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Glossary

Backup - To create a copy of a disk�s contents on another location for safe keeping. Since hard drives are not infallible, it is recommended that you backup its contents regularly.

Bandwidth - Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred over the network in a fixed amount of time. On the Net, it is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or in higher units like Mbps (millions of bits per second). 28.8 modem can deliver 28,800 bps, a T1 line is about 1.5 Mbps

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) - A feature of HTML which allows designers to seperate a site's style from its structure. The main advantage is in style updates on large sites. Editing one page (the style sheet) changes the style on any number of pages.

Directory - Web site that lists other web sites according to category. Different from search engines in that they are run by human editors. Popular directories include DMOZ (free) and Yahoo.

Disk Space - Amount of storage space allotted to a Web site. Disk space can be used to store pictures, HTML files, videos, programs, and anything else used by the Web site.

Domain name - The exclusive name that identifies a web site. It corresponds to a numeric IP address. Example: www.yourdomainname.com

Dynamic Web Page - Dynamic Web pages are Web pages where the content cannot be predetermined, for instance Date/Time and User Name. They often utilise programming language in their HTML code, which is read, and executed by the Web server. The Web server then generates the HTML and sends it to the browser where it is displayed.

Email Marketing - E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fundraising messages to an audience. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. However, the term is usually used to refer to: * Sending e-mails with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with its current or old customers and to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.

Flash - Macromedia Flash, or simply Flash both refer to both a multimedia authoring program and the Macromedia Flash Player, written and distributed by Macromedia, that utilizes vector and bitmap graphics, sound and program code and bidirectional streaming video and audio (upstreaming only available when used in conjunction with Macromedia Flash Communication Server).

HTML - Abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language. Main language used for creating web pages. This language can be coded by hand or developed through the use of software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver. HTML has become standardized and is a cross-platform language.

Inbound link - A link coming from an external source into a web site. A search engine listing to your site would be considered an inbound link. These links increase traffic and increase your site popularity according to search engines.

JavaScript - Scripting language used very commonly for web design. No relation to the Java programming language. This is the most widely used scripting language on the internet. It provides dynamic capabilities to a web page such as button rollovers, real-time calculations, live slideshows, etc.

Keyword - Words on a web page that significantly affect search engine rankings. These are the words that web users type into the search engines when searching for a site. These words are used to describe the contents of a web site.

Keyword density - Measurement used by Search Engines to help determine the strength of a web site for a given keyword. The measurement is the number of occurances of a keyword on a page divided by the number of words on a page. More is not necessarily better, as search engines look for a certain ratio rather than the highest ratio.

Mail Client - An email client (or mail user agent [MUA]) is a computer program that is used to read and send e-mail. Protocols supported by email clients include POP3 and IMAP. IMAP and the updated IMAP4 are optimized for storage of e-mail on the server, while the POP3 protocol generally assumes that the e-mail is downloaded to the client. The SMTP protocol is used by most email clients to send e-mail.

Meta tag - HTML code placed near the beginning of a web page used to provide information about the page to users and search engines. Meta tags hold keyword information, page descriptions, page titles, etc.

MySQL Database - Structured Query Language (SQL), the most popular language for adding, accessing, and processing data in a database. Because it is open source, anyone can download MySQL and tailor it to their needs in accordance with the general public license. MySQL is noted mainly for its speed, reliability, and flexibility.

Natural Listing - Also known as Organic Listing. A web page listing by a Search Engine which has been produced by a crawler and has not been listed because of payment by the submitter.

Pay-per-click - An option to pay for placement in a search engine. A fee is paid for a specified position and a specified keyword. The fee is based on the popularity of the keyword and is charged on a per-click basis. For each click to a web site, the fee (usually small) is charged to the submitter.

PHP - The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language that allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. PHP is basically used for developing web based software applications.

Query - A request for information, usually from a database.

Robot - Programs used by search engines to comb through web pages. Robots traverse web pages and help determine the relevance of the page.

Search engine - Programs that search a database of web sites to return those that match the user's query.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - As it applies to Search Engine Optimization, involves the conscious design of a web page with the goal of the highest rankings possible by a search engine. Pages are well balanced, giving equal attention to the needs of the user as well as the needs of the search engines. Search engine rules must be understood to properly optimize a page.

Spider - Software used by search engines to locate web sites to add to the engine's database.

Static Web Page - In web site terms, static means web pages that are not interactive. Because the web site visitor does not have any control over the information provided, the pages and information do not change with each visit. There is not a two-way communication between the user (client) and the web site (server) in a static page.

Uptime - Uptime - Uptime is a computer industry term for the time during which a computer is operational. Downtime is the time when it isn't operational. Uptime is sometimes measured in terms of a percentile. For example, one standard for uptime that is sometimes discussed is a goal called five 9s - that is, a computer that is operational 99.999 percent of the time.

Web Hosting - A service provided to hook web pages to the Internet through a web server. There are MANY web hosting companies, providing a range of hosting types. Types of hosting include shared hosting (multiple sites on one server, shared domain), virtual hosting (multiple sites on one server, individual domain) and dedicated hosting (your own server and domain).

Web Server - A computer that serves web pages to Internet users.

Web Templates - A web template is a ready-made web design used to mass-produce "cookie cutter" websites for rapid deployment. Usually a web template will include most of the source files necessary for further customizing the template using most modern WYSIWYG editors such as Macromedia Dreamweaver.

XML - Abbreviation for Extensible Markup Language. Programming language designed primarily for web pages. Allows designers/programmers to create their own tags and, in a way, create their own language. This allows programs to be more flexible and more readable. XHTML is a programming bridge between HTML and XML.

XML Sitemap - An XML file that contains information about one or more URLs on your Web site. The information that is stored there helps search engines better spider your site.

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