Glossary
Glossary: websites, law and business
From BGB to WLAN: terms and abbreviations around a small business website, domains and email, loading speed, law and tax, explained briefly and clearly.
In short and in plain language
On this page you will find special words. Below each word you see the start of what it means. Click on a word. Then you can read the whole text.
The words are sorted from A to Z. At the top you see the letters. Click on a letter. Then you jump to the words with this letter.
At the very bottom you find a link to the questions and answers and a link to contact us.
A
- AA AA is the middle conformance level of the WCAG. It covers all success criteria of level A plus further requirements, for example on contrast, focus and keyboard operation…
- AEO AEO means preparing content so that answer engines such as voice assistants and AI search use it directly as an answer. This includes clear questions with short, unambiguous…
- AG An AG is a German stock corporation, a legal form for companies whose capital is divided into shares. It is run by a management board and supervised by a supervisory board. The…
- AI AI refers to computer programs that analyse texts, images or questions and generate answers or content from them. AI matters for a website because assistants and search engines…
- AI Act The AI Act is a European Union regulation with rules for the use of artificial intelligence. Among other things, it requires transparency, for example for chatbots and for…
- Alt text An alt text describes the content of an image in words. Screen readers read it aloud, and it appears when an image does not load. Purely decorative images get an empty alt text so…
- AO The AO is the German Fiscal Code, which contains the general rules for taxation procedures. Among other things, it governs record keeping, the business identification number and…
- API An API is a programming interface. Two programs use it to exchange data without anyone having to type anything in. One example is an online shop that passes orders on to an…
- ARIA ARIA is a W3C technique that lets developers add roles, states and properties to interface elements in the code. Screen readers use this to recognise, for example, whether a…
- AVIF AVIF is a modern image format that compresses photos and graphics strongly while keeping good quality. Smaller image files shorten the loading time of a website, especially on…
B
- B2B B2B describes business between companies, as opposed to business with private customers. A website aimed at business customers addresses different questions, such as contacts…
- B2C B2C refers to business between companies and private consumers. Selling to consumers often brings additional requirements, for example on price information, withdrawal and…
- BDSG The BDSG is the German Federal Data Protection Act, which supplements the European General Data Protection Regulation in Germany. Among other things, it contains rules on handling…
- BfDI The BfDI is the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Germany. The office advises, supervises and publishes guidance, for example on central…
- BFSG The BFSG is the German Accessibility Strengthening Act. It implements a European Union directive on accessibility. Under it, many providers of products and services for consumers…
- BGB The BGB is the German Civil Code, the central statute of German private law. It governs contracts, sales, services, liability and limitation periods, among other things. For a…
- BGBl The BGBl is the German Federal Law Gazette, in which federal laws and ordinances are officially published. A reference to it shows where the binding text of a provision can be…
- BGH The BGH is the Federal Court of Justice, Germany's highest court for civil and criminal matters. Its rulings shape how other courts assess issues such as email advertising…
- BITV The BITV is a German ordinance on accessible information technology. It sets out how websites and apps of federal public bodies must be accessible. For companies, the BFSG usually…
- BMF The BMF is the German Federal Ministry of Finance, responsible for taxes and public finances. Its circulars explain how tax offices should apply tax laws. For a business this…
- BMJ The BMJ is the German Federal Ministry of Justice. It prepares laws and explains them, for example the requirements for the legal notice of a website. Its guidance helps with the…
- BSI The BSI is the German Federal Office for Information Security. It publishes warnings, recommendations and baseline guidance such as IT-Grundschutz, for example on logins, updates…
- BT BT stands for the German Bundestag, the federal parliament. A BT-Drucksache is an official Bundestag document, for example a draft law with its explanatory memorandum. Such…
- Business Profile The Business Profile is a business's free listing on Google that appears in search and on the map. It shows address, opening hours, photos and reviews. A well-maintained profile…
- BVL The BVL is the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety. Among other things, it collects food warnings and recalls and, together with the federal states…
- BZSt The BZSt is the German Federal Central Tax Office, a federal authority with central tasks around taxes. Among other things, it issues VAT identification numbers and the business…
C
- C5 C5 is a criteria catalogue for secure cloud computing published by the German Federal Office for Information Security. It describes requirements for providers of cloud services…
- CA A CA is a certification authority that issues digital certificates for encrypted connections to websites. It confirms that a connection really belongs to the stated domain. In the…
- CDN A CDN is a network of distributed servers that delivers a website's images and files from a location close to the visitor. Pages often load faster as a result and the website's…
- CJEU The CJEU is the highest court of the European Union and gives binding interpretations of EU law. Its rulings also affect websites, for example on consent to cookies, on contact…
- click and collect Click and collect means customers order or reserve goods online and pick them up in the shop. For local retailers it links the online presence with the store. Reliable stock…
- CLS CLS is a metric for how much the content of a page shifts unexpectedly while loading. It is one of the measures search engines use to assess the user experience of a page. Jumping…
- CMS A CMS is a program that lets you maintain the content of your website yourself. You edit texts, images and pages in the browser without programming. The look of the site stays the…
- CNAME A CNAME is a record in the domain name system that points one name to another name. For example, the www address can point to the main address or to a service. It is among the…
