Website

A site or website is a central location of web pages that are

related and accessed by visiting the home page of the website
using a browser. For example, the Computer Hope website
address URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
is https://www.computerhope.com. From our home page, you
could get access to any of the web pages (like this one)
contained on our website. The image shows how the Computer
Hope website looked in 2011.

The first website was built at CERN by Tim Berners-Lee and launched on August 6, 1991.
Visit and browse the first website.

How many websites are on the Internet?

As of January 2018, depending on which survey or hosting

company being referenced, there are between 1.3 and 1.8

billion websites on the Internet. Many of these websites

are unused or not visited by many people, but the

websites still exist and included in the count.

What is the difference between a website and a web page?

A website refers to a central location that contains more

than one web page or a series of web pages. For

example, Computer Hope is considered a website, which

contains thousands of different web pages, including the

page you're reading now.

In the above URL example, the website is

computerhope.com, and the web page is "url.htm."

Note

A web page does not need a file extension like .htm or .html to be a web page. Many sites are designed to show a

default page in a directory (e.g., index.html) or set up to have no file extensions.

Tip

See our web page definition for a breakdown of all the elements that help make up a web page.

Who creates websites on the Internet?

Any business, government, organization, or person can

create a website on the Internet. Today, the Internet

consists of billions of websites created by billions of

different people. You can even create a website or blog on

the Internet. See the below types of websites section for a

list of the types of categories of websites.

 How to start in HTML and web design.

What can you do on a website?

On most websites, you read the information contained on

each web page. If there are any interesting hyperlinks, you

follow those links by clicking or tapping on them to find

more information or perform a task. You can also listen to

music, watch videos, shop, communicate, and much more

on many websites.

Types of websites

There are billions of websites on the Internet today that

can be broken into one of the following types of website

categories. Keep in mind that it is possible for a website to

fall into more than one of the following categories. For

example, a website may also be a forum, webmail, blog,

or search engine.

Archive website

An archive website is a site that keeps a record of the

contents of one or more other websites. The Internet

Archive is the best example of an archive website.

Blog (weblog)

A blog is a website that is often created by an individual to

keep a list of entries that interests them. See

our weblog definition for a full description, services used to

create a blog, and related pages. A microblog website is

also another popular form of blogging website that limits

the number of characters someone can post in each blog

entry. Twitter is an example of a social networking website

that can be a place to microblog.

Business website and corporate website

A business website or corporate website is created to

provide account information and access to customers,

partners, clients, and potential customers.

Community website

A community website is a website or section of a website

that helps bring the visitors visiting the site together

using chat, forums, or another form of bulletin boards.

Content website and information website

A content website and information website are

created with the intention of displaying unique content that

is often related to a specific category. For example,

Computer Hope could be considered a content site with

computer-related content. Other categories could include

a political website that has content relating to politics or

a political view, or a religious website with information

about a specific religion.

Dating website

A dating website is a site set up to help connect people

who may be interested in meeting other people or dating

other people. Most dating websites require a small fee,

require a description of yourself, and often has a series of

questions to help find people that would best match your

interests.

E-commerce website

An e-commerce (electronic commerce) website is any

site that was created with the intention of selling online

goods or services. Amazon is an example of an e-commerce

website. An e-commerce website may be broken down

even further into one of the following subcategories.

An affiliate website is a website created with the

intention of selling third-party products. For example,

Amazon has an affiliate program allowing anyone to link to

their site and make a commission when products or

services are purchased after the link is clicked. An affiliate

website should not be confused with an e-commerce

website.

An auction website is a website that allows other people

to sell their goods or services. For example, eBay is one of

the most well-known online auction websites. See

our online auction page for further information and

examples.

A classified ads website is a site that allows anyone to

list goods or services, usually for free or at a small

cost. Craigslist is an example of a classified ads website.

A crowdfunding website is set up to help support a

business, person, or another cause by making a one time

or monthly payment. An example of a crowdfunding

website is Kickstarter.

Gaming website

A gaming website is any website that features games

that can be played on the website. Often these online

games are created using HTML5, Flash, or Java. Gaming

websites should not be confused with a gaming content

website that has content relevant to gaming with no actual

games to play on the website.

Government website

A government website is a department, local, or state

government site that was created to help inform the public

about government business and services. A local

government website may also be set up to help promote

tourism.

Help and Q&A website

A help website and questions and answers website is

a site where anyone can go to post questions about any

topic imaginable and where visitors to that site can help

answer those questions. A full listing of help websites

where you can ask any question is on the link below.

 Where can I ask a question on the Internet?

Malicious website

A malicious website is any website that was set up with

the intention of infecting another computer or collecting

personal data. For example, a malware website is a site

created with the intention of infecting any visitor

with malware, spyware, or a trojan horse. These type of sites

could have a download that is infected and, if downloaded,

infects your computer or scripts that steal your

computer cookies you use to log into a website.

Other common malicious websites include phishing

websites. These sites are designed to look like other

official sites (e.g., your bank) with the hope that they

can phish sensitive information such as your username and

password.

Fake news websites are another type of malicious site

created to appear to be a legitimate source of news with

the intention of helping to spread fear and lies.

 How to protect yourself while on the Internet.

Media sharing website

A media sharing website is any website that specializes

in allowing visitors to share one or more types of media.

For example, YouTube is a site for sharing video

media. SoundCloud is a site for sharing music. Flickr is a

place to share photos. DeviantArt is a page for sharing art.

Mirror website

A mirror website is a complete duplicate of another

website that is used when a website becomes overloaded.

It helps with a website's speed in different parts of the

world. See our mirror definition for further information.

