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Author
Merit Ronald

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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 serve a variety of purposes.

Together, all publicly accessible websites constitute the World Wide Web.

Although it is sometimes called “web page,” this definition is wrong, since a website consists of several webpages. A website is also known as a “web presence” or simply “site”.

Who needs a website?

In this digital era, every business, whether small or big must have a website. In this article, I will show you why every small business must have a website. But before we get to that, let’s first understand what a website is in simple terms.

In a layman’s language, a website is like a book. It has pages ranging from homepage to cover page and from sitemap to index. A website page is called a web page, a document that is accessed through the internet. A collection of these pages put into one place is what is called a website.

A web page is created using mainly two programming languages ie Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS).

A web page is what you see when you visit any website. Right now you are on my website [address: www.ictguy.com] and what you are looking at now is a web page on my website. Web pages can contain any type of information including text, color, images, graphics, animations, audio and videos.

When someone gives you their website address, and you enter it in the address bar on a web browser like Opera, Google Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox, it generally takes you to their website’s home page, which introduces you to what that site offers in terms of information or other services. From the home page, you can click on links to reach other sections of the site.

Why Do People Visit Websites?

People generally visit websites for two main reasons, namely;

1. To find the information they need. This could be anything from academic research to getting address of the nearest Hotel.
2. To complete a particular task. Website visitors may want to buy the latest or trending product on market, download an item (software program) or simply to participate in an online discussion.

When creating a website, the most important thing you should have in mind is that you are not creating a website for yourself, you are creating it for your visitors, and so it should contain the content your visitors want. The content should be organized in a manner that sense.

I will tell you how to improve your website performance in other articles, but the most important thing to remember is; a website is a form of communication and it can only be successful when its message is received by the person it is intended for.

Why every small business should have a website?

Many small businesses have always ignored websites not knowing that any business that is not online doesn’t sell. They look at websites as a mere luxury. Some even believe that having a Facebook page alone is enough for an online presence, or that having a sign post next to their business place with their phone number will generate calls for them.

Others believe the only way to promote their products is by doing door-to-door marketing through their sales agents. But truth be told, in this digital era, the only way to start promoting a business is by building a professional website. Below are the reasons why every business must have a website:

1. Marketing.

Marketing is the main weapon used to enhance a business. While some companies are spending millions to market their products, you market your business for free on your website without spending a coin on advertising.

2. A website sells your products/services online.

Your website acts as a 24-hour salesman. You can sell your service/products through your website.

3. Connect with new customers.

While you might already have an established customer base, a website is the greatest way to connect with new customers who might be unfamiliar with your business.

4. A website builds credibility.

Nothing is more important than the ability to be found. If you don’t have an established online identity, then customers won’t find you. Your absence online is the fastest way to lose credibility as a business. It makes your business look outdated, out of touch and people will not trust you.

5. Showcase your work.

No matter the type of business yo into, a website is a great place to showcase your work. By including a portfolio or image gallery, as well as testimonials about your work, you can demonstrate what makes your business unique.

6. Time Saving.

A website saves you time. Put all info about your business online, which will be available to customers forever. No need to waste time providing info about yo business to your customers, whether on phone or face-to-face, in a brochure or emails. Remember time is money!

7. Affordability.

Websites are very affordable not very expensive as you may think. Building and maintaining a website is easier and cheaper than ever before. If you have the web programming skills, you can design one for yourself. If you aren’t tech-savvy or creative, I can help you get a professional website at a very affordable fee. Contact Us Here.

Techopedia Explains Website

Websites come in a nearly endless variety, including educational sites, news sites, porn sites, forums, social media sites, e-commerce sites, and so on. The pages within a website are usually a mix of text and other media. That said, there are no rules dictating the form of a website.

A person could create a website of nothing but black and white photos of roses, or the word "cat" linked to another Web page with the word "mouse." However, many sites follow a standard pattern of a homepage that links off to other categories and content within the website.

The homepage (or simply “home”) represents the main page of the site itself. Frequently, the homepage is a sort of “hub” from which all other pages can be accessed. An internal web page to which several other pages are linked in a coherent structure (such as a specific category of topics) is instead called a “parent page.”

Every page is a single HTML document, and all of them are connected through hyperlinks (or simply “link”) which can be combined in a navigation bar for ease of use.

The navigation bar is displayed on every page rather than just the homepage, and allows the user to quickly move across the main website’s structure.

Another important section of most websites is the footer, which is another recurring section that is found at the bottom of every page. Usually the footer contains external links pointing to similar websites and other external resources, together with other vital info such as disclaimers, links to the terms of service, privacy policy and contact pages, as well as the physical address of the company that owns the site.

Websites are hosted on servers, and require a web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer to be visited (either on a computer or mobile device).

A website can be accessed directly by entering its URL address or by searching it on a search engine such as Google or Bing.

Originally, websites were categorized by their top-level domains. Some examples include:

• Government agency websites = .gov
• Educational institutions’ websites = .edu
• Nonprofit organizations’ websites = .org
• Commercial websites = .com
• Information sites = .info