At Alexem Studio, our mission is to help you increase your visibility and brand awareness, notably through the development of a web presence that lives up to your expectations! But we also know that when it’s not your specialty, the world of the web and its jargon can be intimidating.
Whether you’re the recent owner of a new Alexem Studio website 😏, or you’re trying to figure out what’s included in a quote, we’ve put together a little guide/glossary defining the essential concepts you need to know. This is the first in a series of informative articles on the subject.
Understanding these things, even if only in part, will enable you to optimally monitor your online presence and move smoothly and safely through the digital world. It’ll also help you understand what we’re talking about in some cases 😉
- Hosting and hosting provider
- Domain name and IP address
- Content management software (CMS)
- E-commerce platform
- Payment gateway
- Website builder
- Cache
- Source code
- Messaging software
- Google Services
- E-mail and alias
- Email marketing platform
- Conclusion
Hosting and hosting provider
e.g. Siteground, OVH, PlanetHoster
Hosting is the space reserved on the Internet for your website. Web hosting providers offer “plans” providing server space where your website files can be stored and accessed by visitors. In 99% of cases, the websites we design have to be accompanied by a hosting plan, as very few customers “own” their own server. It’s a bit like renting land (hosting) to build a house (site). These are unavoidable costs…
At Alexem Studio, we host our sites through different professional plans at Siteground. We make sure we have the best plans for each site according to its size (because depending on the size of your “house” and its particularities, we’ll need a different “plot”). Our hosting plans come with complete management of everything to do with your site’s server. It’s your peace-of-mind solution for your website design project. We take care of daily backups, the ability to create a“staging” (a copy of a site under development), site availability, extension and WordPress updates, technical support in the event of breakdowns, and much more.
However, if you already have an IT team, or if you feel comfortable enough to find your own hosting and manage it, this is entirely possible. However, you will need to give full access to your web provider (us) for site creation and management. Please note that if the server you choose does not meet the needs of your site or WordPress, this could cause problems for which we cannot be held responsible.
In any case, make sure you have access to your site’s hosting. At Alexem Studio, although most of our customers don’t want to get involved in server space, we can still provide access to your site on request. It should be the same with any web provider and host. If this isn’t the case, it’s possible to change host completely by migrating your site.
Domain name and registrer, IP address
A domain name is an easy-to-remember address used to access a website or online service. For example: alexemstudio.com. Domain names are bought from registrars, and although buying domain names is different from hosting, most hosting companies also offer the possibility of buying them.
The domain name serves as a readable substitute for the numerical IP address of the server where the site is hosted. The IP(Internet Protocol) address is a series of numbers that uniquely identifies each computer on the Internet. By using a domain name rather than a series of numbers, Internet navigation becomes more accessible for users, and website marketing more effective.
Technical capsule 🤖
To continue with our house-and-land metaphors, the site’s IP address is in fact your true “location” in the web universe (like GPS coordinates on a map), while the domain is the address of the site. user friendly that people will use to locate the site on the web (like the physical address 555, rue de la Conception, which will be understood by your GPS and take you to your destination).
For the connection to be made between the domain name and the IP address, your domain’s official records (DNS) must point to the correct IP address. Otherwise, the web won’t know what your domain refers to. It’s a bit like a new street in a construction project that has to be communicated to the official authorities to be properly mapped. The web world uses official records known to all developers, called DNS(Domain Name System) records, which are grouped together and accessed via name servers(Nameservers).
Let’s take the case of a site we’re redesigning as an example. The customer has an existing site that continues to be “live” during the redesign work. He chose to take on new hosting with Alexem Studio and not renew his old hosting plan. During work, we use a temporary domain that gives us access to the site to work (and to the client to see the work). When we go live, at an agreed time, we will need to access the domain’s DNS records at the current registrar and update the IP address associated with the old hosting space to the new IP address on Alexem Studio’s servers.
After a change of this kind, there is usually a delay before the new information spreads across the web, ranging from a few minutes to a maximum of 48 hours. It’s this propagation that means you may not immediately see the new site when you type the domain in the address bar after the DNS update.