Also, although similar, a mirror site should not be confused

with a scraper website or a CDN.

News website

A news website is a site dedicated to giving the latest

local or world news. A news site may also be dedicated to

a specific topic. For example, many computer-related news

websites are dedicated to talking about the latest computer

and technology related news.

P2P website and Torrent website

A P2P website and Torrent website are sites created to

list available torrents that can be downloaded using a file-

sharing program.

A warez website is similar to a torrent website, except

that it stores and hosts music, video, and software that

anyone can download to their computer. When referring to

a warez website, it is describing a site

where copyrighted material is illegally downloaded.

Personal website

A personal website is a site created by an individual that

talks about their personal life, family, life experiences, and

maybe contains a résumé. Today, many people are creating

personal websites as a blog or using a social networking

website as a place to store information about themselves.

Personality website

A personality website is any website that covers an

individual, such as an artist, celebrity, musician, author, or

any other person. These types of websites are set up by

someone affiliated with the person, such as a publicist,

agency, or fan of the personality.

Review website

A review website is any site that focuses on reviews

about a product or service. For example, Yelp allows

consumers to review businesses in their area. Other review

sites may review other things such as movies or products.

Also, many e-commerce sites have reviews from people

who've purchased the product they're selling.

School website

A school website is a site created to represent a local

school or college. School sites have an overview of a

school and give students and parents a place to log in and

review grades and other school-related information.

Scraper website

A scraper website is a website that is illegally stealing

(scraping) another website's content. Doing this could

allow the person to generate advertising revenue if enough

traffic was driven to the scraper website. However, these

types of sites are against all advertisers' TOS (terms of

service) and, when caught, they are blocked by the

company providing the advertising. A scraper website

should not be confused with a mirror website, which is a

copy of a site set up with permission.

Search engine website

A search engine website is a website dedicated to

helping people find information on the Internet. Google is

an example of a search engine website. See our search

engine definition for further information on search

engines and related links.

Social networking website

A social networking website connects users with

friends, family, celebrities, groups, and organizations. The

service is usually free, on the condition that the website

may collect information about the user and sell it to any

domestic or foreign entity. Facebook and Twitter are

examples of a social networking website. See our social

networking definition for other examples of social networks

and further information.

Social news website

A social news website is a site that generates its content

from its members and, once posted, all other members can

vote if they enjoyed or liked the story. Reddit is an example

of a social news website that allows everyone to post

almost anything. It is a great place to find things that

would most interest you on the Internet.

Webcomic website

A webcomic website is a site that posts a comic strip

daily, weekly, or monthly.

Webmail website

A webmail website is a website that a person to view,

send, and receive e-mail without the need for software. An

example of a webmail program is Gmail. See

our webmail definition for other examples, information, and

related links.

Wiki website

A wiki website is a site that is created

using Wiki software, and is often edited and updated by

more than one person.

Should I use "website" or "web site" when writing?

Both versions are technically correct. However, most style

guides (e.g., Microsoft Manual of Style and The Associated

Press Stylebook) suggest website (one word) instead

of web site (two words) in all forms of writing.

Note

If you're writing documentation for a software program or user interface, always use the style used in the interface.

Should I capitalize the "W" in website?

Unless the word "website" is at the beginning of a

sentence, it should be all lowercase. See our web definition

for further information about the capitalization of the word

"web."

Levels of Websites
Every business, organization, or company needs a suitable online presence of its own.
Often, the size or level of the website is actually determined by the size or complexity
of the organization. For those of you who do not know what different levels of
websites are out there, we have created this article to explain them to you in detail.
We believe that every business functions at a different level and hence, it is important
for you to design your websites according to the level at which the business is
currently in.
What’s more, along with choosing the right type of website, you would also need to
keep the future growth of your business and website in mind. Hence, choosing a
website to which you can keep adding more features to would be a smart move. So as
your business evolves, so will your website.
Here are the standard different levels of websites available for various sizes of
businesses and organizations. Some of these features are more cost effective and
involve less work. Others cost a bit more but are also more SEO-friendly and come
with an easy-to-use content management system. 
Splash / Cover Page
A splash or cover page is a very basic form of a web page that is usually used by
individuals or startups who want to share their basic company or organization
information. This type of page also includes some way for site visitors to leave their
contact information or request more information, namely some way to convert visitors
into leads.
The page consists of very minimal details and information that is relevant to the
visitor.

While this type of page is often temporarily used to convey preliminary messages
while you’re larger or full-scale site is being built or as a section of a larger site to
capture leads, it can also act as a very cost effective measure to get a basic online
presence.

Single Page, Brochure Style Website

This is another simple site and one which is very easy to maintain. It’s perfectly
suitable for growing businesses or mid-level enterprises. This level of a website
contains multiple navigation tabs which are anchored to text throughout the single
page site, allowing visitors to easily navigate the site with a few clicks and some
scrolling.
There is quite a limited amount of space on this modern form of a website, hence if
you are thinking of using this, then your content would need to be minimal, concise,
and to the point.
For some examples, please check out I & M Welding and Sue Panattoni.
Classic Five Page Website
There are the standard five-page websites for those businesses who want to be a bit
more elaborate about their business. This type of website contains the basic five pages
of a website, namely Home, About Us, Products / Services page, Contact page and
either a blog or a gallery page.

If you want to tell your customers more about your company, your vision, mission or
would want to explain to them a bit more about your products and services, then you
should opt for a five-page website. This kind of site is also great for non-profit
organizations, or even well-established firms to use as their main business website.
Here is a great example of a five-page website for FFunCredit.

