Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to build your business website (or redesign your existing website!) And you are ready to dive into the wonderful world of web design and web development. This may be the first time you’ve stepped into this space and received a host of technical terms and buzzwords from web developers that seem a little foreign to you. Don’t worry because a, I’m nice here so you should never be afraid to ask for clarification. And two, here’s your cheat sheet for a few terms commonly used in web design and web development.
Above the fold
The area of your website that is immediately visible to your audience without scrolling. (“Above the fold” refers to content that appears in the top half of the first page of a newspaper.)
Back end
Refers to the work that takes place behind the scenes of how a user interacts with a website. Back-end web development refers to server-side development.
Call to Action (CTA)
Invite the user to do something.
Content Management System (CMS)
The software application that allows users to manage website content without having to code.
Hero image
The large banner image at the top of your website landing page.
Favicon
A small icon that represents your website and appears in the address bar, link bar, bookmarks area, and navigation tabs.
Front end
Refers to what the user sees and how they interact with a website. Front-end web development refers to client-side development.
Responsive website
A design approach that takes into account all devices – desktop, phone, tablet, etc. – making sure that the web pages adapt accordingly (i.e. they look and work well)
Slide
A slideshow or carousel of content on a web page.
Wired
A skeletal presentation of a web page that provides the framework for its structure and functionality.
Looking to design or redesign your website? I will be happy to discuss web design and development with you. Contact me and make it happen.