Glossary of Terms
Don't know the difference between HTTP and TCP/IP? Have no fear - our handy glossary of terms is here to shed light on even the most obscure of Web-related acronyms.
If there's something you'd like explained that you can't find in here then please let us know about it. The glossary is expanding all the time so we welcome suggestions.
A
- Above the Fold
-
The portion of a Web page visible in a Browser window without scrolling down.
- Accessibility
-
See WCAG.
- AdSense
-
Advertising service offered by the Google Search Engine. Web site owners allow Google to place AdWord adverts on their Web site in return for a portion of revenue generated by those adverts.
- Adware
-
Adware, or Advertising Supported Software, is any software package that displays advertising material while the software is being used. Adware is used by software developers as a method of recovering development costs.
Adware is normally harmless, but can sometimes take the form of Spyware.
- AdWords
-
Pay Per Click advertising service available through the Google Search Engine.
- Analytics
-
The analysis of website traffic.
- ASP (Active Server Pages)
-
ASP is a Server-Side language developed by Microsoft. ASP runs on a Web Server and produces an output, normally in the form of a Web page that is interpreted by a Client
- Algorithm
-
The 'rules' that a search engine may use to determine the relevance, and therefore ranking, of a web page in its organic search results. See also search-engine optimisation (SEO)
- Atom
-
Atom is a popular Feed file format based on XML.
See also: RSS, Syndication.
B
- Bandwidth
-
The amount of data a connection is capable of moving, generally measured in bits per second.
- Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy)
-
Used when sending an Email, Bcc serves the same function as Cc but Bcc recipients are hidden from other recipients.
See also: Cc.
- Below the Fold
-
Content of a Web page that a user must scroll down to see in their Browser window.
- Bitmaps
-
See Raster Graphics.
- Boolean search
-
A search allowing the inclusion or exclusion of documents containing certain words through the use of operators such as ‘and’, ‘not’ and ‘or’.
- Bounce rate
-
A ‘bounce’ occurs when a visitor leaves a site without looking at any further pages. Low bounce rates are a sign of website effectiveness.
- Blog
-
From the phrase web logs. A self-published, managed or maintained Web diary and are considered good for promoting a site when interesting and popular. Usually updated daily or weekly, blogs have historically been personal. Companies now use blogs to extend their brand and improve their organic search visibility.
- Blogging
-
The act of keeping a Blog.
- Bomb
-
A Virus with a delayed payload. Usually set to execute on a specific date, or a specific period of time after infection.
- Bookmarking
-
This is where you store all the URLs to sites you have found useful or which you would like to return to.
-
Navigation links on a Web page allowing navigation back through the hierachy of the Web site.
Usually in the format
Home > Products > Shirts
. - Browser
-
See Web Browser.
C
- Cascading Style Sheets
-
See CSS.
- Cc (Carbon Copy)
-
Used when sending an Email to specify additional addresses to receive a copy of the Email. Typically used to allow individuals other than the primary recipient to receive a copy of the message.
Cc recipients are revealed to all recipients.
See also: Bcc.
- Click
-
Term used to describe when a user selects a link or search engine listing by pressing the mouse button while holding the pointer over the link.
- Client-Server
-
Client-Server describes the relationship between a Client and a Server across a network.
- Client-Side
-
Client-Side refers to operations that are performed by the Client rather than a Server in a Client-Server relationship.
JavaScript is a language that is run Client-Side.
See also: Server-Side
- Client
-
A users' computer or Web Browser.
- Cloaking
-
The process of delivering one Web page to Search Engine Robots and a different Web page to Web site users.
An unscrupulous method of Search Engine Optimisation.
- CMS (Content Management System)
- CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black)
-
CMYK is a colour model where Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black are combined to reproduce other colours.
The CMYK colour model is used in printing.
See also: Spot Colour, Process Colour, RGB, Pantone Colour.
- Content Management System
-
A Web interface that allows users to manage the content of a Web site, for example a news page.
-
A package of text sent to a Client from a Web Server. The Cookie is returned unchanged each time the Client accesses the Web Server.
Cookies are mainly used for identifying Web site visitors, allowing personalised information to be served.
- Copy
-
Written content in publications.
- Copyright
-
This is a set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. At its most general, it is literally "the right to copy" an original creation.
- CPA (Cost Per Action/Cost Per Acquisition)
-
A new way of bidding whereby the site owner only pays if a specific action is taken such as completing a form.
- CPC (Cost Per Click)
-
Cost Per Click. In a Pay-Per-System the actual amount of money paid per click.
- Crawler
-
See Robot.
- Crontab
-
Crontab, derived from the Greek word Chronos (Time), is a command found in Unix-based Operating Systems which is used to schedule commands to be executed periodically.
Crontab commands are collected in a single Crontab file, which is later read and its instructions carried out.
- Cross-linking
-
The practice of linking together several domains usually owned by the same person or company. Its main purpose is to increase link popularity, but SEO overuse can lead to search-engine penalties.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
-
CSS is a language used to describe the presentation of HTML or XHTML documents.
- CTR (click through rates)
-
Click through rate. The percentage of people in a Pay-Per-Click system who click through to a site having seen an ad.
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