Medium Level Website
A medium level website is the next best website type. Such sites are perfectly suitable
for both medium and large size companies who have a lot of products and services to
offer their website visitors. The website usually has about ten different pages, which is
more than enough for any company to share all the information they want about the
products or services offered. This type of website is also commonly used by non-
profit organizations.
As a mid-level company grows and has lots more to offer people, their site can be
upgraded to an enterprise level website.

Be sure to check out the sites of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan and Clearlite

Glass.

Enterprise Level Website
For companies that have large scale operations, perhaps across multiple geographic
locations, and offer multiple types of products and services, an enterprise level
website be best suited to them.
This type of websites comes with more than ten web pages to accommodate plenty of
content which large companies want to share with their audience on a daily basis. It
can often allow for multiple levels of website administrators as well. What’s more, a
company can also maintain a database or an archive where they can upload content
like such as member information, blogs, newsletters, brochures, etc. 
Enterprise level websites are usually very customized to suit business or organization
functions and often integrates easily with the existing systems. They are future-
forward and striving to solve business issues while improving efficiencies.

For some examples of enterprise level websites, feel free to check

out Schulte and Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies

Web Application
If you want to take your website to the next level, then you should think about
creating a mobile app for it. In case you are in the business of selling a ton of products
or services online (such as clothing or online educational courses), then opening an
app for mobile internet users would be the next logical step. Users of the app can log
in to this online portal at any time directly from their smartphones and make use of the
service.
Web apps are usually customized for the individual based on the user’s interactions
with the app and are used primarily to allow the user to perform actions.

Thoughts?
It is up to you to decide what level your company is currently at and choose a website
type accordingly. The higher the level of your site, the better will be your search
engine optimization as websites with lots of useful content tend to attract more online
visitors.
Difference between Website and Blog
September 11, 2019 Leave a Comment

The
Website and Blogs are somewhat similar. There are very few differences between them, but these are
differentiable. The major difference between website and blog is that a blog is more interactive, while
a website is static or inactive.

If we talk about blogs, the content of the blogs is frequently changed, and these are capable of
providing the fresh and updated content each time a viewer visits the blog after a period of time.
Conversely, this is not the case with the websites. The contents in the other websites (that are not
informational websites) rarely changes.

Content: Website Vs Blog

1.
1.
1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR COMPARISON WEBSITE BLOG

Fundamental unit Content Post

Order No order Chronological

Commenting Not always possible Enabled

Subscription No subscription is available to the RSS feed. One can subscribe to the blog's RSS feed.

Updation frequency Rare Often

Home page Could be present Mandatorily present

Definition of Website

A website has a web page that is comprised of embedded text with resources like links, hypertext,
forms, sound, images, etc. The objective of a website is to drive together with the resources and
deliver the information to the viewer in an understandable, impressive and creative way. However, the
information provided is regarding a specific purpose.

For example, if someone has a specific purpose or objective to write a book on some topic, then
he/she could successfully accomplish it. Similarly, for constructing a website, you must define a
specific objective or purpose.

Definition of Blog

In a technical sense, a blog is also a type of website. It is an open-source content management

system or a blogging tool that runs on a hosting system. It is a short form of a weblog, which can be
defined as the online journal shared over the internet. With the help of a blog, one can post diary
entries related to his/her personal experiences or interests.

A blog is created and edited by an individual known as the blogger. To maintain a blog, one should
focus on publishing the post to the internet using blog technology and updating the blogging program
and its characteristics.

Key Differences Between Website and Blog

1. The website is more general term as compared to a blog, which is more specifically designed. In other
words, all blogs are considered to be a website, but not all websites are considered to be blog.

2. The basic unit in a website is content, whereas, in a blog, it is a post.

3. In a blog (or informational websites), the contents are placed according to some chronological order. As
against, on a website, there is no specific arrangement of the contents followed.

4. The commenting section is mostly provided in the blogs, while this is not necessary with the websites as
the blogs are more interactive than a website.

5. The homepage could probably be present within a blog, but on the website, the homepage should be
included.

Conclusion

The main difference between the website and blog resides on the presentation of the information and
the type of information. Blogs are elaborative while websites are concise. However, the content
searched by the search engine refers to both the platforms equally, and the search results show the
content according to its quality.

Difference Between Website and Portal

November 13, 2017 1 Comment
 Website and Portal are distinct terms, but there
exists a correlation between the two. Website and portal both have a web-based interface; a
website is the collection of web pages whereas a portal acts as a gateway to world wide web and
provides many services.

An organisation owns a website. On the other hand, A portal is user-centric which means a user can
probably provide information and data.

Content: Website and Portal

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR
WEBSITE PORTAL
COMPARISON

Basic It is a location on the internet usually accessed It provides a single point of access where the traffic is limited to

through an URL. the right set of users.

Features Owned by an organization. User-centric.

Interaction User can not interact with a website. There is a two-way communication between user and portal.

Property Not necessarily a knowledge domain. Act as the gateway to the specific knowledge domain.
 BASIS FOR
WEBSITE PORTAL
COMPARISON

Management Seldom updation of the information sources. Regular updation of information sources.

Definition of Website

A website is the group of web pages which are placed in a location on the internet and accessed
through a web address. Content on a website is globally visible, publically used, remains same for the
different individuals. Users need not to login for accessing the website. The user can perform any
specific task, and the website supports it.

A website could be industry-specific, product specific or services specific etc.; these websites are
intended to educate their site visitors about their industry, products or services information. There is
no use of a personalized database, and the website does not usually reference it.

