Plain-English

Glossary

Plain-English explanations of the terms that come up in automation, web development, and product work - written for business owners, not engineers. Each term links to a full guide.

Business Process Automation (BPA): Using software to run a multi-step business process - the handoffs, approvals, and data moving between tools - with little or no manual work.
AI Agent: A software system that uses an AI model to perceive a situation, decide what to do, and take actions toward a goal - more autonomous than a fixed automation or a simple chatbot.
RPA (Robotic Process Automation): Software "bots" that mimic human clicks and keystrokes across existing apps to automate repetitive tasks, usually without changing the underlying systems.
API: A defined way for two software systems to talk to each other and exchange data - the plumbing that lets your tools integrate and automate instead of relying on copy-paste.
Technical Debt: The future cost of shortcuts taken when building software fast - messy or rushed code that slows down every later change until it is paid down.
CRM: Customer Relationship Management - a system that stores your contacts, deals, and interactions in one place so nothing about a customer falls through the cracks.
MVP (Minimum Viable Product): The smallest version of a product that still delivers the core value, built to validate the idea with real users quickly and cheaply.
Product-Market Fit: The point where a product satisfies a real market need so well that users adopt it, stay, and tell others - the signal it is worth scaling.
Website vs Web App: A website mostly presents information; a web app lets users do things - log in, enter data, and get a result. The line decides cost, timeline, and tech.
No-Code vs Custom Code: No-code builds apps from visual blocks (fast, limited, rented); custom code is built from scratch (flexible, owned). Each fits a different stage and need.
Vibe Coding: Building software by describing what you want in natural language and letting AI generate the code - great for prototypes, risky for production without an engineer.
SaaS (Software as a Service): Software you access over the internet for a recurring subscription instead of installing it - the vendor hosts, updates, and secures it for you.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Optimizing your content so AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews cite and mention your business inside their answers, not just rank a link.
Domain & Web Hosting: A domain is your site's address (yoursite.com); hosting is the server that stores the site and serves it to visitors. You need both to put a site online.
Frontend vs Backend: The frontend is what users see and click in the browser; the backend is the server, database, and logic behind it. Most apps need both working together.
Webhook: An automatic message one app sends another the moment something happens - the event-driven trigger that lets tools react to each other in real time.
Database: An organized store for your app's data - customers, orders, content - built so software can save, find, and update it reliably and at scale.
Product-Led Growth (PLG): A growth strategy where the product itself drives signups and expansion - users try it, get value, and upgrade, instead of relying mainly on sales.
MRR & ARR: Monthly and Annual Recurring Revenue - the predictable subscription income a business earns each month or year, the core health metric for SaaS.