A website is one or more web documents linked by a single domain name. Web documents, in turn, have a specific purpose, theme, and design. A website can consist of one or more pages. For any query, Google gives variants of answers. Each such page is part of some site. Also, a page in some social network, where a person puts up his photos and posts, is also a piece of one large site.
Why you need a website
Companies and firms create websites primarily for commercial purposes to attract customers. And individuals derive a certain benefit for themselves:
Communication. With the current rhythm of life, people increasingly lack time to meet with friends. But going to a social networka, throwing a couple of photos or chatting in comments is a good alternative to live communication.
Education. Internet schools are gaining more and more popularity. They are created with the purpose of teaching a person some skills, new Internet professions, foreign language, etc. Searching for necessary information: it can be a review of a purchased product, all sorts of lifehacks, etc.
Advertising. The Internet is the most extensive platform for advertising, and websites are a good opportunity to publicize yourself and your business.
Earnings. In our time there are many professions related to earning on the Internet: copywriter, sales manager, personal assistant, web designer and others.
What a website consists of
Design – the first thing we pay attention to when entering the site is its visual design. That is, fonts, color composition, buttons, sections and the overall style of the site should be competently combined and fully correspond to its theme and content.
Content – to familiarize the user with the topic of the project, the owner places articles, photos and illustrations, links, video and audio materials on the pages.
Code – everything that happens at the moment of clicking on any button or link is coded by programmers. Thanks to this, the user is redirected to the page he needs, remote commands are executed on the server. In general, everything works as it was conceived by the creators. The code is divided into:
Interface
Server
The first one is responsible for everything related to design, i.e. for the visual display of the page and the position of all elements on it. To write the interface code such programming languages as HTML, CSS, JavaScript are used.
Server code performs complex user requests, such as, for example, creating a new user and saving it to the database, processing orders in an online store, and so on. Only a one-page site does not need a server code, as there is no possibility to place an order or create an account. Such programming languages as PHP, Java, Ruby can act as server code.
What kind of websites are there
Now there is a huge number of sites on different topics and aimed at different target audiences. For example, they can be divided into:
Informational. These include sites where a person will find useful information, learn something or get advice. For example, a site of recipes, fishing, etc.
Entertainment. There can be open chat rooms for conversations on different topics, dating; collections of jokes, funny videos, interesting stories.
Salesy ones are created for the purpose of selling a product and making money.
Mixed type site – pursues several goals at once: to entertain the audience and sell the product. This can include social networks and blogs.
A business card site is a few pages that carry information about the company, its line of business, its projects and the services it provides.
A catalog site contains a list and description of services or products with photos and prices, as well as contact information.
Landing – is a one-page site aimed at presenting goods or services and contact information.
More complex constructions include the site online store, which differs from the catalog in that a person can directly through it to place and pay for an order. Social network or blog is aimed at a large audience with different interests and needs. Here you can find useful information, entertainment, and buy/sell goods/services.
How to make a website yourself
To create a site yourself, first you need to decide on its idea, content, and what role it will fulfill. There are firms that are engaged in the creation of Internet sites. There are programmers, web designers, developers and other specialists who will do everything according to your preferences.
But if you decide to create a site on your own, then in this case you will help site builders and CMS-systems. These tools are easy to use and do not require any programming knowledge.
A website builder is an application that allows you to create a site from ready-made parts. That is, first there is an empty page, which you can fill with the necessary elements, add colors and change their sizes. You can also take a ready-made template and edit it to suit your needs. The main disadvantage of such applications is the limitation in functionality, so site builders are not suitable for complex projects with multiple tasks. But for a blog, portfolio or a small online store is quite suitable.
A CMS-system is a software with which you can create web pages and fill them with content without programming skills. CMS-systems do not limit you in settings and functions, which opens up new possibilities in the creation of, for example, polls or online chats within the site. You can also use a template and change it to suit yourself without any restrictions, install plugins and come up with a design.
What you need to get your site seen by people
Hosting is a place on a server designed to store data. In order for a website to be seen by people, it needs to be hosted in order to store its data, files, code and web documents there. Hosting can be created on your own computer, but it is easier and smarter to purchase it from a specialized company.
A domain name is the alphabetic name of a website. Without a domain name, you would have to type in a search engine the address of the hosting server, which looks like a set of numbers. But it is difficult to memorize it. Therefore, invented a domain name, with which the user will easily find your site on the Internet.
Read also:
- A complete guide to website backup (backup)
- How to Build a WordPress Website in 2024 (Beginner’s Guide)
- Complete Guide to Ping and Traceroute via Command Line
- Complete Guide to Searching the Web Archive
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
A domain name is the web address that users type into their browsers to access a website, while web hosting refers to the service that stores the website’s files and makes them accessible over the internet.
Responsive design ensures that websites adapt to different screen sizes and devices, providing a consistent user experience and improving usability and accessibility.
Common security threats to websites include malware infections, DDoS attacks, phishing attempts, and data breaches.
You can improve your website’s search engine rankings by optimizing on-page elements like content, meta tags, and URLs, building high-quality backlinks, and providing a positive user experience.
Future trends in website development include the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, voice search optimization, and the adoption of progressive web app technologies.