- CNC CNC refers to computer control of machine tools, for example for milling or turning. In industry the abbreviation stands for manufacturing processes and for jobs such as CNC…
- competition law Competition law governs what is permitted in advertising and in dealings with customers and competitors. It covers, for example, misleading claims, seals, reviews and email…
- consent Consent is a person's voluntary, informed agreement that their data or image may be used for a specific purpose. On websites it concerns, for example, external services…
- content marketing Content marketing means winning attention and trust with helpful content such as guides, blog posts or answers to customer questions. Instead of direct advertising, the benefit to…
- Contrast Contrast is the difference in brightness between text and background. The WCAG set minimum values for it. Good contrast helps everyone, especially people with low vision or in…
- conversion A conversion is a desired action by a visitor, such as an enquiry, a call, a booking or a purchase. The conversion rate states what share of visitors take this action. Conversion…
- Cookie A cookie is a small text file that a website stores in the browser. Some cookies are needed for the site to work, for example for a shopping cart. For others, such as measuring…
- CRO CRO is the targeted improvement of a website so that more visitors take a desired action, such as calling, enquiring or buying. Layout, copy, forms and loading time are reviewed…
- CSS CSS defines how a web page looks: colours, fonts, spacing and the arrangement of the content. Because the design is kept separate from the content, a page can adapt to the screen…
- CTA A CTA is a prompt on a website, such as a button to enquire, call or book. It shows visitors the next step and guides them towards the goal of the page.
- CV CV is short for curriculum vitae, an overview of a person's education, work history and skills. On a small business careers page it can be requested as an optional document. A…
D
- data processing agreement A data processing agreement is a contract with a provider that processes personal data for a business and on its instructions. It typically covers hosting, maintenance, contact…
- DDG The DDG is the German Digital Services Act, a law for providers of digital services such as websites. Among other things, it sets out which provider details belong in the legal…
- DEHOGA DEHOGA is the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, the trade association of the hospitality industry in Germany. It represents restaurants, cafés, hotels and other businesses…
- DENIC DENIC is the central registry for internet addresses ending in .de. It keeps the register of all .de addresses and sets the rules for procedures such as moving an address to…
- DIHK The DIHK is the umbrella organisation of the regional German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. It represents commercial businesses towards politics and administration at federal…
- DIN DIN is the German Institute for Standardisation, which develops standards describing technical requirements for products and processes. When DIN precedes a European or…
- DIVSI The DIVSI is a German institute that has published studies on trust and security on the internet. Its surveys look, for example, at how people experience risks when shopping…
- DIY DIY stands for doing a task yourself instead of hiring a specialist. For websites it usually means a builder tool with which the business creates and maintains its pages on its…
- DKIM DKIM is a method that adds a digital signature from the sending domain to outgoing emails. The recipient can check whether the message was altered on the way. This supports the…
- DL-InfoV The DL-InfoV is the German Services Information Obligations Ordinance. It lists details that service providers should make available to their customers, such as professional…
- DMARC DMARC is a record in the Domain Name System that tells recipients how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks. It can also request reports on who sends mail in the name of…
- DNS The Domain Name System is the directory of the internet that translates domain names into the addresses of the responsible servers. Its records state where the website is hosted…
- Domain A domain is the name of a website on the internet, for example the part after “www.” in the address. It is registered with a registry and points to the server on which the website…
- DPA A DPA is a contract with a provider that processes personal data for a business, for example for hosting, email or forms. The General Data Protection Regulation usually provides…
- DPMA The DPMA is the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, the federal authority for patents, trade marks and designs. It keeps the trade mark register, which can be searched publicly…
- DSA The Digital Services Act is a European Union regulation. It sets out obligations for online platforms, for example on handling illegal content. This includes a reporting procedure…
- DSK The DSK is the German Data Protection Conference, the body of the independent federal and state data protection authorities. It publishes resolutions and guidance on how the…
- DXF DXF is a widely used file format for exchanging technical drawings between design programs. On manufacturing websites, a form can accept such files directly. Enquiries then arrive…
E
- EDPB The EDPB is the body in which the data protection authorities of the EU member states work together. It publishes guidelines for a consistent interpretation of the GDPR. Its…
- EEA The European Economic Area comprises the member states of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Within the EEA the General Data Protection Regulation applies…
- EHUG The EHUG is a German law that moved the commercial, cooperative and company registers to electronic form. It also clarified that the mandatory details for business letters can…
- ELSTER ELSTER is the online portal of the German tax administration for tax returns and communication with the tax office. Through their ELSTER user account, businesses also receive…
- ERP An ERP system is business software that brings together inventory, purchasing, accounting and order processing. If an online shop is connected to it, stock, prices and orders can…
- EStDV The EStDV is the German Income Tax Implementing Ordinance, which adds detailed rules to the Income Tax Act. Among other things, it governs how donations can be evidenced to the…
- EStG The EStG is the German Income Tax Act. Among other things, it governs how profits are calculated and which expenses, such as donations to clubs, can affect tax.
