What Is a Website?
A website is an informational or interactive collection of web pages on the internet grouped under a unique domain name. They are often accessed through a web browser like Chrome, Firefox or Opera. A website can be made using a variety of programming languages and content management systems, including HTML (HyperText Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor).
A web server is a computer that hosts a website and delivers the information on demand to a user’s internet browser. Websites are usually connected through hyperlinks that allow the user to move from one webpage to another in a site structure.
Websites serve many purposes for their owners, from displaying company profiles and products to providing news or services. Most businesses have a website to increase their reach and credibility online, with 53% of consumers saying they research companies or products before making a purchase. Websites can also be used for lead generation, with potential customers or clients submitting a contact form to get more information about the product or service.
The first website was created by Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, on August 6, 1991 at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), a physics lab in Switzerland. It was uploaded to the newly formed World Wide Web, a network that allows sharing of information globally.
Today, there are billions of websites on the world wide web. They fall into a few categories:
Blogs
A blog is a website that contains regularly updated articles about a particular topic. These articles might be written in a conversational tone and include text, images or video. Some bloggers use their blogs as a platform for marketing and advertising, while others write to educate or inform readers about a subject. Blogs are popular with online readers and have become a powerful tool for brand awareness and digital marketing.
Informational Websites
A website primarily provides information about an individual or business. These sites can contain photos, videos and other media and may have a form to gather contact information. They are often designed to be easy to navigate and search, allowing visitors to find what they are looking for quickly. Examples of informational websites include government agencies, schools and universities.
Business Websites
A small business can benefit greatly from having a website to attract prospective customers or clients. A web presence makes a business seem more professional, and it can help to drive sales by allowing the customer to easily submit a contract form or request for services. Typically, the sale of products or services happens away from the website — either in person, over the phone or through email or a web chat.
Entertainment Websites
There are a huge number of websites that exist solely to entertain their visitors. This can range from video streaming websites to news or social media sites. Many of these websites are free, but some, such as ad-supported video streaming services, require a subscription.