What is a Website and How Does it Work?
A website is a’site’ on the internet where you can put information about yourself or your business for people to read. It has a unique address called a ‘web address’ so people can find it easily. A web site can be accessed with a computer, tablet or mobile phone. Most websites have a lot of text but some also have pictures and videos. People usually read the words on a website and click or tap on links to go to other pages. They can also buy things, watch movies or TV shows, listen to music and communicate on websites.
Websites are made with computers and work only because of powerful inventions called the Internet and World Wide Web. They are the foundation that allows us to share information worldwide.
The Internet is the network that connects computers worldwide so they can send each other data. The World Wide Web is a system that makes it easy for anyone to create and share web pages, media and information with the world.
To get on the internet, computers need special software called a web browser. When you type a website’s address into a web browser, the computer then asks a web server for that page. The server then sends the page to the browser, which displays it for you to read.
There are billions of websites online today. Some are private and some are public. A website can be anything from a simple homepage to an elaborate social networking or entertainment site. Some are for businesses and some are for individuals. A website can also be a tool for learning. Many universities and schools have their own websites where they post course syllabi, assignments and test schedules for students.
A website can be designed in a variety of ways depending on its purpose and the way it will be used. It is a good idea for most businesses to have a website so they can be found by potential customers and also build credibility. In fact, studies show that more people trust a business that has a website than one that does not.
Most websites are made with a computer program called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). This is a programming language that defines how the content of a website will look. It tells the computer how to display information on each web page and what to do when someone clicks or taps on a link.
Most websites have a navigation bar at the top of the screen that lets you move around the website. It also shows you what each page is about so that you can make the right choice if you want to know more about the topic. Web designers are now starting to use newer programs such as Responsive Web Design (RWD) which enables the same website to work on all types of devices such as desktop computers, tablets and smartphones. It does this by making the website adapt to the size of the device so that it fits the screen.