Website Design Terms & Concepts Might Not Be Like
Learning Klingon, But You Are Learning Another Language
The following list of terms and concepts are critical for you to be able to follow what we will be talking about in the discussion of Basic Website Design. Don't worry about memorizing them, they will be here should you need to come back at a later date or time.
HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language
This is the actual language used to create webpages. It is the used to write the code that tells the "browser" what to do with the various information that appears on a given page. There are other types of code that can be used in order to build additional elements within a webpage - but is the code that makes it all work.
Learn More About: HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language
CSS - Cascading Style Sheet
A Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) is an external file that takes all of the style elements (code that defines how things look) and puts them together in a file off of the webpage itself.
Learn More About: CSS - Cascading Style Sheet
JavaScript / JavaScript File
JavaScript is a special coding language that allows the website to contain interactive elements. Common uses include drop-down menus (link menus that open downwards to display additional links). Care must be used when using these types of elements as they can impact the websites SEO performance. JavaScript Files are JavaScripts that are accessed from a file outside of the webpage itself.
Learn More About: JavaScripts
Inline Code Element
An Inline Code Element is simply code that is being used directly on a webpage when it could be used externally instead (as with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript Files).
Screen Reader
A Screen Reader is a special accessibility tool used by people who can't physically "see" a website. In order to understand and interpret what's happening on the website, the Screen Reader actually "reads" the information to the person "viewing" the website.
Learn More About: Screen Reader
Title Tag
This is the code element that defines what is displayed at the very top of the web browser. It also defines what is displayed as the "Title" of each result in the Search Engine Results Page (SERPs). This is a critical element in many regards, but especially for SEO results.
Div Tags
These are special code elements that allow each individual component of a webpage's design to have its own name and be styled separately using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). They are essentially the primary building blocks of good Website Design.
Learn More About: Div Tags
Meta Data
Meta Data is special information contained on each page of a website that gives search bots (spiders) "data" about the information on the page. It is essentially Data about your Data.
Learn More About: Meta Data
Meta Tags
Meta Tags are the individual code elements that contain Meta Data. While there are many different types of Meta Tags, only a few of them are really important to have on each individual page of your website. These are: "Definition" - which defines what information will be displayed in the Search Engines Results Page (SERPs) to explain to searchers what the page is about. "Keywords" - provides the Search Bots (Spiders) information about which Keywords being used on a particular page of the website that the builders would like to be defined as "important".
Learn More About: Meta Tags
Keywords
Keywords are both the specific terms people use in the Search Engines to search for information. It is also the specific topic or subject being discussed on a webpage or website. When the two match, the Search Engines will provide the searcher with a list of every webpage and website that the term can be found on [this list of information is also called the Search Engine Results Page (SERPs)] NOTE: The key to using Keywords is that they must actually be used in the website itself. Only putting them in the Meta Tag does nothing.
Learn More About: Keywords
Search Engine
Search Engines (like Google, MSN [Bing], and Yahoo!) are specialized tools that people can use to find specific information from the World Wide Web (Internet).
Learn More About: Search Engine
SERPs - Search Engine Results Pages
When a person using a Search Engine enters a term or phrase (also called a Keyword) a list of websites that use that specific terms or phrase is then displayed - the list that is created is called the Search Engine Results Page.
Learn More About: SERPs - Search Engine Results Pages
Search Bots (Spiders)
Search Bots, also called Spiders, are special programs that are created by the Search Engines in order to crawl (travel) all over the Internet looking for information from all of the various pages and websites that exist. That information is then quantified and indexed (stored) for later use by the Search Engines for the benefit of people doing searches.
Learn More About: Search Bots (Spiders)
File Names
File Names are the specific names given to various elements that together make up a website. These elements include the pages themselves, pictures, video files, audio files, and everything else. In order to use File Names properly they should be descriptive and Keyword-rich when possible. As an example, this specific webpage is called "website-design-terms.html" because it is full of Terms related to Website Design.
Learn More About: File Names
Float / Clear
"Float" and "Clear" are both special style elements that are used to define how a website looks. "Float" is used to allow an element the ability to "float" either left or right to allow other elements or contact to flow down beside it. "Clear", is used after "Float" to ensure no other elements will "float" below them.
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