Glossary
Web design & SEO terms, explained simply
The words your web designer uses, without the jargon.
- Alt textA written description of an image for screen readers and search engines.
- BacklinkA link from another website to yours.
- Call to action (CTA)The button or link that tells visitors what to do next.
- CDN (content delivery network)Servers around the world that deliver your site from close to each visitor.
- CMS (content management system)Software that lets you edit your site without code.
- Conversion rateThe share of visitors who take the action you want.
- Core Web VitalsGoogle's three measurements of real-world page experience.
- DNSThe internet's phone book that connects your domain to your hosting and email.
- Domain nameThe address people type to reach your website, like trustoby.com.
- Google Business ProfileYour free business listing on Google Search and Maps.
- Google Search ConsoleGoogle's free tool for seeing how your site performs in search.
- HTTPSThe secure version of the web address protocol.
- KeywordThe words people type into a search engine.
- Landing pageA focused page built for one offer or campaign.
- Local SEOShowing up when people nearby search for what you offer.
- Meta descriptionThe short summary under your page title in search results.
- NAP (name, address, phone)Your business contact details, which should match everywhere online.
- Page speedHow quickly your page loads and becomes usable.
- Responsive designA layout that adapts to phones, tablets and desktops.
- SEO (search engine optimization)Making your site easy for Google to understand and worth showing in results.
- SSL certificateWhat puts the padlock and https:// on your site.
- Structured data (schema)Hidden labels that tell search engines exactly what your content is.
- Title tagThe clickable headline Google shows for your page.
- UX (user experience)How easy and pleasant your site is to use.
- Web accessibilityMaking your site usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.
- Web analyticsTracking how many people visit and what they do.
- Web hostingThe rented server space where your website's files live.
- XML sitemapA file that lists every page you want search engines to find.