In short, your web agency can register your domain name for you, on the same principle as hosting.
Content management software (CMS)
Ex. WordPress
A Content Management System (CMS) is an online software program that makes it easy to create, manage and modify a website without the need for technical knowledge of computer language. If your site uses a “proprietary” CMS (created by an agency), if it’s a bespoke site or an “in-house solution”, it could be painful and expensive to entrust the maintenance or modification of your existing site to a new agency. So give preference to standard (reusable software structures) and open source (free access and modifiable) platforms or frameworks such as WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Godaddy, Webflow. These options are well known and used by many developers.
At Alexem Studio, we work exclusively with WordPress, the most widely used CMS in the world. So, whether you come to us from another provider with your WordPress site, or want to leave us at some point (😢), know that there will be a multitude of providers able to work in your site and add functionality.
When we deliver a website, we’ll always provide you with access to your site’s back-end, so that you can take charge of managing your site, content, products, etc. We’ll also show you the basic things you need to know to get there. As everywhere else, however, we suggest you choose a complex password to avoid any risk of hacking. As WordPress is an extremely popular platform, the number of malicious programs and individuals attempting to penetrate sites is also on the rise. See our article on WordPress web security.
E-commerce platform / online store software
Ex. Woocommerce
Online store software, also known as an e-commerce platform, is a tool that grafts itself onto your site and provides all the functionality needed to sell the products on your site. It displays products, manages stock, receives payments and handles order logistics (order status from receipt to completion).
Woocommerce is a specific example of such a platform; it’s the official store extension that plugs into WordPress. Woocommerce transforms your WordPress site into a complete online store. It offers great flexibility and can be customized with numerous extensions to meet the specific needs of each company, beyond the simple sale of physical objects. With WordPress and Woocommerce, and a few other extensions, you can sell a variety of products such as :
- Simple products: unique, physical objects.
- Variable products: that vary in color, pattern, size, etc.
- Made-to-measure products: items customized to the customer’s needs.
- Subscriptions: such as monthly subscriptions to magazines or services.
- Training: online courses or webinars.
And much more! This is undoubtedly what makes WordPress + Woocommerce the ideal combination for any business owner whose business model breaks a little from the classic mold.
Payment gateway
Ex. Paypal, Stripe, SquareUpMoneris
A payment gateway is a service that authorizes online financial transactions, facilitating payment by credit card, debit card or other electronic payment methods on a website. This is an essential element for e-commerce sites, as it enables payments to be processed securely. Transaction security is guaranteed by the payment gateway, which ensures that credit card numbers and other sensitive information are encrypted. The gateway collects money from purchases made on your site, and transfers this money to the connected bank account on an ad hoc basis. Initially, payouts (fund transfers) may take a little longer, but after a while and with a good level of usage, funds can be transferred daily.
If we create an online store for you, we will need to create an account on a payment gateway (and connect it to your bank account of choice) or have you add us as admin in your existing payment gateway account in order to connect it to the website.
Site Builder
e.g. Elementor, WP Bakery, Divi, Beaver Builder
A website builder WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) is a tool that allows you to create web pages by visualizing the final rendering directly on the page, much like all well-known design software (Adobe Suite or Canva), but which generates the “code” to run it on the web in the background. This is a relatively new way of working with websites, which in the past had to be coded by hand.
Today, instead of coding by hand, a builder lets you “drag and drop” elements and format them using a highly visual and intuitive interface. This makes website creation accessible even to those without programming skills, which is why we work with a builder for our sites. Not only does this allow us to combine the design and code stages together (and save time), it also gives you a degree of autonomy in your site after it goes live.
Elementor is a popular example of such a builder, and it’s the platform we work with exclusively. We have a professional license that we “transfer” to our customers for as long as we manage their site.
Be warned, though: while we love the possibilities and freedom Elementor gives our customers (just like Canva, by the way), it’s crucial to act thoughtfully on your site to preserve the integrity of the design, the quality of the browsing experience and your credibility as a company (!). In general, we coach you well enough to explain where the limits are to the changes you should make yourself, and when to put the ball back in our court.
