Revealing the mysteries of the World Wide Web
I’m not sure about you but today’s WWW often has me feeling like I’m back in school. You know, that subtly awkward WT-actual-F feeling when you come across new technical jargon. All these acronyms and web terminologies can honestly be overwhelming and just super bloody confusing.
Before you toss your hands up and walk away, I thought I might jump in with some Zoë wisdom to help ease the pain and break down some of the most common terms used in website development.
1. SSL certificate
SECURE SOCKETS LAYER
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection.
In short: SSL keeps internet connections secure and prevents criminals from reading or modifying information transferred between two systems. When you see a padlock icon next to the URL in the address bar, that means SSL protects the website you are visiting.
Reference: www.kaspersky.com
2. DNS
DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM
The Domain Name System (DNS) is the phonebook of the Internet. Consider it like your home address.
Humans access information online through domain names, like nytimes.com or espn.com whereas web browsers interact through Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. DNS translates domain names to IP addresses so browsers can load Internet resources.
Reference: cloudflare.com
3. Hosting
If we say that your DNS is your home address, you could say that your hosting your rent, which allows you to occupy a particular space (on a server) on the World Wide Web. It allows your content and imagery to be viewable online and connects you to other website users so they can visit you at your home address.
Reference: www.namecheap.com
4. SEO
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION
SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimization’, which is the process of getting traffic from free, organic, editorial, or natural search results in search engines. It aims to improve your website’s position in search results pages in turn giving your website more visibility.
Reference: cloudflare.com
5. Metadata
Metadata's main function is discovery and identification. Metadata summarises basic information about data, which makes it easier to find, use and reuse particular instances of data.
The use of metadata on web pages can be very important. The metadata contains descriptions of the page’s contents, as well as keywords linked to the content. This metadata is captured by search engines, meaning its accuracy and details could influence whether or not a user decides to visit a site.
Reference: techtarget.com
6. Google Tag Manager
Explaining what a Google Tag Manager (GTM) IS will be far too in-depth for this tiny little instagram square. Instead I am going to explain what it does.
In a nutshell, when installed correctly on your site your GTM allows you to monitor and measure activity across your website and apps. It tracks every user to your site and gives you information about where they are from, how they use your site and many other helpful metrics you can view in your Google Analytics account.
Reference: marketingplatform.google.com
7. Facebook Pixel
A Facebook pixel is a piece of code that you place on your website. It collects data that helps you track conversions from Facebook ads, optimize ads, build targeted audiences for future ads and remarket to people who have already taken some kind of action on your website.
Reference: blog.hootsuite.com
Familiarising yourself with these will help you to navigate the expansive World Wide Web and for those of you who DIY, these really are essential to know for your website journey.
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