What's New:
1-22-2005 The 'Official Launch' has been set for February
8th... The website may not be totally 'open' yet, but most
of the free
online tools are working, so help yourself... Over the next
few weeks I'll be adding quite a few more helpful webmaster resources, so
bookmark and check back, OK? Thanks!
This page is the same as the old-style webmaster glossary page... the difference is that this one was written with a WYSIWYG editor.
(It was done on 1-25-2005, so it will not grow as the other one will.)
Except for this area, it contains the same data as the other page, and I tried to give it exactly the same layout. I urge you to right-click and 'view source' to compare the code of the two pages...
There are several reasons NOT to use a WYSIWYG editor that are illustrated beautifully by this page.
Primary Problems:
The editor gave this page a DTD of "//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"it is NOT.
"Code Bloat - the code for this page is almost 20 percent bigger than the original.
That means it takes 20 percent longer to load, and the incorrect DTD will confuse some browsers.
There are a few other problems that I may have been able to fix with more practice: The colors don't match... the right side column expands in bigger windows, instead of the center column... formatting and spacing of the form elements on the right side... it is not using the CSS that the other pages do.... No title, and no META tags...
From my point of view - WYSIWYG editors make it easy to put a website together, but they don't help you to understand any of it. I know... you don't have to understand how the car runs to drive it. But you do need to know where to put the fuel in, how to change a flat, etc.
If you can't read the code, how are you going to put in the correct META tags? How are you going to give the page a title? Is your webpage never going to need any changes?
If you're making a webpage to share the kids photos with family members a WYSIWYG editor is probably just fine. But if you are serious about building a profitable website then you should learn to read and write HTML.
The original glossary page data continues below.
Need Help? Find a mistake? Contact the
webmaster..
Absolute Link - Absolute
links (http://blt-web.com/images/graphic.gif) contain all the domain
and path information for a web page link. See also 'Relative Link'.
Access - A scripting language used on the Windows NT
Server.
ActiveX - A program / interface that allows
web browsers to automatically download and execute Windows programs.
ActiveX has been the target of numerous hacker / virus attacks due
to it's inherent vulnerabilities. See also Plug-In.
ActiveX Data Object (ADO) - A technology from
Microsoft that provides data access to many kinds of data storage.
Affiliate / Affiliation - An affiliate is someone who
has agreed to advertise for a company as an independent associate.
He or she is not employed by that company, they are more like
a mercenary sales rep, working for commission only.
Anchor - It's the "</a>" and the "<a
href"part of hyper-link codes.
ASCII Codes - The HTML
codes that will tell a browser what character to display. Here is a
printable ASCII Special Characters code chart with
the HTML codes for £ , Ø , Þ and all the rest.
ASCII
text - Stands for "American Standard Code for Information
Interchange" -- This is the world-wide standard for the code numbers
used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin
letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII
codes identified by a 7 digit number.
ASP - A
scripting and programming language used on the Windows NT Server.
Autoresponder - A service or software application
that allows a webmaster to automatically reply to an email,
instantly and often. Autoresponders are often used to send a series
of emails, like a 5 or 10-day "e-course", or a once-a-week reminder
to buy something.
Bandwidth - This is the amount of
data that can be transferred to and from your website during the
measurement period. (usually a month) Bandwidth usage is measured in
MB and GB, like disk space.
Blog - Short for "Web
Log". A popular service that allows just about anyone to put their
thoughts and ideas online. Most blogs can be easily syndicated (for
viewing on other websites) and are becoming very popular with the
web marketing crowd.
Browser - The "user interface"
between you and the code language a website is written in. The
browser (Firefox, MSInternetExplorer, Opera, etc.) reads the code
and decides how to display the website on your monitor.
Browser-Safe Colors - A decade ago, PC monitors could
only reproduce a limited number of colors. The "Browser-Safe Color
Palette" (216 colors) was devised to help webmasters design a
website that looked (more or less) the same on different systems.
With the average monitor able to display millions of colors, this is
no longer a big issue.
