Dictionary of Internet Terms for Entrepreneurs - Basics of IT Communication

Introduction - Why an entrepreneur's online dictionary?

Conversations with IT teams, agencies or freelancers can sometimes resemble a conversation in a foreign language. Professionals use acronyms, technical terms and concepts that can sound like incantations to an entrepreneur. What's the result? Misunderstandings that can cost both time and money.

Poor understanding in web projects is one of the main reasonsbudget overruns. If a customer doesn't understand the difference between hosting and a domain, he may make decisions based on incomplete information. When he doesn't know what SSL or backup is, disregarding security issues becomes possible until the problem becomes critical.

Mastering basic web terminology does not mean you have to become a programmer. Rather, it's about effectively managing online projects andmaking informed business decisions. A restaurant owner doesn't have to be a chef, but should understand the difference between a main course and an appetizer.

In business practice, knowing IT terms allows you to better control projects, realistically plan budgets and ask the right questions. Instead of relying solely on trust in the contractor, you gain the tools to evaluate proposed solutions.

This guide focuses on key term categories:technical background (servers, domains, security), SEO and Internet marketing language, e-commerce terminology,UX/UI concepts and data security issues. In each category, you'll find terms that come up regularly in conversations with contractors and have a direct impact on the operation of online business.

The goal is not theoretical knowledge, but practical communication tools. Terms are discussed in a business context, with an emphasis on why they are important to the entrepreneur and how they affect the results of online projects.

Technical basics - Terms you should know

Hosting 

is where your website finds its home. It can be likened to a rented apartment for your online business.

Server

is a specific computer that stores the site's files and makes them available to visitors.

Domain 

is an online address where customers can find you - something like a postal address, but in the online world.

These three elements work together. The domain leads to the server, the server is part of the hosting, and the hosting provides all the infrastructure. Without any of these elements, your site won't work.

SSL

is something like a digital lock for your site. It makes the address start with "https://" instead of "http://." Google may consider sites without SSL unsafe, and customers will see warnings before entering. It's not an option - it's the current standard.

CDN

(Content Delivery Network) speeds up page loading by storing copies of your site on servers scattered around the world. If someone from Krakow visits your site, it loads from a Polish server, not an American one.

Backup 

is a backup of your site. Just like insurance - hopefully you won't need it, but when something goes wrong, it can save the situation. Regular backups protect against data loss, hacker attacks or upgrade errors.

HTML

is the structure of the site,CSS is its appearance, andJavaScript adds interactivity. As an entrepreneur, you don't need to be familiar with these languages, but it's worth knowing that any visual change requires CSS modifications, and new features often rely on JavaScript.

CMS

(Content Management System) enables content management without programming.WordPress is the most popular CMS - it supports as many as 40% of websites on the Internet. E-commerce systems like WooCommerce and Shopify are specialized CMSs dedicated to online stores.

Responsive design

means that the site looks good and works properly on phones, tablets and computers.Mobile-first is a design approach that involves first creating a mobile version and then adapting it to larger screens. More than half of web traffic comes from phones, so it's not a whim, but a business necessity.

SEO and marketing - The language of optimization

Keywords

are terms that your customers type into Google when looking for services like yours. If you have a hair salon in Warsaw, a good example of a keyword would be "hairdresser Warsaw Mokotow".

Positioning 

is a strategy to improve your site's visibility in search results for these phrases.

Indexing 

while it means that Google is aware of your site's existence and can display it to users.

Understanding the difference between these terms is key. A site can be indexed, but poorly positioned - Google knows it, but shows it in a distant 50th position. Or it can be well optimized for the wrong keywords, which can be compared to opening a shoe store on a street that is mainly passed by cyclists.

Google Analytics

is a tool that analyzes what is happening on your site. It shows where visitors are coming from, what exactly they are doing and when they leave the site.

Conversions

is the action you want them to perform - it could be shopping, filling out a form or making a phone call.

CTR 

(Click Through Rate) is the percentage of people who chose to click on your site after seeing it in Google results.

To illustrate: if your CTR is 2%, that means that out of every hundred people who saw your page on Google, only two clicked on it. This may suggest that your page title or description is not attractive enough.

Meta descriptions

are short descriptions of a page visible in Google under its title. They can be compared to a business card - they are designed to encourage people to click.

H1-H6 headings 

structure content in a hierarchical manner. H1 is the main title (one per page), H2 is the section sub-headings, and H3-H6 are the subsequent levels.

Local SEO

is optimization for businesses operating locally. This includes registering with Google My Business, collecting customer reviews and optimizing for phrases related to the city name. For a restaurant in Krakow, it may be more important to get first place in "pizza Krakow" than tenth place in nationwide "best pizza."

Effective SEO is a combination of technology and understanding the customer's needs - you know what they are looking for, and you help Google find it.

E-commerce - Terminology of an online store

Basket

is nothing more than a virtual place where we collect the products we plan to buy. We can freely add, remove or change their quantity before the final purchase.

Checkout

is an extremely important stage of payment - it consists of several steps, from order summary to payment confirmation. This is a key moment in the entire online sales process.

Payment gateway 

acts as a bridge, linking the store to the banking system, allowing for secure transactions.

A complicated checkout process can unfortunately deter customers. Every additional form field, next step or the need to register before purchasing can lead to cart abandonment. Best practices suggest limiting the process to 2-3 steps and allowing customers to purchase without creating an account.