- EU The EU is a union of European states with common rules on trade, consumer protection and data protection. Many requirements for websites, for example on data protection…
F
- FAQ FAQ stands for a collection of frequently asked questions with short answers. On a website, such a section answers typical customer questions before they call or write. Search…
- fixed price A fixed price is a total price agreed in advance for a defined scope of work. The business knows before the project starts what the website will cost. Additional requests outside…
- FTP FTP is a method for transferring files between your own computer and a server. For websites it is used, for example, to upload files to the host or to save them for a backup…
- FWS The FWS is the German Survey on Volunteering, a recurring survey on behalf of the federal family ministry. Its results show, for example, how people get involved in clubs and…
G
- GbR A GbR is a German civil-law partnership, a simple legal form in which several people join together for a common purpose. It can be founded without minimum capital, and the…
- GDPR The GDPR is a regulation of the European Union. It governs when and how personal data may be processed, for example names, email addresses or IP addresses. On a website this…
- GEO GEO means preparing content so that AI assistants and AI search understand it and cite it as a source in their answers. This includes a clear structure, genuine answers to…
- GG The GG is the Basic Law, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. It protects fundamental rights such as freedom of expression. This can matter, for example, when…
- GModG The GModG is the German Building Modernisation Act, the new name of the former Building Energy Act. It sets requirements for buildings and heating systems. It also contains rules…
H
- HDE The HDE is the German Retail Federation, the umbrella association of retail in Germany. It represents the interests of retailers and regularly publishes figures and surveys on…
- HGB The HGB is the German Commercial Code for merchants and trading companies. Among other things, it governs company names, the commercial register, bookkeeping and liability when a…
- hosting Hosting means running a website on a server that keeps it reachable on the internet around the clock. Depending on the offer it includes storage, backups, a certificate and email…
- HR HR stands for human resources, the personnel function of an organisation. It covers tasks such as job adverts, applications, contracts and looking after staff. In small businesses…
- HRB HRB marks section B of the German commercial register, where corporations such as a GmbH, UG or AG are entered. Together with the register court and register number, it usually…
- HSTS HSTS is a web server setting that tells the browser to open the website only over an encrypted connection from then on. This makes intercepting or redirecting connections harder…
- HTML HTML is the language every web page is made of. It defines what each part of the page is: heading, paragraph, list, link or image. Clean HTML is the basis for screen readers and…
- HTTP HTTP is the protocol browsers use to fetch web pages from a server. Newer versions transfer many small files at the same time and so make a website faster. Websites today usually…
- HTTPS HTTPS encrypts the data sent between browser and website. This way, others cannot read what you enter into a form, for example. Many browsers warn about pages without HTTPS with…
- HVAC HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, a trade that installs and maintains such systems in buildings. In German the comparable trade is usually called SHK. On…
- HWG The HWG is the German Act on Advertising in the Healthcare Sector, covering medicines, treatments and medical procedures. It limits, for example, how treatment results may be…
I
- IAB The IAB is the Institute for Employment Research of the German Federal Employment Agency. It studies the labour market, for example skills shortages, employment and immigration…
- IATF The IATF is an association of car manufacturers and industry bodies that defines quality requirements for the automotive industry. Its quality management standard is a…
- ICANN ICANN is a non-profit organisation that coordinates the allocation of domain names and internet addresses worldwide. Among other things, it sets rules for generic domain endings…
- ICT ICT is the umbrella term for technology used to process and transmit information, such as computers, the internet, telephony and software. Statistical offices regularly survey how…
- IdNr IdNr is the German short form for identification number and mostly appears in compounds such as USt-IdNr and W-IdNr. The VAT identification number is used for trade within the EU…
- IETF The IETF is an open international body that develops technical standards for the internet. Its documents are called RFCs and describe, for example, email procedures, encryption…
- IFH IFH Köln is a German institute for retail research. Its studies on online retail and buying behaviour, for example on the effect of trust signals in a shop, are often cited.