Definition of  Portal

A web portal is a typical knowledge management system that delivers the facility for organisation or
companies to build, share, interchange and reuse knowledge. It is the private location on the internet
retrieved through a unique URL (web address), and probably login id and password. Web portal
content is login protected and user specific and its interface could be public and private.

It allows access to multiple user roles. Contents in a web portal are dynamic and changed frequently.
The visibility of one content changes from person to person which means a content could be unique to
a user based on group member settings. Contents are collected from the different and diverse
sources.

Portals can be divided into two classes: Horizontal portals (Horizontal Enterprise Portals)

and vertical portals (Vertical Enterprise Portals).

 Horizontal portals are analogous to a public website which tries to deliver every type of service that its
users may need.
 Vertical portals work in a user-centric manner and deliver information that is organization-specific.

Key Differences Between Website and Portal

1. A website is a set of interlinked web pages hosted from the same domain, which can be accessed through
a web address. As against a portal is a custom-made website which involves information from a broad class
of sources in a persistent manner.

2. A portal is usually user-centric whereas a website is owned by an organization or company etc.

3. There is no intercommunication between the website and the user. On the contrary, a user can interact
with the portal.

4. A website is not a primary knowledge domain whereas portal is the passage to knowledge management
system.

5. The information is regularly updated in case of a portal. In contrast, the information sources in a website
are rarely updated.
Conclusion

A website and portal are differentiated on the basis of personalized information, and quick access
where a portal renders personalized information to users and website is not intended to function in
that way.

Website
Website is a collection of related web pages that may contain text, images, audio and video. The first page of a website is called
home page. Each website has specific internet address (URL) that you need to enter in your browser to access a website.

Website is hosted on one or more servers and can be accessed by visiting its homepage using a computer network. A website is
managed by its owner that can be an individual, company or an organization.

A website can be of two types:

o Static Website

o Dynamic Website

Static website
Static website is the basic type of website that is easy to create. You don't need the knowledge of web programming and database
design to create a static website. Its web pages are coded in HTML.

The codes are fixed for each page so the information contained in the page does not change and it looks like a printed page.
Dynamic website
Dynamic website is a collection of dynamic web pages whose content changes dynamically. It accesses content from a database or
Content Management System (CMS). Therefore, when you alter or update the content of the database, the content of the website is
also altered or updated.

Dynamic website uses client-side scripting or server-side scripting, or both to generate dynamic content.

Client side scripting generates content at the client computer on the basis of user input. The web browser downloads the web page
from the server and processes the code within the page to render information to the user.

In server side scripting, the software runs on the server and processing is completed in the server then plain pages are sent to the
user.

Static vs Dynamic website

Static Website Dynamic Website
 Prebuilt content is same every time the page is loaded. Content is generated quickly and changes regularly.

It uses the HTML code for developing a website. It uses the server side languages such as PHP,SERV

website.

It sends exactly the same response for every request. It may generate different HTML for each of the reque

The content is only changed when someone publishes and updates the file (sends it to The page contains "server-side" code which allows th

the web server). the page is loaded.

Flexibility is the main advantage of static website. Content Management System (CMS) is the main adv

The difference between a URL, domain, website

When you decide to bring your business or brand online, you’re going to start seeing a lot of terms like domain name,

website, URL, domain registrar, and more. While they’re all related to having a website, they don’t all mean the same

thing. Luckily, they’re simple to explain, and we’ve spelled out the basics right here. Once you discover the

differences between each term, you’ll be ready to navigate the web with confidence.

Domain name
Simply put, a domain name (or just ‘domain’) is the name of a website. It’s what comes after “@” in an email address,

or after “www.” in a web address. If someone asks how to find you online, what you tell them is usually your domain

name.

Examples of domain names are:

google.com

wikipedia.org

youtube.com

The first step in creating an online presence is purchasing a domain name. Anyone can purchase a domain name by

going to a domain host or registrar like Google Domains, finding a name no one else is using, and paying an annual

fee to own and register it. You can also choose from various domain name endings (or “TLDs”), like .com, .coffee,
or .photography. If you’re thinking about buying a domain name, check out our tips on how to come up with a good

name.

A domain name, website, and URL are not the same thing.

URL
A URL (aka Universal Resource Locator) is a complete web address used to find a particular web page. While the

domain is the name of the website, a URL will lead to any one of the pages within the website. Every URL contains a

domain name, as well as other components needed to locate the specific page or piece of content.

Examples of URLs:

http://www.google.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/umami

https://www.youtube.com/feed/trending

Website
Though one leads to the other, buying a domain name doesn’t mean you have a website. A domain is the name of a

website, a URL is how to find a website, and a website is what people see and interact with when they get there. In

other words, when you buy a domain, you have purchased the name for your site, but you still need to build the

website itself.

In digital terms, a website is a collection of content, often on multiple pages, that is grouped together under the same

domain. You can think of it like a store, where the domain is the store name, the URL is the store address, and the

website is the actual store, with shelves full of products and a cash register.

Luckily, building a website is much easier, faster, and more economical than building a physical store or office.

Today, there are many great companies who make it possible for anyone to build a beautiful, professional-looking

website in just a few hours—and most don’t require any knowledge of coding or design. To learn more about building

your site, check out our post on how to choose a website builder.

In order to create a website, you need a few things:

1. A domain name (such as yoursite.com)

2. A domain registrar and host (such as Google Domains)
3. A do-it-yourself website builder, like SquareSpace or Wix, or a web designer
4. Digital content—the text, images, videos, and other media that visitors will see when they come to your site.

