What Is a Website?
A website is a collection of Web pages, images and other resources that are organized under a single domain name. Websites can be created and maintained by an individual, group or business for a wide variety of purposes. A website is a part of the World Wide Web, which contains billions of webpages that are accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
Websites can be as simple or complex as needed. For example, an organization’s website may be a simple five-page informational brochure or as large and interactive as a social media site with forums and chat rooms. The vast majority of websites, however, fall into a few main categories.
These categories include ecommerce websites, personal homepages, news sites and other types of content-based websites. A ecommerce website, for example, sells products or services online and is typically used by businesses. It usually features a shopping cart and other ecommerce functionality.
Other ecommerce websites, such as those operated by auction and classifieds sites, allow visitors to post and view ads. These websites typically have a front page that displays the latest ads posted and links to other pages on the site that are divided into categories and subcategories by topic.
Most websites are designed to entertain their users in addition to selling products or services. These websites often feature streaming video, music and other multimedia resources in addition to text. These websites are sometimes known as entertainment or media sites.
A personal homepage is a website that is managed by an individual or family and is generally designed to display information about the owner. These pages are also popular with people who want to share their personal experiences and hobbies with others on the web.
Some of these sites require user registration or subscription to access their content. These sites can be anything from news sites to academic journal websites. Other subscription-based websites include file-sharing websites, message boards, Web-based email and social networking websites.
Many websites have the primary purpose of generating sales or leads. These websites often feature a contact form that allows potential customers or clients to submit their information to the business, which then follows up with a phone call or other method of contact. These websites are usually structured to be as streamlined and user-friendly as possible, which can help increase their effectiveness. It is important, however, that any SEO (search engine optimization) efforts do not detract from the readability of the website’s content. Many articles on blogs and other news sites are so laden with keywords that they become unreadable. This is a common mistake that should be avoided. Use subheadings, short paragraphs and other techniques to keep readers engaged. In this way, the content of a website can be as effective as any print publication.