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Software, app and SEO terms explained simply
66 plain-language definitions — no jargon, no assumed knowledge.
About this glossary
This glossary explains common software development, website and search-engine terms in plain language, from API and MVP to Core Web Vitals and AEO. Each definition is short enough to read in seconds and links to a fuller guide where one exists.
3
- 301 redirect
- A permanent redirect that sends visitors and search engines from an old URL to a new one, passing on most of the old page’s search value. SEO-safe redesign checklist →
A
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)
- Structuring content so search engines and AI assistants can quote it as a direct answer — clear questions, concise answers, FAQ sections and structured data. Technical SEO checklist and AEO →
- Agile
- A way of building software in short cycles with frequent demos and feedback, so the plan can change as the team learns.
- AI agent
- Software that uses an AI model to decide the steps needed to reach a goal and then takes actions through connected tools, such as updating a CRM or booking a meeting. AI agents explained →
- API (Application Programming Interface)
- A set of rules that lets one software system talk to another, for example a website asking a payment provider to charge a card. What is API integration? →
- App Store Optimisation (ASO)
- Improving an app’s store listing — keywords, title, icon, screenshots and ratings — so more people find and install it. ASO guide →
B
- Backend
- The part of a website or app that runs on a server: databases, business logic, user accounts and APIs. Users never see it directly.
- Backlink
- A link from another website to yours. Links from relevant, trustworthy sites help search engines see your site as credible.
- Bounce rate
- The share of visits where someone leaves after viewing a single page without taking any further action.
C
- Canonical URL
- The preferred address of a page, declared with a canonical tag so search engines know which version to index when several URLs show the same content.
- CDN (Content Delivery Network)
- A global network of servers that stores copies of your website’s files close to visitors so pages load faster.
- Chatbot
- A program that holds a conversation with users, typically to answer questions. Basic bots follow scripts; AI chatbots generate answers from your content. AI chatbots for business →
- CI/CD
- Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery: automated checks and deployments that let teams release software changes quickly and safely.
- Cloud computing
- Renting servers, storage and software over the internet instead of owning hardware, paying for what you use.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
- A Core Web Vital measuring how much page content jumps around while loading. A score of 0.1 or less is considered good.
- CMS (Content Management System)
- Software, such as WordPress, that lets non-technical people create and edit website pages and posts. Headless CMS explained →
- Conversion rate
- The percentage of visitors who complete a goal, such as sending an enquiry, booking, or buying.
- Core Web Vitals
- Google’s three page-experience metrics: LCP (loading), INP (responsiveness) and CLS (visual stability). Good scores are 2.5 s, 200 ms and 0.1 or better. Core Web Vitals guide →
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
- Software that records leads, customers, conversations and deals so a team can follow up and sell more effectively. Custom vs ready-made CRM →
- Cross-platform app
- A mobile app built once and released on both Android and iOS using a framework such as Flutter or React Native. Flutter vs React Native →
D
- Dashboard
- A screen that summarises key information — numbers, charts and recent activity — so users can see what is happening at a glance.
- DevOps
- Practices and tools that combine software development and operations so applications can be built, tested, deployed and monitored reliably.
- DNS (Domain Name System)
- The internet’s address book. It translates a domain name such as example.com into the server address where the website lives.
- Domain name
- The human-readable address of a website, such as susrajtech.com, which you register and renew yearly.
E
- E-commerce
- Buying and selling products or services online, through a store, app or marketplace. How to start an online store →
- ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
- Software that connects core business functions — accounting, inventory, purchasing, HR — in one system. ERP vs CRM →
F
- Flutter
- Google’s open-source toolkit for building mobile, web and desktop apps from one codebase using the Dart language.
- Frontend
- Everything a user sees and interacts with in a website or app: layout, buttons, forms and animations.
G
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
- Making your content easy for AI assistants and AI search features to find, understand, trust and cite in their answers.