Domain registrar
A domain registrar is a company that sells domain names that aren't currently owned and are available for you to

register. A simple search on a domain registrar’s page should tell you if the domain name you want is available and

how much it will cost.

DNS host
A DNS host is a company that manages your domain's configuration (also known as DNS resource records) that

makes sure your domain name points to your website and email. Most domain hosts also offer domain name

registration.

Domain registrars should offer privacy protection for free.

WHOIS and RDAP directories

The WHOIS and RDAP directories are public listings of domain names and the people or organizations associated

with each name. You can use the directory to find domain owners and IP addresses, as well as mailing addresses

and telephone numbers.

For privacy, some domain name owners choose to hide their personal information from these directories, just as you

might want your personal telephone number to be unlisted in a telephone book.

Now you know the difference between basic web terms, and how they all play a part in creating a web presence for

businesses and brands. At Google Domains, we want everyone to feel informed, secure, and empowered to grow

their business online.

How to Buy a Domain Name – A Simple Guide

Every website needs a catchy address. And to get one, you need to know how to buy a domain name. Luckily,
domain registration has become quite a simple procedure nowadays. It’s also one of the first steps you need to
take when you start a blog or create a website.

The short steps to buy a domain name are:

1. Choose a reliable domain registrar (like Hostinger).

2. Find a domain availability checker tool.
3. Run a domain name search.
4. Pick the best available option.
5. Finalize your order and complete the domain registration.
6. Verify the ownership of your new domain.

Below, we’ll overview each step in a more in-depth fashion and present a few tips and tricks to ease the whole
process.

9 Best Tips Before Buying Domain Names

Before you purchase a domain name, consider doing some proper investigation. After all, the name of your website
is one of the first things that visitors will see. Here are some important tips to keep in mind:

1. Do your research. It’s important to study your niche and to know what the average user wants. Being
aware of the most popular keywords and search terms will let you find a domain name that’s best suited
to represent your project.
2. Make it catchy and easy to remember. Don’t go for something that is absurdly long or difficult to
pronounce. A catchy and short domain name will greatly increase the chances of visitors remembering
your website name.
3. Go with .com if possible. Currently, .com is taking a firm stand as the most popular domain name
extension. Thus, it’s a good priority when buying a domain name, as most web users will easily recognize
it.
4. Check for trademark infringement. To avoid any legal issues, it’s best not to register a domain similar to
popular, well-established brands. You can use various online tools to look up trademark information and
avoid such situations.
5. Avoid numbers and hyphens. While numbers and hyphens let you create more domain name variations,
they can sometimes do more harm than good. For example, people can mistake the number zero (0) with
the letter (o) or the number (2) for a word (two). Hence omitting numbers and hyphens may be a good
idea.
6. Look for close alternatives. If you already have a domain name in mind, think of possible mistype
variations to make sure all the potential traffic reaches you. A great example would be amzon.com which
takes you the main Amazon website, or fb.com which goes directly to Facebook.
7. Research social media platforms. Once you have a rough draft of your domain name, look it up on
popular social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. Even if you’re not planning
to do anything with them at the start, reserving a page for your project will ensure it’s not taken by
someone else.
8. Think future-proof. Websites and domains are a long-term investment. Hence revolving the name
around the most overhyped thing at this very moment might not be the best approach in the long run. So
don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
9. Discuss your ideas. If you feel like picking the right name for your website is the hardest choice of your
life, perhaps you need some help. Present your ideas to friends, family, colleagues. Who knows, they
might give you that golden nugget of advice that you’re looking for

Common Web Design Languages

For people who aren’t tech-savvy, working with a web designer or developer can be tricky. They use phrases

like CSS, HTML, and Java, which might mean little to you as a business owner.

These phrases refer to the languages web developers use to write code and create an appealing design. Most

business owners don’t need to understand the nuts and bolts of web design, but it can help to know the basics

before beginning a conversation about changing your web design or implanting a new one.

Why Is a Basic Understanding Important?

You don’t need to know how to code to know your website is a crucial component of your business and

marketing strategies.
By understanding a few things, however, you may feel like you and your designer can have a coherent

conversation – and you can more clearly express your needs.

You may believe you can simply tell a designer want you to want, and poof – like magic – it happens.

Sometimes, that is the case, but when things aren’t going so smoothly, it can help to understand why.

Technology keeps marching – as it changes, it helps to know why developers might need to change your site to

keep it current.

Businesses and web developers are always rethinking their design and making changes to keep up with Google

updates, trending designs, and more.

Most Commonly Used Languages

There is a variety of coding languages developers choose from, and most use the language they are most

comfortable with. Their preference is formed over time based on their experience using different languages.

HERE ARE THE MOST COMMON LANGUAGES AND HOW THEY ARE USED:

1. HTML

HTML makes up the layout and structure for your website. This language is dynamic and allows you to create

a beautiful website using less code. HTML is used to create a starting point for the website and is what most of

your static pages start from. A better way to understand this language is to consider it as the skeleton that is

holding your website together.

2. CSS

CSS is the language developers can use to style a website. The style sheet language describes how your

website is presented and its layout. CSS is used hand in hand with HTML to add colors, backgrounds, layouts,

font sizes, and more. This language is a core technology web developers use to design and build websites.

3. JAVA

Java is one of the most popular programming languages. It is used to develop website content, games, apps,

and software. Java is used in the production of most Android apps. Studies have shown over 15 billion devices

are using Java in some form or other. Java language is portable and can be run on multiple software platforms.
4. JAVASCRIPT

JavaScript is used in many aspects of web development. Web developers use this language to add interactive

elements to their websites. User engagement is important to your business, and your web developer should be

incorporating JavaScript elements in your design.

