Web Glossary: 34 Terms to Know Before a Client Meeting

The basics — terms you absolutely need to know

CMS (Content Management System) — The system that lets you manage your content (text, images, pages) without touching code. Webflow has its own built-in CMS.

Hosting — Where your website lives on the internet. With Webflow, hosting is included in the subscription.

Domain name — Your site’s address (e.g. galapa.ca). Not to be confused with hosting — they’re two separate things.

Responsive / Mobile-friendly — A site that automatically adapts to any screen size. All Webflow sites are responsive by default.

UX (User Experience) — The experience a user has on your site: is it easy to navigate? Intuitive? Pleasant? A key factor for conversions.

UI (User Interface) — The visual look of the site: colors, buttons, typography. UX = how it works. UI = how it looks.

SEO — talking about Google visibility

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) — All the techniques to appear at the top of Google results. Webflow generates clean code that natively supports SEO.

Keywords — The terms people type into Google. A good site is optimized around these words.

Meta title / Meta description — The title and summary shown in Google results. Easily editable on Webflow without code.

Page speed — How fast a page loads. Google penalizes slow sites. Webflow sites are optimized by default.

Backlinks — Links to your site from other credible sites. More backlinks = better rankings.

GEO & AEO — visibility in the AI era ✨

The web is changing. More and more people ask their questions to AI like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overview — and expect a direct answer. These terms are now essential.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — The art of optimizing your site to be cited and recommended by generative AIs (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity). The next level after SEO.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) — Optimizing your content to directly answer user questions — to appear in AI responses and zero-click results.

LLM (Large Language Model) — An AI model trained on enormous amounts of text. ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are LLMs. They’re the ones that “read” websites.

Generative Search / AI Overview — The section at the top of Google results where an AI summarizes an answer. Being cited here = maximum visibility, no click required.

Featured Snippet — The box at the very top of Google with a direct answer. The “classic” version of zero-click — and good preparation for GEO.

Structured Data (Schema Markup) — Invisible code that helps search engines and AIs understand page content. Webflow makes it easy to implement.

Performance & technical

SSL / HTTPS — The green padlock in your browser. Indicates a secure site. Automatically included on all Webflow sites.

Cache — A temporary copy of the site to speed up loading. Automatically managed on Webflow.

Integration / Webhook — A connection between the site and another tool (CRM, form, marketing tool). Webflow integrates with most common tools.

API — A “bridge” allowing two pieces of software to communicate. Useful for advanced projects.

CTA (Call to Action) — A button that invites action. Conversion happens when a visitor clicks and takes that action.

E-commerce — if you sell online

Cart / Checkout — The purchase journey: add to cart → payment → confirmation. On Shopify, optimized to maximize conversions.

Payment gateway — The tool that processes online payments (Stripe, PayPal, etc.). Separate from the platform itself.

SKU — A unique code identifying a product in inventory.

E-commerce conversion rate — The percentage of visitors who end up buying. A good rate is between 2% and 4%.

Upsell / Cross-sell — Suggesting a complementary product at the time of purchase. Natively integrated in Shopify.

Process & project

Wireframe — The site plan: a sketch showing page structure before design.

Mockup — The visual version of the site, with real colors and images — before development.

Sitemap — The navigation structure: which pages exist, how you move between them.

Go live — The moment the site goes online. At GALAPA, it’s a structured step with checklists.

Iteration — A cycle of changes. We work in rounds of revisions to refine the result.

Scope — What’s included in the project. Clearly defined from the start, it avoids friction.

Maintenance — Regular actions to keep a site functional, secure, and up to date after launch.