Website building glossary: 150 terms, A to Z

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301 redirectSEO & performance

A permanent redirect that sends visitors and search engines from an old URL to a new one. It is the main tool for keeping your search rankings when you move pages or switch platforms, so set them up for every old URL that changes. Full explanation

404 errorSEO & performance

The "page not found" message a server returns when a URL does not exist. A few are normal, but many broken links frustrate visitors. After a site move, 404s on old URLs usually mean a redirect is missing. Full explanation

A

A recordDomains & hosting

A DNS record that points a domain name to the IP address of the server that hosts your site. When you connect a domain to a builder or host, you often edit the A record for the root domain. Full explanation

Abandoned cartEcommerce & payments

A shopping cart a shopper filled but left before paying. Many ecommerce platforms can send automatic reminder emails to recover these sales, sometimes only on higher plans or through an app. Read more

ADASecurity & legal

The Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal civil rights law. The Justice Department's guidance says businesses open to the public should make their websites accessible and points to WCAG as helpful guidance. This is general information, not legal advice. Read more

Add-onBusiness & pricing

A paid extra on top of your plan, such as extra editor seats, a translation language, more AI credits or a premium app. Add-ons are a common reason the real yearly bill is higher than the headline plan price. Read more

AI agentAI & code

An AI tool that can carry out a multi-step task on its own, such as planning a page, writing the code, fixing errors and publishing, instead of answering one prompt at a time. Agent work usually uses more credits or tokens. Read more

AI creditsAI & code

The usage allowance many AI builders sell. Each prompt, edit or AI feature uses some credits, and plans include a set number per month. When they run out, you wait for the reset, upgrade or buy more. Rules for rollover differ by platform. Read more

AI website builderAI & code

A tool that creates a website or web app from a written description. Some, like Wix or Squarespace, generate a site inside their normal editor. Others, like Lovable, Bolt and v0, generate real code you can keep editing. Read more

Alt textSEO & performance

A short written description of an image, added in the image settings. Screen readers read it aloud to blind visitors, and search engines use it to understand the image. Describe what the image shows; skip it only for purely decorative images. Full explanation

Annual billingBusiness & pricing

Paying for a full year up front, usually at a lower monthly-equivalent price than month-to-month. The catch is that refunds after the trial or guarantee window may be limited, so check the cancellation terms first. Read more

APIAI & code

Short for application programming interface. It is a set of rules that lets two pieces of software talk to each other, such as your website sending a new form entry to your CRM or pulling prices from your store.

App marketplacePlatforms & builders

A builder's store of add-on apps, such as the Wix App Market or the Shopify App Store. Apps add features like reviews, bookings or email pop-ups. Many charge their own monthly fee on top of your plan. Full explanation

B

BackendAI & code

The behind-the-scenes part of a website or app: the server, database and logic that store data, process payments and handle logins. Visitors never see it directly. Simple brochure sites need little or no custom backend.

BacklinkSEO & performance

A link from another website to yours. Links from relevant, trusted sites are one of the signals search engines use to judge a page's authority. Buying links or trading them in bulk breaks Google's spam policies. Full explanation

BandwidthDomains & hosting

The amount of data your site can send to visitors in a month. Every page view uses some. Some builders do not cap bandwidth on paid plans, while others, including several AI hosts, set a monthly limit and ask you to upgrade if you go over. Full explanation

BlockPlatforms & builders

A single piece of content in an editor, such as a paragraph, image, button or form. Squarespace and the WordPress block editor both build pages by stacking blocks. Blocks sit inside larger sections. Full explanation

BlogDesign & content

A section of your site with dated posts, usually listed newest first, with categories and tags. Every major builder includes one, but blog export tools vary a lot, which matters if you ever move platforms. Read more

BreakpointDesign & content

A screen width at which a page's layout changes, such as the switch from desktop to tablet or phone. Webflow and Framer let you style each breakpoint separately, while simpler builders adjust the mobile layout mostly for you. Full explanation

C

CachingSEO & performance

Saving a ready-made copy of a page or file so it can be served faster next time instead of being rebuilt. Hosted builders handle caching for you. On self-hosted WordPress you usually manage it with your host or a plugin. Full explanation

Call to actionDesign & content

The main thing you want a visitor to do next, such as "Call now", "Get a quote" or "Book online", usually shown as a button. Each page should have one clear call to action that stands out.

