Glossary
Technology terms, explained.
44 terms you will hear when working with a technology partner. Search, jump by letter, or open a term for detail and related concepts.
44 terms
A
- AEO
- Answer Engine Optimization: structuring content so search engines and AI assistants use it as the direct answer to a question.
- AI Overviews
- AI-generated summaries that Google shows at the top of some search results, with links to the sources used.
- API
- A defined way for two software systems to communicate and exchange data.
- Automation Testing
- Using scripts and tools to run software tests automatically and repeatedly.
B
- Backend
- The server-side part of an application: databases, business logic and APIs.
C
- CI/CD
- Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery: automated build, test and deployment pipelines.
- Cloud Computing
- Running software and storing data on servers provided on demand by a hosting provider.
- CMS
- Content Management System: software that lets non-technical users edit website content.
- Core Web Vitals
- Google's three user-experience metrics for page speed and stability.
- Cypress
- An open-source framework for automated end-to-end testing of web applications.
D
- DevOps
- Practices that combine development and operations to release software faster and more reliably.
- Digital Marketing
- Promoting a business through online channels such as search, social media, email and paid advertising.
- Domain
- The human-readable address of a website, such as alphatraccia.com.
E
- E-E-A-T
- Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness: the qualities Google's quality guidelines use to judge content.
F
- Fractional CTO
- A part-time chief technology officer who leads a startup's technology decisions without being a full-time hire.
- Frontend
- The part of an application users see and interact with in a browser or app.
G
- GEO
- Generative Engine Optimization: improving how often and how accurately AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity mention and cite a brand.
- Go-to-Market Strategy
- The plan for how a new product will reach its first customers: who they are, what it costs, where it is sold and how it is promoted.
- Google Business Profile
- Google's free business listing (formerly Google My Business) that appears in Google Maps and local search results.
H
- Headless Architecture
- Separating the content back end from the front end, connected through APIs.
- HTTP
- The protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages and data.
J
- JavaScript
- The programming language that runs in every web browser and, through Node.js, on servers.
L
- LLM
- Large Language Model: the type of AI model behind assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot.
- llms.txt
- A proposed plain-text file at the root of a website that gives AI tools a short, structured summary of the site and its key pages.
- Local 3-Pack
- The box of three business listings with a map that Google shows above normal results for local searches.
- Local SEO
- Optimizing a business to appear in local search results and Google Maps for searches such as “software company in Riyadh”.
M
- Mobile App
- Software installed on a phone or tablet through an app store.
- MVP
- Minimum Viable Product: the smallest version of a product that real customers can use, built to test whether the idea works.
N
- Node.js
- A runtime for running JavaScript on servers.
P
- Performance Testing
- Testing how software behaves under load, such as many users at once.
- Pitch Deck
- A short presentation, usually 10 to 15 slides, that explains a startup to investors.
- Playwright
- A framework for automated browser testing across Chromium, Firefox and WebKit.
- Product-Market Fit
- The point at which a product clearly satisfies a real market: customers keep using it, pay for it and recommend it.
Q
- QA
- Quality Assurance: the practice of making sure software works as intended before it reaches users.
R
- Regression Testing
- Re-testing existing functionality after a change to make sure nothing that worked has broken.
- REST API
- A common style of API that uses standard HTTP methods and URLs to read and change data.
S
- Schema Markup
- Structured data added to a web page (usually JSON-LD from schema.org) that tells search engines exactly what the page is about.
- SEM
- Search Engine Marketing: paid advertising on search engines such as Google.
- SEO
- Search Engine Optimisation: improving a website so it ranks higher in unpaid search results.
- SEO Audit
- A structured review of a website that finds what stops it from ranking and what to fix first.
- Social Media Marketing
- Using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube to build an audience, engage customers and generate leads.
U
W
- Web Application
- Software accessed through a browser rather than installed on a device.