Importance of Understanding Web Design Jargon
Understanding web design terminology is essential for any business owner venturing into the digital world. Not only does it equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions about your website’s design and functionality, but it also enhances communication with your web development team, ensuring your vision for your online presence is realised effectively.
Making Informed Decisions
When you comprehend the basic web design terms, you become more adept at evaluating the quality and effectiveness of your website. You’ll understand the significance of a responsive design, the need for a user-friendly interface, and the impact of site speed on user experience. This knowledge of web page design terminology enables you to assess what’s working and pinpoint areas that need improvement, aligning your website closer to your business goals.
Improved Collaboration
Clear communication with your web development team is crucial. By understanding web design lingo, you can accurately describe your needs, offer constructive feedback, and understand the team’s recommendations.
SEO and User Experience
A firm grasp of web design words directly contributes to search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO-friendly design terms relate to a website’s structure, content, and on-page elements that are optimised to rank well on search engines. By being conversant in web page design terms, you can directly contribute to strategies that increase your website’s visibility and user engagement.
50 Web Design Terms
We’ve created a list of 50 terms that cover terminology for web design.
1. Responsive Design
Meaning: A responsive website adjusts its layout to look good on any device, whether it’s a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Example: When you visit a site on your phone and it’s easy to read and navigate without zooming in, that’s responsive design at work.
2. Domain Name
Meaning: The web address used to find your website, similar to your home’s street address.
Example: For Pixel Key, it’s “pixelkey.com” – it’s what you type in the browser to reach us.
3. CMS (Content Management System)
Meaning: A platform that lets you create and manage digital content on your website without needing to write code.
Example: WordPress is a CMS that allows you to easily add blog posts to your website.
4. UX (User Experience)
Meaning: The overall experience a visitor has when navigating your website, including how easy or enjoyable it is to use.
Example: A site with a simple layout and clear calls to action provides a good UX.
5. UI (User Interface)
Meaning: The specific elements users interact with on a site, like buttons or menus.
Example: A shopping cart button is a UI element that should be easily identifiable.
6. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
Meaning: The standard coding language used to create web pages.
Example: <p>This is a paragraph.</p> is HTML code for displaying a paragraph of text on a web page.
7. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Meaning: This language is used to describe how HTML elements should be displayed, controlling layout and design.
Example: CSS can make all the paragraph texts on your site appear in blue color.
8. JavaScript
Meaning: A programming language that adds interactivity and dynamic content to websites.
Example: A live chat popup on a website often uses JavaScript.
9. Plugin
Meaning: A piece of software that adds specific functionality to your website.
Example: An SEO plugin for WordPress can help improve your site’s search engine ranking.
10. Alt Text (Alternative Text)
Meaning: A description of an image on your site that helps search engines understand the image content.
Example: An image of a computer on your site might have alt text that reads, “newest laptop model.”
11. Hyperlink
Meaning: A link from one web page to another, either within the same site (internal) or to a different site (external).
Example: “Click here to contact Pixel Key” where “click here” is the hyperlink taking you to the contact page.
12. Landing Page
Meaning: A standalone web page designed for a specific marketing campaign that drives visitors to take action.
Example: A page that showcases a promotional offer with a form to sign up for email updates.
13. Breadcrumb
Meaning: A navigational aid that shows visitors the path they have taken to reach a page or where the page is located within the website hierarchy.
Example: Home > Blog > Web Design > Responsive Design.
14. Conversion Rate
Meaning: The percentage of visitors who take the desired action on your website, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
Example: If 100 visitors come to your online store daily, and 5 make a purchase, your conversion rate is 5%.
15. CTA (Call to Action)
Meaning: A prompt on a website that tells the user to take some specified action, like “Call Now” or “Buy Today.”
Example: A “Subscribe to Our Newsletter” button is a clear CTA.
16. SSL Certificate (Secure Sockets Layer Certificate)
Meaning: A digital certificate that provides encryption for a website, ensuring secure transactions.
Example: Websites with an SSL certificate display “https://” in their URL, indicating a secure connection.
17. Viewport
Meaning: The user’s visible area of a web page, varying with devices.
Example: Web design adjusts the viewport so content looks good on both phones and desktop screens.
18. 301 Redirect
Meaning: The process of sending users and search engines to a different URL from the one they originally requested, permanently.
Example: If you move a blog post to a new URL, you’ll use a 301 redirect to send readers to the correct page.
19. 404 Error
Meaning: The error message displayed when a user tries to reach a web page that doesn’t exist.
Example: If a user follows a broken link, they’ll see a 404 error page.
20. Above the Fold
Meaning: The portion of a webpage visible without scrolling.
Example: Placing important content like CTAs above the fold ensures users see it immediately upon visiting the page.
21. Favicon
Meaning: A small, iconic image that represents your website in browser tabs and bookmarks.
Example: Pixel Key’s logo appearing in a browser tab when you visit our site.
22. Backend
Meaning: The part of the website that users can’t see, where the application runs and databases live.
Example: Server-side technologies like databases that store your website’s data are considered the backend.
23. Frontend
Meaning: The part of the website that users interact with directly.
Example: The layout, design, and content that you see in your web browser.
24. Widget
Meaning: Similar to a plugin, it adds functionality to your website, but is usually specific to elements on a webpage that a user can visually see and potentially interact with.
Example: A weather widget on a news website displaying the current weather.
25. Compression
Meaning: The process of reducing the size of your web files, like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files, to make your website load faster.
Example: Using Gzip to decrease file sizes before sending them to the browser.