CAN-SPAMSecurity & legal

The US federal law for commercial email. It requires honest headers and subject lines, a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out that you honor promptly. It applies to business-to-business email too. This is general information, not legal advice. Read more

Canonical URLSEO & performance

The main version of a page that you want search engines to index when similar or duplicate versions exist, such as filtered product pages. It is set with a canonical tag. Most builders add one automatically. Full explanation

CCPASecurity & legal

The California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA. It gives California residents rights over their personal data and applies to businesses that meet set revenue or data thresholds. This is general information, not legal advice. Read more

CDNSEO & performance

A content delivery network: servers around the world that store copies of your site's files and serve them from the location closest to each visitor. A CDN makes pages load faster and absorbs traffic spikes. Full explanation

ChargebackEcommerce & payments

When a customer disputes a card payment with their bank and the money is pulled back from you. You can usually respond with evidence, but you typically pay a dispute fee either way. Clear policies and receipts help prevent them. Full explanation

CheckoutEcommerce & payments

The steps where a shopper enters shipping and payment details and places the order. Some platforms let you customize checkout fully, while others limit changes to protect security and speed. Read more

Child themePlatforms & builders

A WordPress theme that inherits the design and features of a parent theme but keeps your own changes in a separate place. That way, updating the parent theme does not wipe out your custom code. Full explanation

CLSSEO & performance

Cumulative Layout Shift, a Core Web Vital that measures how much content jumps around while a page loads, such as a button moving as an ad appears. Google's "good" threshold is 0.1 or less. Full explanation

CMSPlatforms & builders

A content management system: software that lets you add and edit pages, posts and images without touching code. WordPress is the best-known CMS, and builders like Webflow and Framer include their own. Full explanation

CMS itemPlatforms & builders

One entry in a CMS collection, such as a single blog post, team member or product listing. Builders like Webflow and Framer cap the number of CMS items per plan, so check the limit if you plan a large blog or directory. Full explanation

CNAME recordDomains & hosting

A DNS record that points one domain name to another domain name instead of an IP address. Builders often ask you to add a CNAME so that the www version of your domain points to their servers. Full explanation

Code exportAI & code

Downloading your site's source code so you can host or edit it somewhere else. AI app builders like Lovable, Bolt and v0 give you real code, usually through GitHub. Most drag-and-drop builders do not offer a full code export. Read more

CollectionPlatforms & builders

A group of CMS items that share the same fields, such as Blog Posts or Locations. You design one template page, and the builder fills it in for every item in the collection. Full explanation

Contact formDesign & content

A form where visitors send you their name, email and a message. Builders include basic form tools; WordPress sites often use a form plugin. Make sure entries reach an inbox you check, and add spam protection.

Cookie bannerSecurity & legal

A notice that tells visitors your site uses cookies and, where required, asks for consent before setting tracking cookies. Whether you need one depends on where your visitors live and what tools you use. This is general information, not legal advice. Read more

Core Web VitalsSEO & performance

Google's three measures of real-world page experience: loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS). Google measures them at the 75th percentile of page loads, separately for mobile and desktop. Full explanation

CSSAI & code

Cascading Style Sheets, the code that controls how a web page looks: colors, fonts, spacing and layout. Many builders let you add custom CSS, sometimes only on paid plans, to adjust details the editor does not offer.

CSV exportPlatforms & builders

Downloading data as a spreadsheet file (comma-separated values). Shopify, Webflow and others export products, orders, customers or CMS items this way. A CSV moves your data, but not your design or page layout. Read more

Custom codeAI & code

Your own HTML, CSS or JavaScript added to a builder site, such as a tracking script or a custom widget. Many builders allow it only on paid plans and limit where it can go, and their support may not help fix it.

Custom domainDomains & hosting

Your own domain name, such as yourbusiness.com, instead of a free address on the builder's subdomain. Most builders require a paid plan to connect one, and some include a free domain for the first year on annual plans. Full explanation

D

DatabaseAI & code

An organized store of data, such as users, orders or form entries, that a website or app reads and writes. WordPress uses a MySQL database. AI app builders often connect to a hosted database like Supabase.

