San Diego, CA July 03, 2012

Just like any other industry, website design and development has its own vocabulary. Bop Design, a San Diego web design agency, understands that some words simply don’t make sense to people who aren’t already familiar with them. Bop Design Business Principal, Jeremy Durant, comments, "Small business marketing people can have a difficult time with web terminology so we have identified a few common words or phrases that small businesses may be unfamiliar with or misunderstand. For some business owners, the terminology may seem like 'common knowledge' but we felt a need to release a list of the most misunderstood web terms."

Bop Design understands that small business owners "wear many hats" and cannot keep up with various buzz terms. Durant continues, "I meet many business owners that want to wear a poker face when asked about web marketing or technology. Because they don't want to admit they don't know, they don't learn. We have identified the most commonly misunderstood web marketing terms in the small business community."

Below is a list of common words or phrases. Bop Design places the terms in alphabetical order. "We tried to use as many synonyms as possible."

• Blog: Originally termed a web log and then shortened. A blog is a section of a website where people can post articles they’ve written. Blog may also refer to the individual articles (also known as posts) that appear in a blog. Durant adds, "Some businesses use polished marketing copy for a blog - that is not the purpose of a blog. A blog should be used to have an informal conversation with your target market."
• Browser: Chances are, you’re using a browser right now. A browser (also known as web browser) is a program you view websites. The most common browsers are Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox (also known as Mozilla), and Chrome. WhatBrowserAmIUsing.co is a great resource for finding this out. Durant comments, "There is a generational gap with much web terminology. Many under 40 business owners would wonder why we are even defining this. However, there can still be understandable confusion among people who did not grow up with the web as part of their daily lives."
• Browser cache: Often heard after the words, “clear your.” Browsers often save the website you look at in a cache. This allows the pages to load faster when you visit them later. However, this can cause problems if the page has recently been updated. You may not see the update, or you may see an error. "WikiHow has a great article detailing how to clear your browser cache for almost any browser you can think of. A business wants to see their new website but typically can't see it immediately without clearing their cache."
• Concept: Designers will sometimes refer to a concept. This is just a fancy way of saying a design or preview of how something will look. A concept is part of every design process, whether it be for a logo, a website, or anything else in between.
• Content management system (CMS): This is the software you use to control the content on your website. It’s a way to update or add to your website. Some common CMS programs are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. "A CMS allows a non technical person to make changes to their business' website without being tied to a web developer."
• CSS: A language web developers use. Without getting too technical, CSS is an easy way to control how a website looks. Every web developer should have a strong understanding of CSS. If they don’t, find someone else.
• Domain: This is what people type into their browser to go to your website. Every website needs a domain. A business buys a domain name from a registrar. "A domain can be compared to the address where your office is located. The website is your office and the hosting is the land it's on."
• Email client: How you view your email. In a business setting, most people use Microsoft Outlook. Web mail services like Gmail and Yahoo also provide email clients—it’s what you see when you look in your inbox. "The term 'client' can throw people off but it's essentially your firm's email management system."
• EPS: A file type. "If a designer asks you for your logo file, it’s usually an EPS they really want," Durant states. This is a high quality file type. Chances are even if you have an EPS file, you won’t be able to open it because you don’t have the correct program. "That’s okay because your designer will have the program."
• Home page: The page you see when you first visit a website. The home page typically looks different from the other pages.
• Host: This is where a firm's website files are stored. "Without a host, you don’t have a website." A business will be given login information for their host. It is important information for your firm's web developer. "Just like a domain registrar, you should have login information for your host. Please note that your host and domain registrar may be the same company or it may not."
• HTML: The language that the internet is based on. HTML is used on every website, even if it isn’t the primary language.
• Registrar: This is the company used to register a firm's domain name. A common registrar is GoDaddy. "You should have login information for your host. Hold on to it! It is important information for your web developer." Please note that your host and registrar may be the same company or it may not.
• RSS feed: A way for people to subscribe to a company blog. "Have you ever seen a button that looks almost like a volume button, with a dot and two bars coming off it? That’s an RSS feed button." Clicking it will bring you to the feed page. From there you can add the feed to whatever program you use to keep track of blogs. Google Reader is a common one.
• Social media: Refers to websites where the primary purpose is for users to interact with each other. The biggest social media websites (or networks) are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Durant adds,"Any site that prompts dialogue is social media. Sites such as Yelp! Zillow and Amazon are also social media since they encourage dialogue among users."
• Subpage: Any page on a website that isn’t the home page. Depending on the context, subpage could refer to a page that’s “underneath” one of the pages in the main navigation.

About Bop Design, San Diego and New Jersey Web Design

Bop Design is a boutique marketing communications firm headquartered in San Diego with offices also in New Jersey. We express a business' values through web design, branding, advertising and print design. The marketing agency also helps attract a firm's ideal customer through search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Bop Design's focus is on small businesses that want an external team of marketing specialists to help give their brand an edge in the marketplace.