A site is one or more pages on the Internet. The pages of the same site are united by a domain name, a common theme and design. A Google search results page, a YouTube video page, your Facebook page are all parts of sites with the same name.
People and companies create websites for a variety of purposes: to sell goods and services, to host and find information, to gain knowledge, to communicate with other users, to have fun, and more. Everyone finds a reason to create a site, it will not be possible to list everything.
What does the site consist of?
Site design
This is the appearance and structure of the site: fonts, colors, buttons, menu items, sections, etc. It is thought out after the idea of creating a site arises. The design is present in all site elements: from the banner or pop-up menu on the main page to the chat button in the “Contacts” section.
Site content
This is any information that the site owner places on its pages: text, links, photos, audio or video materials. Site content is stored on hosting. When a user visits a certain page, the hosting software finds and downloads the required files.
Site code
Code is the text in which developers describe the design and behavior of a site in a language that computers can understand. Such languages are called programming languages. There are different languages: some are used to describe the interface, others describe the behavior of the site.
Interface code describes the design. With its help, computers understand the appearance and location of elements on the site. To write interface code, programmers use HTML, CSS, and Javascript languages. Perhaps you have come across such a concept as “site layout”. Site layout is the process of creating interface code.
Server code describes the behavior of the site. With its help, the server determines what will happen if the user presses a button or enters text. Such code cannot be in one-page sites. The server code is required if there is an opportunity to create an account, purchase a product or service on the site. Server code is written in PHP, Java, Ruby, etc.
How to create a site
Order from the web studio
In this case, you don’t need to understand design and programming. You discuss what should be on the site, and the studio will come up with the design and write the code for you.
The more complex the site, the more expensive it is. In order for the site to turn out the way you want, you need to communicate with designers and developers. Describe why you want the site and what you want to see on it, give examples of sites you like and explain why. If you don’t make sure that you and the designers understand each other, the result will disappoint you.
Do it yourself
You will be able to make a site even if you have not learned programming. There are two tools for this: site builders and CMS systems.
The site builder is an application in which the site is assembled from ready-made parts. All this is done in the visual editor. First it’s a blank page, then you add design elements, adjust sizes and colors. You can choose a site template and change the appearance to suit yourself.
The main drawback of such applications is limited functionality. This means that you will not be able to add a function to the site that is not in the designer. Therefore, the builders are suitable for simple sites, such as a blog, a portfolio, a promo page or a small online store.
If you want to create a site based on a template, try our site builder.
The CMS system is a site builder with subtle settings. You are not limited by the functionality of the designer, but you can choose a site template and change it as you like.
CMS has more options. You can install plugins on the site. These are additional functions such as online chat or surveys. And if there isn’t a plugin for the feature or design element you want, you can hire a developer. Instruct him to write the code specifically for his needs and paste it on the site.
Popular CMS systems are WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. Add-ons of these systems are already added to the control panel of our virtual hosting.
What is needed for the site to be seen by people
Hosting
A site is code and content files. In order for the site to be seen by other people, the files must be stored on the hosting. This is the name of a place on a special computer – a server.
Hosting can be done on your own computer, but it is easier to purchase it from a special company.
Domain name
A domain name is the literal address of a website. The address of our website is: hostiq.ua. A domain name is needed so that users can easily navigate to your site. Without a domain, they would have to remember the IP address of your hosting server, which looks something like this: 175.8.73.10. It is easier to remember the text, which is why domain names were invented.