Glossary · ENCheck a domain

Website

A website is a set of related pages and other material people can open in a web browser. It may have many pages or only one, and it can include interactive features such as search, forms, or a shopping cart.

What is included in a website?

A web page is one page or view shown in a browser. A website brings pages and features together so visitors can use them as one place. Many websites have a main starting page, often called a homepage, with links or a menu to other pages. A site can also be an interactive application: its content may change when someone searches, signs in, or uses a form, even when the address does not change.

What happens when someone opens a page?

Alex has an illustration portfolio with an introduction, a Work page, and a Contact page. She shares the full URL https://example.com/work. In this address, https:// marks a connection that encrypts data as it travels between the browser and site, example.com is the domain, and /work identifies the requested page.

The browser asks the portfolio’s web server—the computer and software that provide its pages—for the Work page. The server sends the page and the files it needs, such as images, to the browser, which displays them. When a visitor clicks Contact, the browser requests that page too. The Contact page is a different page in the same website because it belongs to the same portfolio and is connected through its menu.

Some websites build pages from information when someone requests them. For example, an online shop may create a product page from its current product information. The visitor still sees part of the same website; the page has been prepared for that request instead of being stored as a finished page.

How is a website different from its domain and hosting?

The website is the pages and features visitors read or use. A domain is a name in a page address that helps a browser find the right online service. Web hosting is a service that keeps the website’s material available and sends it when a browser asks for it. A domain does not contain the site, and registering one does not create the pages or features.

These parts can be provided by different companies. Alex could register example.com with one company, use a different company to host her portfolio, and hire someone else to build its pages. When a visitor enters the domain, its published settings help the browser reach the host; the host then supplies the requested part of the website.

Does a website need its own domain?

A website needs a web address that people or other software can use to reach it. The owner does not always have to register a custom domain: a website builder may provide an address for a published site. For example, Google Sites gives a site a Google Sites address and lets its owner connect a custom domain. Changing the address does not necessarily change the site’s pages or features.

A site can also be open to everyone or restricted to selected people. For example, Google Sites lets the publisher choose public or restricted access (publishing guide). Having a website does not automatically make every page public; the person or service publishing it controls who can view it.

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