DeployAI & code

To push the latest version of your code or site live so visitors can see it. AI builders and hosts like Netlify or Vercel can deploy automatically each time code changes in a connected repository.

DNSDomains & hosting

The Domain Name System, the internet's address book. It translates a domain name into the server address that holds your site and email. You change DNS records to connect a domain to a builder, host or email provider. Full explanation

DNS propagationDomains & hosting

The delay between changing a DNS record and every network seeing the change. During that window, some visitors may reach the old server and others the new one. Lowering the TTL before a move shortens the wait. Full explanation

Domain nameDomains & hosting

Your website's address, such as yourbusiness.com. You rent it yearly from a registrar. Keep it registered in your own name and account, so you can move your website without losing the address customers know. Full explanation

Domain registrarDomains & hosting

A company accredited to sell and manage domain names, such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, Porkbun or Cloudflare Registrar. Compare renewal prices, not just the first-year price, and check that WHOIS privacy is included. Full explanation

Domain transferDomains & hosting

Moving a domain registration from one registrar to another. You turn off the registrar lock, get an authorization code from the old registrar and start the transfer at the new one. A transfer normally adds a year to the registration. Full explanation

Drag-and-drop editorPlatforms & builders

A visual editor where you move elements around the page with your mouse instead of writing code. Wix is the best-known free-form example; Squarespace uses a more structured grid that keeps layouts tidy. Full explanation

E

Email hostingDomains & hosting

A service that runs inboxes at your own domain, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Website builders rarely include it free, so count it as a separate yearly cost per user. Full explanation

EmbedAI & code

Placing content from another service on your page, such as a YouTube video, a booking calendar or a map, usually by pasting a short snippet of code. Most builders have an embed or code block for this.

Exit scoreBusiness & pricing

Web Building's own 0-10 rating of how easy it is to leave a platform with your content, design, code, data and domain. A higher score means less lock-in. Read more

F

Free planBusiness & pricing

A no-cost tier of a builder. Free plans usually show the platform's branding, use a subdomain instead of your own domain and limit features. They are good for testing, but most businesses outgrow them quickly. Read more

Free trialBusiness & pricing

A set period to use paid features at no cost before you are charged. Check whether a card is required and whether the plan renews automatically when the trial ends. Read more

FrontendAI & code

The part of a website visitors see and click: the layout, text, images and buttons, built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Tools like v0 focus on generating frontend code.

G

GDPRSecurity & legal

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. It can apply to a US business that offers goods or services to people in the EU or tracks their behavior. It covers consent, data rights and breach notices. This is general information, not legal advice. Read more

GitHubAI & code

A popular service for storing code repositories online, owned by Microsoft. Lovable, Bolt and v0 can sync your project to GitHub, which gives you a copy of the code you control outside the builder. Read more

Google AnalyticsSEO & performance

Google's free tool for measuring visits, traffic sources and actions on your site. The current version is Google Analytics 4. Some builders also include their own simpler built-in analytics.

Google Business ProfileSEO & performance

Your free business listing on Google Search and Maps, with hours, reviews, photos and a link to your site. For local service businesses, it often brings in as many calls as the website itself. Full explanation

Google Search ConsoleSEO & performance

A free Google tool that shows which searches bring people to your site, which pages are indexed and any errors Google finds. Submit your sitemap here after launching or moving a site. Full explanation

GutenbergPlatforms & builders

The project name for the WordPress block editor, the default way to edit pages and posts in WordPress. Each paragraph, image or button is a block. Many WordPress sites use it instead of a separate page builder plugin. Full explanation

H

Headless CMSPlatforms & builders

A CMS that only stores and serves content, with no built-in front end. Developers pull the content into a separate site or app through an API. It is flexible but needs developer time to set up and maintain. Full explanation

hreflangSEO & performance

A tag that tells search engines which language or country each version of a page is meant for, such as English for the US and Spanish for Mexico. It helps the right version show up in each market.

