# Website glossary

> 69 web and marketing terms explained for small businesses.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-27

- **301 redirect** - A 301 redirect permanently sends visitors and search engines from an old web address to a new one, passing along most of the old page's search value. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/301-redirect.md)
- **404 error** - A 404 error is the ‘page not found’ message a website shows when someone visits an address that does not exist, often because a page was deleted or renamed. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/404-error.md)
- **Above the fold** - Above the fold is the part of a web page visible straight away without scrolling, borrowed from the top half of a folded newspaper. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/above-the-fold.md)
- **Accessibility (WCAG)** - Web accessibility means building a website that disabled people can use, and WCAG is the international standard that sets out how to do it. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/accessibility.md)
- **AI Overviews** - AI Overviews are the AI-written summaries Google shows at the top of some search results, answering the question directly and linking to the sources it used. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ai-overviews.md)
- **Alt text** - Alt text is a short written description of an image, added in a website's code, that screen readers read aloud and search engines use to understand the picture. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/alt-text.md)
- **Backlink** - A backlink is a link from another website to yours, which Google treats as a sign that someone else thinks your site is worth pointing people to. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/backlink.md)
- **Backup** - A website backup is a saved copy of your site's files and content, stored separately, so it can be restored if the site breaks, is hacked or is deleted. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/backup.md)
- **Bounce rate** - Bounce rate is the share of website visits where the visitor did not engage, and in Google Analytics 4 it means sessions that were not ‘engaged’. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/bounce-rate.md)
- **Brand guidelines** - Brand guidelines are a short document setting out how your business should look and sound: logo use, colours, fonts and tone of voice. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/brand-guidelines.md)
- **Caching** - Caching means storing ready-made copies of web pages and files so they can be delivered instantly instead of being rebuilt or re-downloaded on every visit. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/caching.md)
- **Call to action (CTA)** - A call to action is the button, link or line that tells a visitor exactly what to do next, such as ‘Call now’, ‘Get a free quote’ or ‘Book a groom’. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/call-to-action.md)
- **CDN (content delivery network)** - A CDN is a network of servers around the world that keeps copies of your website's files and serves them from whichever location is closest to each visitor. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/cdn.md)
- **Citation** - In local SEO, a citation is any mention of your business name, address and phone number on another website, such as a directory, trade body or local listings site. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/citation.md)
- **Click-through rate (CTR)** - Click-through rate is the share of people who saw your listing or advert and clicked on it, worked out as clicks divided by the number of times it was shown. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/click-through-rate.md)
- **CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)** - CLS measures how much a page's content unexpectedly jumps around while it loads; Google rates a score of 0.1 or less as good. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/cls.md)
- **CMS (content management system)** - A CMS is software that lets you edit a website's words and pictures through a dashboard, without writing code; WordPress is the best-known example. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/cms.md)
- **Conversion rate** - Conversion rate is the share of website visitors who do what you want, such as calling, sending an enquiry or booking, worked out as conversions divided by visitors. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/conversion-rate.md)
- **Copywriting** - Copywriting is writing the words on your website and marketing so they clearly explain what you do and persuade the right customers to get in touch. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/copywriting.md)
- **Core Web Vitals** - Core Web Vitals are three Google measurements of real visitors' experience of a page: loading speed (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS). (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/core-web-vitals.md)
- **Crawling** - Crawling is when Google's automated software visits your website and follows its links to discover pages, the step that comes before a page can be indexed. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/crawling.md)
- **DNS (domain name system)** - DNS is the internet's address book: settings attached to your domain that tell the world where your website and email are actually hosted. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/dns.md)
- **Domain email** - Domain email is an email address that uses your own business domain, such as jo@smithplumbing.co.uk, instead of a free Gmail or Hotmail address. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/domain-email.md)
- **Domain name** - A domain name is your website's address, such as smithplumbing.co.uk, which you rent yearly from a registrar and which also powers your business email. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/domain-name.md)
- **Domain registrar** - A domain registrar is a company you pay to register and renew your domain name, such as 123 Reg, IONOS, Namecheap or Cloudflare. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/domain-registrar.md)
- **Enquiry form** - An enquiry form is a short form on a website where potential customers enter their details and what they need, sending you a message without phoning. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/enquiry-form.md)
- **Favicon** - A favicon is the tiny icon that represents your website in browser tabs, bookmarks, phone home screens and sometimes beside your listing in Google results. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/favicon.md)
- **GDPR and cookie consent** - GDPR and cookie consent are the UK rules on handling people's personal data and asking permission before a website uses non-essential cookies such as tracking. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/gdpr-cookie-consent.md)
- **Google Analytics** - Google Analytics is Google's free tool for measuring what visitors do on your website: how many come, where from, which pages they view and whether they get in touch. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/google-analytics.md)
- **Google Business Profile** - A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Maps and in local search results, with your phone number, hours, photos and reviews. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/google-business-profile.md)
- **Google Search Console** - Google Search Console is Google's free tool showing how your website performs in search: which searches you appear for, clicks, and any problems Google has found. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/google-search-console.md)
- **Hosting** - Hosting is the service that stores your website's files on a computer permanently connected to the internet, so people can visit your site at any time. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/hosting.md)
- **HTTPS** - HTTPS is the secure version of the web's connection method, encrypting information between a visitor's browser and your website so it cannot be read in transit. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/https.md)
- **Indexing** - Indexing is Google storing a copy of your web page in its database so it can appear in search results; a page that is not indexed cannot show up at all. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/indexing.md)
