We know that websites can be confusing so here is a list of commonly used words or terms when talking websites:

Nav (short for navigation) refers to a system that facilitates movement around a site. This appears on every page of your website, usually at the top, in the form of a line or list of links. It could be in the form of a menu, breadcrumb, links, or pagination. On mobile it is usually a button (commonly the word ‘menu’ is used or often a stack of little lines called a hamburger icon) with a drop-down list of the pages in your site. 

Header refers to the top part of your website page that can include, but is not limited to, your logo/company name, the nav and sometimes contact information. The header typically looks the same on every page. 

Hero refers to the top main (‘hero’) image on a page. This is usually a large and dominant image. 

Below the fold, is a term that is a carry-over from newspaper publishing days. In newspaper terms, “below the fold” means content was on the bottom half of the page (below the physical fold in the paper). In web design terms, “below the fold” refers to the content that is generally going to be below the point first viewable to the average website user in their browser (in other words, users would have to scroll down to see the content).

Links allow a user to get from one page to the next or to another website all together. Links can also open documents/pdfs. Text links are usually highlighted in some way, using colour or underline or made to look like a button. 

CTA or Call to Action is a visual element, like a button that is asking users to complete an action, e.g. ‘Sign up’, ‘Contact us’, ‘Find out more’. 

Footer refers to the bottom part or your website page that can include, but is not limited to your logo/company name, a secondary nav, social links, contact information, terms/policies/copyright. The footer, as the header, typically looks the same on every page, it is the last chance to communicate information to your user. 

Home page / landing page / front page refers to where a visitor first enters a website. 

Plugin refers to an enhancement that has been added, ‘plugged into’, the site to improve functionality. 

Template is a ‘file’ that is used to create a consistent design across a website (such as colour, font, text formatting, nav/menu, header/footer, website structure, block format). 

Content is the information added to the website (such as text, images, links, CTAs, lists, news articles, events).

Media (or assets) refers to anything you need to upload into your site, (such as videos, images, audio, documents, pdfs). 

Responsive design is where instructions in the website template adjust the content of the website dependant on how it is viewed, whether on desktop, mobile or tablet. 

Is there a word or term you think our web glossary is missing? Let our team know.

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