Definition of the word website

Last Updated:
6 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Internet domain, see .website.

Not to be confused with WebCite.

A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, education, commerce, entertainment or social networking. Hyperlinking between web pages guides the navigation of the site, which often starts with a home page. As of December 2022, the top 5 most visited websites are Google Search, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

All publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the World Wide Web. There are also private websites that can only be accessed on a private network, such as a company’s internal website for its employees. Users can access websites on a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The app used on these devices is called a web browser.

Background

The World Wide Web (WWW) was created in 1989 by the British CERN computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee.^[1][2] On 30 April 1993, CERN announced that the World Wide Web would be free to use for anyone, contributing to the immense growth of the Web.^[3] Before the introduction of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), other protocols such as File Transfer Protocol and the gopher protocol were used to retrieve individual files from a server. These protocols offer a simple directory structure in which the user navigates and where they choose files to download. Documents were most often presented as plain text files without formatting or were encoded in word processor formats.

History

While «web site» was the original spelling (sometimes capitalized «Web site», since «Web» is a proper noun when referring to the World Wide Web), this variant has become rarely used, and «website» has become the standard spelling. All major style guides, such as The Chicago Manual of Style^[4] and the AP Stylebook,^[5] have reflected this change.

In February 2009, Netcraft, an Internet monitoring company that has tracked Web growth since 1995, reported that there were 215,675,903 websites with domain names and content on them in 2009, compared to just 19,732 websites in August 1995.^[6] After reaching 1 billion websites in September 2014, a milestone confirmed by NetCraft in its October 2014 Web Server Survey and that Internet Live Stats was the first to announce—as attested by this tweet from the inventor of the World Wide Web himself, Tim Berners-Lee—the number of websites in the world have subsequently declined, reverting to a level below 1 billion. This is due to the monthly fluctuations in the count of inactive websites. The number of websites continued growing to over 1 billion by March 2016 and has continued growing since.^[7] Netcraft Web Server Survey in January 2020 reported that there are 1,295,973,827 websites and in April 2021 reported that there are 1,212,139,815 sites across 10,939,637 web-facing computers, and 264,469,666 unique domains.^[8] An estimated 85 percent of all websites are inactive.^[9]

Static website

A static website is one that has Web pages stored on the server in the format that is sent to a client Web browser. It is primarily coded in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML); Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used to control appearance beyond basic HTML. Images are commonly used to create the desired appearance and as part of the main content. Audio or video might also be considered «static» content if it plays automatically or is generally non-interactive. This type of website usually displays the same information to all visitors. Similar to handing out a printed brochure to customers or clients, a static website will generally provide consistent, standard information for an extended period of time. Although the website owner may make updates periodically, it is a manual process to edit the text, photos, and other content and may require basic website design skills and software. Simple forms or marketing examples of websites, such as a classic website, a five-page website or a brochure website are often static websites, because they present pre-defined, static information to the user. This may include information about a company and its products and services through text, photos, animations, audio/video, and navigation menus.

Static websites may still use server side includes (SSI) as an editing convenience, such as sharing a common menu bar across many pages. As the site’s behavior to the reader is still static, this is not considered a dynamic site.

Dynamic website

A dynamic website is one that changes or customizes itself frequently and automatically. Server-side dynamic pages are generated «on the fly» by computer code that produces the HTML (CSS are responsible for appearance and thus, are static files). There are a wide range of software systems, such as CGI, Java Servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP), Active Server Pages and ColdFusion (CFML) that are available to generate dynamic Web systems and dynamic sites. Various Web application frameworks and Web template systems are available for general-use programming languages like Perl, PHP, Python and Ruby to make it faster and easier to create complex dynamic websites.

