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Glossary

Web and tech glossary

43 web, hosting, SEO, email and AI terms explained in plain English, each linked to a free tool or guide so you can put it into practice.

3

301 redirect: A permanent redirect that passes rankings to a new URL.

A

A record: A DNS record that points a domain to an IPv4 address.
AI agent: Software that uses AI to understand requests and take actions.
API: A way for software systems to talk to each other.

B

Backlink: A link from another website to yours.

C

Canonical URL: The preferred version of a page for search engines.
CDN (content delivery network): A network of servers that delivers your site from locations near visitors.
Cloudflare: A CDN and security service that sits in front of websites.
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): How much the page jumps around while loading.
CNAME record: A DNS record that makes one hostname an alias of another.
Content Security Policy (CSP): A header that limits which scripts and resources a page may load.
Conversion rate: The share of visitors who complete a goal.
Core Web Vitals: Google’s three page-experience metrics: LCP, INP and CLS.

D

Dedicated server: A whole physical server reserved for one customer.
DKIM: A digital signature that proves an email was not altered.
DMARC: A policy telling receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM.
DNS (Domain Name System): The internet’s address book that turns domain names into IP addresses.

E

End-of-service gratuity: The lump sum UAE private-sector employees receive when they leave.

G

GEO (generative engine optimisation): Optimising content to be cited by AI assistants.

H

hreflang: A tag that tells search engines which language version to show.
HSTS: A header that forces browsers to always use HTTPS.
HTTPS: The secure, encrypted version of HTTP.

I

INP (Interaction to Next Paint): How quickly a page responds to taps and clicks.

J

JSON: A lightweight text format for structured data.
JSON-LD: The recommended format for adding structured data to web pages.

L

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): How long the main content of a page takes to appear.
LLM (large language model): An AI model trained on text to understand and generate language.
llms.txt: A Markdown file that summarises a website for AI models.

M

MX record: A DNS record that tells the world where to deliver your email.

R

RAG (retrieval-augmented generation): Letting an AI answer from your own documents.
robots.txt: A file that tells crawlers which parts of a site they may visit.

S

Schema markup (structured data): Code that describes a page’s content to search engines.
SEO (search engine optimisation): Improving a website so it ranks higher in search results.
SPF: A DNS record listing the servers allowed to send email for your domain.
SSL/TLS certificate: What makes a website load over https with the padlock.

T

Token (AI): The unit of text AI models read and are billed by.
TTFB (time to first byte): How long the server takes to start sending a page.
TTL (time to live): How long DNS resolvers cache a record.

U

UAE VAT: The 5% value added tax charged on most goods and services in the UAE.
UTM parameters: Tags added to links to track where visitors come from.

V

VPS (virtual private server): A virtual server with guaranteed resources, more powerful than shared hosting.

W

Webhook: An automatic message one system sends another when something happens.
Workflow automation: Using software to run repetitive business steps automatically.

Why a web and AI glossary?

Technical terms get in the way of good decisions. When a proposal mentions CDNs, DMARC, Core Web Vitals or RAG, you should know what you are paying for. Each entry gives a one-sentence definition first, then why it matters for a UAE business, and links to the guide, tool or service where it comes up.

Frequently asked questions

How many terms are in the glossary?

Several dozen core terms across websites, hosting, SEO, email, security and AI, with more added regularly.

Who is the glossary for?

Business owners and marketing teams who work with developers and agencies and want to understand the language.

How are terms chosen?

From the questions clients ask us most and the terms that appear in proposals and reports.

Can I suggest a term?

Yes. Email [email protected] and we will add it.

Are definitions technical?

No. Each starts with a plain-English sentence, and only goes deeper where it helps.

What is the most important term to understand?

For most businesses: Core Web Vitals for speed, DMARC for email deliverability, and local SEO for being found on Google Maps.

Do glossary pages link to tools?

Yes. Where a free tool can check or calculate the thing being defined, the entry links to it.

Is the glossary available in Arabic?

Arabic definitions are planned for the Arabic version of the site.

Can I cite a definition?

Yes, with a link to the entry.

Where do I go after reading a definition?

Follow the related guide for detail, or the related service if you want us to handle it.