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Glossary
Bad neighborhood

Bad neighborhood

Bad neighborhoods are groups of websites that search engines have downgraded because they violate search engine guidelines. Bad neighborhoods include sites that post spam content or use negative SEO techniques. Search engines may penalize your site's ranking if you end up in a bad neighborhood. 

Search engines create bad neighborhoods by direct or indirect association, such as when site owners pay for backlinks or search engines find external links to and from low-quality websites. 

Your website may be placed in a bad neighborhood if it has: 

  • Spam — Websites that contain irrelevant, low-quality content lowers the website’s SEO value
  • Bad links — Websites with links that lead to parts of the internet called PPC (pills, explicit adult content, casinos) can have a lowered reputation and ranking
  • Too many external links — Sites with too many links unrelated to the core content can be classified as link-building sites, resulting in a lower ranking
  • Too many ads — A website flooded with ads will be indexed as low quality, especially if the ads don’t relate to the website's content
  • Misleading content — A website that links to sites with misleading or inaccurate content or content that spreads misinformation can end up in a bad neighborhood
  • Paid links — Buying links for SEO improvement is an old method to gain search preference that Google's algorithm now punishes

To improve your SEO and keep your website out of bad neighborhoods, Webflow offers an essential guide to SEO and SEO tips. Learn more about SEO fundamentals.

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Other glossary terms

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Twitter button

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A Webflow element that embeds a Twitter Follow or Tweet button into your site.

Target

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The currently selected element.

Selector state

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A pseudo-class that allows you to change the styles of an element when it is hovered, pressed, or focused.

Plugin

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A plugin, also called an add-on or extension, is a software component that enhances the host or browser or application by adding new features or capabilities to it.

Content optimization system (COS)

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A content optimization system (COS) is software that lets you optimize website content to attract more traffic.

Meta keywords

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Meta keywords are words or phrases you can include in your web page's metadata.

States dropdown menu

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The dropdown menu to the right of the Selector field that allows you to access and change the styles of an element when it is hovered, pressed, or focused.

Video

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A Webflow element that displays externally hosted videos such as YouTube and Vimeo.

CRUD

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CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete — the four basic operations all software applications should perform.

Static page

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A static page is a document with fixed content that makes up an individual web page on your site.

Total Site Pages

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The amount of pages your site currently has.

Buffer

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A buffer is a temporary storage area that holds data while transferring it between different components or systems.

Literal

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In JavaScript, literals are fixed values written directly into the code.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

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A standard markup language that web browsers use to display websites.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a collection of strategies to enhance a website’s ranking and visibility on search engines.

Resource Description Framework (RDF)

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The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a standardized framework developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that facilitates automated data exchange between web systems and applications.

Parameter

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A parameter is a programming variable or value that transfers data between functions.

Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS)

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Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a secure protocol facilitating encrypted exchanges of information between web browsers and servers.

Display property

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Display properties operate like instructions that tell a browser how to display the different parts of a webpage. You can customize an element’s appearance and layout by changing its display property.

Design mode

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The mode that enables a designer to build in Webflow.

Unbranded form submission notification

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Form submission notifications that have no reference to Webflow (e.g., notifications sent from “no-reply@webforms.io” instead of “no-reply@webflow.com”).

Primitive

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A primitive is the simplest JavaScript data type, representing fundamental values that do not encapsulate any object, method, or property.

Optimization

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Optimization is a systematic approach to improve a website's appearance, functionality, and visual appeal to enhance the user experience, improve search engine rankings, and achieve business objectives.

Last updated

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The last time someone made a change to your site.

Dashboard

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From your Dashboard, you can access, create, and manage all your sites.

DHTML

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DHTML, or Dynamic HTML, is a web-development technique combining HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create dynamic, interactive web pages and complex web applications.

Public site

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A Webflow site that is publicly visible in your public profile and in Made in Webflow search results.

Parent folder

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A parent folder is a directory containing one or more folders and files.

Slug

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A slug, also known as a URL slug or a website slug, is descriptive text that appears at the end of a URL and identifies a web page.