Cross-selling

is to offer complementary products - for example, for a laptop we can offer a mouse and a bag.

Up-selling

while it encourages people to choose a more expensive version of the product - for example, instead of the basic model of the phone, a version with more memory.

Abandoned cart

(Abandoned cart) is when a customer has added something to the shopping cart, but has not finalized the purchase. Statistics show that on average 70% of shopping carts are abandoned, so sending automated reminder emails can significantly increase sales.

Payment systems

We divide payment systems into traditional (transfers, cards) and modern (BLIK, deferred payments, digital wallets). Integration with logistics systems automates the entire process - from order to delivery. The customer receives automatic notifications about the status of his order, and you gain full control over the delivery process.

KPI

(Key Performance Indicators) in e-commerce are key performance indicators. The primary ones include conversion rate (percentage of visitors who make a purchase), average order value, customer acquisition cost and cart abandonment rate. A store with a conversion rate of 2% and an average order value of £200 generates different results than one with a conversion rate of 4% and an average of £100.

Marketplace 

is a kind of online department store (like Amazon or Allegro), where you rent space alongside other sellers.

Own store 

is your own space on the web. A marketplace provides instant access to customers, but limits control over the shopping experience and takes commissions. A store of your own requires building traffic from the ground up, but allows you to maintain full margins and offers a consistent brand experience.

The decision between selling on a marketplace and running your own store is akin to choosing between renting space in a mall or opening your own showroom on the high street.

UX/UI and design - Usability language

User Experience (UX)

is the overall experience a user has on your site. Does he navigate through it with ease? Does he quickly find what he is looking for? Is he eager to return?

User Interface (UI)

while it involves specific visual elements - buttons, colors, fonts and content layout. UX can be compared to the floor plan of a house, and UI to its interior design.

You can have an aesthetically pleasing interface (UI), but it discourages users because of poor UX. Imagine a store with beautiful product images, but with a shopping cart hidden in the third level of the menu. On the other hand, a functional but less visually appealing site can also deter customers.

Wireframe

is a sketch of the site that shows where the various elements will be, but without the visual details. It's like an architectural plan before the finishing touches.

Mockup 

introduces colors, images and styles, presenting the finished page, albeit in a static form.

Prototype 

whereas it allows interaction - clicking, scrolling and testing functions. It's the difference between drawing a car, taking a picture of it and test driving it.

Each of these stages has a purpose. Wireframe allows you to focus on logic without being distracted by colors. Mockup shows the final look for approval. The prototype helps detect usability issues even before programming begins, which is more economical.

A/B testing 

involves comparing two versions of a page, presenting each to different groups of visitors. You can test everything: button colors, headers, layouts.

Heatmaps 

show where users click, how far they scroll down the page and which areas they ignore.

User journey 

maps the customer's journey from entry to the site to the realization of the business goal.

Call-to-action (CTA)

is an element that encourages action. Instead of using a generic "Click here," it's better to rely on specific phrases such as "Get a price list," "Schedule a consultation" or "Check availability."

Landing page 

is a landing page for an advertising campaign, focused on a single goal, often without unnecessary navigation that could be distracting.

An effective CTA combines psychology with design. A red "LAST SIGN UP" button can work very differently than a blue "See more" button. Position, color, text and context together determine its effectiveness.

Design is a process of constantly testing hypotheses about user behavior. A designer's intuition can be misleading - the key is actual customer behavior measured by hard data.

Security - Data protection terms

RODO/GDPR

is a European data protection legal solution that applies to any company that collects data about its customers. In practice, this means that you have to report what you are using the data for, allow it to be deleted upon request, and protect it from leakage. Fines can be as high as 4% of a company's annual turnover. It's not just bureaucracy-this standard builds customer trust.

Firewall

is your site's digital gatekeeper that watches over network traffic and blocks suspicious activity. It protects against hacking attempts, spam and malware.

Malware 

are malicious programs such as viruses that can steal customer data, take control of a website or encrypt files.

Phishing 

is a technique in which criminals impersonate your company in emails or on fake sites to get your login credentials or payment information.

A real-life example: a hacker creates a copy of your login page and sends a link to it to customers, impersonating your company. The customer enters data on this fake page, which gives the criminal access to the real account.

SSL Certificates

They secure the communication between your site and its users. They ensure that the data you send is encrypted and unreadable to outsiders, even if it is intercepted.

Encryption 

is a process that turns readable information into a code that can only be read with the right key.

Backup idisaster recovery

are your backup plans. Backup is the regular backup of your data. Disaster recovery is a strategy to quickly restore operations after a disaster. The difference? Backup is having a backup key, while disaster recovery is a plan on how to quickly get back to normal after a loss of access.

An effective backup should be performed automatically, regularly and be tested periodically. A copy that cannot be restored is only an illusion of security.

Privacy Policy 

explains to customers what data you collect and how you use it.

Cookies 

are small files stored in your browser that remember your preferences, products in your shopping cart or browsing history. The law requires you to report their use and get their consent.

Security is not a one-time task, but a process that goes on all the time. Regular updates, monitoring, team training and crisis scenario planning are key. It's better to invest in prevention than to later rebuild a reputation after a data breach.

Customers are increasingly checking whether a website is secure. A green padlock next to the address, a clear privacy policy, and a quick response to problems build trust-foundations for long-term business relationships.