The content that a user sees upon opening a document without having to scroll. All content below this is considered below the fold. Good web designs contain the most important info above the fold.

This is the text placed inside image tags in HTML to describe images. This text replaces the image in text-only browsers. In some browsers (Internet Explorer) this text is displayed when the mouse rolls over an image. Alt text is also useful for Search Engine ranking, although the impact is minimal.

Small program, usually written in Java, to provide a site with additional capabilities not offered in straight HTML. The Java applet is plugged right into the web page similar to the way images are placed. These applets can offer interaction for the user, perform calculations, animations, etc. Info inside the applet does not improve search engine rankings.

Abbreviation for Business-to-Business. B2B sites interact with other businesses. An advantage of B2B sites is the ability to streamline interaction between two businesses that already have an established relationship. Components of a site may be B2B while other areas are for all users.

Abbreviation for Business-to Consumer. This describes a typical e-commerce site selling products to all consumers.

SPAM technique that involves the use of highly searched keywords to rank high in search engines. Once the page is ranked highly, it is swapped with material unrelated to the keywords. The purpose is to trick users into visiting a site they normally wouldn't.

All info on a web page requiring the user to scroll down to view it is considered below the fold

Navigational technique displaying all visited pages leading from the home page to the currently viewed page. All pages are linked for easy backwards navigation. Typically placed near the top of a web page.

Example:   Home >> Services >> Auto-Repair >> Trucks >> Transmission Repair

Software used to navigate the World Wide Web from one URL to another. Popular browsers include Netscape, Internet Explorer, Mosaic. Most browsers are free to download, Opera is an exception. Most browsers also display graphical data, where Lynx can display only text.

A feature of HTML which allows designers to seperate a site's style from its structure. The main advantage is in style updates on large sites. Editing one page (the style sheet) changes the style on any number of pages.

Abbreviation for Common Gateway Interface. Most commonly used to process form information submitted by a user. A CGI script handles the form input and calls the necessary programs. Common languages for CGI programming are Perl, C, Java and Visual Basic.

A factor in most Search engine rankings. The number of times users click on a link from search engines to get to your site and the amount of time they spend on your site after following the search engine link.

Statistic used for online marketing. Ratio of the number of visitors who take a desired action (fill out form, make purchase, etc.) to the number of visitors who view the page.

Pieces of information used to identify web visitors and used to customize web pages for them. Common uses of cookies are user/password combos, shopping carts, preferences, settings, etc. This information is stored in tiny files and placed on your hard drive. Servers access these files when you return to a web site.

Web site that lists other web sites according to category. Different from search engines in that they are run by human editors. Popular directories include DMOZ (free) and Yahoo.

The exclusive name that identifies a web site. It corresponds to a numeric IP address.

ex.    www.yourdomainname.com

This markup language is referred to as the next level of HTML. It dynamically changes the display of a web page based on variable factors such as the user's browser version, screen size or color depth. It allows many other capabilities and generally gives developers greater control over their sites.

Also known as a landing page. The page that a visitor sees first after clicking a link. Very useful for online marketing and pay-for-click advertising. Since this is the first page a visitor sees, it must be designed to immediately show the visitor what they are looking for and provide them options to continue on the site.