Terms from A to Z
Last updated: 23 October 2026 · By Maurice, freeehouse team
A record
A DNS record that connects your domain to a server's address. When you switch websites, this is usually the record that changes. See Changing a DNS record.
Accessibility
A website is accessible if people with disabilities can use it without particular difficulty, for example with a screen reader or using only the keyboard. In many cases the BFSG (German Accessibility Act) has applied since 28 June 2025. See Accessibility.
AuthInfo
The password for moving a .de domain to another provider. According to DENIC it is valid for 30 days. With other endings it's called an auth code or EPP code. See Moving a domain.
BFSG
The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (German Accessibility Act). Since 28 June 2025 it has required accessibility for, among others, many online shops and booking services for consumers. Micro-enterprises offering services are exempt.
Breadcrumb
A small navigation at the top of a page that shows where you are, such as Home, Guides, Article. It helps visitors and search engines understand the structure.
Business Profile
Your business's free Google listing with address, opening hours, photos and reviews. It appears in Google Maps and in the map view of search. See Creating a Business Profile.
Canonical
A note in the code saying which address is the definitive version of a page. It helps Google when the same content is available at several addresses.
CNAME
A DNS record that points one name to another name, for example www.yourdomain.de to the name of the hosting company.
Content management system
Software for managing a website's content without writing code. WordPress is the best known. CMS for short.
Cookie
A small file a website stores in the browser. For cookies that aren't strictly necessary you need consent under § 25 TDDDG (German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act). See Cookie banners.
Core Web Vitals
Three Google metrics for user experience: loading time of the largest content (LCP), response time (INP) and layout stability (CLS). See Improving loading times.
Crawler
A program that automatically visits and reads websites, such as Googlebot or OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot. Crawlers collect content for search engines and chat search.
Data processing
If a service provider processes personal data on your behalf, your hosting company for example, Art. 28 GDPR requires a data processing agreement, in German AVV for short.
DENIC
The central registry for domains ending in .de. Domains are usually assigned through DENIC members, meaning providers such as IONOS or STRATO.
DKIM
A digital signature for email. It proves that a message really comes from your domain and lowers the risk of landing in spam.
DMARC
A rule in the DNS that tells other mail servers how to handle messages that claim to come from your domain but fail SPF or DKIM.
DNS
The Domain Name System, the internet's phone book. It translates domains into server addresses and says where email should be delivered.
Domain
Your address on the internet, for example yourbusiness.de. It's renewed every year. See What does a domain cost?.
Doorway pages
Lots of near-identical pages built only to rank for search terms like service plus city, for example with the place name swapped out. Google classes them as spam. In German also Brückenseiten.
Hosting
The storage space on a server where your website lives and from which it is delivered. See What is hosting?.
HTTPS
The encrypted connection between browser and website, recognisable by the padlock. It requires an SSL certificate.
Index
A search engine's database of all the pages it knows and can show. Indexed means the page can appear in search results.
IndexNow
A method websites use to report new or changed pages straight away to search engines such as Bing. Google doesn't use IndexNow.
Legal notice
The Impressum: the provider identification a German business website must carry under § 5 DDG (German Digital Services Act), with name, address, contact details and other mandatory information. See Impressum and privacy.
Meta description
A short text in the code of each page that Google often shows below the title in search results. See Title and description.
MX record
The DNS record that determines which mail server receives email for your domain. It stays unchanged when you switch websites.
Nameserver
The servers responsible for your domain's DNS records. If you change nameservers, a different provider manages all your records.
noindex
An instruction in the code that forbids search engines from adding a page to their index. Useful for previews, harmful if it's forgotten on the finished site.
OAI-SearchBot
OpenAI's crawler, which picks up websites for search in ChatGPT. It must be allowed in robots.txt if you want your site to appear there.
Page title
The title in a page's code, which appears on Google as the blue clickable line. Google calls it the title link.
PageSpeed Insights
A free Google tool that measures a page's loading time and Core Web Vitals and suggests improvements.
Privacy policy
The information telling visitors which personal data a website processes and why. What has to be in it is set out mainly in Art. 13 GDPR. See Privacy policy.
Redirect
An instruction that sends visitors from an old address to a new one. When moving a site you need permanent 301 redirects. See 301 redirects.
Relaunch
Restarting a website with a new design, structure or technology. Redirects for all old addresses are essential. See Website relaunch.
Responsive
A website is responsive if it adapts to any screen size, from a phone to a large monitor.
robots.txt
A text file in a website's root directory that tells crawlers which areas they may visit.
Search Console
Google's free tool for website owners. It shows search terms, clicks and errors. See Setting up Search Console.
SEO
Search engine optimisation: everything that helps a website get found in the unpaid search results, from content and technology to how well known it is.
Sitemap
A file listing all of a website's important pages, usually at /sitemap.xml. It helps search engines find every page.
Source code
The files a website is made of: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images. Whoever owns the source code can run the site with any provider.
SPF
A DNS record that sets which servers may send email on behalf of your domain. It protects against forged senders.
SSL certificate
The certificate that makes the encrypted HTTPS connection possible. Let's Encrypt issues such certificates for free.
Structured data
Extra information in the code that tells search engines what a page is about, such as company name, address or article. It isn't displayed visibly.
Subdomain
A part placed in front of a domain, such as shop.yourbusiness.de. Free plans from website builders often use a subdomain of the provider instead of your own domain.
TDDDG
The Telekommunikation-Digitale-Dienste-Datenschutz-Gesetz (German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act), formerly TTDSG. § 25 sets out when consent is needed for cookies and similar technologies.
Teaser price
A low starting price that applies only for a limited time, such as €1 a month for one year. After that, the regular price applies. See Spotting teaser prices.
TTL
Time to Live: how long other servers may cache a DNS record. A low TTL makes changes visible everywhere faster.
Website builder
An online tool for putting a website together yourself from templates, such as Wix, Jimdo or Squarespace. Hosting is included in the subscription, but the site belongs to the system. See Website builders compared.
Sources
- DENIC: Providerwechsel bei .de-Domains
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI Crawlers
- web.dev: Core Web Vitals
- § 25 TDDDG
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