- IfM The IfM is a research institute in Bonn that studies small and medium-sized enterprises. Among other things, it publishes figures on start-ups, business succession and the state…
- IHK An IHK is a German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the regional self-governing body of commercial businesses. Traders are usually members and receive advice, guidance notes and…
- image rights Image rights cover the rights to a photo and the rights of the people shown in it. Anyone showing images on a website usually needs suitable usage rights and, for recognisable…
- IMAP IMAP is a method email programs use to retrieve messages from the server without deleting them there. This keeps the mailbox and folders the same on computer, smartphone and…
- Impressum (legal notice) The Impressum states who is responsible for a website: name, address and ways to get in touch. Business websites in Germany need an Impressum that is easy to find.
- INP INP is a metric for how quickly a page visibly responds to clicks, taps or keyboard input. It is one of the measures search engines use to assess the user experience of a page. A…
- IP The Internet Protocol is the method by which devices exchange data on the internet. Each device gets an IP address, which reaches the server and any embedded services when a…
- ISO ISO is an international organisation that publishes standards for products, services and processes. Its standards describe, for example, requirements for quality management or…
- IT IT is the umbrella term for computers, networks, software and the services used to process data. In a small business it includes things like computers, email, the website and…
K
- KB A kilobyte is a small unit for amounts of data, for example the size of an image or a file. The fewer kilobytes the images and files of a page have, the faster it loads…
- keyword A keyword is a search term that people type into a search engine, such as a service combined with a place name. In search engine optimisation, pages are aligned to it. In paid…
- KfW KfW is the development bank owned by the German federal government and the federal states. Among other things, it provides low-interest loans to founders and small businesses…
- KG A KG is a German limited partnership: at least one partner is fully liable, the others only up to their contribution. A special form is the GmbH & Co. KG, in which a limited…
- KGaA The KGaA is a German partnership limited by shares, combining features of a limited partnership and a stock corporation. At least one partner is personally liable, while the…
- KUG The KUG is a German law that protects, among other things, the right to one's own image. It governs when photos of people may be published and when consent is needed. For a…
L
- landing page A landing page is a page tailored to a specific offer, topic or ad. Visitors arrive there via a search or advertising and are guided towards an enquiry. It can be part of a…
- LCP LCP is a metric for how quickly the largest visible element of a page has loaded, often an image or a heading. Search engines use it as a signal of user experience…
- LfD LfD is the short name of the data protection supervisory authority of a German federal state. It advises, inspects and receives reports of personal data breaches. For a business…
- LMIDV The LMIDV is a German ordinance that supplements the European rules on food information. Among other things, it governs how allergen information for loosely served food can be…
- LMIV The LMIV is the EU regulation on the provision of food information to consumers. It covers details such as ingredients and substances that can cause allergies. For restaurants…
- load time Load time is how long it takes until a page is visible and usable in the browser. Long load times make visitors leave, especially on smartphones. Search engines can take it into…
M
- MA MA is a common German short form for the employees or staff of a business. The number of employees can matter, for example, for whether a business counts as a micro-enterprise.
