Jargon busting the world of web development and web design.

Here at Dmac Media, we have always been proud of our reputation as the straight talking web developers. But even we use industry language and web dev specific terms in the course of our daily tasks. Similar to  most industries, we freely use a language of short cuts and business terms specifically used to make working lives easier. Unfortunately, this is often baffling for those without a tech background. At Dmac Media, our website designers and web developers have built hundreds of websites, from simple designs to large eCommerce sites that sell a myriad of products daily. Within this work, we always try to keep the technical jargon to a minimum. Digital Marketing is one of the sectors that has a great many acronyms, industry specific speak, to describe the inner working of SEO (Search Engine Optimization… and yes, that’s jargon). Our Tech team troubleshoots website issues and technical problems while  making a point of keeping the advice and instructions as clear as possible. At Dmac Media we are happy to explain everything using plain and simple English (or Irish if you like!) for all your digital marketing advice and assistance. The jargon around all tech industries can be challenging to decipher.  From ‘frontend’, ‘backend’ to a ‘503’ or a ‘404 Error!’.  From ‘algorithms’ to ‘Clearing your cache’, the industry  is filled with technical buzzwords and acronyms. Here are some general industry terms, helpfully debunked with a simple explanation.

SEO (Search Engine Optimised)

This is the process of improving website traffic through a series of techniques and actions that will help the website rank higher and be seen by more people.

Algorithm 

We hear a lot about algorithms these days, almost as if they were an empowered being to take over the world by manipulating voting and placing celebrities at the top of searches.  It’s a lot more boring than that.  Simply put, an algorithm is a set of instructions which are then completed automatically by a computer. An algorithm can be asked to search, sort data, scan for bugs and display texts and images (content) on a website. It wont take over the world, unless you give it some really good instructions. 

Cookies

Not as tasty as you might think! Cookies (http cookies) are small pieces of information or data that websites send to a person’s browser (see below) so that it remembers the information. Cookies keep that data for personalising searches and for analysing the behaviour of website users. Cookies are placed on the device used to access a website, and more than one cookie may be placed on a user’s device during a session. They activate as you browse unless you refuse the cookies and who refuses cookies ? 

Clear your Cache

Clearing your cache is removing  all the temporary files and the cookies that your browser has downloaded and then deleting them –  It frees up memory and lets you see the latest version of  websites that you view often. It is easy to do and usually only takes a few steps on any device. Here is how to do this for Google Chrome.

SSL Cert

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Yes, another exciting technological acronym! The SSL cert is represented by the padlock icon in the address bar of a website. The SSL is what  keeps that padlock locked and all your data under lock and key. An SSL Cert is a security protocol or tool that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser.  Simple!

Plug In 

A plug-in or plugin, add-in or add-on, is a software component that adds a specific feature or set of instructions to an existing computer program. There are lots of ‘plug ins’ that can be purchased to add to the functionality of your website. Hotjar, for example, is a plug in that will feed you information on the behaviour of users on your site. Which pages they visit, how long they spend looking at certain products. 

The backend 

The backend of a website is what you might imagine. It’s the backroom workings, where all the data is stored and sorted. Code runs here that ensures everything on the front end actually works. The backend communicates with the frontend, sending and receiving information to be displayed as a web page. It’s what is behind the curtains that the Wizard of Oz hides behind.

The frontend 

Yep, you guessed it. This is the part of the website that you and all users see.

Widgets

In computer terms a widget is ‘an application, or a component of an interface, that enables a user to perform a function or access a service’   Examples of software widgets include buttons, dialogue boxes, pop-ups, drop down menus, switches, windows, forms and so much more. Widgets allow users to interact with other apps or websites, So, you can guess just how important the humbly named widget is in the world of computing.  There are widgets on your smartphones or android phones that present specific information from applications on the phone. This might include extracting information on the time, the date, weather, or the football scores of your favourite team. See more here.

Bandwidth

This is not your internet speed, nor does it refer to the fat shaming of Mariachi bands. Bandwidth refers to how much information can be transmitted through a data connection in a given amount of time. It can be measured in bits-per-second (bps), megabits-per-second (mps), or gigabits-per-second (gps). This means if you don’t have enough bandwidth  your site may not work or load. Bandwidth has also transferred into ‘urban slang’ and is used for someone who cannot process a large amount of data at a time. ‘They don’t have the bandwidth to complete that task.’ You can purchase more bandwidth for your hosting from your IT provider if you need it, but not for the other kind.

Bug

This is a cute way of describing a mistake in code or an error that prevents apps etc. from working. Bugs in the system can really bug you. Contact tech support!

URL or Uniform Resource Locator 

Your URL is your web address. The domain name is usually the start of any URL.

Domain Name 

In plain English, a domain name is your website address text. This is the text that is used by a browser window to reach your website. This site domain name here is dmacmedia.ie.

Metadata

Metadata means “data about data”. Metadata is defined as the information or data that describes other data. Yep! That is simple. It is an extra layer of code that puts other data in context, for example it might provide information such as when and how its previous information was gathered, and this makes the data easier to understand and to use.

This is just a small example of the confusing technical buzzwords of a tech industry that we are happy to jargon bust for you.  Dmac Media will always talk straight and even as we complete complicated technology to keep all our clients websites singing and buzzing on the world wide web, we won’t make the conversation around it any more complicated than it needs to be.