The word ‘website’ is very common to almost everyone, even though everyone doesn’t understand ‘what is a website?’ and ‘How does a website work?’
I hope this article will provide you a comprehensive understanding about the website and its work.
A website basically made up of many web pages. These web pages are created by using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The web pages can also be created by using a CMS or content management system. A web designer designs the look of the website and a developer develops the website.
The website has a domain name, which is the name of the site. The data or contents of the website is hosted or kept in a server or computer which is connected to the internet and works for 24×7.
People make searches on the browser software, the request is taken to the hosting server and the data or contents are displayed in the browser.
The need or want is met by getting the contents, and interacting with the contents of the website.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Website Development Process
- Website is made up of web pages
- Content or data is embedded in the web pages
- Web pages are made up of HTML, CSS and JavaScript
- Websites are designed by the web designer
- Web developer develops the website as per requirement
- Website has a domain name
- The data of the website is hosted in a server connected to internet
- Server containing websites works for 24×7
- The browser sends request to the server
- Websites are displayed in the browser
- Contents in the website meet our need or want
- We read and interact with the content in the website
1. Website is made up of web pages
A website contains many web pages, these pages contain related information and can be interconnected with each other. Each and every web page in a website can provide a certain type of information.
Let us understand this with real examples, when you visit a website you may see some menu options are there either on top of the web site or at the bottom of the site. There can be different menus like, Home page, About Us page, Services page, Contact us page, all these are web pages, they offer certain types of information but all together they are all with one purpose to provide the needed content or information to the visitor or user of the website.
2. Content or data is embedded in the web pages
Different types of data or content is embedded in the web pages. They are text, images, videos or audios etc.
The purpose of all this content is to deliver some information through different ways.
When you read some text, see some images or watch videos on a website, you are actually consuming the content of that website. All those are part of the web page and web pages are the part of the website.
People actually visit the web pages to consume the content present there or to buy something.
Most of the time, E-commerce websites contain many web pages with different products details and images, one can order a product right in the website by redirecting to the other web pages related to the payment facility.
3. Web pages are made up of HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Web pages are created by using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. HTML or Hypertext Markup Language, gives structure to the web pages, It defines the location of content to be situated, size of the content, the order of the web page etc.
CSS gives style to the web pages to beautify them and make them attractive to the users.
JavaScript is used to make the web pages interactive, meaning when you hover your mouse pointer on a certain element or click on a certain element, it gives response by some action.
Contents are embedded within this HTML, CSS and JavaScript codes. Browsers read these codes and display the output on the screen, which we see on the mobile screen or computer screen.
4. Websites are designed by the web designer
Creating a website goes through a phase of website designing, where a website designer applies his knowledge, skill and designing art to make a website user friendly and provide great user experience.
Website designers design each and every web page, design the images in order to create the best possible beautiful website.
Most of the time, website designers create a rough visual sketch of the website, before it is actually designed and made public. They use image editing software and create rough visual sketches either on paper or softwares.
A website designer also defines the colors, text fonts, image sizes, location of the each and every contents etc.
5. Web developer develops the website as per requirement
Once the rough designing work is completed by the designer then website developers start working on developing the real website either by coding from scratch or using CMS.
A website developer adds the required contents like text, images and videos etc in the website following the rough designing of the site.
He also embeds the links in the web pages and contents to make the whole website interconnected.
During this website development phase the developer setups the domain name and hosting for the real world functioning of the website.
6. Website has a domain name
Every website hosted on the server has a domain name. This domain name is unique, when someone searches this domain name on the browser, website data is fetched from the server, as the hosting server and domain name are inter connected, once this process is completed content of the site is displayed to the user.
Either the owner of the website or the developer buys the domain name in order to give a unique address to the website.
7. The data of the website is hosted in a server connected to internet
The content or data we see on the screen of mobile or computer, is actually not kept in our device, rather contents are kept in a server or computer which is connected to the internet.
Due to this anyone from any corner of the world using any mobile, tablet or computer connected to the internet can access a website.
Big organizations or companies sometimes set up their own server. But in most of the cases most of the websites are hosted on a server of a hosting company.
The content can be hosted even in several servers for rapid speed of content delivery.
Let us understand this with example, If a website is hosted in a server situated in the USA and a visitor is accessing that website by searching the website’s domain name or website name from Australia, in this case content will be carried from USA to Australia, which may require more time compared to a server situated in Australia.
This is the reason many people host their websites in different servers in different locations by using CDN or Cloud hosting for providing data very fast and as a result fast website load.
8. Server containing websites works for 24x7
Website content is kept in the server for the purpose of being available at any time, this is the reason hosting servers work for 24×7 for delivering the data at any time.
The hosting server that gives more uptime is better.
9. The browser sends request to the server
Once someone searches the website address on the browser, the browser sends a request to the server for the content, after receiving the content, it shows them on the screen. Now it becomes available to the user.
10. Websites are displayed in the browser
After the content is displayed in the browser, visitors can access the website and interact with the website.
If someone wants to buy some product or service online, they can order online on the website.
11. Contents in the website meet our need or want
The purpose of the website is to make the content available to others who need them or want them.
Take an example, if someone wants to know how to start a business, he can just google it and access the data available on other’s website and learn, this is how his need can be met.
If someone wants to book a ticket on flight, he can just access the website through a browser in the mobile or computer, and book a ticket, this is how his want can be met.
12. We read and interact with the content in the website
A website gives us many facilities like reading the text content, downloading the image content, watching the videos and interacting with the website by hovering your mouse on certain options or by clicking.
As an example, when you visit the amazon.com website for the purpose of buying something, first of all you read and see the images after then you order the best one, all these are actually happening on the website.
If you have any question or suggestion, feel free to write in comment section below. I will try to get in touch as soon as possible.