URL redirect

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URL redirect, or URL forwarding, is a web server function that automatically sends users from one web address to another.

Account notifications

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Account notifications update you about activity in your account. New notifications appear on your Webflow Dashboard after you log in.

Margin

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Margins are an essential spacing element of web design, dictating the amount of whitespace between a box and its surroundings.

Bottom margin

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The spacing between the bottom border of an element and the element(s) below it.

CRLF

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On Windows-based systems, the sequence of two ASCII characters representing a line break in text files is called "Carriage Return, Line Feed," or CRLF.

Total Form Submissions

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The amount of times a site visitor submits data using your site's form(s).

Last published

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The last time your site was published.

Inheritance

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Inheritance describes a principle where child elements adopt the style properties of parent elements.

Gutters

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Gutters refer to the whitespace between content columns on a webpage.

Cascading rules

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The order in which a Webflow site's CSS styles flow from desktop to mobile breakpoints.

Modal window

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A modal window (or modal) is a web element that displays above all content and restricts user interaction until it’s manually dismissed.

Hyperlink

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Hyperlinks are clickable elements that allow users to navigate between web pages, documents, or other types of digital content.

Idempotent

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Idempotency is a computing principle where multiple applications of a function or operation produce the same result as a single execution.

Page name

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The title of a page in your site. This is visible in the Pages panel.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

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File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows for the transfer of files between two parties over TCP/IP-based communication channels, such as the internet.

Page settings

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You can manage your site pages within Page settings. Here, you can rename, duplicate, delete, or save pages as drafts. You can also set SEO, Open Graph, and site search settings, as well as insert custom code. Additionally, you can set RSS settings for Collection pages.

User interface (UI)

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A user interface (UI) is any visual element humans interact with on a device, webpage, or application.

Display: inline

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The display: inline CSS property is a display option that controls an element’s appearance and layout.

Redo

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To move forward one step while making changes to a Webflow site.

ATAG

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Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) are a layered rule-set that influence how designers and developers create a more accessible internet.

Urgency

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Urgency is a marketing term and psychological trigger that incites potential customers and website visitors to act swiftly.

Application context

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An application context is a set of data that identifies an application’s tasks, where those tasks originate, and how those tasks are configured.

Meta description

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An HTML attribute you can use to give a short description of the contents of a webpage. Search engines often display this in results pages (SERPs).

Element settings panel

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The second panel on the right side of the Designer. Here, you can change element-specific settings such as the element ID, Custom attributes, Search index settings, Editor settings, etc. You can learn more about the element settings for a specific element by searching for the element’s name on Webflow University.

Certificate authority

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A certificate authority (CA), also known as a certification authority, issues digital certificates that verify a website’s owner.

Webclip

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A 256 x 256 px image associated with your website that shows up when your website link is saved to an iPhone home screen.

Mobile (landscape) breakpoint

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A Webflow canvas setting that lets you create styles for viewports with a minimum width of 480px and a maximum width of 767px. Also known as the mobile landscape media query.

Undo

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To move backward one step while making changes to a Webflow site.

Subdomain

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The part of a domain that comes before the root domain (e.g., blog.yourwebsite.com is a subdomain whereas yourwebsite.com is the root domain).

BigInt

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BigInt, which stands for “big integer,” is a JavaScript data type. JavaScript uses data types to decide how to treat a piece of data.

Collection

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A content type (blog posts, recipes, etc.) represented by a group of fields you define. Once created, you can add individual Collection items.

Publish site

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The act of updating your live site to reflect new design changes.

Deep copy

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In programming, a deep copy is a replica of an object that doesn’t share the same references as the original. That way, if you make changes to the duplicate, the original stays the same.

Browser

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A browser, or web browser, is a software program that allows users to access, navigate, and interact with websites on the internet.

Total asset size

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The total weight of your site's HTML, CSS, JS, and images.

Constant

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In coding, a constant is a fixed value that can’t change, no matter where it appears or what the program uses it for.

Switch field

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Available in CMS Collections. This field offers you a powerful filtering tool for Collection items. For example, you could create a switch labeled "Featured?" for Blog Posts, and then switch on the toggle to showcase particular posts.