C+ and
C++ - Complex programming languages that I don't even begin to
understand.
CGI - CGI Scripts perform special
functions on the server and allow a webmaster to add interactively
(forms, shopping carts, etc.) to a website.
CGI-bin -
That's the file on your server where your CGI scripts live.
Click Thru - A common reporting statistic showing how
many clicks from unique viewers an ad has received.
Client-Side Includes (CSI) - A browser-based method
of dynamically integrating another file within a webpage. See also:
Server-Side Includes (SSI).
Cold Fusion - A scripting
language commonly used on a Windows NT server.
Content - In this usage: everything on a website, but
not including the graphics, layout coding or other design
elements.
Conversion Rate - In marketer-speak, this
is the percentage of your visitors that your website 'converts' into
customers.
Cookie - A small snip of code that is most
often used to keep track of a surfer's movement through a website or
to keep track of the contents of a shopping cart.
Cookie
Duration - In affiliate sales, a merchant website will place a
cookie on a surfer's machine... if that surfer returns after several
days, the cookie tells the merchant what affiliate referred the
customer. How long the cookie lasts is the 'cookie duration'.
Counters / Site Counter - A service that, with the
addition of some code to your pages, will keep track of your website
statistics.
CPA - Stands for "Cost Per Action".
Sometimes called Pay-Per-Action (PPA). It's just jargon for the
amount that a company has agreed to pay for a sale or a lead.
Commonly used in affiliate programs to show the pay rate for
something.
CPC - Stands for "Cost Per Click".
Sometimes called Pay-Per-Click (PPC). Less common than the CPM
method of advertising compensation.
CPI - Stands for
"Cost Per Impression". Often referred to as Pay-Per_Impression
(PPI). It's just a type of affiliate program that pays on a per
impression basis.
CPL - Stands for "Cost Per Lead".
Sometimes called Pay-Per-Lead (PPL). It's how much an advertiser
pays per a lead. This is a very common method of determining
advertising compensation.
CPM - Stands for "Cost Per
Thousand Impressions". It's how much an advertiser will pay for
1,000 ad banner impressions.
CPS - Stands for "Cost
Per Sale". Sometimes called Pay-Per-Sale (PPS). It is the cost an
advertiser will pay an affiliate for a sale. This is a very common
method of advertising compensation.
Creative - A
common marketing term used to identify the items used to generate
leads and sell advertising. Including banner ads, text links,
interstitials (pop-ups), e-mail ads, etc.
Cron Job -
Cron is a unix/linux function that allows you to automatically run a
command at a specific time. In practice, it is similar to a task
scheduler, like the one built into Windows.
CSS -
Stands for "Cascading Style Sheets". They provide a way to control
and adjust layout and font options for an entire site with a single
document. This allows web designers to separate content from layout
and presentation, which makes the development of a web site more
efficient and flexible.
CTR - Stands for "Click Thru
Rate" Your CTR is the ratio (by percentage) of click thrus to
impressions. To determine CTR you divide your click thrus by the
number of impressions. It's a good way to judge the effectiveness of
an ad campaign because it shows what percentage of people who see
your ads that actually click on them.
Disk
Space - The same as the space on your PC's hard drive. Web Hosts
will rent you a certain amount of space for your website. It's
measured in Megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). Obviously, the more
they allocate, the larger your website can be.
Domain
Name - This is your website identifier. A domain name like
google.com is much easier for people to remember than 216.239.37.104
- but they're the same place.
Double-Opt-In List -
Refers to a mailing list that requires the subscriber to
deliberately sign up for and reply to a confirmation email to
verify that the subscription is legitimate.
E-Book - "Electronic Book". There
are e-novels, e-books, e-booklets (and e-crap) available all over
the internet.
EPC - Stands for "Earnings Per Click".
It's another way to judge how effective an ad campaign is. It helps
to show what percentage of clicks are actually converting into sales
or leads. Calculate your EPC by dividing your total number of clicks
by your total earnings.
