What is a Website? Definition, Types, Benefits and How to Make it

The revolutionary internet invention is able to connect various sectors online. Now, various information is available and can be accessed using the internet through websites.

The dissemination of information through the website is very fast and covers a large area and is not limited by distance and time. Therefore, the website is an important means of obtaining and managing information.

Want to know more about what a website is, its benefits and functions, elements, and types of websites? Immediately see here!

What is a Website?

Website is a collection of pages that are used to display text information, images, sound animations or a combination of all of them, both static and dynamic, which form a series of interrelated links, and can be accessed by anyone, from anywhere, and at any time as long as they are connected to the internet.

To be able to visit a website, you need a cellphone or computer, a URL link, a website address or domain name, an internet connection, and a web browser.

History of Website

History of Website was first discovered by a British scientist named Tim Berners-Lee, he is also the son of a computer scientist in the early era of the world of computing.

Berners-Lee's team created a website with the aim of making it easier for researchers to exchange information at work. Prior to 1990, Tim Berners-Lee wrote about three basic web technologies, namely:

• HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) which is the markup language or format for web pages.
• URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) ​​is a unique address to open a web page. This URI serves to identify resources that exist on the web. URIs are now often referred to as URLs (Uniform Resource Locator).
• HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) which allows one to retrieve the resources connected to all websites.

On April 30, 1993, CERN, which is a physics laboratory in Switzerland, officially announced the release of the website for free.

Types of Websites

3 Types of web are divided based on the nature, purpose, and programming language. 

The types of websites based on their nature are:

• Dynamic website, which is a website that provides content or content that is always changing at any time. An example of a dynamic website is online news media.
• Static website, is a website whose content is rarely changed. For example, organization profiles and so on.

Based on its purpose, the types of websites are distinguished as follows:

• Personal website, which is a website that contains a person's personal information.
• Corporate web, is a website owned by the company.
• Website portal, which is a website that has many services, such as news services, e-mail, and other services.
• Forum website, which is a website that aims to be a means of discussion for its visitors.

In addition, there are government websites, e-banking, e-payment, e-procurement and so on.

In terms of the programming language used, the types of websites are divided into two, namely:

• Server side, is a website that uses a programming language that depends on server availability, such as PHP, ASP, and so on. If there is no server, websites built using programming languages ​​cannot function as they should.
• Client side, namely websites that do not require a server to run them, can only be accessed via a browser.

Website Benefits and Functions

What is the function of a website? The main function of a website is to convey information. With the availability of information, the website can be used for various purposes, because the purposes are diverse, the benefits and functions of the website depend on the type of website itself. Different types of websites, of course, also have different functions.

1. Communication

Websites that have communication functions are generally dynamic websites. This type of dynamic website is created using web programming (server side) so that the facilities provided include communication functions, such as web mail, contact forms, chat forms, and so on.

2. Information

Websites that provide information emphasize the quality of the content provided because that is their main goal. Information functions in a website include text and graphics that can be downloaded quickly. The news website is an example of implementing the information function.

3. Entertainment

Websites can also have entertainment functions. The use of animations, images and moving elements can enhance the presentation of a design. For example online game sites, movies, music, and so on.

4. Transaction

Websites can be used as a means of business transactions in the form of goods, services, and so on. Through the transaction function, the website connects companies, consumers and certain communities. Payment can be made by credit card, transfer or pay in person.

In business specifically, the website has other functions, namely:

1. Product or service marketing

Whether for companies or individuals, the website is very likely to be used as a promotional tool to digital marketing.

By using a website, you can promote your product or service so that website visitors have the opportunity to become business customers.

2. Building business branding

Apart from product promotion, you can also build branding through the website. Branding is an effort made to reinforce the brand that you have so that your product can be better known and remembered by others.

You can do branding on the website by highlighting the uniqueness and advantages that you or your business have so as to create a distinct impression in the minds of consumers.

3. Increase credibility

The next benefit and function of the website is to help increase the credibility of your business so that customer trust also increases.

By providing complete, easily accessible and reliable information, a website will improve business image and strengthen customer relationships.

Ways To Make A Website

With good optimization using SEO values, your website's performance will increase in accordance with the purpose for which it was created.

No need to hire a web developer, you can create a website too! This is very easy. We just need to follow a few steps to create a concise website below:

1. Determine the Type of Website

The first step in developing a website is to determine the type of website. Because different types require different pages, menus, features and views.

For example, if you want to create an online store website, you need to think about product page features. Meanwhile, if you create a blog, you can simply set the appearance of each post.

2. Choosing Domains and Hosting

The second step in building a website is choosing a domain and hosting.

Domain is the name of a website that acts as the address for your website.

Examples of domains like hadehana.com.

you should choose a domain that matches the function of the website and the brand you want. Because the domain is your identity in the online world.

Hosting plays an important role in storing all databases (data storage). Information in the database can be in the form of text, images, illustrations, videos, and scripts). Currently, there are many services related to hosting package services according to your business and product needs.

There are several types of hosting available, ranging from shared hosting, unlimited hosting, VPS, to dedicated hosting.

Make sure to choose reliable hosting with security, speed and ease of use.

3. Choose Programming code

Websites are developed with various programming codes or scripts. Initially, websites were created using the HTML programming language, and now there are many other programming languages ​​that can be used to develop websites, such as CSS and Javascript.

Along with the development and progress of IT, now even people who do not have skills in programming can create their own website.

You do this with the help of a CMS or Content Management System. Some CMS that can be used for website creation include:

• WordPress
• Joomla
• Magento
• Bloggers
• Shopify
• Drupal, and so on

4. Web Design

This section is for configuring the website design. by using cms you need to adjust various things such as installing and selecting themes, installing plugins, creating new pages and optimizing the website.

Good Website design should make it easy for visitors to explore the website. In addition, the appearance of the website should not burden the site, causing slow loading of the website.

5. Publish Content

The final step in the web creation process is filling it with content. You can start publishing content on your website, be it articles, podcasts, or images and videos.

So, if the content you are going to publish focuses on the type of article, then make sure you write SEO optimized articles. As a result, your articles can compete in the Google search engine.