The words that cost people money.
Twenty-four terms that decide how websites get bought and sold — in the plain language they should have arrived in.
- 404
- The page a visitor lands on when the address they typed does not exist. Done well, it apologises and shows the way home.
- WHY IT MATTERSA 404 is where trust leaks. We test it like any other page.
- Above the fold
- Everything a visitor sees before scrolling — the first screen, usually on a phone.
- WHY IT MATTERSThat screen does most of the deciding. It is built first, not last.
- Analytics
- The measurement of what visitors actually do — pages opened, buttons pressed, where people leave.
- WHY IT MATTERSWe keep it small: a few honest numbers, not a dossier.
- API
- A way for two pieces of software to ask each other for things — the reason a form can reach your phone without an inbox in between.
- WHY IT MATTERSFewer people between your customer's message and you.
- Cache
- A stored copy of a page kept close to the visitor, so it can open without asking the origin every time.
- WHY IT MATTERSCaching is most of why a good site feels instant and a bad one feels stuck.
- Call to action
- The one thing you want a visitor to do next — usually a button. A page with three of them has none.
- WHY IT MATTERSOne page, one job, one ask.
- CDN
- A network of server locations around the world that serves a site from the closest one, instead of one computer in one city.
- WHY IT MATTERSThe difference between a page that opens in Kelowna and a page that opens in Sydney.
- CMS
- Content management system — software for editing the words and images on a site without touching code.
- WHY IT MATTERSAsk two questions: who runs the CMS, and whether the site can leave it.
- Conversion
- The moment a visitor does the thing you wanted — files the form, books the call, buys the bottle.
- WHY IT MATTERSNot a percentage to chase; a person arriving at a decision. See the essay on it →
- DNS
- The system that points your domain name at the server that answers it — the address book of the internet.
- WHY IT MATTERSAlmost every 'the site is down' is really a DNS or account detail. It gets checked first.
- Domain
- The name (yourbusiness.ca) that people type. Registered yearly through a registrar, in your name or someone else's.
- WHY IT MATTERSA domain registered in someone else's name is leverage over your business. Ours go in yours from day one.
- Hero
- The big first section of a page — headline, image, one action. Named after the theatre, not the person.
- WHY IT MATTERSThe hero carries the promise. If it needs a paragraph of explanation, it is not done.
- Hosting
- The computers your site actually lives on — running around the clock, so your visitors have something to reach.
- WHY IT MATTERSHosting is a business expense with a location, a provider and a bill. Know all three.
- LCP
- Largest Contentful Paint — how long until the biggest thing on the screen has finished loading.
- WHY IT MATTERSIt is the clearest signal of whether a site feels fast, on the median phone. See why speed wins →
- Landing page
- A single page built for one audience and one action — usually where an ad or a business card sends people.
- WHY IT MATTERSA landing page that also explains the whole company lands nobody.
- Redirect
- A rule that sends an old address to a new one. Used when sites move so nothing anyone shared breaks.
- WHY IT MATTERSEvery refresh we ship keeps every existing address alive.
- Responsive design
- One site that works on every screen — phone first, then wide. Not a separate 'mobile version'.
- WHY IT MATTERSMost of your visitors are on a phone in daylight. That is the real first screen.
- SEO
- Search engine optimization — making pages that answer what people actually search, structured so search engines can read them.
- WHY IT MATTERSIt is a craft, not a switch. Nobody honest promises you a ranking. We promise the page does its part.
- Sitemap
- A file that lists a site's pages for search engines — an invitation to read everything that is public.
- WHY IT MATTERSNot everything belongs in it: private and token links stay out on purpose.
- SSL certificate
- The padlock. It proves the site is who it says it is and encrypts the traffic. Renewed automatically or not — always ask.
- WHY IT MATTERSA lapsed certificate turns a working site into a warning screen overnight.
- Staging site
- A private copy of the site for making changes before the public sees them.
- WHY IT MATTERSNever experiment on the live phone number. See the system →
- Uptime
- How often a site is reachable. The number belongs to the hosting provider that measured it — nobody else can honestly report it.
- WHY IT MATTERSIf a quote promises a specific uptime figure, ask who measured it and where the report lives.
- White label
- Work delivered under someone else's name — the studio builds, the agency presents it.
- WHY IT MATTERSIt is a working arrangement, not a secret. Ours is stated plainly on the page. See the agencies door →
- Wireframe
- The plan of a page — boxes and labels showing what goes where before anything is styled.
- WHY IT MATTERSIt is where the argument of a page is won or lost. Cheap to change; the build has not started.
THE QUIET PART
There are no trick terms here. If any word on this page is ever used to keep you away from your site, call that out — including on us.