5. PYTHON

Python is one of the easiest languages to use and work with. Python can create a framework for basically any

website need. This language uses simple and straightforward syntax, making it easy for web developers to

work with and explain to their users. Some familiar sites that are using this language are Pinterest and

Instagram.

6. SQL

SQL is a database query language that is used when your website is computing large amounts of data. Using

SQL allows you to gather data from different databases and use it to cater your website to your target audience.

This language is not used alone; instead, it is paired with others to get the most out of your customer database

and website development.

7. PHP

PHP is often used on data-heavy websites or for app development. This is an open-source language that can be

easily modified to meet the needs of your business or website. Large websites like WordPress and Facebook

use PHP to manage and process their data.

8. .NET

.NET (pronounced dot net) is a framework that provides programming guidelines that can be used to develop a

wide range of applications from the web to mobile to Windows-based applications. The .NET framework can

work with several programming languages such as C#, VB.NET, C++, and F#. At Grand Circus, we use C# as

well as MVC. .NET has a huge collection of predefined class libraries (pre-written code) that has support for

simple and complex data structures.

9. ANGULAR
Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source front-end application platform led by the Angular Team at Google

and by a community of individuals and corporations. Angular is a complete rewrite from the same team that

built AngularJS. Angular is a platform that makes it easy to build applications with the web. Angular combines

declarative templates, dependency injection, end to end tooling, and integrated best practices to solve

development challenges. Angular empowers developers to build applications that live on the web, mobile, or

the desktop.

Why Do Some Languages Work Better Than Others?

No one language is inherently better than another, they just perform better with different tasks. There are some
key factors that web developers consider when they are deciding what language or coding method to use while

working on a project. Here are some of those factors:

 Expressiveness: The expressiveness relates to how easy a language is to understand, use, and write.

The productivity of a language says a lot about how expressive your website will be. The easier a language

is to write, the more time can be spent on adding design elements to the site. The expressiveness relates to

how easy it is to add to the existing code. A developer will use a language where he or she does not have to

spend a lot of time thinking about how to expand upon the code to grow or update the website.

 Reliability: The reliability of the language and the code is important. The functionality of your

website relies on how reliable the language is. The code is also in place to protect your website and

customers. Reliable code will be easy to test and maintain. When a developer is reviewing the code, he or

she should be able to scan it and get a sense for how reliable the website will be.

 Performance: This is an important factor for developers to consider when they are working on a

business website. They must take into consideration the amount of traffic your site will receive and what

types of activities users will be doing while they visit your website. They will look for easy optimization to

different servers and browsers and will want to make sure the code will operate consistently throughout a

visitor’s time spent on the website.

Setting Successful Website Goals & Objectives
This post was originally published in May 2014. In August 2017 we updated it to reflect the
latest thinking on how to set successful goals for your site. We’ve also added an explanatory
video with a transcript.

When planning a new website, it’s understandable that you might want to jump ahead to the
“fun stuff” and brainstorm ideas for advanced features. You might find yourself looking at other
websites for ideas about digital bells and whistles you want to add. But features and graphics
should not be your starting point—you should first list your goals and objectives for the site.

While increased website sales or traffic may seem to be obvious marketing goals, you’ll quickly
find they’re meaningless if you don’t assess the objectives necessary to achieve the results you
want.

A website is not a Field of Dreams like in the famous movie: you can’t just “build it and they’ll
come.”

A successful site requires an effective, sustained marketing strategy beyond presenting a

collection of products, services, images, videos or other files. That means your website design
should be focused on specific goals, along with measurable objectives to attain them.

Your marketing goals will differ depending on the nature of the work you do. For example, a
primary goal for a business offering professional services to other companies might be to
generate more leads. Conversely, an art or photography site might focus on attractively
showcasing new work or selling it online.

Where to Start
Regardless of your business, start by listing specific website goals and corresponding objectives
that fit your overall marketing strategy and capabilities. Examples might include:

Goal: Increase sales.

Objectives: Search engine optimization, well-organized content, user-friendly site, effective calls
to action, increase conversion rate.

Goal: Becoming an authoritative resource.

Objectives: Providing quality content on your website, regularly adding new information,
establishing trust, marketing your site on other websites and social media.

Goal: Improve interaction with existing and potential customers.

Objectives: E-mail marketing lists, online support (live chat), webinars, and content designed to
give your visitor a reason to come back.

Goal: Build your brand.

Objectives: Active social media program, promotions, reputation management.

The objectives shown above are examples; you could write completely different objectives to
achieve the same goals.
Nor are they exclusive. For instance, while we mentioned “establishing trust” under “Becoming
an authoritative source,” establishing trust is also a key issue to increasing sales.

The Overlooked Goal

In developing your website goals, it’s vital to consider your ideal visitor. Clients often fall
back on “our buyers are diverse,” but a website aimed at everyone may attract no one.

Your content needs to instantly appeal to your ideal visitors, convince them you are worthy of
their time, and make it easy for them to take the next step.

For example, if you sell highly technical products to engineers, artsy slide shows or animations
are not likely to succeed. The engineer will be more interested a bullet list of key features,
educational content to help solve a problem, downloadable specifications or dimensional
drawings, or an easy way to request a quote.

Realistic Goals
Your list of goals and objectives also need to match your organization’s capabilities. It’s easy to
say “we need to be on Instagram,” but do you have the resources and staff to spend several hours
a week on a creative, sustained social media campaign that engages followers?