HTMLAI & code

HyperText Markup Language, the code that gives a web page its structure: headings, paragraphs, links and images. Every website, whatever builder made it, is delivered to the browser as HTML. Read more

HTTPSSecurity & legal

The secure version of the web address protocol, shown by the padlock in the browser. It encrypts data between visitors and your site using an SSL/TLS certificate. Chrome labels plain HTTP sites "Not secure". Full explanation

I

ICANNDomains & hosting

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the nonprofit that coordinates the domain name system and accredits registrars. It charges a small annual fee on each domain registration, which registrars pass on. Full explanation

iframeAI & code

An HTML element that shows one web page inside another, like a window. Many embeds, such as maps, videos and booking widgets, use an iframe. Content inside an iframe usually counts as the other site's content for SEO.

INPSEO & performance

Interaction to Next Paint, the Core Web Vital for responsiveness. It measures how quickly the page reacts visually after clicks, taps and key presses. Google's "good" threshold is 200 milliseconds or less. INP replaced First Input Delay in March 2024. Full explanation

IntegrationPlatforms & builders

A built-in connection between your website and another tool, such as Mailchimp, QuickBooks or a CRM, so data moves between them automatically. Check that the tools you rely on integrate before you choose a platform.

Intro price vs renewal priceBusiness & pricing

Many hosts and registrars charge a low first-term price and a higher price when you renew. The intro price often requires paying for one to several years up front. Always compare renewal prices when you budget. Read more

J

JavaScriptAI & code

The programming language that makes web pages interactive, powering menus, sliders, forms and app features. Too much JavaScript can slow a page down and hurt Core Web Vitals.

L

Lazy loadingSEO & performance

Waiting to load images and videos until a visitor scrolls near them. It speeds up the first view of the page. The main image at the top should not be lazy-loaded, because that can delay LCP. Full explanation

LCPSEO & performance

Largest Contentful Paint, the Core Web Vital for loading speed. It measures how long the largest image or text block in view takes to appear. Google's "good" threshold is 2.5 seconds or less. Full explanation

LiquidAI & code

The template language Shopify created for its themes. It pulls store data, such as product names and prices, into pages. Because Liquid themes run only on Shopify, your theme does not come with you if you leave. Read more

LLMAI & code

A large language model, the kind of AI behind ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. It predicts text based on patterns learned from huge amounts of writing. AI website builders use LLMs to write copy and code from your prompts. Read more

Local SEOSEO & performance

Work that helps a business show up for nearby searches and in the Google map results. It includes a complete Google Business Profile, consistent name, address and phone details, reviews and city or service-area pages. Full explanation

LocalizationDesign & content

Adapting a site for another language or region, including translation, currency, dates and local wording. Builders like Webflow, Framer and Wix offer localization, often as a paid add-on per language.

Low-codePlatforms & builders

Tools that let you build mostly visually but add code where needed. Webflow is often described as low-code, because its editor closely follows how HTML and CSS work. Full explanation

M

Managed WordPress hostingDomains & hosting

Hosting tuned for WordPress where the host handles updates, backups, caching and security for you. It costs more than basic shared hosting but saves time. Read more

Meta descriptionSEO & performance

A short summary of a page placed in its HTML, often shown under the title in search results. It does not directly change rankings, but a clear, specific description can earn more clicks. Full explanation

Mobile-first indexingSEO & performance

Google primarily crawls and indexes the mobile version of websites. If content is missing or broken on your phone layout, Google may not see it, even if the desktop version looks fine. Full explanation

Monthly billingBusiness & pricing

Paying for a plan one month at a time. It costs more per month than annual billing, but you can cancel without losing a prepaid year. Some seats or add-ons are billed monthly even on annual plans. Read more

MX recordDomains & hosting

The DNS record that tells the internet which server receives email for your domain. When you set up Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you change your MX records to point to their mail servers. Full explanation

N

NameserversDomains & hosting

The servers that hold the DNS records for your domain. Changing nameservers hands control of all DNS records to a new provider, such as your builder or Cloudflare. Copy existing email records over first. Full explanation

Next.jsAI & code

A popular open-source framework built on React for making websites and web apps, created by Vercel. v0 generates Next.js projects, and many other AI tools and developers use it as well. Read more