- **INP (Interaction to Next Paint)** - INP measures how quickly a page visibly responds when someone taps, clicks or types; Google rates 200 milliseconds or less as good. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/inp.md)
- **Keyword** - A keyword is a word or phrase people type into Google, such as ‘boiler repair Exeter’, that you want your website to appear for. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/keyword.md)
- **Landing page** - A landing page is a web page built around one specific service or offer, designed for visitors arriving from a search or advert to take a single action. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/landing-page.md)
- **LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)** - LCP measures how long the biggest visible element on a page, usually a large image or headline, takes to appear; Google rates 2.5 seconds or less as good. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/lcp.md)
- **Lead** - A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest by getting in touch, such as calling, messaging or filling in a form, but has not yet booked or bought. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/lead.md)
- **Lighthouse** - Lighthouse is a free Google tool that tests a web page and gives it scores out of 100 for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/lighthouse.md)
- **llms.txt** - llms.txt is a proposed plain-text file at the root of a website that gives AI tools a short, readable summary of the site and links to its key pages. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/llms-txt.md)
- **Local SEO** - Local SEO is the part of search optimisation that gets a business found by people searching nearby, such as ‘electrician near me’ or ‘dog groomer in Taunton’. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/local-seo.md)
- **Local Services Ads** - Local Services Ads are Google adverts for vetted local businesses that appear at the very top of some searches and charge per enquiry rather than per click. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/local-services-ads.md)
- **Long-tail keyword** - A long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific search phrase that fewer people type but that tends to come from people much closer to buying. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/long-tail-keyword.md)
- **Map pack** - The map pack is the small map with a short list of local businesses, usually three, that Google shows near the top of results for local searches. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/map-pack.md)
- **Meta description** - A meta description is a short summary of a web page, written in its code, that Google may show under the title in search results. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/meta-description.md)
- **Meta title** - A meta title is the clickable headline Google usually shows for your page in search results, and the text that appears in the browser tab. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/meta-title.md)
- **Mobile-first** - Mobile-first means designing a website for phones before desktops, and it also describes Google primarily using the mobile version of a site when ranking it. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/mobile-first.md)
- **NAP consistency** - NAP consistency means your business name, address and phone number are written identically on your website, Google profile and every directory that lists you. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/nap-consistency.md)
- **Nominet** - Nominet is the organisation that runs the official register of .uk domain names, including .co.uk, .org.uk and .uk addresses. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/nominet.md)
- **Organic traffic** - Organic traffic is the visitors who reach your website by clicking an ordinary, unpaid search result rather than an advert. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/organic-traffic.md)
- **Page builder** - A page builder is a drag-and-drop tool for laying out web pages visually without code, such as Elementor or Divi for WordPress, or the editors in Wix and Squarespace. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/page-builder.md)
- **Page speed** - Page speed is how quickly a web page loads and becomes usable for a visitor, especially on a phone with a mobile signal. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/page-speed.md)
- **PPC (Google Ads)** - PPC, or pay-per-click, is advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad; Google Ads is the best-known example, placing ads above search results. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ppc.md)
- **Responsive design** - Responsive design means a website automatically rearranges itself to fit any screen, from a small phone to a wide desktop monitor, using the same pages. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/responsive-design.md)
- **Review management** - Review management is the ongoing work of asking happy customers for reviews, responding to all reviews, and keeping your online reputation accurate and current. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/review-management.md)
- **robots.txt** - robots.txt is a small text file at the root of a website that tells search engine crawlers which parts of the site they are allowed to visit. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/robots-txt.md)
- **Search intent** - Search intent is what someone actually wants when they type a search, whether that is to learn something, find a particular website, compare options or buy. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/search-intent.md)
- **SEO (search engine optimisation)** - SEO is the work of making a website easier for Google to understand and more likely to show up when people search for what you do. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/seo.md)
- **Sitemap** - A sitemap is a file listing the pages on your website so search engines can find them all, usually an XML file at an address like yoursite.co.uk/sitemap.xml. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/sitemap.md)
- **SSL certificate** - An SSL certificate is a small digital file that proves your website is genuine and lets it use HTTPS, so information sent to and from it is encrypted. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ssl-certificate.md)
- **SSL expiry** - SSL expiry is when a website's security certificate reaches its end date without being renewed, causing browsers to show a full-page security warning. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ssl-expiry.md)
- **Structured data (schema markup)** - Structured data is hidden code on a web page that spells out facts like your business name, opening hours and services in a format search engines can read reliably. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/structured-data.md)
- **Tap-to-call** - Tap-to-call is a phone number or button on a website that starts a phone call straight away when tapped on a mobile, with no copying or retyping. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/tap-to-call.md)
- **Template** - A template is a ready-made website design that you fill in with your own words and photos, often shared by thousands of other businesses. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/template.md)
- **Uptime** - Uptime is the proportion of time a website is online and working, usually given as a percentage such as 99.9%. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/uptime.md)
- **UX (user experience)** - UX, or user experience, is how easy and pleasant a website is to use, from finding information quickly to getting in touch without friction. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ux.md)
- **Wireframe** - A wireframe is a simple black-and-white sketch of a web page's layout, showing where everything goes before any colours, photos or final wording are added. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/wireframe.md)
- **WordPress** - WordPress is free, widely used website software that runs a large share of the world's websites and is extended with themes and add-on plugins. (https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/wordpress.md)