a piece of software,
or to the machine on which the software is running. Servers handle
requests for data, e-mail, file transfers and other network services
from other computers.
IP Address: An address or number
assigned to any computer with internet capabilities so web users
can find one another online. The format of an IP address is numerical
and divided into 4 parts, each with numbers ranging from 0 to 255.
An example of a random IP address would be 25.72.243.149.
Note: In order to find out what your IP address is click here.
Search Engine: A directory of Internet
content. A search engine is designed to index internet web pages,
store the results in a giant database and then return lists of pages
matching the queries searched for within its database. The most
popular and widely used search engines are Google, Yahoo and MSN.
SEO: Stands for search engine optimization.
SEO is the process of developing and promoting your website in a
manner designed for strong search engine performance. SEO encompasses
a wide variety of tasks as it relates to your website including
link building, keyword selection, meta tag descriptions, copywriting
or paid online advertising.
E-commerce – Short for electronic
commerce which is the process of selling products and services over
the internet. E-commerce usually involves the ability to process
payments or perform online transactions via the web. A widely recognized
example of e-commerce functionality is a PayPal shopping cart.
Blog: Derived from the term web log.
A blog is an interactive website or web page where entries are made
journal style and displayed in the order of the last person to leave
a message or "post". Blogs typically have many members
who sign up through a user account and communicate frequently on
a variety of topics.
Browser: A browser is a software
program used to locate and display web pages. Today’s most
commonly used web browsers include Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator
and Firefox, all of which are all free to use and download.
Content Management System: Software
or program allowing you to update or add new content to your website
without the use of HTML or standard web development programs. A
blog could be considered one of several examples that implement
a content management system.
Database - Data or information compiled
together where a user can query certain information based on the
selection criteria they choose. Popular database formats include
MYSQL and Microsoft Access.
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