H
- Headless CMS
- A content system that stores content and delivers it by API, so any website or app can display it. The front end is built separately. Headless CMS explained →
- Hosting
- The service that stores your website’s files and makes them available to visitors, on shared, cloud or static-hosting platforms.
- HTTPS / SSL certificate
- A security layer that encrypts data between a visitor’s browser and your website, shown as a padlock. Search engines expect it.
I
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint)
- A Core Web Vital measuring how quickly a page responds when users tap or click. 200 milliseconds or less is good. It replaced FID in March 2024.
L
- Landing page
- A focused page designed for one goal, such as collecting enquiries from an advert or campaign. Landing page best practices →
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
- A Core Web Vital measuring how long the main content takes to appear. 2.5 seconds or less is good.
- LLM (Large Language Model)
- An AI model trained on large amounts of text that can understand and generate language, powering chatbots and writing tools.
M
- Marketplace
- A platform where many independent sellers list products or services and buyers choose among them. Build a marketplace →
- Multi-tenancy
- A software design where many customer organisations share one application while their data stays separate — the basis of most SaaS products.
- MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- The smallest working version of a product that solves one real problem for real users, built to learn quickly before investing more. MVP vs prototype vs PoC →
N
- Native app
- A mobile app written specifically for one platform (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android) with full access to device features. PWA vs native app →
- Next.js
- A popular React framework for building fast, SEO-friendly websites and web apps, with options for static and server rendering. Next.js vs WordPress →
P
- Payment gateway
- A service that securely processes online payments by cards, UPI, net banking and wallets on behalf of a business.
- Progressive web app (PWA)
- A website that behaves like an app: installable on the home screen, able to work with weak connectivity and send notifications. PWA vs native app →
- Proof of concept (PoC)
- A small experiment that shows whether an idea is technically possible before committing to build the full product.
- Prototype
- A clickable model of a product’s screens and flow, used to test and agree the design before development starts.
- Push notification
- A short message sent to a user’s phone by an app or website, even when it is not open.
R
- RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
- A technique where an AI first retrieves relevant passages from your documents and then writes an answer based on them, reducing made-up answers.
- React
- A popular JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces, created by Meta.
- React Native
- A framework for building mobile apps for Android and iOS with JavaScript and React.
- Responsive design
- Designing a website so its layout adapts smoothly to phones, tablets and desktops.
S
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Software that customers use online through a subscription instead of installing it, such as a CRM or accounting tool. What is SaaS? →
- Scalability
- A system’s ability to handle growth in users, data or traffic without slowing down or needing a rebuild.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
- Improving a website so it ranks higher in search results through technical quality, relevant content and trustworthy links. Technical SEO checklist →
- Sitemap (XML)
- A file that lists a website’s important pages so search engines can discover and crawl them efficiently.
- Staging environment
- A private copy of a website or app used to test changes before they go live.
- Static site
- A website built into plain files ahead of time and served from a CDN, making it very fast and secure.
- Structured data (schema markup)
- Code added to a page that tells search engines exactly what the content is — an article, product, FAQ or organisation — enabling richer results.
T
- Technical debt
- The future cost of shortcuts taken in code to ship faster. Like financial debt, it grows if it is never repaid.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA)
- A login method that needs two proofs of identity, such as a password and a one-time code, to protect accounts.
U
- UI (User Interface)
- The visual layer of a product: screens, buttons, colours and typography that people interact with.
- UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
- India’s instant payment system that lets people send money between bank accounts using a mobile app, widely used for online and in-store payments.
- UX (User Experience)
- How easy, clear and pleasant a product is to use, from the first visit to completing a task.
W
- Webhook
- An automatic message one system sends to another when an event happens, such as a payment provider telling your store an order was paid.
- Wireframe
- A simple black-and-white sketch of a screen’s layout, used early to plan structure before visual design.
- WooCommerce
- A free online-store plugin for WordPress that adds products, cart and checkout to a WordPress website.
- WordPress
- The world’s most widely used content management system, powering blogs, business sites and online stores.
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