What Is a Website?
A website is a collection of Web pages, usually arranged in a logical order. It may include text, pictures and videos. Websites are hosted on servers that are part of the World Wide Web. Each site has a domain name that is unique. Websites are used by individuals, groups and businesses for a variety of purposes. Whether they are e-commerce sites, forums, social media pages or personal websites, the number of sites on the World Wide Web is endless.
A Web page is a document that contains information in the form of a computer language called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). It defines how each element is to be displayed on a webpage. It also specifies the font type, size and color. The HTML file of a Web page can be displayed on computers with different operating systems and display screens. The page can also be displayed in different browsers and on mobile devices.
When a person types in a particular URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into a browser, they are brought to the website’s homepage. From the home page, they can navigate through other pages that make up the site by using links. The contents of a website are typically organized around one theme or subject matter and managed by a specific individual, group or business.
The first website was created in 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist working at CERN. This was just three years after the world’s first computer was built, and three years before the Internet became a global network.
Websites are based on powerful inventions called the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). The Internet is the technology that connects computers worldwide, enabling them to share information. The WWW is the system that allows sharing of documents, information and media on computers connected to the Internet.
The content of a website can be updated manually by its owner or automated by software programs that are running on the server. These programs are called content management systems and are used by many large websites. Websites can also be static, where the content is mostly pre-determined and rarely changed. This is the case with brochure websites or simple five-page websites used by small businesses to showcase their products and services.
Another common type of website is a blog, which is maintained by a single individual or by a group of people. Blogs provide a way for the owner to regularly update their readers on events, new products or other relevant information. They are also typically arranged in reverse chronological order with the latest posts or entries appearing on top and older ones towards the bottom of the homepage.
Other types of websites are online communities, e-commerce sites, portals, search engines and directory listings. Online communities are a type of website that allow users to interact with each other through the creation and posting of content, such as comments and reviews. E-commerce sites are a type of website that provides information about a product or service and enables users to purchase it online.