Welcome to the fascinating world of websites!
In this article, you will discover what a website is, what this online resource is used for, and the different types of websites that exist.
From informational sites to gaming platforms, websites play a fundamental role in our digital lives.
Join us in this exciting online universe full of possibilities!
What is a web page?
A web page is an electronic document accessible through the internet that contains information organised and presented visually.
The most effective websites can be easily viewed on any device — smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
Websites are used for a variety of purposes, such as:
- Providing information
- Promoting products or services
- Sharing multimedia content such as videos
- Interacting with followers and fans
- Facilitating online communication and collaboration
- Making sales and processing payments and shipping
Creating a website can vary in level of complexity. There are simpler options, such as content management systems (CMS) that offer pre-built templates and require little technical knowledge.
GoDaddy's Website Builder is the ultimate example of this.
You can get step by step instructions on how to use a free website builder to create a website from scratch in this article (32-minute read).
The importance of websites in the digital age is undeniable
These digital structures are a fundamental tool for the dissemination of, and access to, information around the world.
Websites allow companies and organisations to:
- Reach a global audience
- Establish an online presence
- Promote their products, services or causes
They also provide people with the opportunity to search for information, connect with others, make online purchases and actively participate in the digital society.
Furthermore, websites enable creativity and personal expression, allowing people to share their ideas, projects and knowledge with the entire world with just a few clicks.
Editor's note: Tell us about your idea and GoDaddy Airo will generate a domain name, logo, website, social media handles and more for your idea. Try it now!
What is a Comment section on a website?
A Comment section is a common feature on websites that allows visitors to leave their comments and messages. It allows visitors to a website to share their opinions, compliments, suggestions or any type of message they wish to record.
Comment sections often include fields for the visitor's name, email address and the message itself.
This interaction with site visitors helps to encourage participation and dialogue on the website, which is very useful for both blogs and websites with a clearly commercial objective.
Types of web pages
There are many types of websites and they can be categorised according to what objectives they are intended to achieve and how they are structured.
- Static web pages: They contain information that does not change frequently and is presented in a constant manner.
- Dynamic web pages: They generate content in real time and adapt to user interactions. These often get higher search engine rankings.
- E-commerce websites: They allow the purchase and sale of products or services online.
- Blog websites: Owners of these publish regularly updated content in the form of articles or posts.
- Media websites: These offer news, articles and multimedia content such as videos.
- Social networking websites: Social networks facilitate interaction and connection between people for both personal and commercial ends.
- Corporate websites: These represent companies and organizations, providing information about them and their activities.
These are just some examples of the different types of web pages that exist, each with its own specific features and functions.
Difference between static and dynamic web pages
Where there can be the most confusion in the list above is in the difference between a static and a dynamic web page.
Static websites were more common in the early days of the internet when businesses simply wanted to publish their store hours, location and product range.
We now have social profiles to fulfill this basic need. What's more, search engines linke Google, bing and Yahoo! now prioritise websites that are frequently updated with fresh content.
For this reason, most successful websites are in a constant state of flux. One reliable way to do this is to regularly update your home page. Another is to start a blog on your site and stick to a regular publishing schedule.
Blog vs. website
Blogs and websites are two common forms of online presence, but they have some key differences.
While a blog focuses on publishing regular articles or posts, a website encompasses an entire site that can have various sections with both static and changing content.
Some differences between a blog and a website include:
- Structure and organisation: A blog usually presents content in reverse chronological order, with the most recently published posts at the top. A website, on the other hand, may have a more complex structure with different sections and pages interconnected.
- Update frequency: Blogs are updated regularly, often several times a week or even daily, to keep readers informed about current topics. Websites without blogs typically have more static content and are updated less frequently.
- User interaction: Blogs often allow for comments, enabling more interaction between readers and the author. Websites may have contact forms, newletter signups or purchase options, but may not encourage as much user participation.
