Before you start your own website, be sure you know all the terminology to purchase what you need and speak knowledgeably with your developer and tech support

1. Websites 101
What you didn’t know that you didn’t know.
Websites for Dummies

2. Your Instructor
Laura Hartwig is a WordPress Website Developer
and Trainer. She ran WordPress Westchester for
3 years in NY. She has presented at WordCamps
in NY, CT, and NC, she uses her skills to create
powerful, flexible, easy-to-use websites for small
businesses. She is also the author of
WPDecoder.com
Follow this presentation at
https://www.slideshare.net/LauraHartwig

3. What we’ll cover
Vocabulary
What you need to start a website
SEO
Security
Follow along: slideshare.net/LauraHartwig
Tip
SEO stands for Search
Engine Optimization.
This is about how you
rank on Google, Bing,
etc.

4. Vocabulary
This first set of vocabulary will
help you understand tech
support and your developer.

5. PC - Personal computer. Often referred to
as a desktop. This computer has a CPU,
keyboard, mouse and screen.
Mac - An Apple computer. Can be a
desktop or a laptop.
Laptop - (notebook) portable computers
that consist of a screen & keyboard
Tablet - A portable computer that uses a
touchscreen as the primary input device
instead of a keyboard and/or mouse.
Computers

6. Hardware - the collection of physical parts
of a computer system. This includes the
computer case, monitor, keyboard, and
mouse. It also includes all the parts inside
the computer case, such as the hard disk
drive, motherboard, video card, and many
others.
Software - Computer programs, a generic
term used to refer to applications, scripts
and programs that run on a device.
Hardware/Software

7. Operating System (OS)-software that
communicates with the hardware and
allows other programs to run. The most
common are Microsoft Windows, Apple
macOS, Google’s Andriod OS, and Linux.
Software

8. Browser - is a software application used to locate, retrieve and display content
on the World Wide Web (www) , including webpages, images, video and other
files. The main browsers are Chrome, Firefox, Edge (used to be Explorer), Safari
Software

9. Search Engine - a service that allows
Internet users to search for content via the
World Wide Web (WWW). A user enters
keywords or key phrases into a search
engine and receives a list of Web content
results in the form of websites, images,
videos or other online data. You use
browsers to access search engines.
Software

10. Screen size (y)
VS
Window size (x)
Screen size is the size of your
monitor screen
Window size is the size of your
browser.

11. Parts of the
Browser
Window
Address Bar (URL)
where you can view
domain name.
Refresh button (Reload
the page)
Tools (looks different
now) this is where you
can clear your cookies
and history

12. Caching
Your computer and search
engine have a caching system
that stores images and
webpages you have seen in
the past so that you can view
them more quickly. Your
modem can also cache.

13. Router & Modem
The main difference between the two devices is that a modem lets you connect to
the internet, while a router distributes that connection to different devices. A
modem is your gateway to the web, while a router is a central hub for your devices.

14. Private Browsing
This can be helpful if you’ve
made changes to your site
but you don’t see them.
Private browsers don’t cache
pages like regular browsers
do, but keep in mind there
could be other caches.
Be sure to clear cache as
well by refreshing

15. Cookies

16. IP Address
is a unique string of numbers separated by periods
that identifies each computer using the Internet
Protocol to communicate over a network.

17. Domain name
A domain name (or URL Uniform
Resource Locator) is a unique name that
identifies a website. Each website has a
domain name that serves as an address,
which is used to access the website
DNS (Domain Name System) The Internet's system for converting alphabetic names
into numeric IP addresses. For example, when a Web address (URL) is typed into a
browser, DNS servers return the IP address of the Web server associated with that
name. *MX records for your email will be a part of this.

18. Domain name
Each page of your website will have
a unique URL . So, if your domain
name is
https://mydomain.com
Your contact page might be
https://mydomain.com/contact
.com is a designator. Other organization type designators you may have seen include:
.com = Commercial, .gov = Government and .org = Organization, .edu=Educational institution
I would recommend that you get a .com domain name.

