When you own a business, you are constantly bombarded with options for where to invest your limited funds.  You try to research every decision, and ask all the right questions, but still are forced to 'trust your gut' more than you'd like to.

Websites aren't any different, and in a lot of ways, it's one of the hardest investments you'll make towards growing your business.  It's not because getting a website is hard, but because there are so many options, so much foreign terminology, and so little basic truths out there to help you.

I want to help you walk into your new investment in a business website armed with the basic terminology you should know to give you a chance to make an informed decision.

The software on your phone, tablet, or computer that is used to access the internet. The most common ones are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

This is what you type into a web address bar to access a website. For example, to access our site, you type in the domain: synergysquad.com

The physical computer that your website is stored on. The server typically lives in a server farm and is connected to the internet 24/7 and usually is cloned off-site to another server to reduce downtime.

This is a company that owns (or leases) servers in a server farm with the purpose of storing (or hosting) your website’s files. Your domain, email, and website can be hosted with the same, or different, providers.

This is software created by a web company that allows you to create your own website quickly and relatively easily without you needing to know how to write code.

CMS = Content Management System.  Websites built with this type of software will allow you to add to, and update, the content of your site without you needing to know how to code.

SEO = Search Engine Optimization. This is the process of optimizing your site's content and code to make it easier for search engines to read and understand. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a monthly service that you should pay for (if something is optimized it doesn't need it again!)

SEM = Search Engine Marketing.  This is the process of advertising your business using search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo. This is typically done through paid ads like Google Adwords.

Knowledge truly is power, and being informed can literally save you thousands of your hard-earned dollars when it comes to your investment in your online strategy!