If the answer is no, consider other options such as a press release program, an opt-in email news
list, a series white papers, a regular newsletter, or similar that better suit your ability to produce
compelling content.

Measuring Success
Part of your planning should consider how to measure the success of your new website.
Converting a first-time visitor into a customer is rare. You’ll need to establish a few objectives to
measure whether or not your new strategies are successful, and start adjusting if they fall short.

You should benchmark where you’re starting from. Then, once you implement your new site,
measure the changes. (We provide specifics on measurable objectives and benchmarks in this
post.)
Summing Up
An attractive website is not enough to achieve your marketing goals. While your web designer
can help you create a website that works, you need to start by listing the strategic goals and
objectives for your site.

By establishing a realistic list of goals and measurable objectives, as well as always keeping your
ideal visitor in mind, you’ll greatly increase your chances of online success.

One Page website

Since 2008 I’ve added over 7000 One Page website references to the One Page Love gallery. So what
exactly is a One Page website?

A One Pager is a Single Page website with no additional pages like About, Team or Services. All the
content sits within the same webpage, traditionally in a long-scrolling layout.
See the beauty of a One Page website is it tries to promote one thing in an uncluttered, direct manner.
This allows the visitor to make a quicker decision vs sending them to a bloated website with many
options.

Now when a One Page website encourages an action it also becomes a Landing Page – where the
objective can be to download, a SaaS sign up, join a newsletter or even an commerce transaction.
These successful actions are known as Conversions.
Lastly, to not clutter the user experience and focus on that sweet conversion. There are exceptions for
important additional pages like Terms , Privacy, Shipping, 404 and even blogs… all preferably linked
from the website footer.

Strategic Design: 6 Steps For Building Successful

Websites
WHAT IS STRATEGIC DESIGN?
Strategic design is the fusion of your organizational goals with every aspect of your
design process. You aren’t simply designing a user interface that looks good and is
usable and accessible. You’re designing an interface that will help you accomplish
your organization’s objectives.

There are many websites out there that look fantastic and sport the latest trends in
design yet often fail miserably in their intended function. Design trends are, of course,
important because they give you fresh inspiration and new techniques, but the
implementation of those techniques and styles needs to be intelligent and focused.
For example, a blog isn’t a marketing brochure; you should focus on usability and
readability rather than style. Similarly, a promotional website for a computer game
should feature graphics and styles that portray a specific feel and style; the aesthetic is
very important here.
When the designer simply implements a look and feel that is fashionable at the
moment (think Web 2.0 trends) without any thought of how they fit the function of the
website or the business behind it, the end result is unlikely to be very effective.
Web design is all about crafting an interface that communicates function, is usable
and accessible and exudes the right emotion and feeling. Effective Web design needs
all of these elements to be in tune with the goals of your website and in sync with the
organizational objectives behind the website. Strategic design is all about identifying
those goals and using them to guide your design.
Implementing Strategic Design
Let’s take a look at how we can use six steps to think strategically about a Web
design project:
1. ESTABLISH YOUR GOALS
One of the first things you need to do before starting work on a Web design project is
to be clear about your client or organization’s goals. What are you trying
to achieve with the new website or redesign? What is the website’s main purpose?
Ask your client, your manager or yourself what those are. If they or you don’t know
yet, then they should be discussed and agreed upon. A clear direction is essential if
you want your design to have a purpose.
Remember that a website isn’t a piece of art; it’s an interface that serves a function.
That function may be to sell products, to deliver informational content, to entertain, to
inform or to provide access to a service. Whatever that function is, your design must
focus on fulfilling it. Goals are also important, especially if you’re doing a redesign.
Ask why you are doing the redesign: are you looking to grow the number of sign-ups,
decrease the bounce rate or maybe increase user participation?

Take a look at the design of the New York Times website above. Its function is to
deliver informational content. The minimalist interface serves this function beautifully
by fading into the background.
In contrast to the New York Times, AdaptD is a Web design studio, so the goal is not
to deliver a lot of content but to impress visitors with its design, showcase a gallery
and advertise the company’s services. The visuals are very important here, and
AdaptD delivers a browsing experience with beautiful imagery and strong colors.
2. IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE
Who your audience is will play a big role in how your website should look and
function. There are many demographics here that can influence your design, ones
like age, gender, profession and technical competency. A computer game website
for a younger audience needs a different style than that of a serious business journal.
Usability should play a bigger role for older and less technically savvy audiences.
Who your audience is will not only influence the general aesthetic of the website but
will also determine a lot of smaller details, like font sizes, so make sure you’re clear
about who will be using your website.
This is the unsuccessful jQuery rock-star redesign. The designer went too far in trying
to create excitement and so failed to cater to the more serious, techy audience. Since
then, the rock-star graphic has been replaced with a more conservative look.

Disney’s target audience is kids. The intent is to entertain and involve this young
audience, and the design does it by wrapping the content in a fun, colorful interface
with a lot of visual and interactive elements.
3. DETERMINE YOUR BRAND IMAGE
A lot of designers tend to get a little too inspired by the latest trends and then
implement them without thinking first about what sort of image they really should be
conveying. Glossy buttons, gradients and reflective floors may work for some
websites, but they may not be right for your brand.
Think about color. Think about the feel you want to achieve and emotions you wish
to elicit. Your design should embody the personality and character of your brand.
Everything has a brand; even if you don’t sell a product or service – for example, if
you run a blog – your website still has a certain feel that makes an impression on your
visitors. Decide what that impression should be.

