Tech words, in plain English.

34 terms you'll hear from web people, explained in a sentence or two, each with a guide to go deeper.

A B C G I L M P R S T Z

AI assistant: A chat tool such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Copilot that answers questions in full sentences and can name businesses. Read: How AI Assistants Like ChatGPT Choose Which Businesses to Recommend →
AI Overview: The short answer Google writes at the top of some search results, built from several websites. Read: How AI Assistants Like ChatGPT Choose Which Businesses to Recommend →
API: A doorway that lets two pieces of software talk to each other, for example your shop sending orders to your accounting tool. Read: Connecting Your Tools with Zapier and Make →
Automation: Software doing a repeat task for you, like sending a reminder or copying an order, without anyone clicking. Read: What Is Business Automation? A Plain-English Guide →
Backlink: A link to your website from another website. Good ones act like a recommendation. Read: What Is SEO? A Plain English Guide for Small Business Owners →
Backup: A saved copy of your website or data you can restore if something breaks or gets hacked. Read: How to Keep a WordPress and PHP Site Patched and Safe →
Barcode scanning: Reading a product code with a scanner or phone camera so stock counts update without typing. Read: Barcode Scanning for Small Shops: A Simple Guide →
Canonical tag: A hidden note on a page that tells Google which version of a page is the main one. Read: How to Redesign Your Website Without Losing Google Rankings →
Client portal: A private login area where your customers see their own jobs, files, quotes or invoices. Read: Why Clients Love a Client Portal (and What to Put in One) →
CMS: Content management system: the tool you use to edit your website, such as WordPress, Shopify or Wix. Read: Shopify vs WordPress vs Wix: Which Should You Choose? →
Core Web Vitals: Google's speed and stability checks for how a page feels to use on a real phone. Read: What Makes a Website Load Fast (and How to Fix a Slow One) →
Crawler: A program that visits web pages to read them, like Googlebot for Google search or the bots that AI tools use. Read: Robots.txt and Sitemaps Explained for Small Business Owners →
CRM: Customer relationship management: one place to keep every client, conversation and job. Read: What Is a CRM? A Plain-English Guide for Small Businesses →
CVE: A public ID number for a known security hole, like CVE-2026-109618, so everyone talks about the same problem. Read: PHP and WordPress Security Fixes: October 2026 Roundup →
Cycle count: Counting a small part of your stock often instead of everything once a year. Read: Cycle Counts Explained: Count Stock Without Closing →
Google Business Profile: Your free listing on Google Search and Maps with hours, photos, reviews and directions. Read: Google Business Profile Guide: Set Up and Optimize Your Free Listing →
Indexing: When Google stores a page so it can show it in results. A page that isn't indexed can't be found. Read: Robots.txt and Sitemaps Explained for Small Business Owners →
Inventory management system: Software that tracks what stock you have, where it is and when to reorder. Read: What Is an Inventory Management System? →
llms.txt: A short, proposed text file that explains your business and key pages to AI tools in plain language. Read: What Is llms.txt and Does Your Small Business Need One? →
Local SEO: Work that helps you show up when people nearby search, especially in the Google Maps box. Read: Local SEO Checklist: 15 Steps to Get Found in Your Town →
Meta description: The one- or two-line summary that can appear under your page title in search results. Read: Writing Blog Posts That Get Found on Google and in AI Answers →
Mobile-first: Designing for phone screens first, then making it work on bigger screens. Read: Mobile-First Website Design: What It Means for Your Business →
Patch: An update that fixes a bug or security hole in software like PHP, WordPress or a plugin. Read: How to Keep a WordPress and PHP Site Patched and Safe →
PHP: The programming language that runs WordPress and many other websites on the server. Read: Critical PHP Security Update (October 2026): What to Do Now →
Plugin: An add-on that gives a WordPress site extra features. Each one needs updates. Read: Duplicator and Backuply Security Fixes: Protect Your WordPress Backups →
PWA: Progressive web app: a website that can be installed on a phone and works like an app, without the app store. Read: Progressive Web Apps Explained for Small Business →
Reorder point: The stock level that tells you it is time to order more, so you do not run out. Read: Reorder Points Explained for Small Businesses →
robots.txt: A small file that tells crawlers which parts of your site they may visit. Read: Robots.txt and Sitemaps Explained for Small Business Owners →
Schema markup: Hidden labels in a page that tell search engines facts like your hours, prices, reviews and FAQs. Read: Schema Markup Explained: Help Google and AI Understand Your Business →
SEO: Search engine optimization: making your website easy for Google and AI tools to find, read and recommend. Read: What Is SEO? A Plain English Guide for Small Business Owners →
Sitemap: A list of your important pages, in a file, so search engines can find them all. Read: Robots.txt and Sitemaps Explained for Small Business Owners →
Staff roles: Settings that decide what each person can see and change in a system. Read: Staff Roles and Permissions: Who Should See What in Your System →
Two-step sign-in: Logging in with a password plus a second check, like a code on your phone. Read: How to Keep a WordPress and PHP Site Patched and Safe →
Zapier and Make: Popular tools that connect apps so an action in one starts an action in another. Read: Connecting Your Tools with Zapier and Make →