Website

A website, or web site, is any web page that shares the same domain name and is stored on a web server. Websites are usually focused on one topic or purpose, like sharing news, teaching, selling things, entertaining, or connecting people on social media. You can move between different pages on a website using links, and it often starts with a main page called a home page. Some of the most visited websites are Google, YouTube, and Facebook.

All websites that anyone can see together make up the World Wide Web, which we use by connecting to the Internet. There are also private websites that only people on a special network, like inside a company, can see. People can look at websites using many kinds of devices, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The program they use on these devices is called a web browser.

Background

Further information: History of the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web was created in 1989 by a scientist named Tim Berners-Lee. In 1993, it was made free for everyone to use, which helped it grow very quickly. Before this, people used different ways to get files from computers, but these were simpler and not as easy to use as the Web we know today. Documents were often just plain text without any special formatting.

History

The word "web site" used to be the common way to spell it, but now we usually say "website." Big style guides like The Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook use this newer spelling.

In 2009, a company called Netcraft that watches the Internet said there were over 200 million websites. By 2014, the number reached 1 billion, but it went down a bit because some websites stopped working. Since then, the number of websites has kept growing. By 2020, there were over 1.2 billion websites, and many of them were not active any more.

Static website

Main article: Static web page

A static website is a type of website where the pages are stored exactly as they look on a computer screen. These pages are mainly made using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to control how they look. Pictures are often used to make the site more attractive and to add to the content. Sometimes, audio or video can also be part of a static website if it plays by itself or doesn’t change based on what the visitor does.

This kind of website shows the same information to everyone who visits. It’s like giving out a printed brochure — the information stays the same for a long time. The person who runs the website can update it, but it usually takes some work and special skills to change the text, photos, or other parts of the site. Simple websites, like those with just a few pages or ones meant for sharing basic information about a company and what it offers, are often static websites. They give pre-set information through text, pictures, and menus for moving between pages.

Static websites can sometimes use server side includes (SSI) to make editing easier, like using the same menu on many pages. But because the website looks the same for every visitor, it is still considered a static site.

Dynamic website

Main articles: Dynamic web page, Web application, and Progressive web app

A dynamic website changes or updates itself often and automatically. It uses computer code to create pages as they are needed, instead of having all pages ready beforehand. This allows a website to show different information to each user or to update its content regularly.

For example, a news website can show the latest stories by combining stored pieces of text with new information from a database. A store website might let users search for products, and the page will change to show the results of that search. These changes happen quickly and can make the website feel interactive and personal for each visitor.

Multimedia and interactive content

Early websites only had text and then added images. Later, special programs called plug-ins allowed websites to include audio, video, and interactive features. Examples of these plug-ins include Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, and Java SE. Now, HTML 5 lets websites include audio and video without needing extra plug-ins. Most modern web browsers also have JavaScript, which helps website creators change page content and communicate with the server.

WebGL is a tool that lets websites show interactive 3D graphics without plug-ins. This makes it possible to have fun features like 3D animations and videos that explain things clearly. A trend from around 2010 called "responsive design" makes websites look good on all devices, changing how they appear depending on whether you’re using a phone, tablet, or computer.

Types

Websites come in two main types: static and interactive. Interactive sites are part of the Web 2.0 community, letting visitors and the site owner communicate. Static sites share information but do not let visitors interact directly.

Many websites are made to earn money in different ways. They might post fun content and show ads, let people buy things directly like in e-commerce, show ads for real stores called brick-and-mortar business, or offer basic content for free but charge for special content, like WordPress. Some sites need you to sign up or pay to see their content, such as news sites, academic journal websites, gaming sites, or social networking sites.