BASIC CONCEPTS ON WEBSITE DESIGN

Concept of Internet

What is the Internet?

The Internet is “the global system of interconnected computer networks that use a common set
of protocols for data transmission known as TCP/IP (transmission control protocol / Internet
protocol) to link devices worldwide.”

The primary purpose of the Internet is to facilitate the sharing of information. There are many
different tools used on the Internet to make this possible. Some of the more common tools
include email, list servers, newsgroups, telnet, gopher, FTP, and the World Wide Web. Probably
the most popular of all Internet tools is the World Wide Web.

What is the World Wide Web (WWW)?

WWW stands for World Wide Web. A technical definition of the World Wide Web is − All the
resources and users on the Internet that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTP. The
World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human
knowledge. The World Wide Web is a way of exchanging information between computers on the
Internet, tying them together into a vast collection of interactive multimedia resources. It is a
hypertext interface to internet information resources.

Internet and Web are not the same thing, though the terms (Internet and World Wide Web) are
used interchangeably: Web uses internet to pass over the information. It is common practice to
say "going on the Internet" whenever we open any web page on a browser. However, the World
Wide Web or the Web is one of the most popular Internet services available.

Basic WWW Concepts

The World Wide Web or the Web is a collection of interconnected documents (web pages) and
other web resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. It uses HTTP as an underlying protocol for
information transfer which is one of the several other protocols available in networking theory.

The World Wide Web is a way of exchanging information between computers on the Internet,
tying them together into a vast collection of interactive multimedia resources.

There are several basic WWW concepts including;

 • HTTP
• Website
• Web page
• Web server
• Web browser
• DNS
• URL
• ISP
• Hyperlinks
• HTML

HTTP

HTTP is the short form for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. An example of the standard URL is
http://www.google.com. The prefix http in the URL designates the protocol being used for
communication. The HTTP protocol is used to access hypertext documents on the World Wide
Web.

HTTP AND HTTPS PROTOCOL

What is HTTPS?

• HTTPS = HTTP + S (Secure)

• That little padlock in your browser means the website is using HTTPS.

• It protects your data as it travels between your device and a website.

Why do we need HTTPS?

Without HTTPS, anyone (like hackers on public Wi-Fi) can:

• Spy on what you’re typing (e.g., passwords, credit card info)

• Tamper with the content (inject ads, malware)

• Pretend to be a trusted website (phishing)

Enter SSL/TLS: The Security Team Behind HTTPS

SSL/TLS = Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security

 • SSL is the old name, mostly replaced by TLS now.

• TLS is the protocol (set of rules) that handles:

o Encryption

o Authentication

o Data Integrity

What SSL/TLS Provides

Feature What It Means

Encryption Hides your data from eavesdroppers

Authentication Verifies the site is real and trustworthy

Integrity Makes sure the data isn't changed or corrupted

Website

Website refers to a collection of web pages usually written in markup language. For example:
www.google.com refers to the website of Google having ‘com’ as the domain name. Websites can
be understood as a location on the World Wide Web that holds the resources which people can
request when required. It is published on the internet, can be accessed through the internet, and
is hosted by a server.

Websites can resemble other forms of media—like newspaper articles or television programs—
or they can be interactive in a way that's unique to computers. Once you are connected to the
Internet, you can access and view websites using a type of application called a web browser. Just
keep in mind that the web browser itself is not the Internet; it only displays websites that are
stored on the Internet.

Web pages

The pages you put your information or content on the web are called web pages. They are crucial
to let your readers or audience know what your website is all about and the services you provide.
A web server delivers web pages to the user and displays them in a web browser. A website
comprises many pages linked together under a common domain name. The first or the initial page
of any website is known as the home page of that particular website.

Information can be of many types, such as images, videos, text, animation, and audio. However,
the services may be like downloading media files, streaming, selling or buying items, etc. You can
always build a website to provide all these and many more services.

Web Server

A web server is a computer or software that stores and serves web pages to users when
requested. Websites are usually hosted on a computer which is known as a Web Server. These
servers should require constant connectivity with the internet so that the resources stored by
them can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

A web server is provided with a unique address which is required to access the contents of the
server. The unique address is the identifier for the server and is termed as IP Address. These IP
Addresses comprise of a series of four numbers separated by dots or periods. Each number lies
between the range of 0 – 255, for example: 192.168.1.1. IP address of the web server is also
required when the URL of the website hosted on that server is registered on the World Wide Web.
When you type in a URL, your browser sends a request to the server, which then sends the
appropriate files (HTML, CSS, images, etc.) back to your browser.

How It Works:

1. You Type a URL: The browser looks up the domain name and sends an HTTP request to
the server that holds the website.

2. The Server Responds: The web server locates the requested content (like an HTML file)
and sends it back to the browser.

3. You See the Website: The browser takes the files from the server and displays them on
your screen.

Key Functions of a Web Server:

• Store Website Files: The server hosts the website’s files (images, videos, text, etc.).

