GoSmartR
GoSmartR
Reference · 26 terms
A working dictionary of the web terms we use most often. Performance, SEO, accessibility, the architectural patterns and the business model. Each entry is the version we’d give a client over a call — plain, short, opinionated where it matters.
performance · 7 terms
How fast the page feels — measured, scored, and weighted by Google.
Google’s three-metric snapshot of user experience: loading speed (LCP), interactivity (INP), and visual stability (CLS).
A score for how much the page jumps around as it loads. Anything above 0.1 means visible jank.
When the browser first paints any text, image, or non-blank content. Usually the first signal that the page is alive.
How long it takes the page to visually respond to a user input. Replaced FID as a Core Web Vital in 2024.
How long the page takes to draw its biggest above-the-fold element. The headline metric in Google’s Core Web Vitals.
A score for how quickly a page’s content visually populates. Lighthouse-only, but a useful proxy for "felt" speed.
The total time the main thread is too busy to respond to user input — measured by Lighthouse, not by real users.
seo · 5 terms
How the site explains itself to search engines and aggregators.
The official URL for a page when the same content is reachable at multiple addresses. Tells search engines which one to index.
The image that appears when a URL is shared on Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack, iMessage, etc. Specified via og:image meta.
The file at /robots.txt that tells crawlers which URLs they may and may not request. Convention, not enforcement.
A machine-readable index of every URL on the site. Hands search-engine crawlers a complete inventory without making them guess.
Machine-readable annotations in your HTML that tell search engines what the page is about. Powers rich results in SERP.
web · 7 terms
Frameworks, runtimes, and the architectural patterns under modern sites.
A content management system that exposes content via API instead of rendering its own pages. Decouples editing from presentation.
The process of attaching client-side JavaScript behavior to server-rendered HTML so the page becomes interactive.
An architectural pattern: client-side JavaScript, third-party APIs, prebuilt Markup. Optimizes for speed, scale, and security.
React components that run on the server and stream their output to the browser without shipping their JavaScript.
A browser API for declaring which links to prefetch or prerender, so navigation feels instant on hover.
Pre-rendering pages to static HTML at build time so the server has nothing to compute on each request. The fastest deploy model.
A browser-native way to animate between page states by snapshotting old and new DOM and crossfading the difference.
a11y · 3 terms
Standards and APIs for making the site usable to every visitor.
A set of HTML attributes that fill in semantic gaps for assistive tech. Used wisely it helps; used carelessly it hurts.
A CSS media query that respects users who’ve asked their OS to minimize motion. Vestibular disorders, migraines, focus.
The W3C standard for making web content accessible. Three conformance levels (A, AA, AAA); AA is the practical bar.
business · 3 terms
How studio work is priced, scoped, and measured.
Running two versions of a page in parallel and measuring which performs better on a defined metric. The basis of empirical CRO.
A pricing model where a studio quotes a fixed price for a defined deliverable. Punishes both sides when scope shifts.
A monthly engagement where a studio acts as the ongoing steward of a website. Replaces the build-and-disappear project model.
build · 1 term
Where the bytes live and how they reach the browser.