Glossary of terms
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the vast number of technical terms associated with web development and its various components. This page helps demystify those terms and give a brief explaination of what they are and how they contribute to the web development process.
Tip: If you are looking for a specific term, press 'ctrl' + 'f' to search for it.
Bot
A bot is a generic term referring to a computer program that does an automated task. In terms of search engine optimization, bots (created by search engines such as Google and Yahoo) search for new websites to add to their list. This process is called indexing.
Domain name
This is the name of the place on the Internet where your website can be viewed. When you give someone directions to your house, you give them your home address. When you give someone directions to your website, you give them your domain name. Domain names are usually in the format www.yourdomainname.com, although other extensions (such as .net, .org, etc.) are available.
Indexing
Indexing is a term often associated with search engine optimization. Search engines add a website to their list by indexing it using bots. The rate at which a site gets indexed is based on a number of factors, including currency of content, keywords, and various other SEO techniques. Once a site has been indexed, it shows up in search engine results.
Live
If a website is "live," that means it has been uploaded to the Internet for everyone to see. As a website is being developed, it is not available for public view (it is not live).
Search engine optimization
Essentially, search engine optimization is a fancy name for getting your website higher up in search engine results. The better optimized your website is, the closer it will be to the first results page. For more information, visit the search engine optimization service page.
URL
URL literally means "Uniform Resource Locator." In more useful terms, though, a URL is a direct address to a specific page on a website. For example, www.vicariousweb.com/faq/glossary.php is the URL to the page you are currently on.
Web host
Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server that they own for use by their clients. They allow their clients' websites to become available through the Internet for anyone to view. Often times the web host will package hosting services with a domain name, allowing you to get both required parts in one place.