Below the Fold: Below the fold refers to the part of a web page that appears below the initially viewable area on a user's screen. So if a user's screen is 1024 x 768, they will see about 600 pixels above the fold. It's not the full 768p because you have to assume that part of the browser's framework and menus occupy part of the screen. What's above the fold is not a fixed number and can only be estimated. The terms above the fold and below the fold come from the newspaper industry--it refers to what's visible to the reader when a newspaper is folded. 

 

Bleed: Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming. 

 

Bounce Rate: The bounce rate of a site is the percentage of visitors that view only a single page on your site before leaving. Single-view visitors are often considered an indicator of a problem. After all, the goal is typically to get people to stay on your site awhile, not to get out as fast as they can. 

 

Breadcrumb: Breadcrumbs are a navigational tool that show where the current page of a website falls within it's overall hierarchy. The breadcrumb usually links to each page in the trail so users can easily jump to pages. A breadcrumb may look like: Home > Website Development > Email Marketing. 

 

Browser: A browser is the software you use to view web pages. On a desktop computer, this includes programs such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. You even use a browser on your mobile device, even though it's not usually as clear that it's a separate piece of software. 

 

CMYK: Short for Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black, and pronounced as separate letters. CMYK is a colour model in which all colours are described as a mixture of these four process colours. CMYK is the standard colour model used in offset printing for full-colour documents. Because such printing uses inks of these four basic colours, it is often called four-colour printing. 

 

Content Management System (CMS): A CMS allows multiple users to collaborate and publish content with ease. Such systems make it possible for content creators, editors and managers to update content of a website without having to go through a developer. 

 

Conversion: A conversion is when a user completes the task that the website was created to lead to. Most frequently, this refers to an online purchase, but it could also include things like completing a form, watching a video, visiting a specific page, signing up for a newsletter or any other goal. 

 

Cookie: A cookie is a small bit of information from a website that's stored on a user's computer. Developers use cookies to store information--that aids in maintaining user preferences, updating the contents of a shopping cart or tracking Internet usage. 

 

Crop Marks: Lines near the edge of an image indicating portions to be reproduced. Also called cut marks and tick marks. 

 

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): CSS is used to define the presentation of HTML, such as colour, fonts and layout. With targeted CSS, the same HTML can be styled differently based on the output method (such as desktop computers, mobile devices or tablets). 

 

Database: A database is used to organize data so it can be searched using server-side programming. Dynamic sites, such as e-commerce websites, store content in a database and then output the data as HTML. 

 

DNS (Domain Name System): DNS is a naming system for computers and servers used to translate domain names into IP addresses. Just as a GPS unit must translate an address into latitude and longitude, on the Internet, a computer uses DNS to look up the website's IP address. back to top

 

Domain Name: Domain names are used to define the location of a a website on the internet, such as: www.batemandesigngroup.com. Domain names point to IP addresses, which specify the location of a server on the Internet. Domain names are the virtual-world equivalent to mailing addresses. 

 

Entry Page: The entry page of a site is the first one a user views. While the home page is a common entry point, users may enter anywhere in the site. The term entry page is most frequently used in site analytics. 

 

Exit Page: The exit page is the last page a user views on your site. Using analytics to determine exit pages tells you which pages of your site are losing visitors. 

 

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): This is a way to transfer files over a network. 

 

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): This type of image is ideal for files that have few colours. A GIF file cannot have more than 256 colours in it, which makes it ideal for things like illustrations or logos that have solid colours. This format doesn't serve gradients or photographs well--see JPEG instead. GIFS can also contain multiple frames to create animations, and can now contain transparent sections. 

 

Graphic Designer: Graphic design is an interdisciplinary, problem-solving activity that combines visual sensitivity with skill and knowledge in areas of communications, technology and business. Graphic designers specialize in the structuring and organizing of visual information to aid communication and orientation.  

 

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language): HTML is a language used to describe content. Tags wrap around content to establish its purpose. 

 

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): HTTP is the protocol used to transfer data online. HTTP tells the user's browser how it's going ot transfer the information.  

 

Impression: An impression is an advertising term that refers to each time an ad unit (such as an image or hyperlink) is displayed for a user to see (or "served").        

 

Inbound Link: An inbound link is any link from an external website pointing to your site. 

 

IP Address: An IP address is a series of numbers separated by periods--such as 216.239.66.35-- that's used to identify a computer on the Internet. Domain names are directed to IP addresses through DNS. 

 

JPEG/JPG: A JPEG is a file format suited for photographs. JPEGs can contain a range of compression values, an optimal way to compress images for display online. 

 

Landing Page: Landing pages are specific web site pages designed to make a prospective customer take action. 

 

Leading: Amount of space between lines of type. 

 

Metadata: Metadata is used to describe other data. On the web, it most often refers to data in the header of a web page (an invisible part of the page structure), which is used to describe the contents of the web page. Search engines and other programs use metadata to identify the contents of a page.  

 

Meta Tag: A meta tag is the HTML tag used to store metadata in a web page. 

 

Natural Search:  A natural search (or organic search) is a search that produces search engine listings based on the content the pages contain, in contrast to paid searches which contain paid results. 

 

Outbound Link: An outbound link is a hyperlink that takes users away from your site.  

 

Page view: Analytics tracks the number of times a specific page was viewed. A page view is registered each time a user loads the page in their browser. 

 

Pantone Matching System: The Pantone matching system is used for specifying and blending match colours. It provides designers with swatches of over 700 colours and gives printers the recipes for making those colours. 

 

Permalink: Permalink is short for permanent link. The permalink provides a permanent URL that can be used to find a blog post or web page. 

 

Pixel: A pixel is the smallest individual dot on a computer screen. The resolution of a screen is measured in PPI, or pixels per inch. back to top

 

PNG (Portable Network Graphics): The PNG is very similar to the GIF, but it supports far more colours. Its most important feature in terms of web development is its support for alpha transparency. 

 

Registrar: A domain registrar is a company authorized to sell domain names. 

 

RGB (Red, Green & Blue): RGB is a colour model used on digital screens where red, green and blue dots are combined to create any colour required. 

 

Royalty Free: Intellectual property like photos and graphic images that are sold for a single standard fee. These can be used repeatedly by the purchaser only, but the company that sold the images usually still owns all the rights to it. 

 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is the process of optimizing web pages so their appeal to search engines is maximized. 

 

Subdomain: A subdomain is an extension of a domain name that can respond to a distinct IP address. For example, if your domain name is yourdomain.com, a possible subdomain would be extra.yourdomain.com. This allows you to set up multiple sites from a single domain name.  

 

TIFF: A TIFF file, or TIF file, stands for Tagged Image File Format. TIF files are a common format for images, especially those used on graphic design.  

 

URL (Uniform Resource Locator): A URL is the address of a document on the internet. For example, http://www.yourdomain.com/some-file.html  

 

Web Analytics: The analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from your website and the competition, to drive a continual improvement of the online experience that your customers, and potential customers have, which translates into your desired outcomes (online and offline). 

 

Web Designer: A Web designer is someone who designs Web pages. A Web designer is more focused on the look and feel of a website than how it works, and often uses WYSIWYG editors rather than diving into the HTML directly. 

 

Web Developer: A Web developer is someone who programs Web pages. A Web developer is more focused on the way a website works than how it looks. They typically use HTML text editors and work with databases and programming languages as well as HTML.  

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