We know the Internet can be confusing when you're first starting out, so we thought it might be helpful to provide a glossary explaining some of the most common terms you may come across.

Brochure Site

A website that doesn't require updating as it has set static images and text.

Browser

Software that allows people to search and view information on the Internet.

CMS

A Content Management System is used to manage the content of a website. It allows amendments to the content through an administration panel, enabling up-to-date information to be added.

Cookie

A file downloaded from a web server to the PC of a visitor to a website. This can be retrieved by the server when the website is subsequently revisited.

Domain name

The website name that distinguishes it from others such as www.kookiwebdesign.co.uk

E-commerce Site

An e commerce website is one that allows the purchase of goods and services via in built shopping cart software.

Flash

Software used to produce websites with animation, graphics and interactivity.

Hosting

Hosting is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more web sites.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language is a software language used to create web pages using a set of markup symbols or codes that tell the web browser how to display a webpage's words and images. Each individual markup code is usually referred to as a tag, however is also known as an element.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol is the set of rules for transferring files and information on the World Wide Web.

ISP

Internet Service Provider a company that provides access to the Internet such as Tiscali, AOL, BT.

JPEG

A small image commonly used in web pages to display products.

Megabyte (MB)

Term used to represent 1,000,000 bytes worth of information or computer memory.

Metatags

A meta tag is a coding statement in the Hypertext Markup Language HTML that describes some aspect of the contents of a web Page Information provided in a meta tag is used by search engines to index a page so that someone searching for the kind of information the page contains will be able to find it. The meta tag is placed near the top of the HTML in a web page as part of the heading.

Search Engine and SEO

A tool that creates indices of websites, usually based upon their content and key words. The search engine has an interface that allows the user to key in specific search terms and then presents them with a list of those web addresses that meet the specified requirement. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of manipulating aspects of a web site to improve its ranking in search engines.

SSL

Secure Socket Layer provides security to e-commerce web sites through authentication, encryption and message integrity services.

Server

A powerful computer on a network that acts as a store for data and software.

URL

A URL is an address on the internet that can lead you to a file on any computer connected to the Internet anywhere in the world.

XML

XML is a standard for data formats that is designed to enable different computer programs, including business software packages, to share and process data.

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