- mandatory details Mandatory details are information that legal rules call for in certain places, such as the imprint, business emails or prices. Depending on the case they include name, address…
- MB A megabyte is a unit for amounts of data, for example the size of an image, video or PDF file. Large files load more slowly on a phone. Photos and documents for a website are…
- MBO-Ä The MBO-Ä is the model professional code of the German Medical Association, which the codes of the state medical chambers follow. Among other things, it governs what information…
- minimum term The minimum term is the period a contract runs at least before it can be cancelled. For subscriptions and ongoing services it often affects the monthly price. After that the…
- MStV The MStV is the German Interstate Media Treaty between the federal states on broadcasting and online media. Among other things, it governs when a responsible person should be…
- MTA An MTA is a mail server that accepts emails and passes them on to other servers. MTA-STS is a policy with which a domain requires emails between such servers to be transmitted…
- MTA-STS MTA-STS is a method by which a domain specifies that email sent to it should only be delivered encrypted. The policy is published with the domain and names the permitted mail…
- MX An MX record is an entry in the Domain Name System that states which server accepts email for a domain. Without a suitable record, mail sent to your own address does not arrive…
N
- NAP NAP stands for the name, address and phone number of a business. In local online marketing it means these details are written identically on the website, the business profile and…
- NIS NIS refers to European rules on network and information security intended to strengthen protection against cyberattacks. The NIS directive is implemented in national law. For…
O
- ODR ODR stands for online dispute resolution, the settling of disputes between traders and consumers over the internet. The European Union ran a dedicated platform for this, which has…
- OHG An OHG is a German general partnership in which all partners are personally and fully liable for its debts. It is entered in the commercial register and carries the legal form…
- one-pager A one-pager is a website whose content sits on a single long page that visitors scroll through. It suits a compact presence with a manageable range of services. With many services…
- ÖPNV ÖPNV is the German term for local public transport, covering buses, trams, underground trains and regional trains. For practices, restaurants and shops, the connection to nearby…
- ORP ORP is the group of modules on organisation and personnel in the IT-Grundschutz baseline of the German BSI. These modules describe, for example, how logins are assigned to…
P
- PAngV The PAngV is the German Price Indication Ordinance, which regulates how prices are to be stated to consumers. It sets out requirements for total prices, unit prices and notes on…
- PAuswG The PAuswG is the German Identity Card Act. Among other things, it governs under which conditions an identity card may be copied and how such copies are to be handled. It…
- PC A PC is a computer used by an individual person, for example at a desk in the office. In a business it is often used for email, accounting and administration. Settings such as the…
- PDF PDF is a widely used file format for documents that displays text, images and layout unchanged. It is well suited for printing, sending and filing, but is often hard to read on a…
- PHP PHP is a widely used programming language for websites and web applications that runs on the server. Many content management systems and shop systems are written in PHP. An…
- POS POS refers to the place of sale, in retail usually the shop with its checkout. Offers such as click and collect bring customers from the internet to this place. Additional…
- privacy policy The privacy policy is the text on a website that explains which personal data is processed and for what purpose. It also names the services used, the recipients and the rights of…
Q
- QPM QPM states how many requests an interface accepts per minute. Providers use it to set limits for automated data retrieval, for example for search data reports. For analysing a…
- QR A QR code is a square code made of dark and light dots that phone cameras can read. It leads directly to a web address or other information without typing. Businesses use it on…
R
- relaunch A relaunch is the fundamental renewal of an existing website, often with new design, new technology and revised content. It is important that previous addresses are redirected…
- Responsive design Responsive design means that a website adapts to the size of the screen. On a phone the content is stacked, on a large screen it often sits side by side. There is only one website…
- RFC An RFC is a publicly available document that describes technical standards of the internet. Many rules for email, domains and encrypted connections are set out in such documents…
- rich snippet A rich snippet is an enhanced search result that shows extras such as stars, prices or dates next to title and description. It is based on structured data on the page. Whether the…
S
- Screen reader A screen reader is a program that reads the content of a page aloud or outputs it on a braille display. Blind and visually impaired people use it to operate websites. For this…
- SEA SEA refers to paid ads in search engines that appear above or below the regular search results. A business usually pays for clicks on its ad. Unlike search engine optimisation…
- security update A security update is a software update that closes known security vulnerabilities. For websites it concerns the system, extensions and the server. If updates are left undone, the…
- SEO SEO covers all measures that help a website to be found more easily in search engines. These include suitable content, a clear page structure, short loading times and clean…
- SEPA SEPA is the single euro payments area in which credit transfers and direct debits follow the same rules. In online shops the SEPA direct debit is a common payment method in which…
- SFTP SFTP is a method for transferring files between a computer and a server in encrypted form. With such access, a website's files at the hosting provider can be backed up or moved…
