The world of SEO and Internet Marketing has gained considerable popularity in the last few years, and has its own language and dictionary of terms. We have compiled a list of some of the most used words in Search Engine Optimization and other Internet related terms to help you.
Select a letter to see the terms starting with this letter.
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Term and Description |
| 1. | Absolute LinkA hyperlink to the exact location of a file on a file server, or the World Wide Web. Absolute links use an exact path; if you move the file containing the hyperlink or a hyperlink destination, the link breaks. |
| 2. | Absolute URLThe full Internet address of a page or other World Wide Web resource. The absolute URL includes a protocol, such as "http", network location, and optional path and file name. |
| 3. | Access ControlThe mechanisms for limiting access to certain items of information or to certain controls based on users' identities and their membership in various predefined groups. Access control is typically used by system administrators for controlling user access to network resources, such as servers, directories, and files. |
| 4. | Access Control ListACL. A list associated with a file or a resource that contains information about which users or groups have permission to access a resource or modify the file. |
| 5. | Account LockoutA security feature in Windows XP that locks a user account if a number of failed logon attempts occur within a specified amount of time, based on security policy lockout settings. Locked accounts cannot log on. |
| 6. | Account NameThe part of an e-mail address that identifies a user or an account on an email system. An e-mail address on the Internet typically consists of an account name, followed by the @ (at) symbol, a host name, and a domain name. |
| 7. | ACLAccess Control List. A list associated with a file or a resource that contains information about which users or groups have permission to access a resource or modify the file. |
| 8. | Active ChannelA Web site described by a Channel Definition Format (CDF) file.
Developers can use Active Channels to automatically download content to a user on a subscription basis, to send content to users on a regular schedule, to deliver personalized content to individual users, and to provide content to a Windows screen saver. |
| 9. | Active ContentMaterial on a Web page that changes on the screen with time or in response to user action. Active content is implemented through ActiveX controls. |
| 10. | Active ServerThe server-based component of Microsoft’s Active Platform. Active Server is designed to allow developers to concentrate on creating Internet and intranet software in a variety of languages without having to focus on the intricacy of the network itself. |
| 11. | Active Server PagesA Web-oriented technology developed by Microsoft that is designed to enable server-side (as opposed to client-side) scripting. Active Server Pages are text files that can contain not only text and HTML tags as in standard Web documents, but also commands written in a scripting language (such as VBScript or JavaScript) that can be carried out on the server. This serverside work enables a Web author to add interactivity to a document or to customize the viewing or delivery of information to the client without worrying about the platform the client is running. All Active Server Pages are saved with an .asp extension and can be accessed like standard URLs through a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
When an Active Server Page is requested by a browser, the server carries out any script commands embedded in the page, generates an HTML document, and sends the document back to the browser for display on the requesting (client) computer. Active Server Pages can also be enhanced and extended with ActiveX components. |
| 12. | ActiveXA set of technologies that enables software components to interact with one another in a networked environment, regardless of the language in which the components were created. ActiveX, which was developed by Microsoft in the mid 1990s and is currently administered by the Open Group, is built on Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM). Currently, ActiveX is used primarily to develop interactive content for the World Wide Web, although it can be used in desktop applications and other programs. ActiveX controls can be embedded in Web pages to produce animation and other multimedia effects, interactive objects, and sophisticated applications. |
| 13. | ActiveX controlA reusable software component based on Microsoft’s ActiveX technology that is used to add interactivity and more functionality, such as animation or a popup menu, to a Web page, applications, and software development tools. An ActiveX control can be written in any of a number of languages, including Java, C++, and Visual Basic. |
| 14. | Address1. A name or token specifying a particular computer or site on the Internet
or other network, such as an IP address.
2. A code used to specify an e-mail destination. |
| 15. | Address MungingThe practice of modifying an e mail address in posts to newsgroups or other Internet forums to foil computer programs that gather e-mail addresses. The host name in an e-mail address is altered to create a fictitious address in such a way that a human can still easily determine the correct address. For example, a person with an e-mail address of
webmaster@seo-reloaded.com could modify, or "mung", her address to read webmaster@remove-this-to-reply-seo-reloaded.com. Address munging is generally used to prevent delivery of unsolicited junk e-mail or spam. |
| 16. | Agent1. A program that performs a background task for a user and reports to the user when the task is done or some expected event has taken place.
2. A program that searches through archives or other repositories of information on a topic specified by the user. Agents of this sort are used most often on the Internet and are generally dedicated to searching a single type of information repository, such as postings on Usenet groups. Spiders are a type of agent used on the Internet. Also called: intelligent agent. See also spider.
3. In client/server applications, a process that mediates between the client and the server. |
| 17. | AIMAmerica Online Instant Messenger. A popular instantmessaging service provided for free by America Online. With the AIM service, instant messages can be sent over an Internet connection using the AIM software or directly from a Web browser using AIM Express. |
| 18. | alt. newsgroupsInternet newsgroups that are part of the "alternative" hierarchy and have the prefix alt. Unlike the seven Usenet newsgroup hierarchies (comp., misc., news., rec., sci., soc., talk.) that require formal votes among users in the hierarchy before official newsgroups can be established, anybody can create an alt. newsgroup. Therefore, newsgroups devoted to discussions of obscure or bizarre topics are generally part of the alt. hierarchy. |
| 19. | AltaVistaA World Wide Web search site and portal hosted by Digital Equipment Corporation. |
| 20. | Always OnAn Internet connection that is maintained continuously, whether or not the computer user is online. Always-on connections provide convenience to users who don’t need to dial in or log on to access the Internet, but also provide more opportunities for hackers to attempt to access the system or use the computer to spread malicious programs. |
| 21. | America OnlineAn online information service, based in Vienna, Virginia, that provides email, news, educational and entertainment services, and Internet access.
