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. | Cable ModemA modem that sends and receives data through a coaxial cable television network instead of telephone lines, as with a conventional modem. |
| 2. | CacheA special memory subsystem in which frequently used data values are duplicated for quick access. |
| 3. | Cache FarmA group of servers that save copies of Web pages to caches to fulfill successive requests without calling the pages up repeatedly from the Web server. In essence, the servers are dedicated to caching. By saving Web pages where they can be accessed without increasing traffic on the Web site, the cache farm allows higher-performance Web access for the end user and a reduction in network congestion and volume. |
| 4. | Cache PoisoningDeliberate corruption of Internet Domain Name System (DNS) information through alteration of data that equates host names with their IP addresses. Misleading information of this type, when cached (saved) by one DNS server and later passed to another, exposes DNS servers to attacks in which data sent from one host to another can be accessed or corrupted. Cache poisoning has been used to redirect network requests from a legitimate server to an alternate Web site. |
| 5. | Cancel MessageA message sent to Usenet news servers indicating that a certain article is to be canceled, or deleted, from the server. |
| 6. | cancelbotShort for cancel robot. A program that identifies articles in newsgroups based on a set of criteria and cancels the distribution of those articles. Although the criteria for cancellation is set by the owner of the cancelbot, most cancelbots exist to identify and eliminate spam messages posted to dozens or hundreds of newsgroups. |
| 7. | Cascading Style SheetsA Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) specification developed by The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that allows authors of HTML documents and users to attach style sheets to HTML documents. The style sheets include typographical information on how the page should appear, such as the font of the text in the page. This specification also directs the way in which the style sheets of the HTML document and the user’s style will blend. Cascading style sheets have been proposed for the HTML 3.2 standard. |
| 8. | ccAcronym for courtesy copy. A directive to an e-mail program to send a complete copy of a given piece of mail to another individual. The use of cc mail addressing, as opposed to directly addressing the mail to a person, generally implies that the recipient is not required to take any action; the message is for informational purposes only. In a cc directive, the fact that this recipient received the mail is printed in the mail header and is thus known to all other recipients. Also called "carbon copy". |
| 9. | CDFChannel Definition Format |
| 10. | CensorshipThe action of preventing material that a party considers objectionable from circulating within a system of communication over which that party has some power. |
| 11. | CensorwareSoftware that imposes restrictions on what Internet sites, newsgroups, or files may be accessed by the user. |
| 12. | Character EntityIn HTML, the notation for a special character. A character entity begins with an & (ampersand), followed by either a string of letters or of numbers, and ends with a semicolon. The special characters represented by character entities include acute and grave accents, the tilde, and Greek letters, among others. |
| 13. | Chat1. Real-time conversation via computer. When a participant types a line of text and then presses the Enter key, that participant’s words appear on the screens of the other participants, who can then respond in kind. Most online services support chat; on the Internet, IRC is the usual system. See also IRC. 2. An Internet utility program that supports chat. IRC has largely superseded it. |
| 14. | Chat RoomThe informal term for a data communication channel that links computers and permits users to "converse" by sending text messages to one another in real time. Similar to the channels provided by IRC (Internet Relay Chat), chat rooms are available through online services and some electronic bulletin board systems (BBSs). Chat rooms are often devoted to a particular subject or are conducted on a certain schedule. |
| 15. | Cheese WormAn Internet worm that patches security holes created by the Lion worm. The Cheese worm searches out and infects Linux-based systems that were previously compromised by the Lion worm, repairing vulnerabilities and closing a back door left by the earlier infection. It then uses the healed computer to scan for other vulnerable computers connected to the Internet and sends itself to them. |
| 16. | CIFSCommon Internet File System |
| 17. | CIXCommercial Internet Exchange |
| 18. | Class A IP addressA unicast IP address that ranges from 1.0.0.1 through 126.255.255.254. The first octet indicates the network, and the last three octets indicate the host on the network. |
| 19. | Class A networkAn Internet network that can define a maximum of 16,777,215 hosts. Class A networks use the first byte of an IP address to designate the network, with the first (high-order) bit set to 0. The host is designated by the last 3 bytes. Class A addressing currently allows for a maximum of 128 networks. Class A networks are best suited for sites with few networks but numerous hosts and are usually designated for use by large government or educational institutions. |
| 20. | Class B IP addressA unicast IP address that ranges from 128.0.0.1 through 191.255.255.254. The first two octets indicate the network, and the last two octets indicate the host on the network. |
| 21. | Class C IP addressA unicast IP address that ranges from 192.0.0.1 to 223.255.255.254. The first three octets indicate the network, and the last octet indicates the host on the network. |
| 22. | ClickstreamThe path a user takes while browsing a Web site. Each distinct selection made on a Web page adds one click to the stream. The further down the clickstream the user goes without finding the sought item, the more likely he or she is to depart to another Web site. Analysis of usage patterns helps Web site designers create user-friendly site structures, links, and search facilities. |
| 23. | ClickthroughThe number of times that visitors to a Web site click on an advertising banner within a specified period of time. Clickthrough is one of the elements
that Web site producers use to decide how much to charge advertisers. |
| 24. | Clickthrough RateThe proportion of visitors to a Web site who click on a banner advertisement there, expressed as a percentage of total visitors to the Web site. |
