Web Design Glossary

We understand that we sometimes talk "tech talk", which can be confusing. We hope this page will help to clarify what we are talking about but please let us know if something needs explaining.

CMS

A "Content Management System" (CMS) is a specially-created software tool, which the client uses to update the contents of a web site without having to purchase off-the-shelf software or know how to write code.

CSS

A "Cascading Style Sheet" (CSS) is a single file on the server, which specifies the appearance of design and structural elements throughout a web site. By adjusting the "style sheet" file, every page that links to it will receive those changes, making updates across a large number of pages quick, easy, and cost-effective.

Flash

Flash technology has become a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to web pages. To view Flash, your web browser must have the latest Flash "plug-in" (free download from Adobe) installed.

Meta Tags

Meta tags are a "label", located in a web page's code (right-click on any web page to "View Source"), which contain information not displayed to the regular user. Meta tags can specify items about the page itself, hence the name ("meta" means "about this subject"), including the author and any copyright information, a brief description for the search engines, or the language setting for the page.

RSS

"Rich Site Summary" (RSS) is a way to automatically share content from one web site among different web sites or newsreader software. How does it work? A web site creates an RSS document or file and registers the document with an RSS publisher (e.g. Yahoo). The content from the original web site are then shown on any sitew which subscribes to theat RSS feed.

SEO

"Search Engine Optimization" (SEO) is the practice of designing web pages so that they rank as high as possible in search results from search engines. There is "good" SEO and "bad" SEO. Good SEO involves making the web page clearly describe its subject, making sure it contains truly useful information, including accurate information in Meta tags, and arranging for other web sites to make links to the page. Bad SEO involves attempting to deceive people into believing the page is more relevant than it truly is by doing things like adding inaccurate Meta tags to the page.

Web Standards

"Web Standards" are formulated by the W3 organisation and enable people to create web sites that will work in almost any browser or internet-enabled device, instead of being specific to certain versions of browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) or platform (e.g. Windows or Macintosh).