Since I work in web design everyday, there are many terms that are part of my common vocabulary that not everyone may be familiar with when related to web design. I can forget this when explaining a feature to a client and they may be left scratching their head thinking “Huh?!” I want all my clients to feel comfortable talking about the design process and understand what makes up their specific site.

I’m going to outline some of the basic terms and concepts use in web design that my clients will experience when talking to me about their project. I have included screenshots for some of these as well. To view a larger version of this template you can click here. The example used is a ready made template that is currently for sale.

Content The textual or graphical area within the website that changes depending on the page you are on.
Link text or a graphic that connects to another page.
CMS Content Management System. Software or cart that is used to manage a website. This allows the client to web content without learning code or downloading via FTP.
Site Admin If your site is managed using a CMS, the site admin is the backend of the site where you manage the content.
FTP File Transfer Protocol. The act of downloading and uploading files to the web host. Files contain the code that run the website.
Theme or Template This is the style or look of a website. The template is one file or a series of files that control the layout of the website. The template is static, it stays the same throughout the website and wraps around the content.

Template/Theme Parts

	Website Background The website background is the area behind your website in the browser window. Because visitor screen resolutions vary, its a good idea to consider this space and how it may look on wide screens if your site doesn’t expand.
	Content Area The content is the area not controlled by the template. This is the dynamic area that changes with each page. Some web design packages may include content inclusion and formatting, others do not and may be the responsibility of the client to insert.
	Navigation Site navigation is the links that connect a web visitor to other areas of your site. The navigational areas are groupings of these links and usually remain the same throughout the site. Your website may include one or more of the following navigation styles: 1. Side navigation 2. Top navigation 3. Bottom navigation
	Header and Footer 1. The header is the top space on your website. This might be a image that spans the whole site or contain more information. 2. The footer is the space at the bottom of the website. The footer contains the copyright information of the site, who designed the site and in some cases, what software powers the site. Additional information may be present.