E-Commerce Glossary

A quick look at words you may come across when dealing with e-Commerce.Experts often hide behind incomprehensible words to make even simple issues appear complex and difficult – something you cannot do without them. Well, with ShopFactory you can. But here are some of those terms that you will run into again and again, anyway.

Browser: Software that allows you to read information and navigate on the Internet The most important ones are Internet Explorer and Netscape.

Domain name: A Web site address that belongs exclusively to you and takes people straight to your Web site, wherever it is stored on the Internet.

Download: When you transfer information from the Internet to your computer.

E-commerce: While there are many definitions for e-commerce, for me it’s simply selling goods and services via the Internet.

E-mails: Electronic messages that are sent over the Internet, similar to letters.

Encryption: A process in which information is scrambled so no unauthorized person can read it

FTP: File Transfer Protocol - simply a method in which you can upload and download information to and from the Internet. Good shop building software takes care of this for you. But specialized programs can often do a better job.

Font: The name of a style of text.

HTML: The name of the programming language used to create web pages. Shop building software will take care of this - so there is no need to know it.

Internet: A worldwide network of computers.

Internet Service Provider: A company that gives you access to the Internet.

Merchant: Someone who sells goods.

Merchant account: A bank account that allows people to accept credit card payments.

Meta tags: Special information embedded in web pages, which allows search engines to index and classify your web site better.

Modem: A device that lets one computer talk to another computer via the telephone line.

Network: Several computers hooked together so the can exchange information with each other.

Online: When you have an active connection to the Internet.

PGP: Software that encrypts important information so it can be sent over the Internet securely. PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy - and goes up to military garde encryption.

Real-time payment service providers: An online service that will process credit card transactions for you - for a commission.

Redirect URL: A Web site address that belongs almost exclusively to you - and finds your Web site no matter where it is stored on the Internet.

Search engine: A Web site that helps you find other Web sites on the Internet.

Shop building software: Computer program that allows you to build a shop for the Internet.

SSL: Software called Secure Sockets Layer that encrypts information before sending it via the Internet. It is included in all browsers

Traffic: The amount of  information being passed around the Internet.

Upload: Transferring information from your computer to the Internet.

URL: Universal Resource Locator - the technical term for ‘Web site address’.

Web host: A company that rents out space on the Internet to allow you to place web pages on it.

Web page: A ‘page’ on the World Wide Web.

Web site: A ‘page’ or group of ‘pages’ on the World Wide Web.

Web site address: The address for a web site - so you can find it on the Internet with your browser.

World Wide Web: All web-sites on the Internet combined - used also as term for Internet.