Branding Glossary
50+ essential terms for branding, domains, DNS, SEO, and social media — explained simply.
A
A Record
A DNS record that maps a domain name to an IPv4 address, directing web traffic to the correct server.
Aftermarket
The secondary market where previously registered domain names are bought and sold, often at premium prices.
B
Backorder
A service that attempts to register a domain name on your behalf the moment it becomes available after expiration.
Brand Architecture
The organizational structure of a company's brands, sub-brands, and products, defining how they relate to each other.
Brand Equity
The commercial value derived from consumer perception of a brand name, built through awareness, loyalty, and associations.
Brand Guidelines
A document that defines the rules for how a brand is presented visually and verbally, ensuring consistency across all touchpoints.
Brand Identity
The collection of visual and verbal elements that represent a brand, including logo, colors, typography, voice, and messaging.
Brand Positioning
The strategic process of establishing a distinct place for your brand in the minds of your target audience relative to competitors.
Brand Voice
The consistent personality and tone expressed through a brand's communications, reflecting its values and character.
C
Canonical URL
An HTML element that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page, preventing duplicate content issues.
ccTLD
Country Code Top-Level Domain — a two-letter domain extension assigned to a specific country, like .uk, .de, or .jp.
CDN
Content Delivery Network — a geographically distributed network of servers that delivers web content faster by serving it from the nearest location.
CNAME
Canonical Name record — a DNS record that maps an alias domain name to the true (canonical) domain name.
Color Palette
The defined set of colors used consistently across all brand materials, typically including primary, secondary, and accent colors.
D
DBA
"Doing Business As" — a registration that allows a business to operate under a name different from its legal entity name.
DNS
Domain Name System — the internet's phone book that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses computers use to communicate.
Domain Forwarding
Automatically redirecting visitors from one domain to another, useful for alternative spellings or legacy domains.
Domain Hack
A creative use of a domain extension as part of the brand name, like del.icio.us or bit.ly, where the TLD completes the word.
Domain Parking
Registering a domain without connecting it to a website, often displaying ads or a placeholder page to generate revenue.
E
Exact Match Domain
A domain that exactly matches a search query (e.g., cheapflights.com), historically valued for SEO though less impactful today.
F
Favicon
A small icon (typically 16×16 or 32×32 pixels) displayed in browser tabs, bookmarks, and address bars to identify a website.
G
gTLD
Generic Top-Level Domain — domain extensions not tied to a country, like .com, .org, .net, and newer ones like .app, .io, .ai.
H
Handle
A username or screen name used to identify a user on social media platforms, typically prefixed with @ (e.g., @brandscout).
L
Logo Mark
The icon or symbol portion of a logo that can stand alone without text, like Apple's apple or Nike's swoosh.
M
Meta Tag
HTML elements in a page's head section that provide metadata about the page to search engines and social platforms.
Monogram
A logo design consisting of intertwined or combined initials or letters, like IBM or HBO.
MX Record
Mail Exchange record — a DNS record that specifies the mail server responsible for receiving email for a domain.
N
Nameserver
A server that stores DNS records and responds to queries about domain names, translating them to IP addresses.
O
OG Tag
Open Graph tag — HTML meta tags that control how content appears when shared on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
P
R
RDAP
Registration Data Access Protocol — the modern replacement for WHOIS that provides domain registration data in a structured, standardized format.
Registrant
The person or organization that has registered a domain name and holds the rights to use it.
Registrar
An accredited organization authorized to register domain names on behalf of customers (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare).
S
Schema Markup
Structured data added to HTML that helps search engines understand page content and display rich results in search listings.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization — the practice of improving a website's visibility in organic search results through content, technical, and off-page strategies.
SERP
Search Engine Results Page — the page displayed by a search engine in response to a query, containing organic and paid results.
Service Mark
Similar to a trademark but specifically protects the name or logo of a service rather than a physical product.
Slogan
A memorable phrase used in advertising campaigns that may change over time, as opposed to a tagline which is more permanent.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer — a security protocol that encrypts data between a web server and browser, indicated by HTTPS and the padlock icon.
Style Guide
A comprehensive document defining the visual and editorial standards for a brand, including design specs, writing tone, and usage rules.
Subdomain
A prefix added to a domain name to organize or separate sections of a website (e.g., blog.example.com or shop.example.com).
T
Tagline
A short, memorable phrase that captures the essence of a brand's identity or promise, used consistently over time.
TLD
Top-Level Domain — the last segment of a domain name after the final dot, such as .com, .org, .net, or .io.
Tone
The emotional inflection applied to a brand's voice depending on context — formal in legal pages, friendly in social media, urgent in promotions.
Trademark
A legally registered word, phrase, symbol, or design that identifies and distinguishes the products of one company from others.
Typography
The art and technique of selecting and arranging typefaces as part of a brand's visual identity, affecting readability and personality.
U
Username
A unique identifier chosen by a user to represent themselves on a platform, critical for brand consistency across the web.
V
Value Proposition
A clear statement explaining how a product or brand solves a problem, delivers benefits, and why customers should choose it over alternatives.
W
WHOIS
A protocol and database used to look up registration information for domain names, including registrant, registrar, and expiration dates.
Wildcard DNS
A DNS record using an asterisk (*) that matches requests for non-existent subdomains, routing all unmatched traffic to a specified destination.
Wordmark
A logo design that consists entirely of the brand's name in a distinctive typeface, like Google, Coca-Cola, or FedEx.