Web Design Jargon Debunked

In our working practices we acknowledge that every client is different, and we factor this into every stage of the web design and development process.

However, whilst every client requires a unique finished product, we’ve noticed that there is always one common denominator… there is a constant need for web design jargon to be debunked.

Language is a powerful tool in the workplace, and web designers employ a range of abbreviations and acronyms on a daily basis. However, whilst our clients need to understand what we are doing and why we are doing it, we’re very much aware that we have a responsibility to put things into understandable, clear terms. A web designer who produces a superb website but utterly bamboozles their client in the process is at best only doing half a job.

Given that we’re committed to building great websites and building great client relationships, here are a few of the most common abbreviations/acronyms that web designers are guilty of throwing around the office. We hope that this helps to debunk some web design jargon for you…

CMS: Content Management System

The CMS is the engine room of a website. It’s where you enter and edit your web content. If you’re looking for a web design where you can get hands-on, this is where you add pages and images, tinker with your homepage and write lovely blog posts for your readers (like this one).

Domain, DNS & Hosting

Your web domain is registered with a hosting provider, much like your company is registered at companies house or your charitable trust is registered with the charity commission. When somebody enters your web address (ie domain) into their computer it’s your DNS that translates this into the IP address at which your website is stored, enabling them to see your site.

Most web design agencies will sort out your domain name registration and hosting for you. This gives you the peace of mind that you’ll have a team of professionals looking after your website formalities and registration.

SEO: Search Engine Optimisation

SEO can be a particularly guilty party in the web design jargon conglomerate. We apologize for the Americanized spelling. SEO is all about enhancing your website’s content so that you feature more highly in search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves identifying certain Keywords that potential site visitors are likely to be searching for.

When web designers talk about SEO, you might also hear PPC mentioned. This is Pay-Per-Click, which enables you to place sponsored links to your website in the search engine results pages (SERPs) of specific search terms.

CSS/HTML5/jQuery

If your web designer starts to throw this kind of web design jargon around then you’re well and truly entitled to ask for an interpreter. We use these languages and frameworks to build, structure and present content. This is how we bring our web designs to life in their fully fledged, functional form.

*An Apology

If you’ve ever been bamboozled, baffled or bemused by a website designer spouting their own bizarre dialect of web design jargon then on behalf of our industry we are very, very sorry. We hope that you’ll find us to be clear, transparent and very much down-to-earth.