Building a website can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the jargon web developers often use. Terms like CMS, web hosting, and SSL certificates may sound technical, but understanding them is key to making informed decisions for your website. Whether you’re working with a developer or tackling a project yourself, knowing how these pieces fit together will help you better communicate your needs and understand the process. We’ve put together this glossary to help break down common web development terms and explain how they work together—empowering even non-techies to stay in the loop during their website build.
WordPress: Beyond Blogging
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world, powering over 40% of all websites, including major sites like NASA, Time, and the White House. While WordPress began as a blogging platform, it has evolved into a highly versatile CMS used for building all kinds of websites—from small church sites to large e-commerce platforms.
WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com
- WordPress.org: Often referred to as “self-hosted WordPress,” this version is free to use but requires you to have your own web hosting. It offers complete control over your site, allowing custom themes, plugins, and full flexibility. Most professional and large websites, like NASA’s, use WordPress.org because it’s fully customizable and scalable.
- WordPress.com: This is a hosting service that simplifies the process by managing the hosting for you. It offers both free and paid plans, but it comes with limitations on customization and control. It’s easier for beginners, but it’s not as flexible as WordPress.org.
Why It’s Not Just for Blogs
WordPress has a vast ecosystem of themes and plugins that allow you to create nearly any type of website, including:
- Church websites with donation portals, event management, and sermon libraries
- Corporate websites with sophisticated landing pages and client management systems
- E-commerce stores using plugins like WooCommerce
- High-traffic government sites like NASA, which rely on WordPress for its scalability and security.
Website Essentials
- Domain Name: This is your website’s address (e.g., www.yourchurchname.com) that users type into their browser to visit your site.
- Web Hosting: While a domain name is the address, web hosting is the home where all your website files live. Hosting services store your site’s data and make it accessible to users on the internet.
- SSL Certificate: An SSL certificate ensures that any data exchanged between your site and its visitors is encrypted and secure. If your website has an SSL certificate, the domain will start with “https://” instead of “http://”, with a padlock symbol visible in the browser bar.
Why it matters: To have a functioning website, you need both a domain name and web hosting. Services like Bluehost and GoDaddy often bundle domain registration and web hosting, simplifying the process by managing both for you. The SSL certificate ensures your domain is secure, protecting users’ data. Cites that lack SSL certificates are often flagged as potential security risks.
Design and Functionality
- Theme: The theme controls your website’s appearance—layout, fonts, and colors.
- Plugins: These add extra functionality to your website, like contact forms, event calendars, or SEO tools.
- Responsive Design: This ensures your website adjusts its layout and looks great on any device, whether desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Why it matters: After choosing a theme for your WordPress site, you can enhance its functionality with plugins. For example, if you choose a theme for your church website, you can add plugins for event management or online donations. Ensuring your site is responsive means that regardless of the theme or plugins you use, it will display correctly on any device.
Content and Media
- CMS (Content Management System): This is the backend system that allows you to easily create, edit, and manage the content on your website without needing to code.
- File Types (PNG, JPG, WEBP):
- PNG: Best for images with transparency, like logos.
- JPG/JPEG: Ideal for photographs; balances quality and file size.
- WEBP: A newer format that compresses images efficiently without losing much quality, helping websites load faster.
Why it matters: In a CMS like WordPress, you’ll upload media files (PNG, JPG, WEBP) to create engaging content. Choosing the right file type ensures your site loads quickly and looks great. For example, using WEBP instead of JPG can reduce load times, improving user experience and SEO.
Website Maintenance and Troubleshooting
- Cache: Temporary storage for website data that helps pages load faster for returning visitors.
- 404 Error: Occurs when a requested page cannot be found on the server. This usually happens if the URL is typed incorrectly, the page has been moved, or the link is broken. It signals that the web server could not locate the requested resource but is still functioning properly.
- 403 Error: This error happens when access to a particular page or resource is forbidden. The server understands the request but refuses to authorize it. This typically occurs when the user doesn’t have the proper permissions to view the page, such as trying to access restricted content without logging in.
- 503 Error: This error occurs when the server is temporarily unavailable, often due to maintenance or overload.
Why it matters: Regular website maintenance involves clearing cache when updates aren’t appearing and troubleshooting common errors like 404 and 503. These issues typically arise if a page has been removed or if the server is down. Hosting services often manage server maintenance, minimizing 503 errors, while you can address 404 errors by checking links in your CMS.
SEO and Marketing
- Permalink: The permanent URL of a specific page or blog post. Clean and descriptive permalinks help with SEO.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): A process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results.
Why it matters: Clean permalinks that include relevant keywords make it easier for search engines to understand your content, improving your site’s SEO. For example, a permalink like www.yourchurch.com/about-us is more SEO-friendly than www.yourchurch.com/p=123.