Cache
The cache is both our friend and foe as web users and web developers. Initially, the different levels of cache exist for a very valid reason: to enable you to access web content more quickly and easily, and to reduce server requests for the sake of performance. The role of the cache is to remember your site, so you don’t have to download everything again each time you visit.
But then again, sometimes it can play tricks on you. If you can’t see the “right thing” on the screen when you’re assured that a change has been made, or if a website behaves strangely for you when it doesn’t for others, then chances are the cache is to blame. This is generally what any technical support agent will try to eliminate as an assumption if you ask for help with any problem.
There are different levels of cache (and, in parallel, different ways of “cleaning” these caches). Without getting too technical, here’s an overview:
Browser cache: Browser = Chrome, Safari, Firefox or other. The user controls this cache and can avoid or “bypass” it by using a “private” or “incognito” browsing mode. We’ll often recommend checking the site in private mode to see if a reported bug still occurs without a browser cache. To find out how to clear your cache or access private mode, you can do a simple Google search, for example:“How to clear the cache in Chrome on Windows“, and follow the instructions.
Site cache: When you’re optimizing your site for speed, after the site has gone live, we use extensions that create a cache on the site. Normally, you’ll find a button at the top of your site’s WordPress Admin that says “clear cache” or “purge cache”, which you can use without fear. This is useful when you’ve made changes to your site via Elementor and don’t yet see them, or if something isn’t displaying as it should.
Server cache: In some cases, you can purge the server from the WordPress admin, if the extension you’re using allows it (which is the case for Siteground and its SG Optimizer extension, which optimizes site speed). If this isn’t the case, your hosting manager should be able to clear the server cache at your request. Rarely will you have to do this yourself, and your web provider will usually take care of it. But if they tell you that “we cleared the server cache and it worked”, then you’ll understand! 😉
Your computer’s DNS cache If we’ve migrated your site and against all odds, after more than 48 hours of propagation and everyone “other” than you seeing the site, you still don’t see it, well, maybe it’s because your computer’s DNS cache is stubborn and hasn’t updated its own memory from which a domain should “point”. A quick Google search will also reveal the steps to follow on your computer, depending on your operating system.
Source code
Source code is a set of instructions written in a programming language (HTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript, etc.). With a WordPress website, the source code is partly dynamic, generated in different files and folders stored on the server. Don’t try to navigate without advanced knowledge of the subject matter; you’ll get lost.
That said, everything related to it should be yours, or available to you when you want it. The ownership of the source code of the sites designed by Alexem Studio belongs to you, as stipulated in the initial contract. If you do business with another supplier, we recommend that you ask.
Your site’s source code should be backed up regularly in a safe, accessible place so that you can restore the site at an earlier date if necessary (in the case of a hack, for example) or following a major error on your part that broke the site. 😉 But fear not, Alexem’s hosting plans include daily backups!
Email software, webmail
e.g. Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Yahoo!, Gmail
E-mail software is an application installed on your computer or mobile device that lets you manage your e-mails. These programs download messages from the mail server and store them locally on your device, allowing you to read and manage them even offline. To add an e-mail account to a messaging program, we’ll enter technical information such as incoming and outgoing server details, port, password and so on. This information will be provided to you if we create one or more business e-mail accounts for you. All modern cell phones have e-mail software installed by default, so you can add your e-mail account there too.
Webmail is a mailbox accessible via a web browser. Unlike email software, you don’t need to install anything on your device; you can simply log in with your email address and password, from anywhere. Webmail offers you a flexible and convenient way to manage your e-mail online, whether you’re at home, in the office or on the move. If you choose a web hosting plan with Alexem Studio, we’ll also provide webmail access to your e-mails, usually by accessing them with a URL that looks like “mail.yourdomain.com”. This solution is particularly useful for contractors and professionals who need to access their e-mails from different locations or devices.