- Content focus: Blogs typically focus on a specific topic or a series of related topics, with posts exploring different aspects of those topics. Websites can cover multiple topics and offer more general information.
- Objectives and purpose: Blogs are often used to share knowledge, personal experiences, or establish authority in a specific field. Websites can have different objectives, such as promoting products or services, providing corporate information, displaying work portfolios and more.
Of course, a blog is still a web page that can be integrated into another one.
If you are wondering which is better — a blog or a web page — the answer is both.
You don't have to choose, and that it will always depend on what your objectives are.
What is a website domain?
The domain of a website is the unique, human-readable address that identifies the website on the internet.
A website domain has two main parts:
- Domain name: Text chosen by the website owner to represent their brand, business, or content. As an example, commbank.com.au is a domain name.
- Domain extension: This is the segment on the other side of the dot, such as .com.au, .org.au or .net.au. The domain extension indicates the type of organisation or purpose of the website. For example, .com.au is typically used for commercial websites, .org.au for nonprofit organisations and .net.au for networking and technology-related businesses.
A website domain is essential to having a website.
It provides a unique and personalised identity for the website. In addition, the domain can also influence search engine positioning and the perception of trust by users.
To obtain a domain, you need to register it through an authorised domain registrar such as GoDaddy.
Simply search for a domain name that is available and choose from the dozens of options they present.
There are numerous domain extensions available, both generic (.com, .org, .net) and country-specific (.au, .sydney, .melbourne), among many others. Browse all extensions here.
By the way, it is important to renew the domain registration annually to maintain ownership and prevent another individual or entity from registering it and leaving you without it.
Your web domain can also be used to create personalised email addresses and establish a professional online presence that looks much more professional and trustworthy.
Related: All you need to know about registering a domain name in Australia
What is website hosting?
Website hosting refers to the hosting service that makes a website available and accessible on the internet.
It consists of providing space on servers in which to store the files, data and content of the website so that it is always available to those who want to use the web page.
The web hosting you choose will have a significant impact on the day-to-day operation of your website for the following reasons:
- Availability and access: Hosting directly influences the availability of the website. That is, whether it is online and accessible to visitors at all times will depend on the quality of the hosting provider. A good host such as GoDaddy guarantees high availability, minimising website downtime.
- Loading speed: Hosting also influences the loading speed of web pages. A fast and optimised server allows the websites on it to load quickly. This improves the user experience and can have a very positive impact on search engine rankings as well.
- Storage and bandwidth: Hosting determines the amount of disk space available to store website files, including images, videos, documents and databases. It also defines the allocated bandwidth, which influences the amount of data that can be transferred to and from the website. It's important to have enough storage and bandwidth to handle the traffic and resources you need.
- Security: Hosting also plays a crucial role in website security. A quality web hosting provider should offer protection and maintenance measures such as firewalls, regular backups, and malware detection systems to safeguard your website against cyber threats and attacks.
- Technical support: A good hosting service provides free technical support to help troubleshoot and answer queries related to the operation of the website. This may include assistance with setup, software updates, connectivity troubleshooting and more.
Check out this article to see what website hosting costs in Australia.
What is a web page URL?
The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address that uniquely identifies a web page on the internet.
It is a combination of alphanumeric characters and symbols and provides the exact location of a web resource, such as a web page, a file or an image.
A URL consists of several components:
- Protocol: Specifies the communication protocol used to access the resource, such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS (HTTP Secure). Learn how to enable HTTPS on your server here.
- Domain: This is the unique name of the website, such as backyardgardenenthusiast.com.au, that identifies the server where the resource is hosted.
- Path: Indicates the location of the resource within the server and provides information about the folder and file structure.
- Parameters: Parameters can optionally be added to the URL to provide additional information to the server, such as search data or display preferences.
The URL is therefore the unique address used to access a web page and contains information about the communication protocol, the domain of the web page, the route and other parameters.
It is the address that visitors must enter in their browsers to reach a website without first going through Google or any other internet search engine.
