We like our clients to be able to find out things for themselves and also ask questions about the entire web design process - that's why we have an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Section and Website Planning Guide - also we have simple definitions for common web technology terms on this page - if there are any definitions not listed here that you would like to see, please feel free to contact us with your request and it will be replied ASAP.

Glossary (web definitions)

domain name registration
Your domain name is your identity on the net. However, many companies have found themselves using alternate names (www.companyname.com or .org or .net) because so many names are already taken. The more unique your domain name, the easier it will be to get it. Otherwise, it is most likely that you will be using an alternate name for your business on the web. In fact, we have a page under services where you can check the availability of your domain.

eCommerce
The buying and selling of products and possibly services and subscriptions over the Internet. These can range from books to auto parts; from software to gardening supplies. If you have something to sell, you can sell it on-line.

image optimization
Images on the web sites need to be as small as possible, in terms of file size, while still maintaining as much of their original quality as possible so that they load quickly and still look great!

metatags
Metatags are words that are inserted in special areas of your web site that help the search engine registration process. They also provide a useful way to control your summary in some search engines.

MP3
MP3(Moving Picture Experts Group1Layer3 Audio) is a type of sound file used to compress large sound files. The most common use of MP3 files is to compress a CD album. A complete CD album can be compressed into a file size of approximately 5MB. This has sparked a great deal of illegal copying on the web as people can now copy CD albums into MP3 format and share it on the web.

Real Audio
A Real Audio file will play in seconds. The reason for this is that the real audio file plays as it downloads. This is true of even a very large audio file. The quality of a real audio file is poor though. It is excellent for talking but not for showing off a musicians work. Many radio stations keep archives of broadcasts so the visitor can go back to programs to hear a certain person talk. Sometimes when there is net congestion a real audio file that will cut out and then come back which can be frustrating to a listener if the net congestion continues.

search engines
Search engines are also an invaluable tool for reaching your target market. The people visiting your web site as a result of a search engine query are specifically interested in the product or service you provide.see search engine registration

search engine registration
If you use the Internet to run or promote a business, nothing is more important to your success than being listed with the search engines. They are your customer's tool of choice for locating web sites - outranking banner advertising and all other forms of media.

shopping cart
A shopping cart system is a setup that the customer would use on your web site to purchase your products - this system is always interfaced directly with your ecommerce processing solution to manage purchases on your site, calculate prices and shipping costs, process the payment and send receipts and invoices automatically.

SSL
SSL ensures that your customers shop and / or transfer sensitive information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers with security and peace of mind. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and is a security protocol created by Netscape Communications Corporation. Data is encrypted before being transferred over the network to make it more difficult for the bad guys to eavesdrop on the communications between the client and the server. With SSL, each transaction is automatically encrypted, so there is no risk to the Merchant or the Customer.

web hosting
Your web site has to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - this is done by copying the site onto a server which you pay a monthly fee for, and that's where the web site "lives." There are many many different hosts with different features and you should seek professional help in selecting a hosting plan that fits your specific needs budgetary / functionality needs. Don't pay for features you don't need!

web site
a web prescence for your company

web site statistics
Depending on which web hosting company you use, it is possible to get sophisticated site analysis and reports on your site - useful information such as how many hits you've had on your site, how many visitors per day, what day is busiest on your site, what pages are most popular and how long your visitors are staying on your site. These statistics help us (and you) to adjust things on the site to suit your customers needs, and also to track the results of various marketing projects.

We hope that this information is useful to you - if you have any further questions, please don't hestitate to contact us and send in your own questions.