Carbonica is a website aimed at helping people reduce their carbon emissions. The
environmentally friendly image of the website is crafted using a lot of recycled paper
images and textures, as well as earthy green and brown tones.
 Restaurantica was a restaurant reviews website. Its design illustrates this by taking on
the look and feel of an actual menu you would see in a restaurant.
4. GOAL-DRIVEN DESIGN DIRECTION
You’ve established the purpose of your website, set some goals you want to achieve,
identified your audience and determined your brand image. You can now proceed to
implement it. So how do you make design decisions sync with your strategy? Let
me illustrate this with a likely example.
Suppose your main objective is to increase the number of subscribers to your Web
service. How can your design help accomplish this goal? I can see at least three things
here that will make a difference:

 Make the “About” snippet on your landing page as clear and concise as
possible. Your visitors must not have any confusion about the function of your
website.
 Use color and contrast to make the registration button or link stand out. If
people can’t find it, then you won’t get many sign-ups.
 Streamline the registration process by removing unnecessary and optional
elements; people can fill those out later. If the form looks long, people may be put off
of filling it in.

These are just three ways you can lead your design towards accomplishing the goal of
increasing the number of sign-ups to your service. Your goals may vary, but the
strategy is the same: shape and focus all the design elements towards meeting
those goals.
The same strategy applies to your brand and audience: design the aesthetic that best
suits it. If your website’s focus is entertainment, then create an “experience.” You are
free to use a lot of color and imagery to shape that experience. On the other hand, if
 you’re designing a website that is focused on information consumption, for example, a
blog or a magazine, then focus on usability and readability. Create an interface that
fades away and doesn’t distract the user from accessing the content.

Stubmatic was an online box-office application. Their external website has two
purposes: explain what the service does and get people to sign up. New visitors may
only remain on your website for a few seconds, so if you don’t want to lose them you
must be concise. You can do this by:

 Using large imagery and diagrams to illustrate the function of your product or
service.
 Showing screenshots of your application. People will want to see what it looks
like before they commit to a download or sign up.
 Providing a tour, using descriptive examples of how your service can help them
solve a problem. Show a video if you can; the less effort people need to make to
understand how your app works the better.
 Having the sign-up link accessible from all pages.

To succeed, the website must make the best use of the very limited amount of
attention visitors will be giving it by not only informing but educating them about
what your product does, and selling the benefits it provides. Stubmatic uses design
elements effectively to pursue those goals.
TechCrunch is one of the more popular tech blogs. Its new design removes every
single unnecessary graphical element from the page. What’s left is just the content,
advertising and navigation. Subtle lines and grey shades give the page structure, yet
the interface is almost invisible and places content straight into the front row. For a
blog that posts several new articles a day, this format is ideal because it facilitates
fast and easy access to the content.
5. MEASURE RESULTS
Once you’ve designed and deployed your website, it’s time to measure your success.
This is just as important as the first two steps because until you test how well your
design performs, you won’t know whether or not it is effective in fulfilling your goals.
If your goal is to increase the number of sign-ups to your service, measure it and see if
your changes are making a positive impact. If you want to increase the number of
subscribers to your blog, check your RSS stats. If you want to increase user
involvement, see if you get more comments or more forum posts or whatever else is
relevant in your context.
You can, of course, also ask people for their feedback, and this is a very good way to
check if you’re on the right track. Be careful though not to implement every
suggestion people make. Everyone has different tastes and wants, so everyone is
going to have a different opinion about what your website should look like. If you do
collect feedback, look for patterns; see if there are common issues that crop up and
deal with those.
Measuring various website metrics is a whole science unto itself and is beyond the
scope of this article. But however in-depth your analytics are at this stage doesn’t
really matter; the important thing is that at the very least you have some way of
measuring your key objectives. You can use this information to see if you’re moving
in the right direction with your design and with any future changes you or your client
make.
Even if you’re on a tight budget, you can use free tools like Google Analytics to get a
lot of data on how your website is being used, including overlays of your pages to see
what links people click on most as well as the ability to track conversion funnels.
6. KAIZEN
There is a Japanese philosophy called “Kaizen,” which focuses on continuous
improvement using small steps. When you work on your website, you should be
thinking of Kaizen because the version you’ve just published is not the final version.
There doesn’t even have to be a final version.
You can always make improvements, and the very nature of a website will allow you
to introduce these at any time. This is because a website isn’t a magazine that you
print and sell: once a magazine copy is out of your hands, you cannot make any
changes or fix any spelling mistakes or errors. A website, however, sits on your
server: if you find a mistake, you can fix it right away. In the same vein, you can
introduce gradual improvements and updates to make your website more effective
in serving its function.
Using the results of your measurements, you can identify problem areas. Perhaps your
visitors cannot find the RSS feed link, or your bounce rate is too high or an important
page on your website isn’t getting enough visits. Whatever the problem is, there will
always be a way to improve things.
Conclusion
The main gist of strategic design is simply common sense: you’re making something
for a specific purpose, so of course it should fulfill that purpose through its design.
But it is actually very easy to lose track of your goals and end up with something that
is beautiful but ultimately doesn’t work in its context. It’s very easy to fall into the
trap of implementing the latest design trends just because they look attractive or
shaping a section of your website to resemble another website that you really like
without first thinking about why you are doing it or how it fits in with the purpose of
your project.
Avoid falling into these traps by thinking through every design decision you make.
Why is this button this color? Why are we using tabs? Why should we use icons here?
Once you get into the habit of questioning your every design decision, the whole
process will become much more focused. Think about the product or organization
you’re representing. Think about the target audience and your brand. What will work
in this context? What is expected? How can you use design to best fulfill the website’s
purpose? Don’t just build a beautiful website: make a website that really works.