A site can display the current state of a dialogue between users, monitor a changing situation, or provide information in some way personalized to the requirements of the individual user. For example, when the front page of a news site is requested, the code running on the webserver might combine stored HTML fragments with news stories retrieved from a database or another website via RSS to produce a page that includes the latest information. Dynamic sites can be interactive by using HTML forms, storing and reading back browser cookies, or by creating a series of pages that reflect the previous history of clicks. Another example of dynamic content is when a retail website with a database of media products allows a user to input a search request, e.g. for the keyword Beatles. In response, the content of the Web page will spontaneously change the way it looked before, and will then display a list of Beatles products like CDs, DVDs, and books. Dynamic HTML uses JavaScript code to instruct the Web browser how to interactively modify the page contents. One way to simulate a certain type of dynamic website while avoiding the performance loss of initiating the dynamic engine on a per-user or per-connection basis is to periodically automatically regenerate a large series of static pages.

Multimedia and interactive content

Early websites had only text, and soon after, images. Web browser plug-ins were then used to add audio, video, and interactivity (such as for a rich Web application that mirrors the complexity of a desktop application like a word processor). Examples of such plug-ins are Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, and Java SE. HTML 5 includes provisions for audio and video without plugins. JavaScript is also built into most modern web browsers, and allows for website creators to send code to the web browser that instructs it how to interactively modify page content and communicate with the web server if needed. The browser’s internal representation of the content is known as the Document Object Model (DOM).

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a modern JavaScript API for rendering interactive 3D graphics without the use of plug-ins. It allows interactive content such as 3D animations, visualizations and video explainers to presented users in the most intuitive way.^[10]

A 2010-era trend in websites called «responsive design» has given the best viewing experience as it provides a device-based layout for users. These websites change their layout according to the device or mobile platform, thus giving a rich user experience.^[11]

Types

Websites can be divided into two broad categories—static and interactive. Interactive sites are part of the Web 2.0 community of sites and allow for interactivity between the site owner and site visitors or users. Static sites serve or capture information but do not allow engagement with the audience or users directly. Some websites are informational or produced by enthusiasts or for personal use or entertainment. Many websites do aim to make money using one or more business models, including:

• Posting interesting content and selling contextual advertising either through direct sales or through an advertising network.
• E-commerce: products or services are purchased directly through the website
• Advertising products or services available at a brick-and-mortar business
• Freemium: basic content is available for free, but premium content requires a payment (e.g., WordPress website, it is an open-source platform to build a blog or website.)
• Some websites require user registration or subscription to access the content. Examples of subscription websites include many business sites, news websites, academic journal websites, gaming websites, file-sharing websites, message boards, Web-based email, social networking websites, websites providing real-time stock market data, as well as sites providing various other services.

See also

References

External links

• Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
• The Internet Society (ISOC)

1	0   0 Relationships Narrower Term:  dynamic website static website n. ~ A collection of web pages related by content or domain. Notes:  In its simplest form, a website is the collection of all files on a [..]

2	0   0 website Definition Refers to a collection of interlinked web pages, usually under a single domain name, linking pupils and teachers to pertinent pedagogical information, curriculum, educational content, learn [..]

3	0   0 website Used to refer to a single location on the World Wide Web, usually on the same piece of hardware. Part of the Internet that stores and gives access to documents using HTTP.

4	0   0 website also web site, 1994, from web in the Internet sense + site.

5	0   0 website Refer to «See Also» column to the right.

6	0   0 website A website is a collection of files accessed through a web address, covering a particular theme or subject, and managed by a particular person or organization. Its opening page is called a home page. A [..]

7	0   0 website URL of the QRIS website used by the public.

8	0   0 website Copyright by Matisse «Website» Enzer —>The entire collection of web pages and other information (such as images, sound, and video files, etc.) that are made available through what appear [..]

9	0   0 website a collection of web documents that appear in a common framework to the user, either through the use of a common addressing scheme (a shared domain name or URL) or through the use of a unifying look an [..]

10	0   0 website web site: a computer connected to the internet that maintains a series of web pages on the World Wide Web; "the Israeli web site was damaged by hostile hackers" A website (al [..]

