If you want to create a website and start a side hustle, you’ve come to the right place. But before embarking on the journey of creating a website and making money, it’s essential to understand what a website is, how it operates, the different types of websites, and how you can create a website for free. Now, let’s get started.
Every day more and more people are updating digital information using various platforms like a website—also called a site or web pages—blogs, forums, etc. However, this is the most important part of the Internet.
Definition of a Website
Let us see how Wikipedia, Freeservers, and Dictionary.com define a website.
Website Definition by Wikipedia
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. Source
Website Definition by Freeservers
A website is a collection of web pages (documents that are accessed through the Internet), such as the one you’re looking at now. A web page is what you see on the screen when you type in a web address, click on a link, or put a query in a search engine. A web page can contain any type of information and sound. Source
Website Definition by Dictionary.com
A connected group of pages on the World Wide Web regarded as a single entity, usually maintained by one person or organization and devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics. Source
From the above definitions, it is very clear that a website is a collection of the web document(s) or a web page(s) created by a person or an organization and therefore accessible for suitable viewing in a web browser across the World Wide Web (WWW).
The information on the web pages contains various topics, including text, pictures, animations, sounds, videos, graphics, color, etc. Every website has a unique web address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) pointing towards an individual web page. A URL specifies exactly where a web document is stored.
The pages on a website are interlinked by a link called a hyperlink; you can click on the link to reach other sections of a site or jump from one page to another. A website may consist of a single page or thousands of pages depending on what information the webmaster has to add to a web page.
Why do people visit websites?
The right answer to this question would be, ‘Ask yourself.’ Ask yourself why you are reading this piece of information. If I am not wrong, you might have visited this web page to find information on the website or something similar.
Generally, people visit websites to search for a piece of information on a particular topic, download online files, make contact with other web users, watch online videos, have fun, buy and sell goods, or share knowledge by adding a piece of information on the World Wide Web (www).
Reasons Why People Create a Website?
Every second, people add information to the web or the World Wide Web by setting up their own websites, blogs, and forums. They often do this to share valuable information with millions of other internet users, gain worldwide popularity, enjoy themselves, connect with friends and family, promote products, sell items, and more.
If you are interested in learning how to create your own personal or business website, then you may refer to this article, “How to Build a WordPress Website: A to Z Complete Tutorial for Beginners,” which explains exactly how to build a website using two different, easy methods.
Different types of websites?
There are many types of websites, each tailored to specific content or purposes, and they can be categorized in various ways
Some such classifications of websites based on purpose include:
- Wiki: Site to collaboratively edit content by online users. Wikipedia, wikiHow
- Blog: An online diary with regular updates by an individual or a company. A blog is also called a weblog. WordPress, Blogger
- News: A website designed specifically to publish news across the globe. CNN, BBC, Fox News
- Dating: A website created to look for a partner or go out for a date. Match, Eharmony.
- Archive: A website used to preserve useful web content. Internet Archive.
- Forum: Niche website where people make conversation by posting messages. WarriorForum, DigitalPoint.
- Gallery: Website to show images of arts, nature, portfolios, etc. Imgsrc, Pixabay.
- Review: A website to review products or services by the users. Rotten Tomatoes, Yelp.
- Political: A site where politicians voice political views & campaign for elections.
- Phishing: A website intended to fraudulently acquire sensitive data. Unable to locate such websites.
- Gaming: The site was created for users to play online games. IGN, GameSpot.
- Personal: Web site created by an individual or a small group. Gideon Greenspan, Devon Stank.
- Religious: website created to show religion, ideologies, preachings, etc. Biblegateway, Astrology.
- Showcase: Web site to showcase things of interest or value. OnePageMania, SiteInspire.
- Classifieds: A website where users can create and post advertisements. Craiglist, Avito.
- Discussion: A website where users can create a discussion on a particular topic. Mylot, WebhostingTalk.
- Networking: A site where users can establish a network with like-minded people. Linkedin, ClassMates.
- Community: Website to build a community and interact. Facebook, MySpace.
- Government: A government website of any country. Nasa, Uidai.
- Bookmarking: A site to bookmark important content on the web. Digg, Dribble.
- Crowdfunding: A site to ask for donations from people for funding projects. Kickstarter, RocketHub.
- Question & Answer: A website to ask a question and get an answer from the community members. Question2Answer, Quora
Difference Between a Blog and a Website.
Choosing between a blog and a website can often be confusing for beginners. It becomes impossible for a newbie to choose the right platform. So, for beginners, I’ve written a detailed post outlining all the differences between blogs and websites. I hope it helps.
A blog is a genre of website that typically features regularly updated content in the form of written articles, videos, or other media. A blog is often focused on a particular subject or theme, and the content is usually presented in chronological order, with the most recent post appearing at the top. Blogs can be personal or professional, covering a wide range of topics, including news, opinions, personal experiences, product reviews, and more.
Suggested Reading:
What Is a Blog? A Comprehensive Overview
Top Reasons to Start Your Blog
Step-by-Step Guide to Create A Free Blog
Differences Between a Website and a Blog With Examples
On the other hand, a website is a collection of web pages centered around a specific topic or purpose. While websites can include blogs, they also encompass various types of content, such as informational pages. about a business, an online store, or a portfolio of work. Websites can be static, meaning they rarely change; sometimes they can also be dynamic, with regularly updated content.
Generally, the primary differences between a blog and a website lie in the focus and purpose of their content. A blog is typically centered around regularly updated articles or posts, while a website can include a wide range of content and features.
Now that you have a grasp of what a website is, I recommend moving on to the next topic, which will help you understand the possible reasons why people create websites.