19. Sub Domain
Indicates a site within a site
So, if your domain name is
https://mydomain.com
Your contact page might be
https://products.mydomain.com
Sub domains are usually free although the extra hosting required could cost extra.
Parked Domains are basically an alias domain name to your primary domain, it will be
pointing to the same webpages as your primary domain is pointing to

20. HTTP vs HTTPS
hypertext transfer protocol secure
This means that information sent
across this connect are encrypted and
secure.
A Secure Sockets Layer certificate (SSL certificate) is a small data file installed on a
Web server that allows for a secure connection between the server and a Web
browser. You’ll need to purchase or get one of these from your hosting company.
Better hosting companies will give them to you free. You will need this for SEO,
security, and it is required if you will be selling anything on your site.

21. What you will need to
create a website:
Domain name
Hosting Tip
Siteground is a great
host for beginner users.

22. Hosting Servers
Hosting servers are most often used for
hosting Web sites but can also be used for
hosting files, images, games and similar
content. They are hardware owned by the
hosting company with software on them.
Basically, they are like really big CPU’s.

23. Website Hosting
Shared Hosting - the cheapest option.
Your files are stored on the same server
with other people’s files.
VPS - (Virtual Private Server) - you have
dedicated amounts of RAM available to
you at any time and can have software
running you need.
Dedicated Server - you have the entire
server.

24. Cloud
Hosting
Cloud hosting simply
means that copies of
your files are stored
across several different
servers so that if one
goes down, there are
backups on others, so
you won’t lose your data
or your access.

25. Costs
A domain name usually costs about $10-$15/year unless you want a highly sought
after name. Usually you can get the name of your business with no problem, or just
add “sc” at the end or some version of your name.
Hosting can cost anywhere from $3/month up to almost unlimited. You can get
decent hosting for $10-$15/month. Remember that you get what you pay for.
Higher prices usually include faster server speeds, backups, more storage space and
better support.

26. Siteground Hosting

27. Hosting Vocabulary
Disk Space or Web Space - how much space (storage capacity) you are allowed to use on the server.
CMS (Content Management System) - a software application that can be used to manage the creation
and modification of digital content. Like WordPress for example. Gives you a way to easily manage
your website.
Database -Dynamic websites use a database to store information. Databases are kinda like big excel
files. Sometimes called a MySQL database.
CDN - (Content Delivery Network) - an intermediary for your website that can speed up your site and
protect your site from different attacks including DoS (denial-of-service). One common (and free for
smaller sites) CDN is Cloudflare.com.
Backups - Good hosting companies will do daily backups of your site so if anything happens to your
site, you can go back to a previous version of your site.
Staging - is a nice bonus. This allows you to create a copy of your site so you can test out changes to
your site before the changes go live. This is important when you are doing large updates.

28. Data Transfer or Bandwidth
Data Transfer or Bandwidth - refers to the total amount of bytes of data a server transfers to a
particular website in a given period of time. Most hosting plans measure the amount of data
transferred across a server over a 30 day or one month period. In regards to your website, the less
bandwidth your web server provides, the slower the server transfers data when visitors arrive at your
website and the more time it takes visitors to load your website, regardless of their Internet
connection speed. A prime example of when bandwidth would directly affect speed is when Internet
surfers download songs, videos or any file across the Internet. The greater the bandwidth, the faster a
given file will transfer across the network at any given time. Simply stated, larger bandwidth means
files download faster.
Keeping file sizes small is the main way website owners can control their bandwidth usage. Using large
images on a website is the main way most people go over their bandwidth limit. It is important that
website owners use images and file types that consume the least amount of bandwidth to ensure that
their site loads quickly and seamlessly for website visitors. Staying away from bandwidth hogs like
flash files, song files and streamed video is another great way to keep bandwidth consumption to a
minimum.

29. Free Websites
There are some hosting companies like WordPress.com that offer “free” website
hosting, but keep in mind that the resources are very limited. You will probably
have ads on your site. What you can do with your site is limited. Also, beware of ads
for free “website builders”, which is not the same as free hosting.
Website builders help you create a website, but you still have to pay for hosting
and domain name.

