Technology glossary
The terms that come up when you plan software, websites, apps, AI, automation, cloud, security, and search, explained in plain English.
A to Z
Technology terms in plain English
- AEO
- Answer engine optimization: structuring useful information so answer-oriented search experiences can interpret and surface it.
- AI agent
- A software system that can interpret a goal, choose from permitted actions, and carry out a multi-step task within defined boundaries.
- AI model
- A trained computational system that identifies patterns in input and produces outputs such as classifications, predictions, text, or recommendations.
- API
- An application programming interface that lets software systems exchange requests and data through defined rules.
- Automation
- A configured process that carries out defined actions when specified events or conditions occur.
- Backlink
- A link from one website to another; relevant, trustworthy links can help people discover content and may support search authority.
- Canonical URL
- The preferred URL specified for a page when similar or duplicate versions exist.
- CI/CD
- Continuous integration and continuous delivery or deployment: practices for testing, packaging, and releasing software in repeatable stages.
- Cloud computing
- On-demand access to computing resources such as servers, storage, databases, and managed services over a network.
- Conversion rate
- The proportion of visitors or users who complete a defined action, calculated against the relevant population.
- CRM
- Customer relationship management: tools and processes for organizing customer details, interactions, sales activity, and follow-up.
- Data pipeline
- A sequence of steps that collects, transforms, validates, and moves data between sources and destinations.
- DevOps
- A set of practices that improves collaboration between software development and operations, often through automation and shared responsibility.
- ERP
- Enterprise resource planning: connected software for managing core business operations such as finance, inventory, purchasing, and planning.
- GEO
- Generative engine optimization: making accurate, useful information easier for generative AI systems to understand and cite.
- Headless CMS
- A content management system that stores and manages content separately from the front-end presentation layer.
- Identity and access management
- Policies and systems used to identify users and control which resources and actions they are permitted to access.
- Integration
- A connection between systems that allows them to exchange data or coordinate actions.
- Machine learning
- A branch of AI in which models learn patterns from examples or data to support predictions, classifications, or other tasks.
- Metadata
- Information that describes other information, such as a page title, image description, publication date, or data field.
- MVP
- Minimum viable product: a focused initial version that tests the core value of a product with the smallest practical feature set.
- No-code
- A development approach that uses visual tools and configuration to build applications or workflows with little or no hand-written code.
- OAuth
- A standard authorization framework that allows an application to access permitted resources without receiving the user's password.
- Responsive design
- An approach to interface design that adapts layout and interaction to different screen sizes and device contexts.
- SEO
- Search engine optimization: improving technical accessibility, content relevance, and site structure to help search engines understand pages.
- Structured data
- A standardized way of describing information on a page so search engines and other software can interpret its meaning.
- Webhook
- An event-triggered message sent by one system to another when a specified action or change occurs.
- Webhook retry
- A configured attempt to resend an event notification after a delivery failure, usually with limits and backoff to avoid repeated load.
- Workflow
- A defined sequence of tasks, decisions, and handoffs used to complete a process.
- Zero-trust security
- A security approach that checks access explicitly and does not automatically trust a user or device solely because it is inside a network.
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