A basic black-and-white blueprint of a webpage showing layout and structure — no colours or real images yet.

A clear statement of why someone should choose you over a competitor.

Any point of contact between your brand and a customer — ad, email, webpage, social post, phone call.

The hidden cost of shortcuts in code. Quick fixes now = more expensive problems to fix later.

Anyone with an interest in the outcome — you, your team, investors, customers. Key stakeholders = decision-makers.

When a project expands beyond what was agreed — usually without extra budget. The silent killer of projects.

Is this scalable? = Will this still work when the business grows?

Return on Investment — how much value you got back compared to what you spent.

A monthly fee paid to an agency for ongoing work — like a subscription for their services.

We may need to pivot = Change direction significantly based on new information or results.

A fictional character representing your typical customer — their goals, frustrations, and buying behaviour.

The problems and frustrations your customers experience that your product or service solves.

Consistent with your brand identity — right colours, tone of voice, and logo usage.

Consistent brand messaging everywhere a customer finds you — website, social, email, ads, in person.

Quick wins that are easy to achieve with minimal effort — agencies suggest these early to show fast results.

Key Performance Indicator — a measurable goal to track success: traffic, conversions, ranking positions.

Improving something through repeated small tweaks based on data and results.

A fancy word for brainstorming. Let’s do an ideation session = let’s have a meeting to think of ideas.

We take a holistic approach = We look at everything together. Usually means we sell more services.

The big attention-grabbing banner at the very top of a webpage — usually full-width image with a headline over it.

Let’s get more granular = Let’s look at specific details rather than the big picture.

The moment a new website or feature is switched on for the public.

Making it as easy as possible for someone to complete an action, with no obstacles along the way.

Content that stays useful long after publishing — how-to guides and FAQs. Opposite of time-sensitive news.

Your digital ecosystem = all your tools working together — website, CRM, email, social, ads.

Research at the start of a project where the agency learns about your business, audience, and goals before designing anything.

A specific output handed to the client at the end of a phase — wireframes, designs, a live website.

Let’s circle back = We’ll return to this later. Sometimes means I don’t have an answer right now.

How quickly the project budget is being spent. High burn rate = money is going fast.

A rulebook defining exactly how your logo, colours, fonts, and tone of voice must be used.

We don’t want to boil the ocean = Let’s not do everything at once. Used to manage scope.

Nothing to do with internet speed. Do you have bandwidth? means Are you free to take on more work?

We need alignment = Everyone needs to agree before we move forward. Often used to call another meeting.

A way of working in short 2-week cycles. Means we work flexibly — and also that the plan might change.

The visible area inside a browser window — what a user sees without scrolling.

User Experience — how easy and enjoyable a website is to use. Good UX means visitors find what they need without frustration.

User Interface — everything a user sees and clicks. If UX is how it works, UI is how it looks.

A digital file that encrypts data between a browser and server. Gives your site the https padlock. Google penalises sites without one.

Search Engine Optimisation — making a website rank higher on Google through content, links, and technical improvements.

A website that automatically resizes and rearranges to look good on any screen — phone, tablet, or desktop.

Sending visitors from one URL to another. 301 = permanent move; 302 = temporary.

An add-on that bolts extra functionality onto a CMS without custom coding — like an app for your website.

Designing for phone screens before desktop. Google now ranks mobile experience first.

Hidden code snippets that tell search engines what a page is about — the title and description you see in Google results.

Images load only when a user scrolls to them rather than all at once. Makes pages feel much faster on first load.

Code that makes websites interactive — dropdowns, pop-ups, live search, animations. Without it most sites would be static pages.

The padlock in your browser bar. The S means data is encrypted and secure. Google penalises sites without it.

The foundational code that structures a webpage — headings, paragraphs, images, links. Every website is built on it.

A developer who works on both front end and back end. A jack-of-all-trades coder.

Everything a user sees and interacts with — buttons, layouts, animations. The visible side of a website.

Domain Name System — the internet’s phone book. Translates yoursite.com into the server’s actual IP address.

The code that controls how a website looks — colours, fonts, spacing. HTML is the skeleton; CSS is the clothes.

Conversion Rate Optimisation. Tweaking pages to turn more visitors into customers through testing headlines, buttons, and layouts.

When a visitor does the thing you wanted — buys, fills in a form, signs up. The whole point of most websites.

Content Management System — the dashboard where you edit your site without touching code. WordPress, Webflow, and Squarespace are all CMSs.

A saved snapshot of a webpage so it loads faster next time. When your site looks stuck after an update, clearing cache usually fixes it.

The percentage of visitors who land on a page and leave without clicking anything. High bounce rate = something put them off immediately.

The behind-the-scenes machinery — databases, servers, and code users never see but that powers everything.

A connector between two software systems. Like a waiter who takes your order to the kitchen and brings back the result.

Everything visible on screen before you scroll — prime real estate for your key message and call-to-action.