30. Email
Use @yourdomain.com if possible. It looks more professional and reduces some
send problems because you are less likely to be considered spam.
I would recommend using an email client like gmail (you can pay to set it up with
your domain name rather than @gmail.com). In general, the functionality is much
better and there are higher limits. Also, if you change hosting companies, you can
don’t have to transfer your emails, which can be somewhat complicated. However,
if you don’t plan to use your email much, you can usually get email as a free add-on
to your hosting account.
If you do transfer your site or have to make any changes to your DNS, be sure that
your email MX settings are correct.

31. WordPress.org
vs
WordPress.com

33. Tip
Make sure you install a
SSL certificate first.

34. Don’t
Don’t leave your
username as “admin”
Do
Always choose https
(meaning you have a
SSL certificate) when
possible.

35. File Types
Image file types: .jpg, .gif, .png
Document file types: .pdf, .docx, .pptx, .xls
Video file types: .webm, .mpg, .ogg,
.mp4, .avi, .mov
These are not the only types, but the
most common.

36. PDFs
First, beware of using Word Docs if someone might take your document an
alter it. In general, it’s better to use PDFs.
When updating a document, like menus, for example, on your website, I
recommend you delete the old file and name the new file the same so you
don't’ have to worry about broken links or old information that might confuse
people.
If you have a choice, always choose text over PDFs, or give both options. Text
is much easier to read, especially on mobile, and Google cannot “read” PDFs, so
it’s better for search and SEO.

37. File Sizes
File sizes are important for two main reasons:
1. You have a limited amount of space on your hosting server
2. Smaller file sizes will load faster making your end user happy
Text takes very little space. PDFs and similar docs take up a little more.
Images take up more space. Videos take up the most space.

38. File Sizes -Images
Image resolution has to do with PPI (pixels per inch) rather than the actual size
of the image. Images on the web are measured in pixels rather than inches.
.png files usually have higher resolution and higher file sizes. .gif files tend to
have the lowest resolution and lower files sizes. You can compress many
images through photo editing software. Always use the smallest acceptable
size for both resolution and dimensions.

39. Websites use PPI (pixels per inch). Printers use DPI (dots per inch)

40. Video
Use YouTube - It saves server space, helps videos play faster, it’s free, and you
get passerby traffic as well.

41. A word about content
Do NOT take content from other sites or Google searches. You WILL be sued.
There are lots of sites that offer free images that you can use without violating
copyright. However, it’s always nice to give people credit. Pexels.com,
Pixabay.com, Picjumbo.com.
You can also find a better selection of images you can buy at iStock.com
Please write your own content or hire a copywriter to write for you.

42. Mobile
Do NOT accept a site that doesn’t work on mobile.
Test on mobile and many computers to make sure your site is useable. Click the
links. Turn your phone both ways.
You can start by shrinking your browser window to see how it looks on smaller
devices.

43. SEO Tips
➔ Use Page Hierarchy
➔ Name All Images Something
Meaningful
➔ Keep Content Updated
➔ Remember Page Speed is
important
➔ Use HTTPS
➔ Use Internal Links
➔ Make Sure There is Text on the
Home Page

44. Security
Even if you think you would not be a target, you are
➔ Use a strong password
➔ Remove Unused
sites/files/users
➔ Backup to your
site/host/computer/file share
service like Dropbox.com
➔ Backup to your files on your
computer with Carbonite or the
like.
➔ Security scans for malware

45. Social Media & Email Marketing
Set it up and use it! This is free marketing people!
Don’t give out your passwords. All social media has ways you can give users
limited access. This is also true for email marketing sites like Mailchimp.
Don’t buy email lists.

46. Google Ads & Facebook Ads
Although they can be very effective, they are also very
expensive. Make sure you have someone who knows what they
are doing set them up or you will just be wasting money sending
ads to people who are not your target market.

47. Questions?
LauraHartwigDesign@gmail.com
https://www.slideshare.net/LauraHartwig