When you are new to website design, it can feel like a challenging world to become familiar with. Whether you develop your next website in-house or with an agency, it helps to know some of the common terms used so that you can contribute confidently to the project’s direction and maintain clear communication. Here we look at some of the most common terms.

Image Credit

Banners are graphics that sit within the website for advertising purposes, usually at the top or in the side bar. When a Hemel Hempstead web design agency produces such graphics, it will typically be for a specific campaign and within your brand.

Hyperlinks, also simply known as links, are the highlighted sections − often underlined − that connect web pages between sites and save the user needing to type in URLs.

Coding and language

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and is the language that coders use to create, design and format websites. A domain name appears in the URL after the ‘www’ and identifies your website as a unique code. The URL is your uniform resource locator, more typically known as your web address.

Jpegs are photo files that are used on websites, while PDFs are documents that are typically downloadable from a website. You will also hear about PNGs, which are images that have been compressed and are small enough for the web. When designers talk about resolution, they are referring to the number of pixels that an image contains. High-res photos are too big for websites and slow them down; instead, designers use ‘web-sized’ images, usually in PNG compressed format.

Navigation is key to a website and describes the journeys, menus, buttons and links that sit on a website and direct a user on his or her journey. Good navigation is critical to the success of a website and will be managed via a site map.

SEO

Another vital component of online success is SEO. This stands for search engine optimisation and describes the strategies that digital practitioners use to help search engines to find and rank their websites favourably for their customers’ key search terms. These strategies include link building, targeted keywords, content development and Google Analytics work. To find out more, contact an experienced web designer such as Hemel Hempstead web design.

Have you come across any other search terms during your web project?