Having worked in the Website Design & Development industry for so long (over 20 years as of 2019!), it can be easy to make assumptions and use web terminology that you feel may be commonly known - when in actual fact you are confusing or bamboozling the person or audience you are addressing..

Keeping dreaded "Jargon" down to a sensible minimum has always been a priority of mine, just as I avoid "blinding people with science" too. For starters, I'm neither a "Technical Giant" nor scientist myself, which helps.

From time to time the use of selected technical terms is either unavoidable, or actually a good idea (for example where training a client about the origins and importance of a certain technique or technology). With that in mind, I've decided to created this simple "Jargon-buster" page - which I hope you find useful.

The following terms are in no particular order..."

SEO

Let's start with this very common acronym, which stands for "Search Engine Optimisation".

In the early days of the mass-market Internet (as we know it today) there were actually several high-profile Search Engines (special directory Websites you can use to find answers to questions about, well... pretty much anything).

Names such as "Lycos", "Excite" and "AltaVista" may mean little or nothing to most Web users in 2019 and beyond.. but in their heyday these were major Search Engines (and all of them existed sometime before Google).

SEO is the process where trained Web development professionals and Website owners can prepare and adapt the content of their pages - to increase the chances of ranking well (highly) on Google's results pages. There are still of course other Search Engines in existence - but realistically all such "SEO" techniques and services are largely geared up for Google - with an honourable mention for MicroSoft's "Bing" Search Engine too.

Typical examples of "SEO" techniques would include: The effective naming of pages and file resources (downloadable content, images, etc.); The correct hierarchical formatting of text content; Effectively linking content from page to page - and so on.

For more information on SEO services offered by @mounsey

Keywords

In Web terms, a "Keyword" is either a single word, or short phrase which is of particular relevance to your Website and business/services.

For example, prominent Keywords for a Pet Shop based in Rotherham would include:

pet supplies South Yorkshire, Rotherham pet shop, pet fish for sale in Rotherham, Rotherham guinea pigs.."

Taking the time to compile a list of what you consider to be your most important "Keywords" can prove to be a very useful exercise - but is not always as easy as you might imagine! A couple of useful tips would be to remember to include variations and alternatives to certain Keywords - and also try asking some of your friends, family or even customers for a list of words that they consider to be top Keywords for your business and Website. More often than not they will come back with different (and sometimes surprising) suggestions.

For more information on SEO services offered by @mounsey

Moving forward, I'll be adding to this new page on an occasional basis. Stay tuned!

John Mounsey
Founder