Web design and development Assignment 1

“
”

“Agar Alemayehu Behabtu”

“R2010D11463783”
UU-MBA-740-ZM Web design and development (38245)”
“Richard Ndonye Ngungu”
“Jun 11, 2022
Contents
1) INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 3
2) QUESTION 1 .......................................................................................................................... 3
a) Shared hosting server ........................................................................................................... 3
b) Dedicated hosting server ...................................................................................................... 4
c) Virtual Private Server (VPS) ................................................................................................... 4
d) Cloud hosting ........................................................................................................................ 4
3) QUESTION 2 .......................................................................................................................... 5
a) “Improves Credibility”........................................................................................................... 5
b) “Brand Awareness” ............................................................................................................... 5
c) “Generating Leads, Increasing Sales” .................................................................................... 6
d) “Attract Organic Traffic” ....................................................................................................... 6
e) “Improve Customer Experience” .......................................................................................... 6
f) “Updates and Announcements” ........................................................................................... 6
g) “Digital Marketing” ............................................................................................................... 7
4) QUESTION 3 .......................................................................................................................... 7
a) “Features of WordPress” ...................................................................................................... 7
i) Themes: ................................................................................................................................ 7
ii) “Plugins:” ............................................................................................................................. 8
iii) “Mobile applications:” ........................................................................................................ 8
iv) “Accessibility:” .................................................................................................................... 8
v) “Other features:” ................................................................................................................. 8
5) “Question 4” ......................................................................................................................... 8
a) “Benefits of WordPress to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” ............................................ 9
6) “Question 5” ......................................................................................................................... 9
1) INTRODUCTION

“In early times, website was considered as the means of advertising the product and
service of the company. Moro importantly it was considered as an image builder. But in
recent days, website is becoming one of the Operational Workbench for almost any type of
organizations, from sole to high corporates.”
“Therefore, it is important for any organization to understand the use and applicability of
the website portals as well as the potential risk it can be imposed due their website
vulnerability. In order to minimize the risk imposed by website, it will be vital for an
organization to consider multiple variables, with bare minimum of in selecting the hosting
environment and content management system.”

2) QUESTION 1
“What do you need to take into consideration when you are about to choose
which server will host your website? Explain the reasons that helped to make
your selection and elaborate on your answer.”

“Web hosting service is a type of internet hosting service that allows individuals and
organization to make their website accessible via the world wide web. Thus, having some
server space over the internet (online service provider) to store files that can be accessible
by the use of world-wide websites which at the same time can be controlled. To host a
website in order to make accessible from anywhere, it has to be stored on a server that is
connected to the internet. That server storing the website becomes the host of the website.
The host could be anywhere in the world but it has to have power, internet connection and
a dedicated Internet Protocol (IP) address. Without these three things intact, the website
will not be available online.”
Website can be host on-the-premise of the organization infrastructure or with Hosting
service providers on-cloud. The main area of considerations in choosing hosting sever are
hosting Budget, operational cost, availability of skilled human resource. If an organization
has proper infrastructure and skilled human resource, so that it can be hosted on-the-
premise. But otherwise, it shall be hosted with hosting service providers.
“All companies may not have the budget and expertise to have their own infrastructure,
therefore they will resort to web hosting servicing companies to offer them a space to host
their websites. In the case web hosting, it is important know that the web hosting servicing
companies have several web hosting options for a company or individual to choose from.
These include the following;”

a) Shared hosting server

“This is the most affordable web hosting plan with the server space being shared with
others, thus sharing the server space cost with others. Typically, all domains may share
a common pool of server resources, such as Random-Access Memory (RAM) and the
Central Processing Unit (CPU). The features of a shared hosting server can be quite
basic and not flexible in terms of software and updates. This is basically the cheapest
option for choosing a website hosting server and is very convenient for small and
medium scale businesses (Hara and Nakayama, 2006).”

b) Dedicated hosting server

“This is the type of hosting server that provides the user with a dedicated or own web
server but does not allow full control over it. Here, the user is not allowed full control
so that the provider can guarantee quality of service by not allowing the user to modify
the server or potentially creating configuration problems. This type of hosting server is
the most powerful option as well as the most expensive option. This is very convenient
for large or multinational companies that have the need to operate server that is not
shared or no other individual or company has access to.”