EPM - Stands for "Earnings
Per Thousand Impression". Another good statistic to determine how
effective an ad campaign is. It is calculated by dividing the total
number of impressions by 1,000 and then taking your total earnings
for that ad campaign and dividing it by the result.
E-Zine - Just another word for 'Newsletter" as in
"Electronic Magazine".
Favicon - Favicon (pronounced
fav-eye-con) is short for 'Favorites Icon'.... it's the 16 x 16 icon
that allows the webmaster to create a more customized appearance
within the visitors favorites folder or the address window.
Different browsers handle favicons differently, but it's a simple
way to help a webmaster 'brand' a website.
Forum - An
internet 'gathering place' where people can talk, argue, ask for
help or offer opinions. Forums are sometimes called message boards
or bulletin boards. But a "Forum" is typically more fluid and
interactive, where a bulletin board is less interactive..
Frames - Frames were developed as a method for
website layout control. They create bookmarking and printing
problems, as well as SEO difficulties, so many designers avoid them.
Freeware - A software program of some sort that is
free to use forever.
Frontpage - Microsoft Frontpage
(FP), a popular web authoring program.
FTP - This
stands for "File Transfer Protocol". You'll probably use an FTP
program to send files from your home PC to your webhost server.
Top G
GIF
- A file type for images. Commonly used for clipart and other images
that do not require the clarity of a photograph. Also, I believe
that it's the only file type that supports a 'transparent' color.
(?)
Hexadecimal Color Value - "Hex
Code" for short. It's the six-digit code that tells a browser what
color to display in a background, table cell, etc. For example:
#FF0000 is red, #800080 is purple and #D8FFD2 is the green border on
this page.
HTML - This stands for "Hyper Text Markup
Language". This is (usually) what you'll be using to make your
website. It is very easy to learn, and even if you use a WYSIWYG
editor, it writes the code in HTML.
HTTP - This
stands for "Hyper Text Transfer Protocol". In a nutshell, it's how
the Internet works. It's the protocol computers use during the
transfer of web pages from servers to PCs.
Java
- Not to be confused with JavaScript - there is no similarity 'under
the hood'. Java is a complex programming language similar to C+ and
C++.
Java Applet - A self-contained program that
performs some sort of animation, audio effect or some sort of
processing. Often these effects can be duplicated with other,
faster-loading scripts or files.
JavaScript - A
common scripting language, used to add interactive elements to a
website.
JPEG / JPG - A file type for images.
Preferred for photos and other images where good color depth is
required.
Keywords - These are the words
that have a direct correlation to the content of a webpage. It's
important to use keywords effectively for the best SEO.
Lead
- Anything from an e-mail address to a completed survey. The
requirements for a legitimate lead can vary a lot from one program
to another.
Link - You're kidding, right? Oh,
alright. "Link" is short for "HyperLink" and simply refers to a text
or image that has been coded to act as a clickable 'bridge' between
webpages or parts of a webpage. Just click, and the 'bridge' takes
you to the link destination.
Link Popularity - Simply
a measurement that the search engines use to determine the quantity
and quality of links that a website has coming into it.
Liquid Design "Liquid Design" is a phrase commonly
used to mean that the page will automatically expand or contract to
fit the browser screen (like this website), as opposed to a "fixed
design" that stays the same width in any browser or window size.
Load Time - The time it takes a webpage to 'load'
into a surfer's browser window. As a rule, the less loading time the
better.
Log Files - Most webhosts will keep track of
all kinds of different visitor statistics in a 'log file'. With
patience, or a program made to read a log file, you can get very
valuable statistics from your log files.
META
Tags - Special HTML coding near the beginning of an HTML
document that search engines use to gather information about that
wepage. Still necessary, but not as important now as five years ago.
Monetizing - A common term meaning "To make money off
everything". Many web marketers seem to over-use and over-emphasize
the entire concept.
Navigation - In this usage, it
means the method that a website visitor will use to move around a
website. Good navigation makes things easy, poor navigation makes
for frustration and lost customers.