No-codePlatforms & builders

Building websites or apps with visual tools instead of writing code. Squarespace, Wix, Framer and Webflow are no-code or close to it. You trade some flexibility for speed and ease. Full explanation

NoindexSEO & performance

A tag that tells search engines not to include a page in their results. It is useful for thank-you pages, staging sites and thin pages. Forgetting to remove it after launch is a common reason a new site does not show up in Google. Full explanation

O

Open sourcePlatforms & builders

Software whose code is public and free to use, change and share. WordPress is open source, so you can run it on any compatible host and switch hosts without losing your site. Read more

P

Page builderPlatforms & builders

A visual tool for designing pages by dragging and arranging elements. The term often means WordPress plugins like Elementor or Divi, but every hosted builder has its own page editor. Full explanation

PageSpeed InsightsSEO & performance

Google's free tool that tests a page's speed and shows its Core Web Vitals, using real visitor data when there is enough and a lab test otherwise. It also lists specific fixes. Full explanation

Payment gatewayEcommerce & payments

The service that securely passes a customer's card details from your checkout to the payment network and returns approval or decline. Stripe, PayPal and built-in options like Shopify Payments act as gateways. Full explanation

Payment processorEcommerce & payments

The company that moves money between the customer's bank and yours for each card payment, and charges a processing fee per transaction. Many modern providers combine the gateway and processor in one account. Full explanation

PCI DSSSecurity & legal

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, the security rules for anyone who handles card data. Hosted checkouts from Shopify, Squarespace, Wix or Stripe handle most of the heavy lifting for you. Full explanation

PluginPlatforms & builders

An add-on that adds features to WordPress, such as forms, SEO tools or a store. There are free and paid plugins. Each one is code you must keep updated, so install only what you need. Full explanation

POSEcommerce & payments

Point of sale: the system you use to take in-person payments, such as a card reader or tablet at a counter or market. Shopify, Square and Wix offer POS that syncs inventory with your online store. Read more

Privacy policySecurity & legal

A page explaining what personal data your site collects, why, who it is shared with and how people can exercise their rights. Many state laws and tools like Google Analytics and ad platforms expect one. This is general information, not legal advice. Read more

Product variantEcommerce & payments

A version of a product that differs by an option, such as size or color, often with its own price, SKU and stock count. Platforms limit how many options and variants one product can have.

PromptAI & code

The instruction you type into an AI tool, such as "Build a one-page site for a Denver roofing company with a quote form". Specific prompts with your real business details produce better results and waste fewer credits. Read more

R

ReactAI & code

A widely used open-source JavaScript library, created at Meta, for building user interfaces from reusable components. Many AI app builders generate React code by default.

Registrar lockDomains & hosting

A setting at your registrar that blocks the domain from being transferred away without your approval. Keep it on, and turn it off only when you are moving the domain to a new registrar. Full explanation

RepositoryAI & code

Often shortened to repo: a project folder tracked by Git that holds all of an app's code and its change history. Connecting an AI builder to a GitHub repository gives you a copy of your code that you control.

Responsive designDesign & content

Design that adapts automatically to any screen size, from phones to wide monitors. Modern templates are responsive by default, but you should still check each page on a real phone before launch. Full explanation

RetainerBusiness & pricing

A recurring monthly fee you pay an agency or freelancer for ongoing work, such as updates, SEO or support, instead of paying project by project. Read what hours or tasks the retainer covers. Read more

Robots.txtSEO & performance

A small text file at the root of your site that tells search engine bots which areas they may crawl. It does not hide pages from search results on its own; use noindex for that. Full explanation

S

Sales taxEcommerce & payments

Tax collected on sales and sent to state and local governments. Rules depend on where you and your customers are. Ecommerce platforms can calculate it at checkout, but filing is still your job. This is general information, not tax advice.