26. Minification
Meaning: The process of making a file smaller by removing unnecessary characters from the code.
Example: Reducing CSS file sizes for better website performance.
27. Lazy Loading
Meaning: A design pattern that defers the loading of non-critical resources at page load time, loading them as needed as you scroll down the page.
Example: Images that only load when you scroll down to them on a webpage.
28. Wireframe
Meaning: A visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website.
Example: A simple drawing of a webpage layout, without design elements like images or colours, focusing on the placement of elements.
29. Accessibility
Meaning: The design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities.
Example: A website that is designed with screen readers in mind, allowing visually impaired users to understand the content.
30. Cache
Meaning: Storing copies of files in a temporary storage area so they can be accessed more quickly by the user.
Example: A web browser storing images from a website so they load faster the next time you visit.
31. Cookie
Meaning: A piece of data that is stored in the user’s web browser (chrome, safari etc.) whilst the user is browsing a website. This data is sent from the website directly.
Example: A website remembering your login details so you don’t have to enter them every visit.
32. Conversion Funnel
Meaning: The path a user follows on a website to complete a conversion, such as making a purchase.
Example: The steps from product page > shopping cart > checkout process.
33. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
Meaning: An editor that allows developers to build web pages visually, without writing code.
Example: A CMS like WordPress where you can format content and see what it will look like live as you create it.
34. Heatmap
Meaning: A data visualisation tool that shows how users interact with a webpage using colours.
Example: A heatmap might show that most users click on the ‘Services’ button on your homepage.
35. Root Domain
Meaning: The highest hierarchical level of a domain, which is usually what people refer to as the website’s main domain.
Example: In ‘www.pixelkey.com’, ‘pixelkey.com’ is the root domain.
36. Subdomain
Meaning: A subset of the root domain that allows you to separate different sections of your website.
Example: ‘blog.pixelkey.com’ could be a subdomain dedicated to Pixel Key’s blog.
37. Web Standards
Meaning: Guidelines recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium for building and interpreting web-based content.
Example: Using valid HTML and CSS code that aligns with current web standards for better compatibility and user experience.
38. Grid Layout
Meaning: A structure comprising a series of horizontal and vertical lines used to align and layout elements on a web page.
Example: A three-column grid layout that organizes content in a clean, easy-to-read format.
39. Whitespace (Negative Space)
Meaning: The empty space around and between the elements of a design or page layout, which can help highlight important content.
Example: The margin around the text and images that makes a web page feel uncluttered.
40. Vector Graphics
Meaning: Image formats that are defined in terms of points on a grid that form lines and shapes, which can be scaled infinitely without losing quality.
Example: A company logo designed in Adobe Illustrator that stays crisp and clear irrespective of the screen size.
41. Bitmap Graphics (Raster Graphics)
Meaning: Images composed of pixels that have a fixed resolution and can become grainy when enlarged.
Example: A photograph uploaded as a JPEG that becomes pixelated when zoomed in on.
42. Hero Image
Meaning: A large, prominent image prominently placed at the top of a web page, often in the header, to grab the user’s attention.
Example: An eye-catching banner photo on a travel blog that entices readers to explore content.
43. Carousel (Slider)
Meaning: A web component that allows users to scroll through multiple items, such as images or cards, horizontally.
Example: A homepage carousel that rotates through featured products or services.
44. Parallax Scrolling
Meaning: A visual effect on a web page where the background content moves at a different speed from the foreground content during scrolling.
Example: A web page where the background image moves slower than the text as you scroll, creating a sense of depth.
45. Drop Shadow
Meaning: A visual effect that gives the impression of a light source shining on an object from above, creating a shadow.
Example: A button with a drop shadow effect that makes it appear to lift off the page.
46. Thumbnail
Meaning: A small image that represents a larger image or video, often used in galleries.
Example: Small preview images of artwork in an online gallery that users can click on to see the full image.
47. Hamburger Menu
Meaning: An icon used to represent a menu on websites. It typically consists of three horizontal lines resembling the view of a hamburger.
Example: Often found in the top corner of mobile sites, it expands to show navigation links when clicked.
48. Web Safe Fonts
Meaning: Fonts that are widely available across most operating systems and devices, ensuring a consistent look.
Example: Arial and Times New Roman are common web safe fonts seen on many websites.
49. Mobile-First Design
Meaning: A design approach that starts by designing for the smallest screen first and then works up to larger screens.
Example: A website that prioritises a seamless mobile experience with large buttons and easy navigation, before designing the tablet or desktop versions.
50. Visual Hierarchy
Meaning: The arrangement or presentation of elements in a way that implies importance, influencing the order in which the human eye perceives what it sees.
Example: A ‘Buy Now’ button in a prominent size and colour, positioned above the fold to ensure it’s seen first.
Conclusion
Navigating the vast sea of web design terminology might seem daunting, but understanding these concepts is helpful for any business owner stepping into the online arena.
Remember, you’re not alone on this journey. Pixel Key is your ally, translating these technical terms into actionable insights and cultivating a web presence that resonates with your company’s values.
Whether you’re discussing responsive design with our team or analysing the SEO impact on your site’s performance, you’ll now have the confidence to make strategic decisions that propel your business forward.
Ready to turn these terms into tangible success? Contact Pixel Key today, and let’s craft a digital experience that captivates and converts. Your journey to a standout website begins here – a site that speaks to your audience, strengthens your online presence, and secures a top spot in Google’s search results. Join us, and let’s build the future of your online business together.