11	0   0 website A website, or Web site, is not the same thing as a Web page. Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, they should not be. So what’s the difference? To put it simply, a Web site is a c [..]

12	0   0 website an information resource on the World Wide Web. Websites may provide information on any topic.

13	0   0 website The actual website itself. The website is the content that dictates what people see and do when they go to your website address, normally containing a number of web pages not just one page.

14	0   0 website is a collection of webpages that have been created and linked together. The web address of a website is its homepage. A website may contain just one webpage, or a dozen, or hundreds!

15	0   0 website noun. a site on the internet which supplies data, generally about a specific individual or establishment or about a professional or commercial service. The data at a chosen site is supplied and manage [..]

16

0   0 website A location on the Internet that contains information; a website is made up of one or more often, many web pages. Websites can be personal, informational, static, dynamic, business, reference, entertainment or based on some other reason for being created. Websites are housed or hosted on a server. One or more sites can be on one server. Many sites c [..]

17	0   0 website A collection of web pages organized around one theme or managed by a single organization.

18	0   0 website A Web Site includes documents and/or pages with URLs beginning with the same hostname. For example, http://www.findlaw.com/news/ and http://www.findlaw.com/news/sports are pages on the same Web site, [..]

19	0   0 website a distinct collection of documents on the internet. Tends to be loosely defined, as a «webpage» can consist of one page or 10,000. For example, my mom’s site consists of only her resume [..]

20	0   0 website An area on the World Wide Web where an organisation or individual stores a collection of pages of material — Web pages. The pages are usually interlinked with one another and with other websites. Ever [..]

21	0   0 website A website consists of a collection of web pages that can be accessed from one place on the web. A website can be viewed using a browser and the website’s URL, which contains the website domain na [..]

22	0   0 website A website is a virtual location on the internet typically consisting of one or more web pages.

23	0   0 website A collection of web pages, often on a similar subject.

24	0   0 website A location on the web where a business hosts its information. A website will display services provided, contact information and background information about the company as well as photos, videos and o [..]

25	0   0 website A collection of electronic files, usually under common administrative control, linked together and made accessible via the Internet.

26

0   0 website A group of similar web pages linked by hyperlinks and managed by a single company, organization, or individual. A website may include text, graphics, audio and video files, and hyperlinks to other web pages. Websites can range in size from as little as one page to a vast number of pages.

27	0   0 website A website is a collection of network services, primarily HTML documents, that are linked together and that exist on the Web at a particular server. Exploring a website usually begins with the home pag [..]

28	0   0 website a collection of interlinked webpages which are generally authored, hosted and maintained by a single entity. Websites are commonly used to represent entities such as government organizations, business [..]

29	0   0 website A website (alternatively, web site or Web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or more web servers, usually accessible via the Internet.

30	0   0 website A website is a collection of web pages that is owned and maintained by an individual, business, government department, institution etc. WebWorks website address Your Sensis WebWorks™ website addres [..]

31	0   0 website The entire collection of web pages and other information (such as images, sound, and video files, etc.) that are made available through what appears to users as a single web server. Typically all the [..]

32	0   0 website A collection of «pages» or files on the World Wide Web that are linked together and managed by a company, institution or individual.

33	0   0 website Pursuant to 18 USCS § 2258E (6), [Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure; Part I. Crimes; Chapter 110. Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children] the term website means “any collection of ma [..]

34	0   0 website A computer with a permanent Internet connection. People from all over the world can connect to it via the Internet to retrieve text and graphics using the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) protocol. [..]

35	0   0 website A collection of multimedia documents on the Internet, usually connected by hyperlinks, that share the same (or a similar) domain.  Sometimes just referred to as a "site", for short.

36	0   0 website Also written ‘web site’. One or more web pages. Just like a book has pages with text and pictures, so can a site.

37	0   0 website A website is a collection of related web resources, usually as grouped by some common addressing – as when all resources on a single host, or group of related hosts, are considered a ‘website’.

