Web Site / Internet Terms

It can be a bit confusing when listening to people talk about the internet, hosting, web sites etc.  Here is a short list of common terms that you might have heard or read and what we mean by them in simple easy to understand English.  We are always here to answer your questions and explain things to you, so don't be afraid to ask us!

WEB SITE DESIGN

The actual construction of your web site.

BROWSER

This is the program you open to see web sites, for example Internet Explorer.  This is how you can navigate the net, by typing in addresses in your browser or clicking through to other addresses that will appear in your browser.

IP ADDRESS

Internet Protocol.  Your domain name (more below) is really a set of numbers like 216.199.174.45 these numbers tell computers along the internet where to go to get your web site - like a zip code.  To make it easier for us human's to understand and remember these numbers are assigned a "nick name" which is your domain name.

DOMAIN NAME

This is the easy to remember and type address of your site - for example www.guppiedesigns.com  Domain name registration is when you buy your site's name, it is similar to having an incorporated name for a company, each name has to be different.  Instead of the name being different on a state by state basis, it is world wide.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator.  This is the full internet address for your site's pages.  When you see an address in your browser, there is often a / (slash).  It is just there to split up the information.  Anything that appears after the slash is the name of a file, the page that is being shown on your screen, for example this page should be called www.guppiedesigns.com/Terms.htm.

HOSTING SERVICE / HOST / PROVIDER

The person who "stores" your web site is your hosting company.  You site is kept on a computer (known as a server) that is connected 24 / 7 to the internet so that people can access it and look at your site.

DNS / SERVER

Domain Name Server.  This is the technical name for the computer that stores / hosts your site.  You will find that there are two or more DNS listed on your site - the primary computer and a back up.  Each server has a unique name, this name is assigned to your domain name through your domain registration.

A little story to help you get it all together (in brackets are the applicable "correct" terms ) .....

You have a painting (web site), it was created by Van Gogh (web site designer) and it is called Sunflowers (domain name/IP address).  You decide that you should let other people enjoy your painting (web site), maybe someone may even like to buy it!  So you do some checking and you find a gallery (hosting company) that will hang (host) your painting (web site) to let people view it.

You send your painting (web site) to the gallery (hosting company) who catalogs it in their books using a code number of 1004 (IP address).  They put it up on a wall (domain name server) for you.  Now you are ready to tell people where they can go to see your painting (web site).

There are many other terms that you might come across, but these are some of the basics.  If you have any questions at all, we'd love to help you, just let us know!