10 Bits of Website Jargon, Explained in Plain English

One of the things we hear most often is, I didn’t want to ask, it felt like a silly question. It is never a silly question. The web is full of jargon, and most of it sounds far more complicated than it actually is.

You do not need to understand all of it. But knowing a handful of terms makes it much easier to feel confident when you are talking about your website. Here are ten worth having in your back pocket.

1. Domain. This is your website’s address, the bit people type in, like yourbusiness.co.uk. You rent it, usually year by year, rather than owning it outright.
2. Hosting. If your domain is the address, hosting is the actual plot of land the website sits on. It is the space on a server where all your files live so people can reach them.
3. CMS (Content Management System). The system you log into to update your website. It is what lets you change text, add a blog post, or swap an image without touching any code. WordPress is one of the most popular.
4. WordPress. The platform a huge chunk of the web is built on, including most of the sites we build. It is flexible, you genuinely own it, and it grows with your business rather than boxing you in.
5. DNS (Domain Name System). Think of this as the web’s address book. It quietly connects your domain name to the right server, so when someone types your address, they land in the right place.
6. SSL and HTTPS. That little padlock in the browser bar. It means the connection between your visitor and your site is encrypted and secure. It also reassures people their details are safe, and search engines prefer it too.
7. Responsive design. A fancy way of saying your website adjusts to fit whatever screen it is viewed on, phone, tablet or desktop. Given how many people browse on their phones, this is not optional anymore.
8. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Everything that helps your site show up when people search for what you offer. Good structure, the right words, fast loading, and content that actually answers questions.
9. Plugin. A small add-on that gives WordPress an extra ability, like a contact form, an online shop, or a booking system. Useful, but worth keeping tidy, as too many can slow a site down.
10. Cache. A stored, ready-made copy of your pages that helps them load faster. It is also the reason a change you have made sometimes does not show up straight away, your browser is showing you the saved version.

That is ten down, and hopefully a little less mystery around the words that get thrown about.

If you would ever like something explained properly, without being made to feel you should already know it, that is rather our speciality. A quick call is often all it takes.