Glossary of Web terminology

Web words

Bandwidth
Measure of the traffic on a site. Bandwidth is expressed as the amount of data transferred in a specified unit of time.

Browser
A program used to locate and view Web pages. These include Netscape, Mosaic, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and others.

Classification
A way to organize and group your content.

Cookies
Files containing information about Web site visitors. This information can include the visitor's user name, preferences, etc. The information is provided by visitors during their first visit to a Website. The server records this information in a text file and stores it on the visitor's hard drive. At the beginning of later visits, the server looks for a cookie and configures itself based on the information provided.

Crawler-based based search engine
A crawler-based search engine uses a program that searches documents and Web pages for specified keywords and returns the list of documents. You do not have to submit your site to the spider-based search engines. They will generally find your site on their own.

CSS
Cascading style sheet. Includes typographical information on how Web pages should look. Used together with HTML.

DHTML
Dynamic HTML. A technology designed to add richness, interactivity, and graphical interest to Web pages by providing those pages with the ability to change and update themselves dynamically, in response to user actions.

Domain Name
The text name corresponding to the IP address of a computer on the Internet. For example, www.cooperative.com is a domain name.

Entry Page
The first page viewed during a visit to your Website. If a visit consists only of hits to non-page files, that visit has no entry page. This can cause the total number of entry pages to be less than the total number of visits.

Exit Page
The last page viewed during a visit to your Website. If a visit consists only of hits to non-page files, that visit has no exit page. This can cause the total number of exit pages to be less than the total number of visits.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol. It is a standard method of sending files from one computer to another over the Internet.

File Type
Identifies types of files by their file extension. For example, a file named “graphic.gif” is identified as type "gif."

GIF
Graphics Interchange Format. It is a graphics file format commonly used in HTML documents.

Google
The most popular search engine on the Web. Located at http://www.google.com.

HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. It is the programming language for static Web pages. It usually includes hypertext links between related objects and documents.

HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a standard method of transferring data between a Web server and a Web browser.

HTTPS
Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Indicates a secure server is being used forf transferring data between a Web server and a Web browser.

Hit
Each file requested by a visitor registers as a hit. There can be several hits on each page. While the volume of hits reflects the amount of server traffic, it is not an accurate reflection of the number of pages viewed.

Home Page
The main or introductory page of a Website. The home page provides visitors with an overview and links to the rest of the site. It often contains or links to a Table of Contents.

Human-based Search Engine
A human-based search engine (such as Yahoo) depends on people for listings. A directory will not list your Web page if you do not register it with them. Directories are usually divided into categories and you must submit your URL under the most appropriate categories.

Information Architecture
The combination of organization, labeling and navigation schemes on your Website.

IP Address
Internet Protocol Address. It is a series of four one- to three-digit numbers separated by periods. It is used to identify a computer connected to the Internet. For example, 212.6.125.76 is an IP address.

JPEG
Joint Photographic Expert Group. It is a compressed graphics format common on the Internet.

Meta Data
Date about data. For example, the author or the date a news article was published.

Meta Tag
A tag in an HTML or XML document that allows a Web page creator to include meta data.

Page
Any document, dynamic page, or form. Different types of profiles have different default settings for which file extensions qualify a file as a page. These settings can be changed by the Reporting Center system administrator.

Page View
A hit to any file classified as a page. Contrast the value for "page views" with the value for "hits," which includes hits to files of every type.

Platform
Refers to the operating system, such as Linux or Windows 2000.

Script
A simple programming language used to execute specific or limited tasks. Scripts are often used for pages on the Internet to serve dynamic content and to tailor pages for individual visitors.

Search Engine
A program that searches Web pages and documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents and Web pages where the keywords were found.

Search Keywords
A keyword is a single word from within a search phrase. In the phrase "cordless phone" the individual keywords are "cordless" and "phone".

Search Phrase
The search phrase a visitor used to find your site.

Server
A computer that hosts information available to anyone accessing the Internet or an internal Intranet.

Spider
An automated program which searches the internet.

URL
Uniform Resource Locator. It is a means of identifying an exact location on the Internet. For example, http://www.Webtrends.com/html/info/default.htm is the URL which defines the location of the page Default.htm in the /html/info/ directory on the NetIQ Corporation Web site. As the previous example shows, a URL is comprised of four parts: Protocol Type (HTTP), Machine Name (Webtrends.com), Directory Path (/html/info/), and File Name (default.htm).

Usability
How easy (or difficult) it is for members to use your Website.

Unique Visitors
Individuals who visited your site during the report period. If someone visits more than once, they are counted only the first time they visit.

Visit
A visit is a series of actions that begins when a visitor views their first page from the server, and ends when the visitor leaves the site or remains idle beyond the idle-time limit. The default idle-time limit is thirty minutes. This time limit can be changed by the system administrator.

XML
Acronym for eXtensible Markup Language. XML lets Web developers and designers create customized tags that offer greater flexibility in organizing and presenting information than is possible with HTML alone.

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Page last updated: Monday, October 24, 2011