c) Virtual Private Server (VPS)

“This type of server is a hybrid of the dedicated and shared servers. This is basically
a higher class of shared server. Unlike shared servers, where one shares the resources,
the VPS is divided into sections and each website resides within its assigned section.
Each section is separated and they act independently of one another. Because of the
inconvenience of being prone to virus’s attacks with shared hosting, VPS AWAS
created to overcome these risks to some extent. VPS has the ability to offer users to
possess their exclusive space on a shared hosting sever with few other hosts website as
neighbors. The sites are separated by virtual partitioning like in real partitioning for
office. VPS hosting has some features which can be seen in shared hosting. However,
users do not compete to use the web server resources through less competition and can
even have control over their site management. It cost more than shared hosting however
but it is really worth it since VPS hosting allows flexibility and provide more space for
sites that have more traffic. Similarly, it is the responsibility of the website company to
do maintenance on a continual basis on the site. The customer is free to build up site
architecture and can even install software.”

d) Cloud hosting
“This is a new type of hosting platform that allows users powerful, scalable and a
more reliable hosting based on a clustered load-balanced servers and utility billing. This
hosting server is the most reliable than all other options since other computers in the
cloud can compensate when a single piece of hardware goes down. Moreover, it cannot
be affected by power disruptions or even natural disasters as the cloud hosted sites are
using a decentralized cloud hosting server. This is more cost effective among the other
alternatives as the users are only charged fees for what has been consumed and not
necessarily a flat or fixed cost upfront.”
 “What are Factors affecting a web hosting choice.”
“As discussed, considering the pros and cons of the different types of web hosting
servers above, a business or individual may decide on the type of hosting server that
will suit its business, budget and expertise. A small business may choose a shared
hosting server or a cloud hosting server depending on the kind of operations, the type
of data to be kept and the kind of expertise needed to run the website. Likewise, a large
or a multinational company may decide to choose a VPS or a dedicated hosting server
depending on their budget, how they want to secure their data and also the available
expertise they need to run the website. Others may consider the hosting company’s 24/7
technical support, the type of hardware they are using, if they offer email and among
others.”

3) QUESTION 2
“Explain how hosting can level up your business. Name the advantages of
hosting and how these are affecting the progression of your business. Please
elaborate on your answer.”

“Choosing the right kind of web hosting option can offer the business or website great
benefits. In this era of electronic commerce, it is very essential to operate businesses
online to reach the global market. Therefore, operating online will require a successful
website that can give a 24hr/7day accessibility to existing and potential customers. For
a website to be successful, it will require the most appropriate web hosting service that
will suit the needs of the business whiles providing a 24hr/7day support services. The
following are some of the advantages associated with web hosting that can level up the
operations of a business.”

a) Improves Credibility”
“

“One of the main reasons to have a website for a business is to increase the company’s
credibility. In most cases, there are several businesses in the market that are offering
products or services similar to others. Having an attractive, professional website is the
best way to stand out from the competition. A good effective website helps build a
strong online presence and helps communicate quality information to your consumers.”
“Today not having a website may raise a question of its legitimacy. Customers expect
legitimate, trustworthy businesses to have a website and social media accounts. A
website can be the face of your business, it helps create a strong first impression, builds
trust and credibility in the minds of the consumers.”

b) “Brand Awareness”
“A website helps create brand awareness and showcasing the brand to prospective
customers. It helps to establish the image by letting the audience know who the company
is and what it represents. A website provides reliable information to the consumers,
which helps in setting the business apart from the competitors.”e.

c) “Generating Leads, Increasing Sales”

“One of the most fascinating reasons to have a website for the business is that it can
help generate more leads and increase sales. When people search online and can find
the business they try to gather more information about the products or services and the
company as a whole.”
“A website is the best way for a consumer to gather information about a business.
They can get the contact details of the business from the website, giving you a growth
opportunity and a chance to increase the sales.”
“Even though developing and maintain websites involve a cost, when used
appropriately, they have a positive ROI.”

d) “Attract Organic Traffic”

“Businesses frequently receive calls from prospective or existing customers to inquire
about simple questions like the address or hours of operation etc. Many times the
company staff may not be able to attend and reply to all calls, this may leave a customer
unhappy and you make lose a prospect. Having to answer so many calls can also affect
the productivity of the staff as a lot of time is lost on attending calls.

