Web Browser: The software you use to browse the Internet - the two most important browsers being Netscape and Internet Explorer. Be sure your web design company builds your website to be compatible with both these browsers.

Internet Presence: This term refers to the question, "Is your company represented on the Internet?" A basic website with a viable domain name is considered internet presence. See Internet Myths for the importance of Internet Presence.

Domain name: A unique website name, such as "yourcompany.com". A domain name by itself isn't much good. It needs to be connected to a website, loaded with the proper keywords, checked for proper HTML formatting and submitted to search engines before it becomes viable.

TLD: Stands for "Top level domain". .com, .net., and .org are examples of TLDs. KC Websites can acquire domain names for you using any of those TLDs as well as some of the new TLDs such as ".info". Example: www.Your-company.info or www.your-company.net

HTML: The primary language web pages are written in. (Stands for Hypertext Markup Language.)

Server space: A very important item. A Server is just another name for a special kind of computer that interfaces with the Internet. "Server Space" is the place on the Server where your website resides. It's important to stake out server space which is reliable and free from junk and banners. Moreover, think of your website as a billboard next to the highway. The chuck of earth where the billboard is mounted has to be rented. Think of your domain name and website as the billboard and Server Space as the piece of earth where the billboard is actually housed.

Banner Ad: Banner ads are those rectangular shaped advertisements which appear so abundantly on web pages. Be sure to house your website on Server Space which is free from such distractions. KC Websites does not use banner ads on client websites.

Link or HyperLink: The underlined text you click which directs your web browser to another place. e.g., "Click here!"

Website: A domain name and any number of web pages collectively.

Web page: A single page of data, text, and pictures residing on the internet via a Server.

Form Mail or Feedback Form: A specialized web page which contains a form that visitors may fill out. The form is converted to email and sent to the appropriate parties. Feedback forms are considered desirable because they provide a standardized and organized way to collect information from visitors; they are generally more professional in appearance and function better than mere email links; they require knowledge of web programming (usually CGI/Perl); and they allow people to send email directly from a website without having to load and execute their own, local email accounts. The use of Feedback Forms also allows ones message to be sent simultaneously to several parties. KC Websites uses a feedback form in our Contact Us section.

Business email: An email address with a professional name, such as "sales@our-company.com" instead of bobby1962@aol.com.

Email Redirecting: Email sent to "info@your-company.com" will be redirected to your personal email account. Other possible business email addresses are
sales@your-company.com,
customer-service@your-company.com,
president@your-company.com,
YourNameHere@your-company.com.

Search Engine: An internet website that allows internet users to search for information and websites. See Internet Myths for important information on submitting your site to search engines.

Keywords: These are special words embedded in your website (not seen by visitors) that tell the Search Engines what you are about. For example, a website that sells Bait-and-Tackle equipment might have these kinds of keywords, "Fish, fishing, lures, bobbers, worms." (This is an oversimplification.)

META Tags: Hidden tags containing keywords. The proper construction of META tags is of huge importance when it comes to making a site "search engine friendly".

Hits: When someone visits your website it's called a hit.

Traffic: The number of hits your website gets.

PayPal: PayPal is a third party service we use for new clients which circumvents the need for a merchant account, gateway and individualized SSL server space. In short, PayPal collects money from people buying at your website and deposits it into your account for a nominal fee. Without PayPal, you would need all of the following below:

Merchant Account: A special type of bank account meant for processing credit cards. There are a number of fees required for such an account.
Gateway: A special internet function which allows the transfer of credit card monies into Merchant Accounts in real time. (Usually very pricey and with genuine security concerns.)
SSL: "Secure Socket Layer". A special kind of Server which has extra security and encryption to make e-commerce more safe and fraud-proof. Usually includes electronic certificates to verify authenticity.

Shopping Cart: A virtual shopping system whereby visitors to your website can click on the items they wish to purchase. The Shopping Cart computes the total, the sales tax, and the Shipping and Handling fees. KC Websites will design shopping carts to your specifications.