Opt-In
List - Refers to a mailing list that requires the subscriber to
deliberately sign up for. See also Double Opt-In.
OS
- Short for "Operating System" and refers to the program on your PC
that governs the overall performance and system resource
allocations. Examples include Windows-all versions, Linux, Lindows,
etc.
Page
Rank - Primarily a Google reference, it's a measurement of a web
page 'rank' as compared to other web pages of similar content.
Pay For Performance - The phrase that many affiliate
networks use for classification. It basically means that they offer
CPL and CPS programs.
PPL - Pay Per Lead. See CPL
PPS - Pay Per Sale. See CPS
PPC - Pay
Per Click. See CPC
PPI - Pay Per Impression. See CPI
Perl - Another programming language for advanced
applications.
PHP - A scripting language for things
like contact forms, simple polls, etc.
Pop Up - Just
about everyone knows this one. But there's also pop-unders,
pop-after-delay, exit-pops, slide-pops, sneak-pops, drive-by pops,
and probably others too. If used properly they can help you get more
newsletter subscribers, but that's just about the only legitimate
use for them.
POP3 - This is a common e-mail 'post
box' system. It's used to store emails until you retrieve them with
Eudora or Outlook Express or whatever.
Post - In this
usage, adding your comments to any publicly-viewable forum, message
or bulletin board. You are "Posting" to the board.
PPC - Stands for "Pay-Per-Click" and most often
refers to PPC Search Engine advertising. Sometimes called
Cost-Per-Click (CPC).
Query
String - Query strings are generated by form submission, or by a
user typing a query into the address bar of the browser.... so, in
your server log files, the Query String will show what a surfer was
searching for when they found your website. In a form, it
is specified by the values following the question mark (?), like
this: <ahref="test.asp?txt=this is
a query string">Link with a query string</a> That
generates a variable named txt with the value "this is a query
string".
Ranking
Algorithms - Top secret stuff the search engines use to decide
the relevance of a website as compared to the search terms a surfer
entered on the search page.
Reciprocal Linking - An
agreement between two webmasters where they each agree to place a
link on their website that goes to the other website.
Relative Links - A relative link (images/graphic.gif)
is just a link that does not include the domain information. It is
easier to create and move than an absolute link, but moving a page
with relative links to a different folder will 'break' all the
links. See also Absolute Link.
RGB / RGB Callouts -
"Red-Green-Blue" These colors, when combined, can re-create
virtually any desired color. The "RGB Callout" is the code that
tells a browser how to re-create the web designers desired color.
Robot - Nope, not R2-D2, in this usage 'robot' refers
to a program that performs a particular, limited function without
supervision. Examples include the search engine 'spyders' that read
and index websites as well as programs that automatically fill in
the blanks on a webpage form.
Robot.txt - A text file
that will instruct search engine 'robots' on what pages to index or
ignore.
ROI - Stands for "Return on Investment". If
your advertising cost is $100 and your sales from it are $200, then
your ROI is 100%.
Royalty / Royalty-free - Almost all
images and written content on the internet is owned by whoever
created or wrote it. This gives them the right to decide if they
want to charge a 'Royalty" to let someone else use it. Be Careful!
People have lost their A##es from innocently using a copyrighted
something that they should have paid a royalty on.
RSS - Stands for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich
Site Summary". What it is is the next generation of syndicating the
content of a website, often used to announce amendments and
upgrades.
Scripting Language - A programmers
language (PHP, Perl, etc.) used to write 'Scripts' that perform
assorted functions like guestboooks, contact forms, etc. Think of it
as an advanced HTML.
Search Engine - Any program or
group of programs whose primary function is to automatically 'read'
the billions of webpages and build an index from the contents of
those pages. When a user searches for something, that index is used
to find the item(s) that the user wants.
Secured
Server - A server with the proper programs, allowing secure
transactions. (Payments, personal data, etc.)
