A list of links to websites and / or specific content within a given site. Within Internet Explorer bookmarks are stored in ‘Favourites’

Navigation system which allows users to understand how each page on the site relates back to root areas and ultimately the homepage.

Application used to view web pages on the internet, popular examples include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera

Memory used to store frequently used data which might otherwise take some time to load. Search engines hold cached copies of web pages.

Often come in chocolate chip varieties…they go lovely with a cuppa OR: Data which a web site stores on a user’s hard drive; then requests when the user returns. Their purpose is to identify returning visitors, and in some instances create customised content based on their preferences / previous behaviour on the site.

Abbreviation for Domain Name Service. DNS translates web addresses – e.g. www.gravytrain.co.uk into binary formatted IP addresses.

A page which is displayed when a given web page cannot be accessed.

See Also: Custom Error Page

An enhanced version of an intranet which allows either full or partial access to authorised outsiders and / or allows employees to access the intranet when outside of the office.

See Also: Intranet

A web browser, developed by the Mozilla Foundation. See http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/

See Also: Mozilla Firefox

An online forum allows an individual to create and participate in discussions (or threads) with the wider community on the site.

The most frequently used search engine worldwide. See www.google.co.uk

An online database provided by Google into which any user can add almost any type of content, which, if Google deem it relevant, may appear on its shopping search engine, Google Maps or other online property. Currently, Google Base acts like a free classified ads service.

The practice of getting a web page on a site you do not own or work on behalf of, to rank in Google for a particular keyword or phrase. The intent behind this could be humorous or malicious. Google bombers work by asking the internet community to link to a particular page on a website using prescriptive anchor text. Because Google’s algorithm takes into account anchor text from links to sites, if enough sites link using a particular word or phrase, the page / website will begin to rank for this term. Initially Google took the position that they would not alter any search engine results in order to preserve the integrity of their search engine. However, in September 2007, changes were made to the indexing structure in an attempt to defuse these bombs.

See Also: Anchor Text

Google’s Search Engine spider.

See Also: Bot, Crawler, Robot, Spider, Web Crawler

A malicious black hat technique of undertaking a link building campaign to purchase links from poor quality sites and point them at a competitor’s site with the express intention of getting that site penalised by Google (or even de-indexed).

See Also: Black Hat SEO, Links

Google’s online payment service. It allows users to store their credit or debit card details in one place and pay on a variety of sites.

When Google update their algorithm sites often see their positions in the search engine results move and / or fluctuate for period of time until each of Google’s data centres update.

Google Labs is where Google’s latest developments are launched in beta for testing. Users are encouraged to ‘play’ with the prototypes and provide feedback to Google’s developers. See http://labs.google.com/

A tool from Google Labs which allows users to view the volume of specific search queries. See http://www.google.com/trends

The main page of a web site where visitors typically land. It’s function is to explain the purpose of the site, and provide navigation to access key areas of the site.

abbreviation for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. This protocol is used to transfer data residing on a server into an active web browser (i.e. to display the web page on the users computer from the server where it is stored).

This message means that the document (or page) which you requested could not be found by the server.

In online terminology an index typically refers to a search engine’s database.

See Also: Search Engine

Inktomi Corporation was a Californian software company who specialised in the development of online search technology. They were the first to launch a paid inclusion directory, which Yahoo (who purchased Inktomi in 2003) continue to utilise today.

The internet is a series of computer networks which are publicly accessible.

Developed by Microsoft in 1995 Internet Explorer (often abbreviated to IE) is the most widely used web browser.

A private computer network based on internet technology which can only be accessed by authorised individuals (rather than being accessible to all). Intranets are often used by companies to share information.

See Also: Extranet

An abbreviation for Internet Protocol Address. It is separated into four parts by full stops to indicate the domain, the network, the sub network and the host computer. Each number ranges from 0-255.

An abbreviation for Internet Service Provider. An ISP provides a variety of services including hosting, domain registration, email and connectivity.

A web browser, developed by the Mozilla Foundation. See http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/

See Also: Firefox

Microsoft’s web portal which includes a search engine called Bing. See http://uk.msn.com/

An American computer services company best known for it’s web browser. It was once the dominant browser, but lost out to Internet Explorer.

A portal or web portal is a site which acts as an access point for various services and / or presents various information sources in a unified way. An example of a web portal is Yahoo! who offer a search engine, news, email, weather and a variety of other products and services all of which are accessible via their portal.

In online terms, where a visitor to a site came from, e.g. a search engine, another site, an affiliate etc

A web browser, developed by Apple. See http://www.apple.com/safari/

When media is streamed it allows the user to view and / or listen to a continuous audio and / or visual without the need to download a file. Streaming is a method whereby the data is sent in small packets which are instantly displayed to the end user.

An add on for a web browser – examples include the Google Toolbar which includes a search box, pop up blocker etc

See Also: Google Toolbar

A precursor to the forums which we see online today, Usenet is a system which facilitates internet discussion. It was created in 1979 by tom Truscott and Jim Ellis.

Refers to the second generation of internet sites which allow users to interact with each other and the sites which they visit. Example Web 2.0 styles of site include Social Bookmarking Sites, Social Networks etc

See Also: Social Bookmarking, Social Networking

Software which allows users to surf the internet and view web sites.

See Also: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Firefox, Safari

A TCP based query used to determine the owner of a domain name.

A free, multilingual, open content encyclopaedia project operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its name is a blend of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites) and encyclopaedia. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Yahoo! Provides many services including a search engine, the Yahoo! Directory, a Web Portal, Yahoo! Mail, news, and posting. See http://www.yahoo.com