Web Dev Terms and Definitions
Browse over 46 terms and definitions related to web development and internet technologies.
API — Application programming interface
Above The Fold — Derived from newsprint, information above the fold draws maximum readership. See First Screen.
Advertising copy — The words employed to communicate a sales message in an advertisement or commercial.
Application programming interface — A method for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service (such as a custom dataset or specific computation task) to other pieces of software.
Back-end — Server-side software, everything you can't see on a website. Includes databases, back-end logic, application programming interface (APIs), architecture, and servers.
CSS — Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets — A style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML.
Copyright — Legal mechanism that protects your ownership of what you write.
Copywriter — Person who writes advertising copy.
Database — An organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Popular database engines include PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MySQL, and MongoDB.
Domain name — A string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Located between the subdomain and top-level domain.
E-A-T — Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—is a principle Google\'s search quality raters use to determine the quality and effectiveness of search results.
Endpoint — The final destination of a URL for the main file being served by the web server. (such as mysite.com/our-services.html)
Extensible Markup Language — A markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data.
First Page — The page located at the root of a website domain. Also called a home page.
First Screen — The first piece of content that appears on screen when a website is loaded. Not to be confused with the first page.
Front-end — Graphical user interface of a website so that users can view and interact with that website.
HTML — Hypertext Markup Language
Home Page — The first page of a website. Located at the root domain.
Hypertext Markup Language — also known as "the language of the internet." A standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on World Wide Web pages.
JavaScript — A programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS.
Keyword Relevant Domain — A domain name that contains keywords or phrases that directly relate to the products, services, or industry of a business. These domains are chosen specifically for their alignment with search terms that potential customers might use when looking for relevant information online.
LAMP Stack — Acronym for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP, one of the most common software stacks for many of the web's most popular applications.
Linux — An open-source operating system commonly used to run a web server.
Node.js — A back-end JavaScript runtime open-source server environment. Executes JavaScript code outside a web browser.
PHP — Hypertext Preprocessor programming language. A general-purpose scripting language geared toward web development.
Premium Domain — A domain name that is short, memorable, and easy to pronounce. These domains often consist of generic terms, common words, or catchy phrases that have broad appeal and marketability. Premium domains are considered valuable due to their brandability, potential for high traffic, and ease of recognition.
Protocol — Communication protocols include basic data communication tools like TCP/IP and HTTP.
Python — A high-level, general-purpose programming language. It supports multiple programming paradigms, including structured, object-oriented and functional programming.
Request Parameters — Part of a URL that is used to return dynamic content based on its value.
Subdirectory — The subdirectory of a URL sits outside of the main domain within its own partition. Just like a subdomain, the subdirectory can be used to host a separate blog, ecommerce store, separate mobile site, contact forms, etc.
Subdomain — A piece of additional information added to the beginning of a website’s domain name. It allows websites to separate and organize content for a specific function.
Top-Level Domain — Everything that follows the final dot of a domain name. It helps classify and communicate the purpose of domain names.
URL — Uniform Resource Locator
USP — Unique Selling Proposition
Uniform Resource Locator — A Uniform Resource Locator (web address) is a reference to a website (or internet resource) that specifies its location on a computer network (the internet) and a mechanism for retrieving it.
Unique Selling Proposition — The thing that sets you, your product or service, or your business apart from every other competitor in a favorable way. It’s the competitive advantage that you proclaim to your prospects, customers, or clients.
WAF — Web application firewall
Web Server — A combination of computer software and underlying hardware that accepts requests over the internet.
Web application firewall — Security software that can be installed on web servers with the aim of protecting web applications from abuse by hackers.
Web content — Words written for the web for the purpose of informing, communicating, entertaining, or edifying the reader, not necessarily communicating a sales or marketing message.
Web copy — Words employed to communicate a sales message on the web. Its purpose is to generate leads, customers, sales, and, consequently, profits for a website.
Web copywriter — Person who writes web copy.
Web developer — A programmer who develops applications for use on the World Wide Web.
Webmaster — A person responsible for maintaining one or more websites. They monitor its performance with search engines, functionality, speed and design.
XML — Extensible Markup Language
YMYL — Your Money or Your Life. Google judges pages based on content that could potentially impact a person\'s future happiness, health, finances, or safety.