38	0   0 website A website is a set of pages of information that is hosted on a specific web address. LeapON is a website just like Facebook is a website.

39	0   0 website A website is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a pri [..]

40	0   0 website A Website is one or more files contained on a Web server, or a directory of a Web server, that can contain information in the form of text, graphics, etc. and can be accessed by typing a URL into a Web browser.

41	0   0 website (n) a computer connected to the internet that maintains a series of web pages on the World Wide Web

42	0   0 website one or more web pages hosted on the Internet, usually organized by topic. Websites are typically created and maintained by companies, governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, an [..]

43	0   0 website A unique domain, sub-domain or blog using AddThis sharing tools.

44	0   0 website A collection of webpages, with a common host.

45	0   0 website  Group of web pages that fall under a specific fully qualified domain.

46	0   0 website A website is a collection of webpages.19 For instance, this webpage that you are reading is one of the many pages on this university’s website.

47	0   0 website

48	0   0 website A collection of pages on the web put together by an organisation or person so that other people can access their information. Websites are accessed via the internet and using the identifier, URL addre [..]

49	0   0 website One or more web pages connected by links and displayed on the Internet or on an intranet.

50	0   0 website A website is a collection of publicly accessible, interlinked Web pages that share a single domain name. Websites can be created and maintained by an individual, group, business or organization to ser [..]

51	0   0 website A collection of related web pages, images, videos or digital assets that are addressed relative to a common URL.

52	0   0 website A website, or Web site, is not the same thing as a Web page. Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, they should not be. So what’s the difference? To put it simply, a Web site is a c [..]

53	0   0 website A website is a set of related webpages, usually about a particular subject, theme or organisation. For example, www.letsgetonline.scot is a website.

54

0   0 website A website, or web site, is a collection of web pages, that is, documents accessible via the World Wide Web on the Internet. The pages of a website will be accessed from a common root URL, the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server. The URLs of the pages organize them into a hierarchy, although the hyperlinks between them control h [..]

55	0   0 website de|Webseite|g=f

56	0   0 website ===Noun=== ====collection of pages accessible from the Internet==== =====Synonyms===== web site website web-site site blog weblog microblog photoblog splog vlog blogette wiki webpage hyperlink Inter [..]

57	0   0 website A website is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server. Notable examples are wikipedia.o [..]

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What do we mean by website?

A set of interconnected webpages, usually including a homepage, generally located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization. noun

Alternative spelling of web site. noun

A collection of interlinked web pages on the World Wide Web that are typically accessible from the same base URL and reside on the same server.

A place on the internet that usually contains stimulating material, such as pictures, animations, or links. Noramlly created by website designers. Urban Dictionary

What your on right now… Urban Dictionary

A group of computer files broadcast to other users by means of an internet IP address. Urban Dictionary

When a poor soul should become obsessed by a certain website whether its twitter kongregate or ever myspace and learns that any social life they thought they had by using this site has been lost because they have become such an avid indoorsman Urban Dictionary

Urban Dictionary Urban Dictionary

The act of visiting several websites on the now extremely prevalent protocol known as ‘the internet’ for an often extended period of time.
A person may sometimes record websites visited while ‘websiteing’ in a file finder. Urban Dictionary

There are 3 types of websites. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
The Good:
Supplies generous amounts of information, images and music aswell as has a nice layout with decent amounts of CSS.
The Bad:
Is made poorly with little or no effort. The background is horribly annoying. This website gets millions of hits, however, which is most annoying.
The Ugly:
A websiet with a white background, blue and purple hyperlinks, uses only Times New Roman font, and non-colored horizontal rules, plus crappy tables with sad borders and no design. Urban Dictionary

The manufacturing process of web sites. Urban Dictionary

Instead of mentioning Twitter directly when referring to it in a tweet, a class of pretentious users choose to refer to it as «this website». It is a fucking irritating affectation. Urban Dictionary

Anything on the internet, save for(some) pop-up ads. Urban Dictionary