Google services
Google Analytics
We install Google Analytics by default on all the sites we create, to help you and us understand how visitors use your site. Imagine you had a physical store: you’d certainly want to know how many people came in, what they looked at, and after how many visits they bought something. Google Analytics does exactly that for your website. It tracks the number of visitors, their actions, and whether they achieve desired objectives, such as purchasing a product or subscribing to a newsletter. This information enables site owners to find out what works and what doesn’t, in order to improve the user experience. Setting up Google Analytics and interpreting the data to take strategic action is a specialty in itself. Although this is not our main area of expertise, we do carry out initial set-up and can refer you to experts if you are interested and have the necessary budget. We’ll also make sure you have access to your site’s Google Analytics property. This requires a Google account (Gmail or Google Workspace email).
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is another free tool offered by Google that helps website owners monitor and maintain their site’s presence in Google’s organic search results. It will tell you which keywords bring people to your site, how your site appears in search results, and whether there are any technical problems that may be preventing people from finding your site. It will monitor the indexing of your site’s pages, i.e. their positioning in search results. It’s an invaluable tool for understanding how Google sees your site, and how to optimize its visibility in searches. Google Search Console integration can be an essential part of your SEO(Search Engine Optimization) strategy, and we’re here to help you set it up properly and guide you on how to use it.
Business e-mail and alias
Like everyone who exists in 2023, you probably have an e-mail address such as @gmail.com, @outlook.com or @hotmail.com. However, as a business owner whose credibility is very important, it’s always preferable and recommended to use a so-called professional e-mail to interact with your customers. Having an email address linked to your own domain (e.g. @alexemstudio.com) not only strengthens your brand image, but also increases customer confidence in your professionalism. After registering your domain name, we recommend that you create such an e-mail address. The cost of business e-mail accounts is generally based on the number of users (for example, $9 per month per user account at Alexem Studio).
If you don’t see the need for multiple e-mail accounts, but want several “look-alike” addresses (all leading to the same mailbox), then we can create “aliases” free of charge. This can be useful for organizing different functions or departments in your company, such as information (info@alexemstudio.com), billing (facturation@alexemstudio.com), or support (help@alexemstudio.com). These aliases allow you to present a more structured image of your company, while keeping email management simple and efficient.
Email marketing platform, newsletter, mailing list
e.g. Mailchimp, mailerlite, Campaign Monitor
A newsletter is a communication sent by e-mail to a group of subscribers (mass e-mail). To send newsletters to a list of subscribers (mailing list), we use a platform designed for this purpose, commonly known as an email marketing platform (because no, Gmail doesn’t let you send an email to 500 people at once).
This leads to the need to collect e-mail addresses in a dedicated list, and to obtain permission to do so from users. That’s why we include a newsletter subscription form in 99% of our web projects.
Even if you don’t have the ambition to maintain a regular newsletter for your subscribers, it’s always a good idea to have a way of reaching your customers or interested visitors if the need arises. Newsletter, or mass e-mail, can be used to provide updates, information, news, promotions, or other relevant content.
Mostemail marketing tool platforms offer free plans, but if you have a large number of subscribers, recurring mailing requirements, or email automation needs, you can expect to pay a monthly fee, which varies according to the platform. In any case, if possible, have your own access to track dispatch statistics. We also suggest that you regularly download your subscriber list. Mailing lists are valuable (!) and an important asset for your company. And remember, you must always have explicit permission from individuals before adding them to your mailing list, in accordance with current regulations on privacy and electronic communication.
Conclusion
In short, creating and managing a professional website requires an understanding and coordination of many elements and tools. From source code to newsletters, business e-mail accounts, messaging software, webmails and essential Google services such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console, each component plays a crucial role in the effectiveness and success of your online presence.
At Alexem Studio, our design and redesign services are tailored to your specific needs, ensuring an online presence that accurately reflects your goals and your brand. We expertly configure and deploy the necessary components, and make sure you have the control and access you need to what you need.
Whether you’re new to web technology or an experienced user, we’re here to help you navigate this complex landscape. We ensure that your site is not only functional, but also efficient and in line with your business objectives.
Please contact us to find out more about how we can help you make the most of these tools and services. After all, your website isn’t just a virtual shop window; it’s a key part of your business, and we’re determined to make it a success.