America Online is one of the largest American ISPs (Internet service providers). In 2000 America Online merged with media giant Time Warner Inc. to become AOL Time Warner Inc. Intended for mass-market delivery of branded content and communication services, the merged companies form a communication and media conglomerate with the Internet's largest user base and a wide range of entertainment, publishing, and cable properties. |
| 22. | America Online Instant MessengerAIM |
| 23. | AnchorA tag in an HTML document that defines a section of text, an icon, or other element as a link to another element in the document or to another document or file. |
| 24. | AnonymityThe ability to send an e-mail message or an article to a newsgroup without one's identity becoming known. |
| 25. | AnonymousOn the Internet, the standard login name used to obtain access to a public FTP file archive. |
| 26. | Anonymous FTPThe ability to access a remote computer system on which one does not have an account, via the Internet's File Transfer Protocol (FTP). |
| 27. | Anonymous PostA message in a newsgroup or mailing list that cannot be traced to its originator. |
| 28. | Anonymous RemailerAn e-mail server that receives incoming messages, replaces the headers that identify the original sources of the messages, and sends the messages to their ultimate destinations. The purpose of an anonymous remailer is to hide the identities of the senders of the e-mail messages. |
| 29. | Anonymous Server1. The software used by an anonymous remailer.
2. Software that provides anonymous FTP service. |
| 30. | Antivirus ProgramA computer program that scans a computer's memory and mass storage to identify, isolate, and eliminate viruses, and that examines incoming files
for viruses as the computer receives them. |
| 31. | AOLAmerica Online |
| 32. | AOL Instant MessengerAIM |
| 33. | AOL NetFindResident Web-finding tool of America Online (AOL) information service. Searches by keyword and concept. |
| 34. | ApacheA free open-source HTTP (Web) server introduced in 1995 by the Apache Group as an extension to, and improvement of, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications'. |
| 35. | Apache GroupA non-profit organization of volunteers from around the world that operates and contributes to the Apache HTTP Server Project. |
| 36. | Apache HTTP Server ProjectA collaborative effort by the members of the Apache Group to design, develop, and maintain the Apache HTTP (Web) server. |
| 37. | APIApplication Programming Interface. A set of routines used by an application program to direct the performance of procedures by the computer's operating system. |
| 38. | AppletA program that can be downloaded over the Internet and executed on the recipient's machine. Applets are often written in the Java programming language and run within browser software, and they are typically used to customize or add interactive elements to a Web page. |
| 39. | Application Programming InterfaceA set of routines used by an application program to direct the performance of procedures by the computer’s operating system. |
| 40. | Application Server1. A server program on a computer in a distributed network that handles the business logic between users and backend business applications or databases. Application servers also can provide transaction management, failover, and load balancing. An application server is often viewed as part of a three-tier application consisting of a front-end GUI server such as an HTTP server (first tier), an application server (middle tier), and a backend database and transaction server (third tier).
2. Any machine on which an application-server program is running. |
| 41. | Application Service ProviderA third-party company or organization that hosts applications or services for individuals or business customers. The customer connects to a data center maintained by the application service provider (ASP) through Internet or private lines to access applications that would otherwise need to be housed on the customer's local servers or individual PCs. This arrangement allows the customer to free up disk space that would otherwise be taken by applications, as well as to access the most recent software updates. ASPs deliver solutions ranging from high-end applications to services for small and medium-sized businesses. |
| 42. | ArchieAn Internet utility for finding files in public archives obtainable by anonymous FTP. |
| 43. | Archie serverOn the Internet, a server that contains Archie indexes to the names and addresses of files in public FTP archives. |
| 44. | ArticleA message that appears in an Internet newsgroup. Also called "post". |
| 45. | ASPActive Server Pages. A Microsoft-invented, proprietary programming language for building dynamic web sites. |
| 46. | ASPActive Server Pages |
| 47. | ASP.NETA set of technologies in the Microsoft .NET Framework for building Web applications and XML Web services. ASP.NET pages execute on the server and generate markup (such as HTML, WML, or XML) that is sent to a desktop or mobile browser. ASP.NET pages use a compiled, event-driven programming model that improves performance and enables the separation of application logic and user interface.
ASP.NET pages and XML Web services files created using ASP.NET contain server-side (rather than clientside) logic written in Visual Basic .NET, C# .NET, or any .NET-compatible language. Web applications and XML Web services take advantage of the features of the common language runtime, such as type safety, inheritance, language interoperability, versioning, and integrated security. |
| 48. | ASP.NET Server ControlA server-side component that encapsulates user-interface and related functionality. |
| 49. | ASP.NET Web ApplicationAn application that processes HTTP requests (Web requests) and executes on top of the ASP.NET runtime. An ASP.NET application can include ASP.NET pages, XML Web services, HTTP handlers, and HTTP modules. |
| 50. | AuthenticodeA security feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Authenticode allows vendors of downloadable executable code (plug-ins or ActiveX controls, for example) to attach digital certificates to their products to assure end users that the code is from the original developer and has not been altered.
Authenticode lets end users decide for themselves whether to accept or reject software components posted on the Internet before downloading begins. |
| 51. | AvatarIn virtual-reality environments such as certain types of Internet chat rooms, a graphical representation of a user. An avatar typically is a generic picture or animation of a human of either gender, a photograph or caricature of the user, a picture or animation of an animal, or an object chosen by the user to depict his or her virtual-reality "identity". |
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