SEO -
Stands for "Search Engine Optimization". Many companies will try to
sell you on their SEO expertise so you will buy their SEO services.
SERP - Stands for "Search Engine Result Pages". Used
by web marketers and SEO companies who focus on the search engine
rankings as a primary metric of measuring success.
Server - The hardware that web hosting companies use
to provide web space for your website.
Server-Side
Includes (SSI) - A method of dynamically adding data to a
webpage at the time a browser calls the page. The task is done at
the server, as opposed to making the browser integrate the data
file(s) within a webpage. (See also Client-side Includes)
Shopping Cart - The software that tracks purchases
and payment transactions securely.
Site Feed - Common
term for the practice of adding syndicated content to a website
using Javascript or XML feeds.
Sig File - Short for
"Signature File". It's the short lines of text at the end of an
email. Most email programs will allow users to have an assortment of
sig files to append to their email.
SMTP - This
stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol". It's likely to be the
protocol used when you send e-mail through your domain.
Spyder / Spider - Commonly refers to the 'robot'
programs that search engines use to index websites for their
listings.
SQL (MySQL, SQL Server etc.) - This stands
for "Structured Query Language". It's the language used to interact
with databases. Some of the largest websites are extensively
database managed.
Stats / Statistics - Something you
should be paying very close attention to. How many visitors? What
pages are they entering on? Exiting from? What country are they in?
What kind of system are they using? A good hosting service will
allow you to access the log files that can give you all this info
and more.
Sticky - The common term for anything on a
website that would serve to make a visitor "stick around" or return
at a later date. Examples include syndicated content like a daily
quote or news headlines, games, trivia, contests, etc.
Syndication / Syndicated Content - Using Javascript
and/or XML / RSS "feeds", a webmaster can add good content to his
website with little effort. The benefits include making your site
more useful, thus more 'sticky', by having information updated
regularly by an off-site service.
Telnet
Access - A method of accessing servers from home or office. Very
useful for troubleshooting CGI scripts and changing server
configurations. Some hosting services do not allow Telnet access.
Templates - Site Templates or Page Templates.
Basically, a ready-to-use website without all the text that a
webmaster would add. There are many reasons to use a template, but
mainly you can spend your time and energy on the content of the site
and let a professional web designer wrap it in an attractive
package.
Traffic - No, not the rush hour kind. In
this usage, 'Traffic' is the amount of and the demographics
of the visitors to your website.
Valid
DTDs - "Document Type Definition" or sometimes "Document Type
Declaration". Used predominately in XML and XHTML documents. A DTD
allows a browser to validate your webpage. When validating, the
parser checks for misspelled tags or attributes, for errors in types
of attribute values and in elements' content models, and so on. For
HTML, similar validation services exist that will check your file
against one of the existing HTML DTDs. A correct doctype
will switch a browser's behaviour from quirks to standards-compliant
mode. For Opera and MSIE it can mean a huge improvement, but in
FireFox there isn't much difference. Here is a list of Valid DTDs.
VOIP - Stands for
"Voice Over Internet Protocol". It's been around a while, but
recently it's gaining popularity with the spread of broadband
connections and better software.
Web
Host - The company that 'rents' you the space on their equipment
(server) where your website is 'hosted'.
WYSIWYG
Editor - Stands for "What You See Is What You Get" Editor. The
good part about a WYSIWYG Editor is that it can allow someone with
no HTML knowledge to create a website. The bad part about a WYSIWYG
Editor is that it can allow someone with no HTML knowledge to create
a website.
XHTML - Stands for "eXtensable
HyperText Markup Language". It is a cross between HTML4.0 and XML.
The idea is to create a stricter standard for making web pages,
reducing incompatibilities between browsers.
XML - A
web authoring language commonly used to create RSS feeds. XML cannot
be interpreted by average browsers, it requires an 'RSS Feed Reader'
of some sort.
Home
Page 
This page is the same as the old-style webmaster glossary page... the difference is that this one was written with a WYSIWYG editor.
website, use this