• Serve Content: It serves these files to users when they request them.

• Handle Requests: It can process things like user logins, form submissions, and
interactions with a database.
 • Support Multiple Protocols: It communicates using HTTP/HTTPS (and sometimes FTP or
others).

Popular Web Servers:

• Apache HTTP Server

• Nginx

• Microsoft IIS

• LiteSpeed

Web Browser

A web browser is the software application that allows you to access and view websites. It
interprets the web page code (like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) and displays the content you see
when you visit a URL.

Web Browser is a software required to access the resources available on the World Wide Web.
Hence, in order to access any website web browser is required. Examples of web browsers are:
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator, etc. Navigating
through the pages of a website is termed as web browsing or surfing.

How It Works:

1. You Enter a URL: For example, https://www.example.com.

2. The Browser Sends a Request: It contacts a web server to ask for the content of that
webpage.

3. It Displays the Content: Once the browser receives the files (HTML, images, videos, etc.),
it renders them on your screen so you can interact with the site.

Key Functions of a Web Browser:

• Rendering: It renders HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into the webpage you see.

• Navigation: It lets you enter URLs, click links, go back/forward, etc.

• Security: Handles things like SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS), warnings for unsafe sites, and
cookie management.

• Cache: It stores copies of visited pages to speed up future visits.

Popular Web Browsers:

• Google Chrome

• Mozilla Firefox

• Apple Safari

• Microsoft Edge

Domain Name Server (DNS)

A DNS is like the phonebook of the Internet. It is used to provide a mapping between the name
of the requested website and its IP address. It translates human-readable domain names (like
example.com) into IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1) that computers use to find each other on the
network.

Usually, user remembers the name or URL of a website. When user enters this URL in the web
browser, a request is sent to DNS for resolving the entered URL in terms of its IP address. It is the
IP address which will be used to locate the requested resource on the web. The mapping of the
URL and the IP address a website is usually built during the registration of the domain name.
Without DNS, you’d need to remember a bunch of numbers for every website you wanted to visit!

How It Works:

1. You Type a Domain: You enter www.example.com into your browser.

2. DNS Lookup: The browser needs to find the IP address of example.com. It asks a DNS
server to resolve the domain name to an IP address.

3. DNS Server Responds: The DNS server looks up the IP address for example.com and
sends it back to the browser.

4. Connection Established: Now that the browser knows the IP address, it sends a request
to the web server at that address, asking for the web page.

5. Web Page Delivered: The server sends the requested page back to the browser, which
displays it.

Types of DNS Servers:

• Recursive DNS Servers: They handle the entire lookup process (from asking root DNS
servers to final IP address).
 • Root DNS Servers: The starting point in the DNS system, which points to the correct TLD
(Top-Level Domain) servers (like .com, .org).

• Authoritative DNS Servers: These hold the definitive records for specific domains (like
example.com), providing the final IP address.

WORKING TOGETHER

Here’s how the browser, server, and DNS work in tandem:

1. You Enter a URL: You type https://www.example.com in your browser.

2. DNS Lookup: Your browser queries a DNS server to find the IP address of example.com.

3. Server Request: Once the DNS returns the IP address (e.g., 192.0.2.1), your browser
sends an HTTP request to the web server at that address.

4. Web Server Response: The web server sends back the requested HTML, CSS, JavaScript,
and media files.

5. Web Page Displayed: Your browser renders the page so you can view and interact with
it.

Summary: Roles in the Web Ecosystem

Component Role Example

Web Requests, displays, and interacts with web

Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari
Browser content

Web Server Stores and serves web content to browsers Apache, Nginx, IIS

Google DNS, Cloudflare DNS,

DNS Translates domain names to IP addresses
OpenDNS

ISP

ISP is the short form for Internet Service Provider. They are basically the organizations responsible
for providing internet connections to the subscribers. Several ISPs also provide space on their web
servers for hosting website of the subscribers.
Hyperlink

Hyperlinks can be understood as the access points to other resources of the same or different
websites. A hyperlink, sometimes referred to as a link, is a clickable element in an electronic
document used to navigate through the linked resources. Typically, you click the hyperlink to
access the linked resource. Hyperlinks can be in the form of clickable textual links, icons, buttons,
etc.

URL

URL refers to Uniform Resource Locator. URLs are used as the address of the documents available
on the World Wide Web. A URL is the fundamental identifier of any resource available on the web
e. g., hypertext pages, images, and sound files. The standard format of a URL has been specified
as –

protocol://hostname/other_information

A protocol is, basically, a specification of the flow of information in a network. The protocol
required for accessing the resources available on the web is called Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
(HTTP). Other protocols supported by the web browsers include telnet, FTP, Gopher, etc. The
name of the protocol is followed by a colon, two forward slashes, and then the hostname. The
hostname refers to the computer having the requested resource. Hostname is followed by a single
forward slash and links to subdirectories or any particular file. The path to the directory holding
the requested file or resource may contain single forward slashes.