Having a website can reduce the number of calls received and also improve the
productivity of the employees. A well-designed website can help customers to find
useful information easily without calling. Easy access to information can boost
customer experience.”

e) “Improve Customer Experience”

“If the business has developed an effective website using various search engine
optimization techniques, there are very high chances the website will rank well in the
Google search results.”
“Ranking high in the search results will ensure that when people search online for a
product or service similar to the business, they will be able to view the website and will
visit it to get more information. This will give you an opportunity to increase the
customer base.”

f) “Updates and Announcements”

“A website is accessible 24/7, the business can post regular updates and
announcements on it and customers can be notified easily. It is the easiest way to keep
 the customers updated about what the business is doing and what it plans for the future.
This is a great way to remain connected with your customers.”

g) “Digital Marketing”
“If the business is working on a digital marketing plan to grow the business, it would
want to drive more traffic to the website or landing page. To achieve the digital
marketing goals, try leveraging historic traffic to the business website. This will help
the business to target the most qualified customers and achieve the best ROI on the
business advertising spend. This cannot be achieved retrospectively; the business need
to have a website running effectively before the business plans to run online ads.”

4) QUESTION 3

“What is WordPress? What are its features? Please explain and elaborate on
the features.”

“WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in

PHP and paired with Structured Query Language (SQL) or MariaDB database (Jones
and Alida-Farrington, 2011). This is an innovative program which help people without
having an HTML knowledge to able to gather, structure, manage and publish websites.
WordPress was originally created as a blog-publishing system but has evolved to
support other web content types including more traditional mailing list and forums,
media galleries, membership sites, learning management systems (LMS) and online
stores. WordPress is used by 41.4% of the top 10 million websites as of May 2021
(W3techs statistics, 2021). To function, WordPress has to be installed on a web server,
either part of an internet hosting service (WordPress.com) or a computer running the
software package (Wordpress.org) in order to serve as a network host in its own right.”

a) “Features of WordPress”
“A lot of features are included in WordPress and are always evolving. The
following are brief description of the top features of WordPress.”

i) Themes:
“WordPress user may install and switch different themes to allow them to change the
look and functionality of a WordPress website without altering the core code or site
content.”
 ii) “Plugins:”
“WordPress plugin architecture allows users to extend the features and functionality
of a website or blog. Each of the plugins offers custom functions and features enabling
users to tailor their sites to their specific needs. These customizations range from Search
Engine Optimization (SEO) to client portals used to display private information to
logged-in-users, to content management systems, to content displaying features, such
as the addition of widgets and navigation bars.”

iii) Mobile applications:

“ ”

“Phone apps for WordPress exist for WebOS, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and
BlackBerry. These applications, designed by Automatic, have options such as adding
new blog posts and pages, commenting, moderating comments, replying to comments
in addition to the ability to view the stats.”

iv) “Accessibility:”
“The WordPress Accessibility Team has worked to improve the accessibility for core
WordPress as well as support a clear identification of accessible themes.”

v) “Other features:”
“WordPress also features integrated link management; a search engine friendly, clean
permalink structure; the ability to assign multiple categories to posts; and support for
tagging of posts. Automatic filters are also included, providing standardized formatting
and styling of text in posts (for example, converting regular quotes to smart quotes).”

5) “Question 4”

“What are WordPress plugins? Please describe their basic operation and how
they benefit the website. Is WordPress good for SEO? Elaborate on your
answer.”

“A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to

a WordPress website. Plugins are an important part of the WordPress ecosystem, and
they are essential for building great websites using WordPress. Therefore, WordPress
plugins are applications that allow the addition of new features and functionality to
WordPress website.”
“WordPress also allows developers to store data in the WordPress database. Each
WordPress plugin installed on a website is registered in the WordPress database and
can be activated and deactivated at any time. Upon each visit, WordPress connects to
the database, loads the core software, and then loads your active plugins. All this code
is processed on your server and then sent to user’s browser.”
 “WordPress plugins have been downloaded more than one billion times, giving clear
indication that they provide significant benefits to website owners. The following are
some of the benefits of WordPress plugins to a website;”

