smplx. Glossary
Glossary
The smplx. glossary explains Shopify terminology, e-commerce and SEO for store owners and developers. Quick definitions, practical explanations.
A
Admin API
Shopify's programming interface that allows you to programmatically access and modify your store data.
Learn more →API Rate Limit
The maximum number of API requests you can send per minute before Shopify starts rejecting requests.
Learn more →App
An add-on application from the Shopify App Store that extends your store's functionality, e.g. for marketing, shipping or accounting.
Learn more →B
Backlink
A link from an external website to your store -- an important trust signal for Google and a ranking factor.
Learn more →C
Canonical Tag
An HTML tag that tells Google which version of a page is the original -- important for handling duplicates in Shopify.
Learn more →Conversion Rate
The percentage of website visitors who complete an action (e.g. make a purchase). Directly influenced by store design and user experience.
Learn more →Core Web Vitals
Google's metrics for website quality: loading speed, visual stability and interactivity -- important for rankings.
Learn more →CSS
Cascading Style Sheets -- the language used to define the appearance and layout of a website.
Learn more →Custom App
An application developed specifically for your Shopify store that belongs only to you (not listed in the App Store).
Learn more →Customer Journey
The path a customer takes from the first interaction with your brand through to purchase and beyond.
Learn more →D
Data Warehouse
A system for centralised storage and analysis of large datasets from various sources (e.g. Shopify, Ads, Analytics).
Learn more →Deduplication
The removal of duplicate records, e.g. duplicate product pages or variants in Shopify.
Learn more →DNS
Domain Name System -- the address book of the internet that translates domain names into IP addresses.
Learn more →Dynamic Content
Website content that changes -- e.g. based on user behaviour, time or location.
Learn more →E
E-Commerce
The online sale of products and services over the internet -- the entire business model behind Shopify stores.
Learn more →F
Friction
Obstacles in the purchase process that prevent customers from buying -- e.g. complicated checkout, slow loading times.
Learn more →Fulfillment
The processing of orders: from order placement through shipping to returns.
Learn more →H
Headless Commerce
An architecture where frontend and backend are fully decoupled and communicate exclusively via APIs.
Learn more →Hreflang
An HTML tag that tells Google you have multilingual or regional versions of a page.
Learn more →HTTP/2
The current internet protocol for faster data transfer and improved website performance.
Learn more →I
Index
Google's database of all known web pages -- a page must be indexed in order to rank.
Learn more →Inventory Management
Managing your stock -- tracking available products and automatic updates within Shopify.
Learn more →J
JSON
JavaScript Object Notation -- a data format used by APIs to transmit structured data.
Learn more →K
Keyword
A search term that people type into Google -- the foundation of SEO and content strategy.
Learn more →Keyword Density
How often a keyword appears on a page -- important, but not the most critical SEO signal.
Learn more →L
Landing Page
A page where visitors arrive after clicking (e.g. from an ad) -- optimised for a specific action.
Learn more →Latency
The delay between request and response -- important for the perceived performance of websites.
Learn more →Liquid
Shopify's templating language for theme development -- used to design the look and feel of your store.
Learn more →Long-Tail Keyword
A longer, more specific keyword with lower search volume but higher intent (e.g. 'red running shoes under 100 dollars').
Learn more →M
Markup
Code elements such as HTML or Schema that define the structure and content of a website for browsers and search engines.
Learn more →Meta Description
The short text below the page title in Google search results -- critical for click-through rate.
Learn more →Meta Tag
HTML code in the head of a page that provides information to search engines and browsers (e.g. title, description).
Learn more →Mobile First Indexing
Google's indexing method: it ranks the mobile version of your website, not the desktop version.
Learn more →Monolith Architecture
A system where everything is tightly coupled -- typical for Shopify stores with theme customisation.
Learn more →MySQL
A database system, often used for external data storage alongside Shopify.
Learn more →N
NoSQL
An alternative database architecture (e.g. MongoDB), offering flexible data structures for complex Shopify setups.
Learn more →O
ORM (Object-Relational Mapping)
A programming tool that translates database tables into code objects -- simplifies development.
Learn more →P
Page Speed
The speed at which a page loads -- important for user experience and Google rankings.
Learn more →Payment Gateway
The service that processes payments -- e.g. Stripe, PayPal, Klarna or credit cards.
Learn more →Performance Metrics
Measurements such as load time, Time to First Byte or Cumulative Layout Shift -- all important for rankings.
Learn more →Q
QA (Quality Assurance)
Testing a store for bugs and functionality before launch -- prevents costly downtime.
Learn more →Query String
The part of a URL after the question mark, containing additional parameters (e.g. ?color=red).
Learn more →R
Ranking
The position of a page in Google search results for a keyword -- directly dependent on quality and authority.
Learn more →REST API
An approach to APIs where you request specific data -- older, but often simpler than GraphQL.
Learn more →Robots.txt
A file that tells Google which pages of your store may be crawled.
Learn more →ROI
Return on Investment -- the ratio of profit to investment. E.g. an app costs $50 but generates $500 in revenue.
Learn more →S
Scalability
The ability of a store to handle higher load (more visitors, more products) without crashing.
Learn more →Schema Markup
Structured data in HTML format that tells Google exactly what is on your page (e.g. Product, Review, Price).
Learn more →Search Intent
What the user is actually looking for -- do they want to buy, find information, compare or navigate?
Learn more →SEO
Search Engine Optimization -- all measures taken to attract organic (unpaid) visitors from Google.
Learn more →Sitemap
A file (XML or HTML) that shows Google which pages of your store exist.
Learn more →SKU
Stock Keeping Unit -- a unique code for a product or variant, e.g. 'RED-RUNNING-SHOES-42'.
Learn more →SSL/TLS
The encryption that makes your website start with https:// -- important for security and SEO.
Learn more →Static Site Generation
A method where pages are generated as ready-made HTML files -- extremely fast.
Learn more →Structured Data
Code annotations that explain to Google and other machines exactly what data is on a page.
Learn more →T
Technical Debt
Hastily written code that causes higher costs later -- like financial debt, but in code.
Learn more →Theme
A pre-built or custom design template for your store -- determines its appearance.
Learn more →Third-Party Integration
The connection of an external system (e.g. ERP, CRM, marketing) with your Shopify store.
Learn more →U
UX (User Experience)
The overall experience a user has with your store -- important for satisfaction and conversion.
Learn more →V
Variant
A version of a product, e.g. the same shirt in red, blue and green -- all variants are one product.
Learn more →W
Webhook
A mechanism through which Shopify automatically notifies external systems when an event occurs (e.g. new order).
Learn more →