Basic Web Development Terms to Know

It can be intimidating when you are shopping around for a web designer/developer.  So many people in that industry forget that you may not be familiar with the language they speak when it comes to the internet.  I think that a lot of business owners are embarrassed about their lack of web-speak, so they avoid finding someone to update, redesign, or create them a website until it is absolutely necessary! Which is understandable, it is difficult to tell a designer what you want if you don’t know the words for it. This article is going to help with at least the basics of that knowledge.

Let’s start with some of the most common terms that are used when referring to website development.

• HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the basic “language” that all websites use to display text, graphics, links, and general page sections. HTML uses what are called “tags” to determine what something should look like. For example, a commonly used tag is the paragraph indicator that looks like this: <p></p>.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are used along with HTML. Cascading Style Sheets control the style or look and feel of a web page.  Depending on what is written in the CSS, the paragraph tag may show the text as bold, small-caps, and in large font or in a small, purple sans-serif font.  CSS also controls the site color scheme, most aspects of the layout, and how everything displays in the web browser.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization), that’s a hot term these days!  SEO is basically the practice of combining several different aspects of web development and search engine rules to get a website to be a priority in search results.  In other words, SEO is not so easy to put into words, mostly because there are so many factors involved.  Basic website SEO is making sure that your web designer fills in your Title tag, Description tag, and Keywords on each page of your website.  If you look at the image and you will see a list of search results for SEO. The underlined text in blue is what displays from the Title tag of the website, obviously this is very important.  The green text below that is the actual URL of the page that the information is coming from.  The text in black is either from the Description tag or taken from the first paragraph on the website, also important!
• CMS (Content Management System) is actually a very descriptive phrase.  A CMS manages your content and, more importantly, lets you manage your content very easily.  Common Content Management Systems are WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.   Most shopping carts are technically Content Management Systems as well.  All of these make it possible for someone who doesn’t know HTML or CSS to add pages with text, pictures, and even products.  Plus, by using a CMS you can update your website from any browser, like Firefox or Google Chrome.

Now for some less common terms, but ones that you should know a little about.

• Domain names are the actual address that is typed into a browser to locate a specific website, like www.BadKittyStudios.com.  There are several places that you can search for domain names and register one for your website.  Make sure to do your research on domain registration companies because there are several that charge outrageous fees! Also, your domain doesn’t have to end is a .com. Some of the other options available are .net, .org, and .us.  Here is a site to check out on how to choose a good domain name: Selecting a Quality Domain Name.
• Hosting is another mystery to a lot of people.  Hosting is also another service that certain companies will charge inflated rates for, so do your research. Once you have a domain name and want to get your website built, you will need to purchase space on a “server” to be on the World Wide Web.  Hosting companies play “host” to your website content.
• Servers are basically really big computers that manages websites and store website information.  Hosting companies have several servers, will “host” your website on their server, and are responsible for keeping everything running correctly.

There are a lot more terms in the website design and development world, but these are the basic ones to know about.  With the terminology above you should be able to talk with a web developer and understand the basics of what they offer.  The more you understand, the more likely you are in getting exactly what you want and need for the online aspect of your business.

Feel free to post your comments below!