Schema markupSEO & performance

Structured data code, usually JSON-LD, that describes a page in a format search engines understand, such as a business's address, hours, reviews or FAQs. It can make a page eligible for richer search results. Full explanation

SeatBusiness & pricing

A paid user license on a plan, such as an editor or collaborator account. Some builders include one seat and charge per extra person, which matters if staff or contractors need to edit the site. Read more

SectionPlatforms & builders

A full-width horizontal band of a page, such as a hero, services list or testimonials strip, that holds smaller blocks or elements. Most builders let you add pre-designed sections and rearrange them. Full explanation

SEOSEO & performance

Search engine optimization: the work of helping your pages show up in unpaid Google and Bing results. It covers useful content, clear page titles, fast loading, a crawlable site structure and links from other trusted sites. Full explanation

Shared hostingDomains & hosting

The cheapest kind of web hosting, where many websites share one server's resources. It works well for small sites, but a busy neighbor can slow yours. Watch for a much higher renewal price after the intro term. Full explanation

Shopping cartEcommerce & payments

The part of an online store that holds the items a shopper selected before checkout. On most platforms, the cart and checkout come built in with your ecommerce plan. Read more

SitemapSEO & performance

An XML file that lists the pages on your site so search engines can find them. Most builders and WordPress SEO plugins create and update it automatically. Submit it in Google Search Console. Full explanation

SKUEcommerce & payments

Stock keeping unit, a unique code you assign to each product or variant to track inventory, such as TSHIRT-BLUE-M. SKUs make orders, stock counts and CSV exports much easier to manage.

SlugDesign & content

The readable part of a URL that identifies a page, such as /roof-repair/ in yourbusiness.com/roof-repair/. Keep slugs short and descriptive, and add a 301 redirect if you ever change one. Full explanation

SPF, DKIM and DMARCDomains & hosting

Three DNS records that prove email from your domain is legitimate. They help your messages land in the inbox instead of spam and make it harder for scammers to send mail pretending to be you. Full explanation

SSL certificateSecurity & legal

A digital certificate that lets your site use HTTPS, encrypting data between visitors and your server. Today it technically uses TLS. Most builders and hosts include one free, often from Let's Encrypt. Full explanation

Staging sitePlatforms & builders

A private copy of your website where you can test changes, updates or a redesign before pushing them to the live site. Some builders include staging only on higher plans. Full explanation

Static sitePlatforms & builders

A website made of ready-built HTML files served as-is, without a database building each page on request. Static sites load fast, are cheap to host and have fewer security holes, but dynamic features need extra services. Full explanation

StorageDomains & hosting

The disk space your plan gives you for files, images, videos and databases. Builders often list storage limits per plan, and video files use it up fastest. Full explanation

SubdomainDomains & hosting

A prefix added in front of your domain to create a separate address, such as shop.yourbusiness.com or blog.yourbusiness.com. Free builder plans put your site on a subdomain of the builder's own domain. Full explanation

SubscriptionsEcommerce & payments

Products or memberships that charge customers automatically on a schedule, such as monthly boxes or paid content. Some platforms include subscriptions natively, while others need an app with its own fee.

SupabaseAI & code

An open-source backend service that provides a Postgres database, user logins, file storage and server functions. Lovable and Bolt can connect apps to Supabase so they can store data and handle sign-ins. Read more

T

Tailwind CSSAI & code

A popular CSS framework that styles elements with small utility classes written directly in the HTML, such as text-lg or bg-blue-600. Many AI app builders generate Tailwind code.

TemplateDesign & content

A pre-designed starting layout for a site or page that you fill with your own content. On most hosted builders, the template becomes your site's design and you then customize it. Full explanation

Template vs themeDesign & content

Both are pre-made designs. Builders usually say template for a starting layout you customize, while WordPress and Shopify use theme for a swappable design layer that sits on top of your content. Full explanation

ThemeDesign & content

A design package that controls how a WordPress or Shopify site looks. You can switch themes without losing your content, though some layout settings and theme-specific features may not carry over. Full explanation

TLDDomains & hosting

Top-level domain, the ending of a domain name, such as .com, .net, .org or .co. Prices and renewal costs vary a lot by TLD, so check the renewal price before you buy an unusual ending. Full explanation

TLSSecurity & legal

Transport Layer Security, the encryption protocol behind HTTPS and the modern successor to SSL. People still say "SSL certificate" even though today's certificates use TLS. Full explanation