Sitemap URL

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The location your sitemap is stored in relation to your site, and what’s used when submitting your sitemap to search engines.

Mobile (portrait) breakpoint

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A Webflow canvas setting that lets you create styles for viewports with a minimum width of 240px and a maximum width of 479px. Also known as the mobile portrait media query.

Free plan

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The perfect Webflow subscription for getting started, giving you access to all Designer features, so you can start building a site right away.

Width: auto

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The way browsers calculate an element's width automatically where Block level elements fill the available space of its parent and Inline elements shrink to the size of its children/content.

Selector

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A selector identifies and selects specific HTML elements to apply CSS styles to.

A/B testing

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A/B testing compares two different versions of something — like a web page or campaign — to determine which performs better.

Username

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The ID used to log into your Webflow account.

CMS section

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A section in the Add panel that contains elements associated with the CMS.

Checkout process

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The checkout process in ecommerce is the process that online customers go through to complete a purchase.

Flex-justify

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A flexbox property that lets you customize the alignment behavior of flex children, based on the main axis of the flex container — that is, whatever you defined as the flex-direction. Options include start, center, end, baseline, and stretch.

UI state

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The UI state changes how Collection lists display when you’re designing. The Items state is the default option, and shows the items that you have within the Collection. The Empty state doesn’t show these items and gives the designer the opportunity to design for a circumstance if/when there is no data to be displayed in the Collection list.

Language code

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A language code is a standardized code of letters and numbers that represent different languages.

Inline Frame (iframe)

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An inline frame is an HTML element that embeds an HTML document within another webpage.

Display: inline-block

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The display: inline-block CSS property defines an element’s appearance and behavior. CSS designers use this code to create website layouts.

Dynamic element

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Dynamic elements are web page components that can change based on user interaction or external factors, like a live news feed, without requiring a page refresh or reload.

Image

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A Webflow element that displays graphical files on your website.

Headless CMS

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A headless content management system (CMS) separates the front-end presentation layer from the back-end management layer, allowing for more flexible content delivery.

Color field

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A color field specifies a graphical color picker or user interface for entering a color into a text field in a seven-character, hexadecimal format.

ALPN

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ALPN stands for Application-Layer Protocol Negotiation. It’s a Transport Layer Security (TLS) extension that aids client and server identification during secure data transfers.

BiDi

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BiDi stands for bidirectional. When a document is BiDi, it supports text that reads from right to left and left to right.

JavaScript

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JavaScript is a programming language web developers use to create dynamic interactions and effects for web pages and applications.

SaaS

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Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based approach to delivering software on a subscription basis without requiring local installation.

Made in Webflow

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Made in Webflow showcases Webflow sites made by individuals and teams.

Collection item

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An individual item within a Collection. For example, in a “Blog Posts” Collection, the Collection items are individual blog posts.

Valid

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A valid CSS pseudo-class is a keyword that enables styling HTML elements based on their state or position in the document structure or web page.

Ciphertext

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Ciphertext is unreadable, encrypted data that ciphers use for security during data transit.

Adobe Fonts API token

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An Adobe Fonts API token protects and supports your data from Adobe Fonts with other programs you may be using to personalize your website’s fonts.

Accessibility tree

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A webpage’s accessibility tree indicates which parts of the page are compatible with assistive technologies such as braille displays, screen readers, and voice commands.

Item state

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The default UI state for Collection lists, which displays the items in the Collection. It is the opposite of the empty state.

Flex-basis

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Flex-basis is a CSS property used in flexboxes that sets the initial size of a flex item before it grows or shrinks.

Beacon

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A beacon — also called a web beacon or web bug — is an HTML-embedded object that tracks user behavior on a web page.

Mutable

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In JavaScript, mutable objects are dynamic elements that allow post-creation changes and modifications.

Prefetch

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Prefetch is a technique that proactively loads and caches resources to improve website performance and user experience.

Email template

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Email templates — or pre-designed HTML layouts — ensure consistent branding and visual aesthetic in marketing campaigns.
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