| 25. | ClientOn a local area network or the Internet, a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by another computer (called a server). |
| 26. | Client ErrorA problem reported by the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client module as the result of difficulty in interpreting a command or the inability to connect properly to a remote host. |
| 27. | Cobweb SiteA Web site that is far out of date. |
| 28. | Commerce ServerAn HTTP server designed for conducting online business transactions. Data is transferred between the server and Web browser in an encrypted form to keep information such as credit card numbers reasonably secure. Commerce servers are typically used by online stores and companies that are set up for mail order business. The wares or services offered by the store or company are described and displayed in photographs on the store or company Web site and users can order directly from the site using their Web browser. |
| 29. | Commercial Internet ExchangeA nonprofit trade organization of public Internet service providers. In addition to the usual representational and social activities, the organization also operates an Internet backbone router that is accessible to its members. |
| 30. | CongestionThe condition of a network when the current load approaches or exceeds the available resources and bandwidth designed to handle that load at a particular location in the network. |
| 31. | Content1. The data that appears between the starting and ending tags of an element in an XML, or HTML document. The content of an element may consist of plain text or other elements. See also element, HTML tag. 2. The message body of a newsgroup article or e-mail message. 3. The "meat" of a document, as opposed to its format or appearance. |
| 32. | CopyrightA method of protecting the rights of an originator of a creative work, such as a text, a piece of music, a painting, or a computer program, through law. In many countries the originator of a work has copyright in the work as soon as it is fixed in a tangible medium (such as a piece of paper or a disk file); that rule applies in the United States for works created after 1977. Registration of a copyright, or the use of a copyright symbol, is not needed to create the copyright but does strengthen the originator’s legal powers. Unauthorized copying and distribution of copyrighted material can lead to severe penalties, whether done for profit or not. Copyrights affect the computer community in three ways: the copyright protection of software, the copyright status of material (such as song lyrics) distributed over a network such as the Internet, and the copyright status of original material distributed over a network (such as a newsgroup post). The latter two involve electronic media that are arguably not tangible, and legislation protecting the information disseminated through electronic media is still evolving. |
| 33. | CORBACommon Object Request Broker Architecture. |
| 34. | Courtesy CopySee "cc". |
| 35. | CrackerA person who overcomes the security measures of a computer system and gains unauthorized access. The goal of some crackers is to obtain information illegally from a computer system or use computer resources. However, the goal of the majority is only to break into the system. |
| 36. | CrawlTo compile and organize entries for a search engine by reading Web pages and related information. Crawling is typically performed by programs called "spiders". |
| 37. | CrawlerSpider |
| 38. | Cross-postTo copy a message or news article from one newsgroup, conference topic, e-mail system, or other communications channel to another example, from a Usenet newsgroup to a CompuServe forum or from e-mail to a newsgroup. |
| 39. | Cross-site scriptingA security vulnerability of dynamic Web pages generated from a database in response to user input. With cross-site scripting, a malicious user introduces unwanted executable script or code into another user's Web session. Once running, this script could allow others to monitor the user's Web session, change what is displayed on the screen, or shut down the Web browser. Web sites that allow visitors to add comments or make other additions or changes to the pages are the most vulnerable to this flaw. Cross-site scripting is not restricted to the products of a particular vendor or a particular operating system. |
| 40. | CSSCascading Style Sheet |
| 41. | CVSConcurrent Versions System. An open-source networktransparent version control system which allows multiple developers to view and edit code simultaneously. Popular because the client-server function allows operation over the Internet. CVS maintains a single copy of the source code with a record of who initiated changes and when the changes were made. CVS was developed for the UNIX operating system and is commonly used by programmers working with Linux, Mac OS X, and other UNIX-based environments. |
| 42. | Cybercafe1. A coffee shop or restaurant that offers access to PCs or other terminals that are connected to the Internet, usually for a per-hour or per-minute fee. Users are encouraged to buy beverages or food to drink or eat while accessing the Internet. 2. A virtual cafè on the Internet, generally used for social purposes. Users interact with each other by means of a chat program or by posting messages to one another through a bulletin board system, such as in a newsgroup or on a Web site. |
| 43. | CybernautOne who spends copious time on line, exploring the Internet. Also called "internaut". |
| 44. | CybersexCommunication via electronic means, such as e-mail, chat, or newsgroups, for the purpose of sexual stimulation or gratification. |
| 45. | CyberspaceThe universe of environments, such as the Internet, in which persons interact by means of connected computers. A defining characteristic of cyberspace is that communication is independent of physical distance. |
| 46. | CyberspeakTerminology and language (often jargon, slang, and acronyms) relating to the Internet (computer-connected) environment, that is, cyberspace. |
| 47. | CybersquatterA person who registers company names and other trademarks as Internet domain names in order to force the named companies or owners of the trademarks to buy them at an inflated price. |
| 48. | CyberwidowThe spouse of a person who spends inordinate amounts of time on the Internet. |
| 49. | CybrarianSoftware used at some libraries that allows one to query a database through the use of an interactive search engine. |
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