Educate Yourself

Articles

Finding The Best Web Hosting Service | About.com
The Birth of the Internet | Internet.com
Choosing an ISP | Internet.com
Registering a Domain Name | Internet.com
Getting Rid of Spam | Internet.com

Glossary of Common Terms Related to the Internet and Web Design:

Broadband:

A general term for different types of high-speed, high-bandwidth connections to the Internet, including DSL and cable.

Domain Name:

A domain name is the core of your online identity. It is the address your customers, friends, and family will use to find information about your products and services on the web. Your domain name is yours entirely because once registered, no other party may use that identity online in that TLD (Top Level Domain).

Domain Registration:

The process through which individuals and organizations obtain a domain name. Registration of a domain name enables the individual or organization to use that particular domain name for a specified period of time, provided certain conditions are met and payment for services is made.

Graphic Design:

The use of graphic elements and text to communicate an idea or concept.

ISP:

Short for Internet Service Provider, a company that provides access to the Internet. For a monthly fee, the service provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone number. Equipped with a modem, you can then log on to the Internet and browse the World Wide Web and USENET, and send and receive e-mail.

Internet Consulting:

Recommending the revamp/redesign of a site for a fresher, newer look and or a better, more attractive, and easier to use website navigation.

Search Engine:

A website whose primary function is providing a search engine for gathering and reporting information available on the Internet or a portion of the Internet.

Search Engine Optimization:

The process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Website by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Website ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user. It is common practice for Internet users to not click through pages and pages of search results, so where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic toward the site.

Search Engine Submission:

Search engine submission refers to the act of getting your website listed with search engines. Another term for this is search engine registration. Getting listed does not mean that you will necessarily rank well for particular terms, however. It simply means that the search engine knows your pages exist.

Top Level Domain:

The suffix attached to Internet domain names. There are a limited number of predefined suffixes, and each one represent a top-level domain. Current top-level domains include:

• com: Commercial businesses; this is the most common TLD
• net: Network organizations
• org: Organizations (mostly non-profit)
• edu: Educational institutions such as universities
• gov: U.S. Government Agencies

Web Design:

The design and development of a Website. Professional Web Design Includes:

• Layout design of site's navigation
• Color scheme
• Font styles
• Style Guide (CSS)
• Frames
• Layers
• DHTML Coding
• CGI/Perl Scripting
• PHP
• JavaScript
• Complete site identity and branding

Web Hosting:

A service that provides a physical location for a Website. Customer's sites reside on computers stored in secure and climate-controlled environments and permanently linked to the Internet through high-speed data lines. These computers store the Web pages that make up Website's. As soon as your pages are installed on the server they become available to visitors and customers on the Internet - providing they have the correct address. (www.yourcompanywebsite.com)

Web Usability:

The user-friendliness and ease-of-use of a Website to achieve specified goals.