Web Design Terminology

HTML - (hypertext markup language) the language used to construct a webpage, largely made up of embedded instructions known as tags/elements

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) - decides how HTML elements are displayed, responsible for the stylistic aspect of web design

PHP(Hypertext Preprocessor) - another programming language for web development that stands for pre HTML, it was designed to extend the possibilities of HTML without replacing it

CMS (Content Management System) - a web/software application that helps users create and build websites without having to know how, or code from scratch

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - optimizes a website’s visibility on search engines across vast internet by ranking the website higher in response to keywords of a search inquiry

Hero - a large image that grabs attention and typically takes up to the full screen of a website

Promo area - an area designed to promote the sale of a certain product, service, or brand

Exit page - the final page a viewer sees on a webpage during an active session

Landing page - a web page a user/consumer opens after clicking an ad, can be a standalone page

Drop-down - an element that expands and provides users the opportunity to choose from a list of options

Input field - an element that allows a user to enter information, comes in different forms such as sliders, checkboxes, text fields etc.

Optimization - the process of improving a website’s functionality and efficiency

White space - the blank space surrounding elements on a page, margins

Style guide - a resource where design decisions for a web page are collected and stored 

Comp/mock-up UI - a visual representation of a web page that demonstrates the final outcome

UX - user experience: the journey a user explores with a product/service provided by a webpage, designers create a web page that provide meaningful experiences to possible consumers

Wireframe - represents a skeletal framework of a website, shows the structure and user flow of a web page

Branding- the process of creating a consistent and unique identity in business that draws in a targeted audience, ex. logo , trademarked color

.psd - the extension for a photoshop document, used to design web pages to be converted into HTML + CSS

.eps - the extension for an encapsulated postscript file, stores lossless information about graphics for high-quality images

.ai - artificial intelligence domain, builds websites with AI (??)

.jpg - the extension for a joint photographic graphic file, lossy compression for digital images

.gif - graphic interchange format: short looped animation made up of several frames of an image/video, conveys messages not preferred with typical png/jpeg

.png- portable network graphic file, lossless (quality does not decrease when file is compressed) image file common across the internet

.swf- small web format, contains animation, video, and audio in a compressed format that can be easily shared on the internet

Server- a software/hardware that stores, processes, and displays web content per a client’s request

Client - a device used to access servers, ex. User’s phone, laptop, PC etc.

Host -  a service that hosts a website’s data on a server to be accessed by users, every accessible web page is hosted on a server

ISP - internet service provider: a company that provides web access to the internet and other services to users

XML - extensible markup language: markup language similar to HTML w/o predetermined tags, provides rules to define any data and is unable to perform computing operations on its own 

FTP - file transfer protocol: standard protocol used to transfer files from one host to another network such as the internet and other computer systems

HTTP - hypertext transfer protocol: the foundation of the world wide web as all web pages are loaded/transferred through this protocol 

HTML Editor –  a software programed used to create HTML for websites or other web documents

Internet - vast network that allows computers to communicate among themselves and allows web pages to be accessible to users

World Wide Web (WWW) - the subdomain of a url and an information system that interconnects public web pages to be accessible on the internet 

Web page - a single HTML document displayed by a browser 

Web Site - a collection of web pages that is identifiable by a single domain name

IP address - assigned by an ISP(internet service provider), a unique code to identify every device/network that accesses the internet

DNS - domain name system: turns domain systems into  IP addresses, allowing browsers to find sites by names

Domain Name - section of a web address that identifies a website to be accessed from a client

URL - the address to a resource on the internet, basically a link

Web Server - a computer system that processes and delivers web content with HTTP through a browser

Index page - the home page of a website

Web Host - a service that allocates space on a web server for a website to download files

Bandwidth - value of data that can be transferred between servers and users across the internet

Protocol - a set of rules that describes how data is exchanged and communicated that must be followed for sites to work as intended

Auto Responders SMTP - pre-written emails that are automatically sent to subscribed email addresses or phone numbers

POP- point of presence: a physical location where lives a data center compute that establishes high-speed internet connection

post office protocol: message request protocol used to facilitate emails to an email client.