What is a Website?

What is a Website?
A website (or web page) is an online system published in the national and international network environment with the aim of reflecting the identity of any institution and carrying out promotional activities. A website is a document intended for the internet that contains at least one hyperlink and is formatted to include text, graphics, hyperlinks, and animations. A website is a service that works solely on the internet. Every website is a folder created by linking files placed on at least one server. Websites are accessed through the internet network, making information dissemination much easier.

As dynamism and interactivity increase, websites began to serve many functions such as virtual offices, media centers, and online stores. In modern life, practically every type of business has its own website. Nowadays, it's not only companies but also individuals who strive to have their own personal websites (blogs). Websites have become an indispensable technology for information exchange. Unlike a company or individual, websites don't need rest. Websites can be visited 24/7 without interruption over the internet. Additionally, websites perform various functions such as acting as a store, office, salesperson, and secretary, with the ability to work flawlessly for years with a properly designed system. "What is a website?" is a question often searched by individuals new to the online world.

Despite all these advantages, the creation and operation of websites require far less financial support, making websites an accessible tool for everyone. Furthermore, a website is one of the most effective and easy types of advertisement. A website ensures that your company or business has global access. Your website represents both your professionalism and your business.

Types of Websites:

Web pages come in two types:

Static

Dynamic

Static web pages consist of "clean" HTML tags.

Dynamic web pages use active codes like RNR, ASR, SSI, etc.

In static websites, the date shown before sending the page to the browser is changed every time by the web master, while in dynamic web pages, the date is automatically changed on the web server. Another factor to consider when defining "What is a website?" is that all pages of a website should have a general structure and layout.

Key Elements of a Web Page:

Page Header (Banner)

Navigation Elements (Menu) – Used to move from one page to another

Graphic Images

Text Blocks

A website is a collection of web pages on the internet that can be accessed using HTTP/HTTPS protocols. The general collection of websites creates the World Wide Web (www).

Pages of websites are combined under a common domain address and have the same logical structure. The concept of a website is closely related to hosting, server, provider, domain, network, etc. As internet technologies develop, it's possible to host many domains and websites on a single server (computer).

The World Wide Web is a service in the virtual world that ensures the display of web pages with addresses starting with "www" and linked to each other like spider webs.

The first website in the world was created on August 6, 1991, by Tim Berners-Lee. On that website, he provided general information about the World Wide Web (WWW) technology, URL addressing system, and HTML language. He also provided information on the setup and operation of web servers and browsers. That site was the world's first Internet catalog, where Tim Berners-Lee showed a list of links to other websites.

Tim Berners-Lee believed that using hypertexts could facilitate much faster and more efficient information exchange over networks. To implement this idea, he created the Enquire software back in 1980. In 1991, the WWW standard was approved at CERN. Tim Berners-Lee is considered the father of web technology – HTTP, URI/URL, and HTML.

Programming Languages for Web Pages:

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a very well-known, simple language with basic commands for formatting text, adding images, setting fonts and colors, creating links, and tables. Most websites are written in HTML or its extended versions.

PERL Language was developed in the 1980s. It was created for the efficient processing of large text files, generating text reports, and task management. It has extensive functions for working with strings, arrays, converting data, and working with system information.

PHP is a scripting language intended for creating dynamic web pages. In 1994, Rasmus Lerdorf began writing CGI tools and later, in 1995, perfected them to create the PHP language. PHP is commonly used with Linux operating systems, MySQL databases, and Apache web servers, often abbreviated as LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

Key Features of a Quality Website:

Clean and Professional Design:
Your website is the communication tool between you and your customers. If your website is designed attractively, it will give a sense of professionalism. Otherwise, a poorly designed website (with disturbing colors, poor-quality images, etc.) can harm your business identity.

Mobile Compatibility:
It is difficult to find a website that is not compatible with mobile devices nowadays. Websites that do not adapt to mobile devices will lead to customer loss and failure.

User-Friendly and Logical Flow:
A website must be user-friendly, both for customers and for easy management. Navigating the site should be simple, and the website must be secure from external threats.

Website Speed:
The speed at which your website loads is crucial. If users face difficulties in accessing product or service pages or have to wait too long, they will quickly leave your website.

Staying Up-to-Date:
A website with outdated code or infrastructure will be left behind. Keeping your website updated with modern technology like HTML5 and CSS3 is crucial.