Web-Speak phrases and what they mean

Servers / Name servers

Simply put, a Server is a computer that stores and distributes (serves) information as it is requested. A file server stores files, a printer server manages printers, a database server processes requests of the database, and an internet server serves up webs pages as they are requested by a visitor to a website

Since it is much easier for humans to remember words rather than long numbers a nameserver handles the task of associating IP addresses (numbers) with Domain names (words). So, when you type in a domain name, a name server recognizes that you want the IP associated with that domain name and directs your request to the appropriate IP address.

IP / Domain name / URL

The IP is an exclusive number all technology devices (printers, routers, modems, etc.) use which identifies and allows them the ability to communicate with each other. Think of it in terms of your home address. If you want to send a package to someone you must have your correct mailing address (IP address) in a specific town (network) or it goes nowhere.

Domain Name & Domain Name System (DNS): This allows the IP address to be translated to words. It is much easier for us to remember a word than a series of numbers. The same is true for email addresses.

A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is a means of identifying the exact location of a file on the internet. There are essentially three parts to a URL. For example, lets use this URL: http://www.proclasswebdesign.com/designs/leonardo/index.html

The Domain
http://www.ProClassWebDesign.com
When the nameserver sees this it directs the request to the IP address associated with this domain where the files for this site reside on the server. Think of this as the “filing cabinet”.

The Directory
/designs/leonardo/
This refers to the directory, or “file drawer”, in which will be found more specific information. In this case the drawer is Designs and within that we will next go to a set of files under the label “leonardo”

The file name
index.html
This is the file that was requested. It is the home page “file” for the design called “Leonardo” which is found under “designs” located in the server space set aside for the domain name ProClassWebDesign.com located at the designated IP address.

Static vs Dynamic

Static refers to a web file that does not change and is always located directly under your website directory or subdirectory. These are the preferred method of displaying information in a manner that will be search engine friendly.

Dynamic refers to anything that is not static, for example, a page generated with information from a database. While the search engines are getting better at indexing certain dynamic pages they will still often avoid the majority of these when spidering through your website. Therefore, be careful when deciding to incorporate dynamic content, if you don’t need to, don’t.

HTML / CSS / PHP / Perl / CGI

These are all means and types of coding language. We won’t get into details here but simply put, HTML is the bedrock for most of the coding you will see in a website. CSS is a method by which design parameters are set forth for a website; the CSS controls the look and feel. PHP and other languages provide a variety of ways to manipulate material online so as to generate specific effects and functions.

Windows / Unix / Linux

These refer to the operating system a server uses. Your web developer will typically build a site using files that work well with one of these systems. The differences are minimal these days and mostly boil down to personal preference.

Keywords

When we use the term “keyword” we are referring to a word or phrase that is the key element in a search on the internet for specific information. So, if you were searching on Google for “landscapers” that would be a keyword you would want to type in. If you wanted to be more specific you might type in “professional landscape design and installation”, which would be a keyword phrase.

Web 2.0

Loosely stated, Web 2.0 refers to the shift during the first decade of the 21st century to a more people based internet experience. This can refer to blogs, interactive websites, RSS, social media and more.

SERPs

This is web speak for Search Engine Results Page. You know, the page that comes up with the results of your internet search. Good SEO can help you get your website to the top of the SERPs where it can be seen and bring you gobs of business.

Robots / Spiders

“bots” or “spiders” are programs the big search engines use to discover, classify and index website. These programs are like little robots that crawl all over a website(like a spider) and feed information about what they find back to the mother-ship (Google, Yahoo, Bing). Spiders are particular about what they like to eat(content) and the sort of links they like to follow. The practice of studying spiders behavior and the results that appear from that in the search engines, leading to methods of website development that enhance search engine rankings, is known as SEO, Search Engine Optimization.

Spam Bots are similar in nature to the reputable search engine bots and spiders. However, Spam Bots have a more nefarious intent, that being to scour your website in search of email addresses to add to its database of emails to send spam to.

Meta Tags

These are pieces of code that are placed on the web page in order to help the search engines and the spiders not only crawl the site more efficiently but to analyze the information gleaned more accurately. Proper implementation of meta tags is an art in and of itself and a very important part of a properly built website.