Trying to explain Website Design to a non-Programming Client

Web design comes with it's own languages, as Designers need to understand things like HTML, PHP, CSS, Flash (although this is being relied on less as HTML5 creates ways to do what Flash used to) and Javascript. However, Clients are coming to a Designer, because they expect us to already have the understanding of the languages.

what the client wants is to be able to feel confident in the Designer's ability to take their expressed vision and turn it into something visible on the screen.

This is where it comes in handy for a Web Designer to be able to bring elements of both a Draftsman and an artist to the table.  Be it on paper or using a drawing program on a tablet, it is very wise for a Designer to bring to a client meeting a working template of a Web Browser screen, much like this one

Basic Web Browser Template Image

With this tool, you can take the design ideas of the client, and mock up a possible design layout, while discussing the ideas real time.  This allows you, the designer, to have a visual idea of what the client would like when you go back to actually wireframe the site.   It also allows for the Client to be able to confirm that you, as the designer, are on the same page as the vision they have.