- SME SME is the collective term for small and medium-sized enterprises. Many funding programmes, studies and advisory services are aimed specifically at this group. For a small…
- SMS An SMS is a short text message sent to a phone over the mobile network. Businesses use it, for example, for appointment reminders. Online services often send confirmation codes…
- SPF SPF is a record in the domain name system that states which servers may send email for a domain. Receiving mailboxes check it so that forged senders stand out. A suitable record…
- SSL SSL is the common name for encrypting the connection between a browser and a website. Today its successor TLS is usually used, but the name SSL has stuck in everyday language. A…
- StBerG The StBerG is the German Tax Advisory Act, which regulates the tax advisory professions. It also contains rules on confidentiality when a firm involves external service providers…
- STEP STEP is a standardised file format for exchanging spatial models of components between design programs. It can be opened without the sender's program. Industrial businesses…
- StGB The StGB is the German Criminal Code, which defines criminal offences and their penalties. For professions bound by confidentiality, such as medical practices, pharmacies or law…
- structured data Structured data is machine-readable extra information in a page's code, such as address, opening hours, prices or reviews. It helps search engines and AI services understand…
- SVG SVG is a file format for vector graphics such as logos, icons and diagrams that scales without loss of quality. The files are often very small and therefore load quickly. For a…
T
- T&C Terms and conditions are pre-drafted contract terms that a provider uses for many contracts. They cover matters such as delivery, payment and warranty. Online shops usually…
- TDDDG The TDDDG is a German law protecting privacy in digital services. Among other things, it governs when visitors must consent to cookies and similar technologies. For a website it…
- TLS TLS is the technical method that encrypts the connection between a browser and a website or between mail servers. It is the successor to SSL and is behind HTTPS and the padlock…
- TMG The TMG was the former German Telemedia Act for online services and contained, among other things, the legal notice requirement. It has been replaced by the German Digital…
- TTDSG The TTDSG is the former name of the German law protecting privacy in online services. Today it is called the TDDDG. References to the TTDSG in privacy policies or cookie banners…
- TTL The TTL states how long an answer from the Domain Name System may be cached. During a domain migration it determines how quickly new records for website and email take effect…
- TXT TXT is a record type in the Domain Name System that stores free-form text for a domain. It is used, for example, for SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings or to confirm ownership of a…
U
- UG The UG is a special form of the German limited liability company that can be founded with very little share capital. As with a GmbH, liability is generally limited to the…
- UNESCO UNESCO is the United Nations organisation for education, science and culture. Among other things, it maintains the World Heritage List of significant cultural and natural sites…
- URL A URL is the address of a page or file on the internet. It appears in the address bar at the top of the browser. It consists of the protocol, for example https, the domain name…
- usage rights Usage rights are the permission from an author or rights holder to use a work such as a photo, text or design. They can be limited in time, territory or purpose. For a website it…
- UStG The UStG is the German Value Added Tax Act. Among other things, it governs when VAT applies to invoices and prices and when the small business scheme may apply. It can therefore…
- UTC UTC is the worldwide reference time on which time zones are based. Technical systems such as mail servers often state times and reporting periods in UTC. German local time differs…
- UWG The UWG is the German Act against Unfair Competition. It regulates which commercial practices and advertising claims count as unfair, such as misleading statements. For websites…
V
- VAT VAT stands for value added tax, the tax charged on the sale of goods and services. In prices and on invoices it often appears as a note such as plus VAT. Whether and at what rate…
- VSBG The VSBG is the German Consumer Dispute Resolution Act and governs out-of-court settlement of disputes between businesses and consumers. Depending on company size and offer, it…
W
- W3C The W3C is an international body that develops technical standards for the web, for example for HTML and CSS. These include the guidelines for accessible web content. Websites…
- WAI The WAI is the W3C initiative for web accessibility. It develops guidelines such as the WCAG and guidance on testing websites. Its publications also show which checks can be…
- warning letter A warning letter is a formal written demand to stop an alleged legal violation, usually with a cease-and-desist declaration attached. Competitors or associations often send it…
- WCAG The WCAG are international guidelines for accessible web content. They describe testable requirements, for example for contrast, for text alternatives to images and for keyboard…
- website builder A website builder is an online service for assembling a website yourself from ready-made templates and building blocks. It allows a low-cost start. Design, copy, upkeep and legal…
- WEG A WEG is the German term for a homeowners' association, made up of all owners of flats in a building. It usually appoints a manager who organises accounts, meetings and…
- withdrawal button The withdrawal button is a clearly visible button that lets consumers withdraw from a contract concluded online. It mainly concerns online shops and websites through which…
- WLAN A WLAN is a wireless local network, for example at home, in an office or in a café. Mobile connections on the move are often slower, so a fast-loading website matters. Testing a…
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