What is a URL?

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.

It’s the address you type in your browser to visit a web page — just like you use a home address
to find a house .

Example:
https://www.example.com/about-us

Parts of a URL (with Example)

Let’s break down this one:

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https://www.example.com:443/about-us?ref=google#team

Part What It Means

1. Protocol https:// – Tells the browser how to connect (secure HTTP)

2. Subdomain www. – Optional; can be anything like blog. or shop.

3. Domain Name example.com – The main name of the site (registered name)

4. Port (optional) :443 – Tells which door to connect through (443 = HTTPS)

5. Path /about-us – Points to a specific page or file on the server

6. Query String ?ref=google – Extra info, like filters or tracking data

7. Fragment (Anchor) #team – Scrolls to a specific section on the page

Detailed Breakdown of Each URL Component

1. Protocol (http:// or https://)

• Tells the browser how to communicate with the server.

• https = Secure, encrypted connection via SSL/TLS (safe browsing).

2. Subdomain (www, blog, store)

• A "mini-site" under the main domain.

• You can have multiple subdomains like:

o blog.example.com

o shop.example.com

3. Domain Name (example.com)

• The human-friendly address.

• Managed by DNS (Domain Name System), which maps it to an IP address.

 • Domains are made up of:

o Second-level domain (SLD): example

o Top-level domain (TLD): .com, .org, .net, etc.

4. Port (often hidden)

• Defines which port number the browser should use to talk to the server.

• Common ones:

o 80 → HTTP

o 443 → HTTPS

Usually, it's not shown unless it's custom.

5. Path (/about-us)

• The folder structure of the site.

• Helps the server know what resource (page, file) to show.

6. Query String (?ref=google)

• Starts with ?, then has key=value pairs.

• Used for:

o Tracking (utm_source, ref)

o Filters (?color=blue&size=large)

o Searches (?q=laptop)

You can have multiple pairs separated by &.

7. Fragment/Anchor (#team)

• Doesn’t request a new page — just jumps to a section on the same page.

• The page must have an element with id="team" for this to work.
 Real-Life Example

URL:

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https://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pw/mens-shoes/7puZnik1zy7ok

Part Meaning

https Secure protocol

store.nike.com Subdomain store under the domain nike.com

/us/en_us/pw/mens-shoes/7puZnik1zy7ok Path to a filtered product listing

(no query or fragment) This is just a clean product list page

HTML

HTML refers to Hyper Text Markup Language. It is the development language of the websites
available on the web. HTML can be understood as a subset of SGML (Standard Generalized Mark-
Up Language).

Summary on WWW Key Concepts:

Term Explanation

Browser Software like Chrome or Safari that lets you view websites

URL The address of a webpage (like https://example.com)

Server A powerful computer that stores and sends web pages to your browser

IP Address A unique number identifying each device on the Internet

Domain
A human-friendly address (like google.com) that maps to an IP address
Name
Term Explanation

Domain Name System — like the Internet’s phonebook, it translates domain

DNS
names into IP addresses

HTTP /
Protocols that define how data is transferred; HTTPS is the secure version
HTTPS

Web Page A document you view in your browser, usually written in HTML

Website A collection of related web pages under one domain name

WHY DO YOU NEED A WEBSITE?

You may already know that it is important for you to have a web presence. You may know that an
effective website can substantially boost your business, especially when you are already making
massive revenue.

Following are some reasons why you need a website.

1. Gives Your Business a Professional Look:

A website of your business shows you are serious about it and gives a professional look. People
trust the credibility of the business and services you provide. Creating a website costs money, and
people trust you if you are spending on it. Moreover, the website designs also impact your
audience, which is why most businesses rely on the best web design agency in Dubai.

2. Getting Potential Clients:

A website plays a crucial role in gathering your audience from your different social platforms to
end up in one place to take final action. Therefore, you must publish attractive and engaging
content to convince your readers.

3. Increases Your Visibility:

According to research, we currently have over 5.03 billion active users on the internet, and a
majority use mobile devices to access the internet. It tells us that if you don't have a website, you
will miss a chance to reach these users. That's why it is important to have a website to increase
your visibility and reach.
4. It Is Valuable for a Longer Period:

Investing in a website gives you value even after many years; how? You pay for ads to run on social
media that give more potential leads, generating a massive revenue compared to what you have
paid for advertisement.

5. Allows You to Sell Online:

Recent stats showed that eCommerce websites projected sales of $8.1 trillion in 2026. These
sales are happening because of the presence of websites. This is why we are seeing the number
of online stores increasing globally. It helps you attract new customers.

6. Improves Customer Service:

A well-developed and structured website gives enough information to customers. After visiting
the websites, they don't need to ask questions further via call or opening hours, etc.

7. Makes You Stand Out Among Competitors:

A website enables your business to showcase the best services compared to your competitors.
But you need to understand how to make it possible because you will need to learn every bit of
information on the latest trend. Therefore, you should learn how to maintain your website to get
the desired results.