“Time saving: WordPress plugins allows website owners to do almost everything

they need with just a few clicks. There is no need to spend a lot of time creating all
documents and online assets from scratch. With over 55,000 plugins currently on the
WordPress’s library, developers have access to plugins for virtually everything they
need thereby helping to save time and the overall budget for the website.”
“Flexibility: Most of the add-ons of the plugins offer the flexibility to customize blog
posts and site features to suit how the developer wants.”
“Reliability: Due to the essential nature of WordPress plugins, many website owners
update them frequently to repair bugs and improve security in order to maintain and
improve their efficiency and dependability levels.”

a) “Benefits of WordPress to Search Engine Optimization

(SEO)”
“SEO is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a
website or a web page from search engines (Chen, 2011). SEO considers how search
engines work, the computer-programmed algorithms that dictate search engine
behavior, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords, and which search
engine are preferred by their targeted audience. SEO is performed because a website
will receive more visitors from a search engine when websites rank higher on the Search
Engine Results Page (SERP).”
“WordPress are very good for SEO because they meet the criteria of SEO which
allows them to be ranked higher on the SERP. This is because, WordPress have plugins
which are capable of keeping high level of visitors on professional, attractive and user-
friendly websites with loading speed and at the same time adapt to the evolving changes
in search algorithms. WordPress also allows the simple optimization of images which
makes blogs or websites very interesting be ranked higher on the SERP.”

6) “Question 5”

“Is a website on WordPress safe? What security limitations do we have? How

do we handle them? Are there any alternatives? Compare the available
solutions and decide which is the safest to use on your website. Please
elaborate on your answer.”

“In the Digital world, no software or website is entirely safe, as hackers are regularly
finding ways to compromise them. However, WordPress is a better secure platform to
run any website as long as the website owners or administrator follow best practices for
security. While WordPress core is secure, there is a lot that can be done to keep the
website security strong and safe from hacks. Given the popularity of WordPress, there
is a lot more to be gained from hacking WordPress websites, so hackers are constantly
finding ways of hacking WordPress and its websites.”
“Therefore, there is no bulletproof Content Management System (CMS) and every
CMS has its own security issues. WordPress security vulnerabilities are inevitable
because not all users are careful, thorough, or security conscious with their websites.
WordPress runs on open-source code and has a team specifically devoted to finding,
identifying and fixing WordPress Security issues that arise in the core code. As security
vulnerabilities are disclosed, fixes are immediately pushed out to patch any new security
issues discovered in WordPress. This is the more reason why keeping WordPress
updated to the latest version is incredibly important to the overall security of the
website.”
“Moreover, there are several ways to handle security threats in order to protect
WordPress websites. These may include; installing a WordPress security plugin,
enabling WordPress two-factor authentication, keeping WordPress site updated, setting
up a proper permission on your server, running scheduled malware scans regularly,
having a reliable WordPress backup plan, activating WordPress Brute Force Protection
and among others. These will go a long way to protect the website from any security
attacks.”
“Inside the website ecosystem, there are various alternatives to WordPress. These
include;
“Joomla: is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) for publishing
web content. Over the years Joomla! has won several awards. It is built on a model–
view–controller web application framework that can be used independently of the CMS
that allows you to build powerful online applications. Joomla! is one of the most popular
website Softwares, thanks to its global community of developers and volunteers, who
make sure the platform is user friendly, extendable, multilingual, accessible, responsive,
search engine optimized and so much more.”
“Wix: This, as an alternative for WordPress has some important key features
including easy-to-use tools in a drag and drop editor, artificial design intelligence to
personalize websites, about 500+ design templates and among others.”
“Drupal: This is the most popular CMS behind WordPress. It is an open- source, fast
loading, highly scalable, and includes features to cater for every kind of website.”
“Squarespace: This offers an all-in-one platform for almost every type of website. It
is a fully managed website builder with something for everyone, particularly suited to
creative folks.”

“Therefore, comparing these alternatives to the WordPress, it is considered that the

WordPress remains the best in terms of themes, plugins, customization, security, SEO-
friendly and among others. WordPress is considered the safest to use on website and
considering all the other alternatives, WordPress will always be my choice.”
 References

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