Tokens (AI)AI & code

The small chunks of text an AI model reads and writes, roughly pieces of words. Some AI builders, such as Bolt, bill by tokens, and larger projects use more tokens per message because the AI rereads more code. Read more

Transaction feesEcommerce & payments

An extra percentage some platforms take from each sale, on top of the card processing fee. Some plans charge it, especially when you use an outside payment provider, and higher plans often drop it. Full explanation

TTLDomains & hosting

Time to live, a setting on each DNS record that tells networks how long to cache it before checking for changes. Lowering the TTL a day before switching hosts helps the change take effect faster. Full explanation

Two-factor authenticationSecurity & legal

Often called 2FA: a second check at login, such as a code from an app, on top of your password. Turn it on for your builder, registrar, host and email accounts. It stops many break-ins that rely on a stolen password.

TXT recordDomains & hosting

A DNS record that holds text, used to prove you own a domain to services like Google, and to publish email security settings such as SPF and DMARC. Full explanation

U

UptimeDomains & hosting

The share of time a website is online and reachable. Hosts often promise an uptime percentage, but read what credit, if any, you get when they miss it. Monitoring tools can alert you when your site goes down. Full explanation

URLDomains & hosting

Uniform Resource Locator, the full address of a specific page, such as https://yourbusiness.com/services/. It includes the protocol, domain name and path. Changing URLs without redirects loses traffic. Full explanation

V

Vendor lock-inBusiness & pricing

When leaving a platform is hard or costly because your design, content or data cannot move easily. Check what you can export before you build, not when you want to leave. Read more

Version historyPlatforms & builders

A saved record of earlier versions of your site or pages that you can restore after a mistake. Many builders keep version history automatically; how far back it goes often depends on your plan. Full explanation

Vibe codingAI & code

Building software by describing what you want to an AI in plain language and accepting the code it writes, often without reading every line. It is fast for prototypes, but you still need to check the results. Full explanation

VPS hostingDomains & hosting

Virtual private server hosting: a slice of a server with guaranteed resources set aside for you. It is faster and more flexible than shared hosting, but often needs more technical skill to manage. Full explanation

W

WCAGSecurity & legal

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, the main technical standard for accessible websites, published by the W3C. Version 2.1 Level AA is the level the DOJ requires for state and local government sites. Full explanation

Web accessibilitySecurity & legal

Building your site so people with disabilities can use it, including those who use screen readers, keyboards or captions. Good accessibility also makes a site easier for everyone. This is general information, not legal advice. Full explanation

Web hostingDomains & hosting

The service that stores your website's files and serves them to visitors. Website builders include hosting in the plan; with WordPress.org, you rent hosting separately from a company like Hostinger or SiteGround. Full explanation

WebhookAI & code

An automatic message one app sends to another the moment something happens, such as a new order triggering a Slack alert or a CRM update. Webhooks let tools react in real time without anyone checking.

Website backupsSecurity & legal

Saved copies of your site's files and data that you can restore after a mistake, hack or failed update. Keep at least one copy stored away from your main host, and test a restore now and then. Full explanation

Website builderPlatforms & builders

An all-in-one service, such as Squarespace or Wix, that gives you templates, an editor, hosting and security in one monthly plan. It is the easiest route to a site, with less control than WordPress. Read more

Website migrationPlatforms & builders

Moving a site to a new platform, host or domain. A good migration keeps your content, maps every old URL to a new one with 301 redirects and checks search traffic afterward. Full explanation

White labelBusiness & pricing

Work one company does that another company sells under its own brand. Many agencies white-label web design or SEO from specialist providers. As a client, you may never see the company doing the work.

WHOIS privacyDomains & hosting

A registrar service that hides your personal name, address and phone number from the public domain lookup database. Many registrars, including Namecheap, Porkbun and Cloudflare, now include it free. Full explanation

WordPress.org vs WordPress.comPlatforms & builders

WordPress.org is the free, open-source software you install on hosting you rent. WordPress.com is a paid hosted service, run by Automattic, built on the same software but with plan-based limits. Read more

WXRPlatforms & builders

WordPress eXtended RSS, the XML file format WordPress uses to export and import posts, pages, comments, categories and tags. Media files are only linked, not included. Squarespace exports content in a WordPress-compatible format. Read more