What’s a website

This is a short and simple article about the way a website is put together. The diagram below shows three components that are necessary to build a functioning website.

The domain name.

First you need an address at which your users can find your website. Your domain is your identity on the Web, so it’s a good idea to go for one that’s memorable.

Domain names are registered for a fixed number of years, and you have the right to renew your registration at the end of that period. Nominet is the registry for .uk domains.

The software.

This is dependent on the objectives of the proposed website. If a static billboard is all you want then the software comprises a few well written, standards compliant HTML code. If you are building an online shop, like Amazon, then your software needs to be a lot more complex.

Most websites now fall somewhere in between, but are what is known as dynamic. This usually requires the use of a database to store the website information that is accessed by scripts for display.

The Web host.

You’ve got your domain name and created the software to run the website, but now you need a way to put all of this on the Internet.

This is where Web hosts come in by providing access to a web server. This kind of service is usually billed either monthly or annually. Depending on the package you select it can take two general forms:

1. Shared hosting – where you share the server resources with other people.
2. Dedicated hosting – where you have a server to yourself.

Of these two, the first is much less expensive than the second, but it’s nowhere near as flexible when it comes to configuring your website. The final choice is a trade off between these cost and flexibility, but here are a few criteria to bear in mind:

1. There needs to be enough storage space for all your files.
2. There must be enough monthly bandwidth allowance for your user traffic.
3. The server needs to be capable of running the software you’ve used to build your website.
   • Can it run your scripts?
   • Do you need access to a database?

The website.

Roughly speaking, put these together any you’ve got the final product; a functioning website. Don’t forget, now it’s up and running it’ll need maintenance, monitoring and regular doses of new content to keep visitors coming back.